Thanksgiving Dinner

Sweet Potatoes/Yams

We have always called these Yams but they are really Sweet Potatoes. This is the way my Mom always made this Thanksgiving dish.

*4 medium/large Sweet Potatoes/Yams cooked, remove skins and cut into thick slices or chunks size that you like. (Bring Water to a boil and put the washed Sweet Potatoes/Yams in a Stock Pot of water and simmer until they are fairly easy to poke with a fork)

In a greased Glass Baking Pan place cut, cooked Sweet potatoes/Yams and top them with the following:

*1/2-3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar, depending on how sweet you like them
*1/4-1/2 cup Salted Butter, cut into square pieces
*3 teaspoons Evaporated Canned Milk
*1/4 cup Slivered Almonds, optional

Cover with foil or glass lid and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350*F, then remove from oven and top with mini marshmallows and broil until they start to turn brown slightly or just remove foil and watch them carefully so you don’t burn them. Serve!

Serves 8-10 people

Mashed Potatoes

These mashed potatoes can be served top with Gravy or in Potato Casings.

*8 Large Baking Potatoes

Wash and poke Potatoes with a fork and Bake in 400*F. Placing Potatoes in the oven for about 1 hour or until fork pokes through easily. (You can also rub them with Olive Oil before baking them.

Remove Potatoes from oven and allow them to cool. Then cut them in half and spoon out the centers leaving the casing intact with enough Potatoes to keep their shape.

Whip potatoes in Mixer or with a Potato Masher with the following:

*4 ounces Cream Cheese, room temperature
*1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
*1 can Evaporated Milk, add slowly as needed
*Salt and Pepper to taste

When the above is to a nice creamy texture, scoop or with a Pastry bag Squeeze whipped potatoes into Potato Casings and drizzle them with 1/4 cup melted butter and Bake a 350* F. oven until warm and potatoes brown slightly.

Optional: Top with Grated Parmesan Cheese and Chopped Green Onions before serving.

Makes 16 halved Potatoes.

Turkey

You can find how to cook your turkey here.

This is how I like to prepare my turkey.

*First I usually buy our turkey frozen around 15 pounds. I put in the refrigerator about 4 days before the day I’m going to cook the turkey. I take out all the parts they pack inside the turkey and I usually wash it off in a cleaned sink, but nowadays they say that this spreads bacteria around your kitchen so you can decide to wash or not.

*I cut up the following and put inside the turkey: 3 cut up medium apples 1 lemon cut into wedges, 1 onion cut into wedges, a sprig of Rosemary.

*I like to tie up the turkey with Baking Twine and I cook in a Roasting Bag.

*I dry off my turkey with paper towels and rub with Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil and rub with spices. I used: Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Sage, and Rosemary and then slip it into the Roasting Bag, you might need help with this step.

Optional: Since my turkey was in Roasting bag I added carrot, onions and you could also do celery around the bottom of the turkey because juices will keep them moist and add flavor to the Turkey and Gravy.

*Place bagged/Turkey in a Roasting Pan bake at 500* F. For 30 minutes (and then cover your turkey with an aluminum foil tent if you are not using the Roasting Bag) and then turn down and cook 350*F according to the directions on your turkey package on how long to cook and use a meat oven thermometer to test when turkey is done. See the above link for more information on cooking turkey. (You want a 165*F. internal temperature putting the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to test for when its finish cooking.) This type of turkey takes longer to cook because of the added fruit inside.

Gravy

Remove turkey from the bag and pour juices into a strainer and add as much of the turkey juices you want to use in a stock pot/sauce pan and cook down juices for about 20 minutes. Then make a thickening with flour and cold water, (I use 4-5 tablespoons of flour to a cup of water.) in a shaker container or blender mix up flour and water then add to the turkey juices, pouring in slowly until desired thickness on medium/low heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can see more how to make the gravy here.

Fresh Cranberry Salsa

*1 12 ounce package fresh Cranberries
*3/4 cup Sugar
*1 medium Jalapeño, minced and seeds removed
*1 green Onion
*2 tablespoons fresh Cilantro
*1/4 teaspoon Cumin

Place all the above ingredients In a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.

Refrigerate overnight or make early in the morning for dinner time.

Makes about 3 cups

Optional: Use a softened 8 ounce package of Cream Cheese and spread on the bottom of the serving dish and top with Fresh Cranberry Salsa.

Serve with chips or crackers of your choice.

Recipe adapted from Angel Shannon

Drinks:

Eggnog with Sprite, 3 to 1 ratio.

Cranberry Juice and Sprite, 1/2 and 1/2 of each.

Cookie Turkeys

*Chocolate Frosting, glue
*Oreo Cookies, Base and for turkey feather Acorns
*Candy Corn, brown caramel, Beak and Feathers
*Reeses Peanut Butter cups, body
*Cinnamon Bears, waddle, cut bear in strips length wise
*Malted Milk Balls, head
*Leaf Candy Sprinkles, Feet

Acorns

*Chocolate Frosting, glue
*Hershey Kisses
*Mini Vanilla Wafers
*Mini Chocolate Chips, stem

Pilgrims Hat

*Chocolate Frosting, as the glue
*Melting Chocolate Discs or Almond Bark, melted
*Large Marshmallows dipped in Chocolate
*Yellow Fall Leaf Sprinkles, or Yellow Starburst Flattened and cut into a small square for the Buckle of the Hat

We used the frozen Green Beans from our Garden with Butter and salt and pepper and then we just used Stove Top Stuffing for our Dressing.

Gratitude Tree

*cut Branches from a Tree
*Container with Sand or small Rocks Etc… to hold branches
*Paper in Fall colors cut into Leaf Shapes
*Paper Punch
*Ribbon for hanging Leaves

Have everyone write things their Grateful for and have them hang them on the tree.