<p>Veruca, here is the crab dip recipe.
1/2 pound crab meat (I prefer fresh, but I hear pasteurized works OK)
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch garlic salt
About 1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup grated cheddar, plus more for top if you’d like
Paprika for garnsh</p>
<p>Remove cartilage from crabmeat
Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, lemon, Worcester, mustard and garlic til smooth. Add enough milk to make it creamy. Stir in the cheese. Gently stir in crab. </p>
<p>Grease 1 quart casserole pan. Pour in the dip. Top with cheddar and a little paprika. Cook for about 30 minutes, til bubbly and brown.
Notes - we like with Wheat Thins, but any crackers may be OK. I use a combo of low fat and regular cream cheese and sour cream, and they both seem OK.</p>
<p>I’ve made this recipe for my vegetarian daughter many Thanksgivings. It is a corn bread and Broccoli Rabe strata. It is a very tasty addition to the table. </p>
<p>So this year, I’m going home for Thanksgiving but not for Christmas (the rookie gets to work. Fine by me, because my very best friend is coming to visit over New Year’s. But I digress.)</p>
<p>I asked my mom if I could be in charge of Thanksgiving dinner since I love to cook but rarely get to cook for more than just myself. I know we’ll have the staples: turkey, stuffing, rolls, chinese chicken salad (it’s a staple at our house…dad will inevitably say something about how ‘you can’t have turkey and chicken the same day,’ but will eat some anyway. My mom, Sister-in-law, and I adore it and will eat most of it. We’ll make it a day ahead and mom and I will have some for breakfast day of; shhhh!) I asked my mom if we could make au gratin potatoes (a family recipe which is the best food I’ve ever had) because it’s usually a Christmas food, but I won’t be home this year. I also will be making a pecan pie for my dad because it’s his favorite.</p>
<p>I’m just wondering if there’s anything new I could try! :)</p>
<p>@wis75, if you are willing to splurge I would be tempted by the 5-course offering at Maximilien’s in the Pike Place Market. The others on the OpenTable list (a few I have never been in) I would consider for special occasions are Ray’s Boathouse, Aqua (also pricey), and the Capital Grille. For a more budget-conscious Thanksgiving try BluWater Bistro in Greenlake.</p>
<p>Make reservations - it is a popular night for dinner out in Seattle.</p>
<p>@wis75, check if Salty’s is offering their fantastic buffet brunch on thanksgiving. If you are willing to get out of the city a bit, Barking Frog/Herbfarm/Willows Lodge is having a Thanksgiving feast (pricey, but they are sooo good)! </p>
<p>For wis75, in addition to the suggestions above, from OpenTable I would expect Il Fornaio and Palomino to do a nice job. Cutters has a nice waterfront location. </p>
<p>Here’s my Crab Dip recipe. Similar to above, but ‘crabbier’.</p>
<p>1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1 C mayonnaise
2 t Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 t ground mustard
1 pound lump crabmeat
1/4 C shredded Cheddar cheese </p>
<p>Combine first four ingredients until well blended. Gently add in crab meat. Stir just enough to blend crab with seasonings, etc.
Spread in shallow baking dish–1 or 2 quart. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and more Old Bay, if you like a bit of kick.
Bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers, toasted bread/crostini, etc</p>
<p>1214 and Beil, this is my best estimation. I will come back and update later when I make them with mom, but this is what I remember from years of making (and eating) them, but it’s a recipe that has never been written down.</p>
<p>5-pound bag russet potatoes (or maybe 10-pounds…I honestly can’t remember. I’ll ask mom )
2 cans Aunt Penny’s white sauce (if they ever stop making this stuff, we’re in big trouble…)
1 pound American cheese (we always have to go to the deli and ask for it…we’ve gotten some interesting looks)</p>
<p>Peel, chop, and put the potatoes on the stove to boil. You want them to be tender, but not done enough to mash; you want them to hold up in the finished dish. You want a little bit smaller than bite-sized pieces.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, grate the cheese.</p>
<p>Layer potatoes, white sauce, cheese. Repeat, finishing with cheese on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese on top is golden brown and bubbly. It doesn’t take too long because the potatoes are cooked; you’re really just warming everything through and melting the cheese.</p>
<p>This makes a TON of food and you could easily half the recipe, but we never have leftovers and if we do, they don’t last long!</p>
<p>Update: mom says it is “5 plus” pound of potatoes, and adds that “you want that bowl to be FULL!” We have a large casserole bowl that we refer to as the “au gratin bowl” because that’s usually the only thing we use it for. Sometimes a double recipe of mom’s also-famous tuna noodle casserole will find its way into that bowl.</p>
<p>And dad says 1.5 pound of American cheese. The recipe is actually (I believe) my maternal grandmother’s, who is originally from Oklahoma. She knew all about food that was NOT good for you, but would transport you to heaven. </p>
<p>Abasket, IIRC, it’s usually near the gravy in a jar/instant mashed potatoes. That section. If you can’t find it, it is possible to order it online (I just googled Aunt Penny’s white sauce.)</p>
<p>Acollegestudent–if we’re being 100% honest, it’s a veeeeery old Betty Crocker recipe. But my siblings and I grew up on it. Literally. Mom would put it in the food processor when we were kids and feed it to us pureed. I’m making some tonight! :)</p>
<p>8oz. pasta (I use bowties, but the recipe calls for egg noodles)
2 7oz. cans tuna, well drained
1.5 cups sour cream (daisy is the best)
3/4 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4 tbsp butter</p>
<p>Cook the pasta as directed, omitting salt. Meanwhile, combine tuna, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper in an oven-safe bowl. Add cooked pasta. Melt butter and mix with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese; sprinkle over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.</p>
<p>I usually make a double recipe and eat it for several days one of my very favorite recipes from my childhood and one of the few that I can make with no recipe!</p>
<p>HGFM, I can tell that’s an old recipe – they haven’t made 7 oz. cans of tuna in ages! They’re only about 5 oz. now and still shrinking… I’m lucky to get 2 sandwiches from one regular sized can and I can remember when a can used to yield 3 or 4.</p>
<p>Thanks for the recipe. I love tuna casserole, too. Great comfort food!</p>
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