<p>We had the big Thanksgiving dinners for year at my mothers and MIL’s house … I’ve been on my own for a few years. We have less than ten to feed.</p>
<p>I don’t think I do anything particularly well… so looking for your best idea or best recipe to make the holiday special or delicious.</p>
<p>Disclaimer - I am no Martha Stewart … so nothing too hard!</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing!</p>
<p>I put this on another T-day thread but it is one of our favorites and easy to make: One of our favorites: </p>
<p>Praline Yams- 40oz canned cut yams/sweet potatoes drained
1/2 C chopped pecans, 1/2 C coconut, 1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar, 1/4 C flour, and 1/4 C butter-melted</p>
<p>Heat oven to 350. Place drained yams in an ungreased 2 qt casserole dish. In small bowl combine the remaining ingredients, blend well. Sprinkle over yams and bake for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly.</p>
<p>Onward, we make a similar version. So good it could count as a dessert!</p>
<p>Butternut squash is fantastic and very simple. You can even buy the squash already cut up now. Toss in small amount of oil or butter, maple syrup and some salt. Onto a cookie sheet and bake at 400 until the edges caramelize. Thats usually about 35 minutes. </p>
<p>I also like a big bowl of chopped spinach with grey sea salt and almonds. Yum. I dont butter it at Thanksgiving because there are so many other dishes that are rich. </p>
<p>The number one item every year is pan roasted kielbasa. Great with the stuffing, potatoes or a mouthful of turkey. Any left overs are great on a cracker with cheese while watching the Cowboys game. </p>
<p>The weather just turned here and I am ready for some Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>I always make these carrots from the Silver Palate cookbook:
[Cook</a> the Book: Ginger Candied Carrots | Serious Eats : Recipes](<a href=“http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/05/ginger-candied-carrots-recipe.html]Cook”>http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/05/ginger-candied-carrots-recipe.html)</p>
<p>This is a recipe that I got from Gourmet Magazine 30 years ago, and I’ve been making it ever since. It’s the upgrade to cranberry relish, and while it takes a couple of hours, you make it 2 or 3 days ahead and I promise it is DELICIOUS. DO NOT attempt to skimp on the sugar, though–I’ve tried it and it is bitter. This amount of brown sugar gives just the right sweetness to offset the tang of the other ingredients.</p>
<p>If anyone makes it, I would love to hear what you think about it. I don’t believe I’ve ever shared it before.</p>
<p>CRANBERRY CHUTNEY</p>
<p>½ cup cider vinegar
2 ¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar (this is one whole box)
¾ t curry powder
½ t ground ginger
½ t cinnamon
¼ t ground cloves
¼ t ground allspice
2 lemons, rind grated, pith discarded, and cut into sections
2 oranges, rind grated, pith discarded and cut into sections
1 apple, peeled and chopped coarse
6 cups cranberries (2 12 oz. bags)
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup chopped walnuts</p>
<p>In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, curry powder, ginger, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and 1 ½ cups water and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon rind, orange rind, lemon sections, orange sections, and apple, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Add 3 cups of the cranberries, raisins and apricots and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes, or until it is thickened. Stir in 2 cups of the remaining cranberries and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Stir in the remaining 1 cup cranberries and the walnuts and simmer the mixture, stirring, for 15 minutes.</p>
<p>Transfer the chutney to a bowl, let it cool, and chill it, covered, overnight or for up to 2 weeks.</p>
<p>t= teaspoon.</p>
<p>This makes 6 cups and is PLENTY for up to 15 people.</p>
<p>During the holidays, I tend to stick with recipes that have no more than five ingredients. If I can count the items on one hand, I’m far less likely to forget them. </p>
<p>For cranberry sauce, I just bring 1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup sugar to a boil, add 2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen), simmer for about 10 minutes, then stir in 1/2 cup sweet orange marmalade. If you’d like to brighten it up a bit more, you can always squeeze in a bit of lemon juice at the end.</p>
<p>We make a yam dish similar to above but with cracked pepper (maybe about 2 tbsp) instead of coconut. </p>
<p>I also don’t like sweetened cranberry sauce. We make one with just frozen cranberries and port wine.</p>
<p>My favorite turkey was out of an early 90s issue of Bon Appetit - Herb Rubbed Turkey with Shiitake Mushroom Gravy.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roast-turkey-with-herb-rub-and-shiitake-mushroom-gravy]Roast”>http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roast-turkey-with-herb-rub-and-shiitake-mushroom-gravy]Roast</a> Turkey with Herb Rub and Shiitake Mushroom Gravy - Bon App</p>
<p>You don’t have to be Martha Stewart - turkey is obvious, use a mix for stuffing like Mrs. Cubbisons, make some mashed potatoes, buy a can/jar of gravy, make some frozen veg, make pumpkin pie from a can of Libby’s, buy some rolls. Easy, classic and yummy. I’ve been doing it that way for years. It’s always less than 10 at my house and no one complains.</p>
<p>I heard an interview with this author(Sam Sifton) on NPR last year and promptly bought his book on Thanksgiving dinners. Basic recipes, great tips. Here’s an interview with the author.
[A</a> Conversation With The New York Times’ Sam Sifton About His New Book, “Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well” - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2012/10/24/a-conversation-with-the-new-york-times-sam-sifton-about-his-new-book-thanksgiving-how-to-cook-it-well/]A”>A Conversation With The New York Times' Sam Sifton About His New Book, "Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well")</p>
<p>PhotoOp you have my number - that’s about what I do … although I do make stuffing, my mom had a pretty simple recipe that I’ve embellished a bit. Just looking for a few new ideas - some good ones here - any “traditions” or ideas other than food?</p>
<p>Bromfield2 - I also checked out the book and just ordered it! Looks like just the ticket!</p>
<p>A really easy, really yummy side dish, very 70s, but our family loves it:</p>
<p>1 stick butter, melt it in a sauce pan
Add 4T flour to make a roux, cook over medium heat a minute or so to get rid of the raw flour taste
remove from heat
stir in 6 eggs, one at a time
20 ounces spinach chopped, either frozen or fresh, but blanch it if fresh and in either case squeeze out all the extra moisture
2# cottage cheese
2/3-1# shredded sharp cheddar</p>
<p>Bake about an hour at 350f , you can do a deep pan or a shallow pan, my kids like it shallow with lots of brown crispy bits. I use a 9" x 13"</p>
<p>Stuffing is easy at my house- the kids and I love stovetop stuffing. We are not purist but it is simple to make.</p>
<p>Onward, we’re a Stovetop family, too. We make Stovetop stuffing and a wild rice mix, per the package directions, then blend the two with about a cup of toasted pecans. Easy and yummy.</p>
<p>Our Thanksgiving always includes a few vegetarians. For them I make stuffed delicata squash. I slice the squash lengthwise, scrape out seeds, and add stuffing (the same recipe I put in the bird) and top with really good parmigiano cheese, bake for 45 minutes or so. If there are vegans, I leave the cheese off.</p>
<p>The stuffing recipe: saute onions, lots of them, in generous amounts of olive oil, and then allow to caramelize very very slowly on very low heat. (This step usually takes about two hours of stirring every fifteen minutes or so.) To the onions, I add apples, pecans (lots of pecans), chives, celery, and stuffing mix. Whole Foods sells a stuffing mix with cranberries. Really good. Moisten with vegetable broth (purchased or prepared in advance). If there are no vegans, I might also stir in an egg.</p>
<p>One of my favorites is Cranberry Relish. It’s cool, refreshing and a great balance to all the heavy traditional Thanksgiving foods. </p>
<p>2 cups washed raw cranberries
2 skinned and cored tart apples
1 large, whole (peel ON) seedless orange, cut into sections
1 to 2 cups granulated sugar (depending on how sweet you would like your relish to be)</p>
<p>Put all the fruit through a grinder or food processor until it’s in small chunks, then mix in sugar and let sit for 15 minutes until it dissolves. Mix and serve with turkey! Easy as pie.</p>
<p>For several years we have been renting vacation rentals near where S1 was in school (easier to get us to him than him to us). I bring the fixings for homemade pies and we get take out Thanksgiving dinner from Wegman’s (a great east coast grocery store chain)! It has made for a great, relaxing holiday. For table decor I use wine glasses with some water, cranberries (they float!) and a votive candle. Festive and easy.</p>
<p>Hubby cooks the turkey on the grill rotisserie. </p>
<p>I add nuts to the cranberry relish that go bears makes.</p>