The Thanksgiving Menu is planned, the groceries are bought, let the brinning begin....
What is going to be on your Thanksgiving Table this year? I'm changing mine up a bit....Here is what I'll be puttin' on my table.
* Cider Brined Turkey
* Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
* Sweet Potatoe Casserole with Pecans
*Green Beans with Crispy Onions
*Brown and Serve Dinner Rolls {oh yes..I'm such a Martha Stewart}
*Molasses -Pecan Pie
* KJ Wine {for me} and Martinelli's Sparkling Cider {for the family}
Yep..no Pumpkin Crunch this year...I'm livin' on the edge....
***************Cider Brined Turkey from Williams-Sonoma ************
Using the Turkey Brine in a jar...I'll attempt the recipe...I hear it is the best way if you want a succulant Turkey..and I do...
**********************Creamy Mashed Potatoes**********************
I've been using this recipe forever. It the basic mashed potatoe recipe I just add some sour cream, some milk and salt and pepper....yummy and so simple.
************************Sweet Potatoe Casserole*********************
Sweet Potato Casserole {from Dear Daisy Cottage }
4 cups (3 lbs) sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk or 1 small can of evaporated milk
Peel and quarter sweet potatoes. Boil potatoes until tender, drain and mash. Add all of the above ingredients and mix together. Pour into a large, greased 8 x 10 pan.
Topping (I double this - trust me, you will want to too)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup flour
1/2 stick butter, melted
Mix topping ingredients together. With your hands, crumble mixture on top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake @ 350 degrees until topping is golden brown or about 25 minutes. You can make ahead and store in fridge until you are ready to bake it and then it usually is done between 30-45 minutes.
*edited to add that this recipe originally came from sweet Jen years ago... and it is now our family's favorite.
******************Green Beans with Crispy Onions********************
This recipe I snagged from my November issue of Better, Homes and Gardens. It is a Sara Foster recipe and I've tried her recipes before so I hope this is a good one.
2 lb. of green beans, trimmed cut into 3 inch pieces
6 TBSP unsalted butter
1 onion sliced
1 lb. of button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
2 tsp. of sea salt
1/2 tsp. of freshly ground pepper
2 gratings of fresh nutmeg
canola oil for frying
9 shallots sliced crosswise in 1/4 inch rings
1/2 cup of cornstarch
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish; set aside.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boiling. Prepare and set aside a large bowl of ice water. Cook green beans in boiling water about 2 minutes, just until bright green; drain and place in ice water to cool rapidly. Drain thoroughly.
3. Meanwhile, in very large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot butter about 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add 1 Tbsp. butter; turn heat to medium-high. Saute mushrooms about 4 minutes, until golden. Transfer onions, mushrooms, and beans to a large bowl.
4. For sauce, in the same skillet, melt remaining 3 Tbsp. butter over medium heat; stir in flour. Stir constantly, about 2 minutes, until flour turns light brown. Slowly pour in the milk; cook and stir about 4 minutes, until thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat; cool completely. Pour cooked sauce over bean mixture; stir to coat evenly. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Bak about 40 minutes, until sauce bubbles around edges.
5. Meanwhile, for topping, pour 3 to 4 inches of oil into a deep heavy saucepan. Heat oil over medium-high heat until sizzling. Working in batches, separate shallots into rings; toss with cornstarch to coat, shaking off excess. Carefully add to hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes (each batch), until golden and crisp. Remove with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
6. Remove casserole from oven, sprinkle with shallots. Bake 5 minutes more, until top is crisp and golden. Serve warm.
From the Test Kitchen
- Make Ahead Tip Bake and refrigerate untopped green bean mixture 1 day ahead. Fry shallots up to 2 days ahead; store in airtight container at room temperature. Reheat green beans, covered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, until heated through. Top with crispy shallots the last 5 minutes
**************************Molasses-Pecan Pie************************
1 cup molassess
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
2 TBsp. unsalted butter melted
1 TBsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt
2 cups of pecan halves
1 pie crust, see below..
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For filling, in a large bowl stir together molasses, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla and salt. Evenly spread pecans in unbaked pie shell {see below} Pour filling over pecans.
2. Place pie on center rack of oven, with a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips that bubbles over. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until firm around the edges and slighty loose in the center. Cool pie on wire rack several hours. Makes 10 serviings. You can make pie up to 2 days ahead. Store, covered in refrigerator..
Pie Crust Recipe
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 TBsp of sugar
1 tsp. of kosher salt
8 TBsp of cold unsalted butter ( 1 stick)
1/4 cup of vegtable shortening
3 TBsp of ice water
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tsp. of white distilled vinegar
1. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender and working quickly to prevent butter from melting into flour, cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs.
2. In a small bowl, combine ice water, beaten egg, and vinegar; stir to mix. With a fork, mix egg mixture into flour mixture just until dough clumps together and is moist enough to pat together; do not overmix. If dough is dry and crumbly, add more ice water, 1 TBsp. at a time, just until dough comes together. Dough should not be wet or sticky.
3. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Roll out die and fill with filling.
And there you have it, add some of those "fancy" brown and serve dinner rolls. My mother made those every year for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas Dinner so I carry on the tradition.
Hope you all are prepping for Thanksgiving and enjoying the process.....
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