Thanksgiving Recipes

It’s that time y’all!  Here is a list of Thanksgiving recipes on citk that can help round out your meal, and a few tips to make your day go a bit smoother. 

Appetizers

• Caramelized Pear and Blue Cheese Salad -This is an easy and impressive salad to put together.  Mix up the dressing ahead of time and combine greens, onions, pecans, and blue cheese in a serving bowl the day before and refrigerate.  Thursday morning, set the dressing on the counter to warm up.  When ready to serve, caramelize your pears quickly in a hot skillet, toss greens mixture with dressing and serve.
• Onion Dip -A great choice for anyone asked to bring a snack for guests to nibble on during dinner preparations.  Mix it up at home and it will be ready to serve by the time you reach your destination. 
• Prosciutto and Cheese Wrapped Figs -We can still get fresh figs in Texas and if you can get them this makes a nice fancy appetizer for party guests. 
• Spinach Dip -Another quick, cold dip.  This is a great one to prepare alongside a vegetable crudité platter.

Sides

• Creamed Corn -I love creamed corn.  We usually heat up frozen corn as an additional vegetable side, but this creamed corn is rich and delicious.  Prepare on the stove top while the turkey is resting. 
• Creamed Spinach -Another great vegetable side that’s quick to prepare while the turkey rests.  Thaw a box of frozen spinach and squeeze dry to make this one super fast.  
• Cranberry Sauce -Cranberry sauce is so easy to make there really is no excuse.  It can also be made several days ahead, just don’t forget to pull it out of the fridge Thursday morning!
• Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole -Mix this one up the day before and refrigerate.  On Thursday, set it on the counter to warm up while the turkey is in the oven.  Once the turkey is out and resting, this one can take a spot on the bottom rack next to the dressing.
• Caramelized Butternut Squash -A good alternative to sweet potatoes, these roast on the top rack while the casseroles are heating up.  Chop your squash the day before and refrigerate in a large mixing bowl.  Just dump your sugar and butter in the bowl, toss, and spread out on a baking sheet when ready to roast.
• Twice Baked Potato Casserole -Because you can’t have too many cheesy starches at Thanksgiving.  A good one for those who don’t have traditional mashed potatoes (or make a large pot of mashed potatoes and split in half to have both). 

The Turkey

• Fried Turkey -Free up your oven and cook your turkey in an hour rather than waiting around all day. 
• Smoked Turkey -Try something different this year (and free up your oven)!

Desserts

• Blueberry Pie -Use economical frozen blueberries and mix up the pie ahead of time.  Can be baked the day before and set out at room temperature or made up and refrigerated and baked after dinner. 
• Chocolate Pie -Make the day before and refrigerate. Try it with an Oreo cookie crust! Make fresh whipped cream for topping before serving.
• Lemon Meringue Pie -Make the day before and refrigerate.
• Secret Family Recipe Cheesecake -Make the day before and refrigerate.

 Extras

• Cream Soup Substitute -Make ahead of time to use in your casseroles.
• Chicken or Turkey Stock -Make ahead to have turkey stock on hand for stuffing and gravy, especially if you are smoking or frying your turkey.  Definitely make it after dinner with your carcass for the next week’s turkey noodle soup, etc…

I really think Thanksgiving dinner is less about the turkey and all about the side dishes-mrChaos, on the other hand, says that’s just me.  Nevertheless, a traditional roast turkey might be a nice centerpiece but it doesn’t inspire much excitement.  My absolute favorite turkey preparation, one I would eat any time of year, is deep fried Thanksgiving turkey.  Crisp skin, juicy meat, and loads of flavor-I look forward to the fried turkey every year now.

Fried Turkey

• 1 fresh or 100% thawed turkey
• 6 qts hot water
• 1 lb brown sugar
• 1 lb kosher salt
• 1 bag ice
• peanut oil for frying

1. The night before heat water and combine with sugar and salt in a cooler until dissolved.
2. Add ice and submerge the turkey.  Cover and allow to brine overnight.
3. When ready to cook, remove turkey from brine and pat it completely dry with paper towels.
4. Heat oil to 250°F in a turkey fryer.
5. Lower turkey carefully into hot oil and raise the temperature to 350-400°F.
6. Fry the turkey approximately 30-40 minutes checking oil temperature occasionally.  Remove the turkey when an instant thermometer in the breast reads 150°F.
7. Allow turkey to rest 30 minutes before carving.

Frying a turkey can be very dangerous if you are not careful and prepared.  It is actually a very fast, easy method of getting a great bird on the table but if this is your first time frying a turkey consider these tips:

1. Fry your turkey out doors away from crowded or flammable areas (no overhangs!).
2. Expect the oil to take a while to heat and a large heat drop when you add the turkey.
3. To measure how much oil you will need: place your turkey in the fryer and fill with water until covered.  Remove the turkey and either measure the water or remember where the line is so you can add that amount of oil.
4. Be sure your fryer and turkey are both completely dry before frying.
5. Do not attempt to fry a turkey over 14 lbs.
6. Be sure your turkey is prepped with a wire truss and you have a hook or a fryer basket for placing it in and removing it from the oil.
7. Do not attempt to fry a turkey that is not 100% completely thawed.  It will catch fire or even explode.  If you don’t feel confident that your turkey will be totally thawed and dry by frying time, prepare ahead and order a fresh turkey.

If you really enjoy fried turkey, like we do, you may want to invest in an electric turkey fryer which makes it even easier and safer to fry your turkey every year.

Two more points to consider when frying your turkey: first, you will have to bake your stuffing seperately in the oven and secondly, you will have no drippings for making gravy.  I suggest roasting a small breast earlier in the week and saving the drippings for the big day (this will also give you some extra meat if a 14 lb bird won’t feed your crowd).  Then you will have a nice carcass for making stock giving you plenty of turkey stock on hand for the gravy and stuffing.

After the big meal, as with any bone-in roast, be sure to save your fried carcass for making stock.  I find turkey and chicken stock to be interchangeable, and the leftover meat is also great in a pot pie.

I never ate cranberry sauce as a kid, it was only as an adult that I recognized it’s sweet-tart flavor was a great foil to the piles of savory starches on my Thanksgiving plate.  Cranberry sauce is super easy to make and keeps well in the fridge.  It’s as easy side to make a day or two in advance just don’t forget it a serving time!

Classic Cranberry Sauce

• 1 pound fresh cranberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup sugar

1. Combine all three ingredients in a medium pot.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer until cranberries burst and liquid thickens.
3. Strain, if desired, and chill.

If you like it chunky you will get about 3 cups of sauce.

Thanksgiving dinner is really heavy on starches: stuffing, potatoes, broccoli rice casserole (for us), rolls and generally sweet potatoes as well.  Often what is lacking is a nice, fresh vegetable side.  Yes there’s the green bean casserole but that’s just as heavy as the rest of it.  No wonder everyone undoes their pants and takes a nap after dinner.

We have a delicious sweet potato casserole recipe we serve every year-a streusel topped dish layered with marshmallows that could stand in for dessert.  This year, I thought it would be nice to have a more subtly sweet dish as well as an extra vegetable choice.  This lightly sweetened roasted squash is the perfect combination of the two.

Caramelized Butternut Squash

• 5 lbs butternut squash (2 or 3 squashes)
• 8 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Peel squash and chop into large pieces.
3. Combine squash, butter, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Toss.
4. Pour squash out onto a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Bake for about an hour or until browned.

What vegetable sides do you serve during the holidays?