Thursday, November 21, 2013

Top Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving from Home Products Inc.! We took a poll here at the office and asked for everyone's favorite Thanksgiving dishes. And here are our favorite recipes! Try one out and test it with your family this year.
Also, don't forget to check out our Thanksgiving Pinterest board!

Cornbread Stuffing. 
One staff member loves her grandmother's cornbread stuffing with walnuts. Here is a similar recipe to try from Recipe Goldmine:


Walnut-Cranberry Corn Bread Stuffing

Makes 5 cups.

Ingredients:


  • 4 tablespoons butter 
  • 1 small carrot, minced 
  • 1 small rib celery, minced 
  • 1 small onion, minced 
  • 2 1/4 cups (approximately) lightly crumbled corn bread 
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley 
  • 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves, crumbled 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper 
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts 
  • 1 1/2 cups hot turkey broth or water 
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add carrot, celery and onion; sauté until softened (about 10 minutes).
In a large bowl, toss corn bread with cooked carrot, celery and onion; add parsley, sage, salt and pepper. Add cranberries, walnuts and stock; mix well.
Place dressing in a 2-quart casserole; cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake until center of stuffing registers 165 degrees F (about 30 minutes).


Check out more of their recipes at RecipeGoldmine.com


Green Bean Casserole
Another staff loves the classic French's green bean casserole. Simple and always a hit

French's Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 packages (9 oz. each) frozen cut green beans, thawed
  • 1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions, divided

Directions:
Combine soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish; stir until blended. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup onions.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Stir. Sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 minutes or until onions are golden.


Orange Glazed Yams
Sweet potatoes add a fall flair to the meal. This staff makes orange glazed yams year-round to get a taste of fall anytime!
Also, just use the glaze for pancake topping, or as Turkey, mashed potato, and stuffing topping.
Allie's Orange Glazed Yams

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons corn starch
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 can (29 oz.) yams/sweet potatoes
Directions:

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium sized bowl. In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, bring the orange juice to a boil. Pour the juice into the sugar/corn starch  mixture and stir until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved into the juice. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Stirring constantly, continue to heat the mixture for about 5 minutes, until the glaze is thick and transparent. Add the butter and let melt.

Drain the yams, and heat them in the microwave until warm. Gently stir them into the glaze and keep on stove on lowest heat to keep warm.


Jell-O

Most of our staff can't imagine the Thanksgiving table without the Jell-O! With so many varieties, it's hard to pick just one recipe to share.

Pick three-four boxes of the Jell-O flavor you want and follow the directions, but add only half the amount of water that it calls for so that the Jell-O is very firm and will suspend the fruit.
Once the Jell-O mixture is made, stir in your choice of fruit and pour into a serving dish.
Let it set in the fridge, and serve cold. Don't forget the whipped cream!

Our favorite combinations:
  • Raspberry Jell-O with crushed pineapple, crushed cranberries, and chopped apples and walnuts
  • Orange Jell-O with fresh strawberries and banana
  • Strawberry Jell-O with pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges
  • Lemon/Lime Jell-O with strawberries and cherries
  • Any flavor Jell-O with fruit cocktail
Have fun and experiment to find your favorite combination!


Orange Tea Rolls
This recipe has been shared between most of the staff here, and has been a favorite in our families for over 40 years! It's a tried and true staple in all of our Thanksgiving meals.
Grandma Julie's Orange Tea Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup margarine or butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 package yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • Orange zest
  • 4-5 cups flour

Directions:

Scald the milk in a pan on the stove- hot, but not boiling. This is important to kill enzymes so the dough will rise properly. Add in sugar, margarine or butter, and salt. Let the mixture melt together and cool down enough so it's warm to the touch, enough for yeast to activate. 

Pour melted mixture into mixture bowl with the yeast and warm water. Let it sit until yeast bubbles and froths.

Add beaten eggs and orange juice. Grind in a bit of orange zest to decorate dough. 

Add in 4 to 5 cups of flour, until the dough is elastic and smooth but not sticky. Either use a dough hook to knead dough for about 3 minutes, or knead 30 times by hand on a flour-covered surface. Put dough back in the bowl, and cover with cloth and let rise 30-45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Use a cupcake pan and grease each tin. Roll golf ball sized balls of dough. Place three dough balls side by side together in each cupcake tin. Let rise again until doubled. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Take out of oven and drizzle with orange glaze.

Orange Glaze:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon orange juice
  • Orange zest
Directions:

Beat together all ingredients with hand mixer or stand up mixer with beater attachment. Glaze should be a thicker runny consistency. Add more orange juice or powdered sugar until it's at the preferred consistency

Drizzle over hot rolls  and enjoy!



The Turkey/Goose
The true star of the show! With so many ways to cook a turkey, our staff couldn't agree on one! One staff even said his family always deep fries a Thanksgiving goose. But here are our favorites:


  1. Roasted. Place turkey in an oven roaster bag with salt and pepper and cook for recommended time. Remove bag for last 15 minutes to get a crisp skin. 
  2. Brined. Soak turkey overnight in a brine solution and roast in oven. Here are a suggestion of many different brines to try: Food Network Turkey Brine Recipes
  3. Fried. Beware: deep frying a turkey requires a lot of monitoring and close attention. After salting the turkey, follow instructions on the deep fryer and cook away! 

Ham
One staff here isn't a fan of turkey- at all. Thanksgiving at his house revolves around ham as the main dish. Most hams now are pre-cooked, and just need to be covered in glaze and warmed in the oven.


Pumpkin Pie
The show isn't over till the fat lady sings, and this time the fat lady is the pumpkin pie. No Thanksgiving table is complete without the pie to finish off the event.


Sylvia's Perfect Pie Crust
Follow the link for detailed instructions with pictures.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • 5 Tablespoons cold water
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.


Once the crust is finished, fill the unbaked crust with the pumpkin filling:


Pumpkin Pie Filling

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
  • 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves in small bowl. 

Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar/spice mixture. Gradually add evaporated milk.

Pour into unbaked pie shell.


Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean. Cool 2 hours.


Cheesecake
For the Thanksgiving-goers who aren't a fan of pumpkin, or who just want a second dessert! And this cheesecake is just the thing to please a crowd, especially because of how simple it is to make.


Marge's Speedy Cheesecake

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup, 2 Tablespoons sugar; divided
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla; divided
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Pre-made graham cracker crust

Instructions:


Filling-
Soften cream cheese on counter for an hour, or warm in microwave for 15 seconds. Beat with a mixer until soft and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until mixed evenly. Add in eggs one at a time and beat until creamy.

Pour cream cheese mixture into graham cracker crust. Bake at 325 degrees until almost set, between 25-30 minutes.

Topping-
Combine sour cream, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon over the top of the hot pie carefully. Put back in the oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, until the top layer is firm.

Cool and then chill in refrigerator for several hours before serving.



And lastly, before sitting down to your meal, don't forget the cranberry sauce! 

From all of us at Home Products, Inc.,

No comments:

Post a Comment