With Thanksgiving around the corner, most of us will be spending time with family and friends. These gatherings typically entail copious amounts of food some traditional and some plain old family favourites.
In this article we will running you through the recipes of a full meal from appetizer to dessert and everything in between.
Starting off with:
Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup:
What you will need:
- 3 cups peeled, diced butternut squash (about 1 small squash)
- 2 cups thinly sliced carrots (4 medium)
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 14 1/2 ounce cans chicken broth (reduced-sodium preferred)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup light cream
- For garnish: dairy sour cream or toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
Directions:
- In a large covered saucepan cook squash, carrots, and onion in hot butter over medium heat about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 25 to 35 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Cool slightly.
- Place one-third of the squash mixture in a food processor or blender. Cover and process or blend until almost smooth. Repeat with remaining squash mixture. Return all of the mixture to saucepan. Add white pepper and nutmeg; bring just to boiling. Add half-and-half; heat through. If desired, garnish each serving with sour cream or pumpkin seeds.
Lemon Garlic Mashed Potatoes
What you will need:
- 3 pounds yellow potatoes, cut in chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, halved
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
- In a large saucepan cook potatoes and garlic in lightly salted boiling water, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.
- Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup water. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes to desired consistency. Add 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and enough of the reserved liquid to reach desired consistency. Stir to combine. Transfer to serving dish. Top with parsley, and lemon peel. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.
Spicy Green Casserole
What you will need:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 12 ounces cremini and/or shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno peppers
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chilli pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup light cream
- 1 pound string beans, rinsed, trimmed, and halved
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small saucepan melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; stir in panko and almonds. Cook and stir over medium-low heat 4 to 6 minutes until golden brown. Place on a paper towel-lined tray.
- In a heavy 10-inch skillet cook melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, jalapenos, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture and onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Add flour, chipotle, white pepper, nutmeg, and bay leaf; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Add stock and cream; bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaf. Remove from heat.
- Bring 1 gallon of water to boiling with 1 tablespoon salt. Add beans; cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and submerge into a large bowl of ice water. Drain again.
- Add beans to cream mixture and place in a baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. Top with crumb mixture. Serve immediately.
Cranberry Sauce
What you will need:
- 1 12 ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- ⅓ cup mild-flavored molasses
- 1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until cranberry skins begin to burst. Taste and add more molasses, if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cover and chill any leftover sauce up to 2 days.
Cilantro-Lime Turkey
What you will need:
- ½ cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
- 1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 12 pound fresh or frozen turkey, thawed if frozen
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
- 2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and halved crosswise
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- Melted butter
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Cilantro
Directions:- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a food processor combine cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, 1 Tbsp. melted butter, shallot, lime peel, salt, and pepper. Cover; process with on/off pulses until a chunky paste forms. Divide mixture in half. Set aside.
- Remove and discard neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey; pat dry with paper towels. Loosen the skin from the breast meat by sliding your fingers underneath it, being careful not to tear it. Slide your hand as far as you can toward the opposite end of the turkey, separating the skin from the meat. Rub half of the herb mixture underneath the skin over the entire breast, working toward the thighs as much as possible.
- Sprinkle inside of body cavity with kosher salt and pepper. Fill cavity with cilantro sprigs, carrots, and onion. Pull neck skin to back and fasten with a small skewer. Tuck drumstick ends under band of skin across the tail, if available. If there is not a band of skin, tie drumsticks securely to the tail using kitchen string. Twist wing tips under back. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush melted butter over turkey. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into center of inside thigh muscles. The thermometer should not touch bone. Cover loosely with foil.
- Roast for 2 ¾ hours. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan melt ¼ cup butter. Stir in honey and remaining cilantro mixture. Set aside. Remove foil from turkey. Roast for 15 to 45 minutes more or until thermometer reaches 175 degrees F, brushing occasionally with the honey mixture. Remove from oven.
- Cover turkey with foil; let stand for 15 minutes before carving. Transfer turkey to a cutting board. Remove and discard vegetables from inside turkey. Enjoy!
Apple Slab Pie
What you will need:
Apple Pie:- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup butter-flavored shortening
- 8 – 10 tablespoons cold water
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 ½ pounds tart cooking apples (Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (10 cups)
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup pecans
Directions
Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with 18-inch-wide foil, extending the foil up over the edges of the pan; set aside. For dough: In a large bowl, stir together the 2-1/4 cups flour and the salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cold water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, until all of the flour mixture is moistened. Using your fingers, gently knead the dough just until a ball forms.- Preheat oven to 375F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 19×13-inch rectangle. Wrap it around the rolling pin; unroll it into the prepared baking pan. Ease dough into the pan and up the sides, being careful not to stretch it. Trim dough to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pan. Fold dough edge over and flute as desired.
- In an extra-large bowl, combine sugar, the 1/3 cup flour, and the cinnamon; add apples. Toss lightly until apples are coated. Spoon apple mixture into dough-lined pan; spread evenly.
- In a large bowl, stir together quick-cooking rolled oats, packed brown sugar, and all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until topping mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped pecans. Sprinkle Crumb Topping (pan will be full).
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender. If necessary to prevent overbrowning, cover top with foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack.
- Serve warm or cool completely. Cut into rectangles. Makes 25 servings.
Pumpkin Cake Roll
What you will need:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- Powdered sugar
- 18 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Directions- Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with waxed paper or parchment paper; grease paper. Set pan aside. In a small bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs with an electric mixer on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and lemon color. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Beat in flour mixture on low to medium speed just until combined. Spread batter evenly in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with walnuts.
- Bake about 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately loosen edges of cake from pan and turn cake out onto a clean kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove waxed paper. Roll towel and cake into a spiral, starting from a short side of the cake. Cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, for filling, in a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar.
- Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cake with filling to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll up cake; trim ends. Cover and chill for 2 to 48 hours.