Thanksgiving is a great holiday. There’s not a bunch of fuss, you don’t have to go crazy with decorations, and most people get back-to-back days off of work. Most importantly, Thanksgiving features a massive feast with all sorts of delectable dishes that will put you into a post-meal vegetative state. It’s awesome.
Most families have staple dishes--food that they return to year after year. Most of the time, it’s great, because who doesn’t love Aunt Brenda’s sweet potato souffle? I know I do. On the flip side, some dishes aren’t so great. I’ve just never liked squash casserole.
That’s what we’re here for. If you’re wondering what you should bring to your Thanksgiving get-together, but you don’t want your dish to go over like a lead balloon, try one of these tasty recipes.
Christian’s Mashed Cauliflower
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Ingredients
○ 1 Head Cauliflower
○ ½ Cup Butter
○ 1 Dollop Cream Cheese
○ Cut head of cauliflower and boil until tender
○ In large mixing bowl, add strained cauliflower, butter, and cream cheese
○ Using a mixer, beat until creamy
○ Add salt and pepper to taste
Vanilla Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
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Ingredients
○ One 12 or 14 ounce bag of cranberries
○ 1 Cup Sugar
○ 1 Cup Water
○ 1 Tbsp Bourbon
○ 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
○ Decrease heat to a simmer, add bourbon and vanilla
○ Simmer for 20 minutes until it arrives at your desired thickness
○ Cool and serve!
Strawberry Poppy Pecan Salad
- Ingredients
○ 1 ½ Cups quartered strawberries
○ ½ Cup Bleu Cheese
○ 1 Cup Pecans
○ 1 Red Onion, diced
○ 1 bag salad mix
○ ½ cup poppy seed dressing
○ ½ cup balsamic vinegar
○ In a small bowl, combine poppy seed dressing with balsamic vinegar
○ Pour dressing over salad in a large salad bowl
○ Top tossed salad with strawberries, pecans, and bleu cheese
○ Enjoy!
Mimi’s Potato Casserole
○ ¾ cup melted butter
○ 1 can of cream of chicken soup
○ ½ cup minced onion spice
○ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
○ 2 cups crushed corn flakes (unsweetened)
2. How to Make It
○ Combine melted butter, sour cream, chicken soup, onion spice, and shredded cheese in a large bowl.
○ Add salt and pepper to taste.
○ Place hash browns in a deep cooking tray and mix with sauce
○ Top with crushed corn flakes
○ Bake at 375 for 45 - 60 minutes
Big Daddy’s Green Beans
- Ingredients
○ ¼ cup butter
○ Water
○ Let cook in crock pot for around 3 hours
○ Add salt and pepper to taste
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
- Ingredients
○ 12 fresh jalapeños, cut in half long ways
○ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
○ 1 cup cream cheese
○ 1 pack bacon
○ Smoked paprika
○ In a bowl, mix shredded cheese and cream cheese
○ Add cheese mixture into halved jalapenos
○ Wrap jalapeno half in bacon strip
○ Place bacon wrapped jalapenos onto a wire baking rack (Place some other baking tray underneath to catch any dripping grease)
○ Bake in oven until bacon is crispy
○ Sprinkle smoked paprika on top
Alton Brown’s Tasty Gravy
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Ingredients
○ Turkey drippings
○ 24 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
○ 8 ounces red wine
○ ⅓ cup all purpose flour
○ 1 tbsp thyme
○ Kosher salt
○ Freshly ground black pepper
○ Place pan with turkey drippings on the stove over medium heat
○ Add wine and broth to the turkey drippings
○ Cook 2-3 minutes, allowing the mixture to reduce a bit
○ Transfer the liquid to a fat separator for about 5 minutes
○ Add ¾ cup of fat back to the pan and bring to medium heat
○ Add flour and whisk to combine for about 2-3 minutes
○ Gradually add the separated liquid back to the pan, whisking continuously
○ Cook for around 6 minutes and serve!
I know that this gravy recipe is a doozie, but you have to try it. Trust me. In my opinion, a Thanksgiving dinner is only as good as its gravy, and this might be one of the tastiest gravies I’ve ever had. There’s a reason that Alton Brown is on the Food Network, after all.
Now go get to cooking!
