We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I cooked, Matt and the kids played, it was just a great day and weekend.
The Menu
Roasted Turkey Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes Gravy
Dinner Rolls Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potatoes Sausage Balls
Pumpkin Pie Molasses Bourbon Pecan Pie
Jello Mold Cranberry Sauce
ROASTED TURKEY: I simply slathered the turkey in butter, S&P and some cajun seasoning, stuffed it with onions, carrots and celery. Put it into a cooking bag and cooked it in my roaster. It took about 3-1/2 hours for a 22lb'r.
STUFFING: I used a mixture of sourdough and cornbread stuffing. Kept it real basic. Cooked 1/2 lb hot sausage, then added the sauteed onion, celery and a little shredded carrot. For the liquid I used stock made from the giblets and veggies. Put it into a buttered baking dish then slathered with gravy. Baked for 30 minutes.
MASHED POTATOES: Basic russet potatoes, cut up and boiled in half stock/half salted water. Mashed with warmed butter, milk and boiling liquid. S&P to taste.
GRAVY: You have to use the broth from giblet stock and/or the turkey dripping to make a good gravy. I made a batch from each, then mixed them together. I did this because I needed gravy for the stuffing before the turkey was done. Made a rouge with onion & butter, then added the stock. S&P to taste. Very basic and very good.
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE: This is an old standard that is one of my favorites. Green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, S&P and some frenched fried onion. This recipe is every where this time of year.
BOURBON GLAZED SWEET POTATOES
3 pounds of raw sweet potatoes, about 4
Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold salted butter, divided
1/4 cup of 2 parts corn syrup 1 part molasses
1-1/2 cups of brown sugar, packed and divided
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup of bourbon, I used Makers Mark
1/2 cup miniature marshmallow's
Bake the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F for about 45-50 minutes, or just until fork tender
but not mushy. Can be done in advance; can also boil whole until tender. Butter a 9 x 9 inch
casserole dish; set aside. Once sweet potatoes are cooled, peel, cut into 1/2 inch rounds and
layer into the casserole dish, sprinkling a few light pinches of salt in between the layers.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Melt half of the butter in a skillet, stirring in the syrup mixture
and half of the brown sugar until blended. Stir in the pumpkin pie spice and pecans.
Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon. Taste and adjust as needed.
Pour the butter and bourbon mixture on top of the sweet potatoes. Cut the remaining butter into
thin slices and spread over the top of the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar
all over the top.
Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees F, basting a few times with a spoon or a baster, for about 25-30
minutes, or until bubbly and thickened. Top with marshmallows, put back in oven till melted and crusty about 5 minutes.
SAUSAGE CHEESE BALLS
The sausage balls are a tradition that came from Matt's Nanny. This is an item I'll cooked and pass down to our kids each Thanksgiving.
8-10 ounces sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2-1/2 cups of buttermilk baking mix
1 pound of hot bulk pork sausage
Pinch of kosher salt
10 turns of the pepper grinder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, optional
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
About 1/3 cup of milk, more or less
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together until well blended, using just
enough milk to bring mixture together. You do not want it to be soupy! Shape into small balls,
about 1" in size. I use a cookie scoop just to make it easier. Place on an ungreased baking
sheet, spaced apart about an inch.
Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until well browned, switching trays around in
the oven halfway through. Remove from oven.
Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Can also make ahead and frozen. Bake directly from the freezer at 350*, about 30
minutes or until well browned and cooked through.
PUMPKIN PIE
My pumpkin pie recipe was the sweetened condensed mil version, it was also make with home made pumpkin puree from this years Jack-O lanterns. Using homemade puree really made this pie, the color and flavor were amazing. If you need a recipe, let me know and I will get you one. I also made my own crust.
MOLASSES-BOURBON PECAN PIE
1 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
3 tbsp bourbon, I used Makers Mark
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla
pinch of kosher salt
2-1/2 cups broken pecans
1 9 inch pie crust
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix all ingredients except pecans. Evenly spread pecans in unbaked pie shell, pour filling over pecans.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until firm around the edges and slightly loose in the center. Cool before serving.
JELLO MOLD
This is a tradition carried on from my Nana. She always made jello on the holidays and it was my favorite part of the meal. I made a 3 layer mold, lime with mixed fruit, cherry with cool whip, and orange with mandarin oranges.
