Every Wednesday until Thanksgiving, I will be posting either Thanksgiving Recipes, or ideas. Today is side dishes enjoy !!
Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing
Ingredients:
3-4 loaves of white bread (or 5 if you like leftovers)
water
chicken broth
insides of the turkey
2 bunches of celery
1 or 2 onions
2 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp. sage
mushrooms (option)
Instructions:
The night before you want to eat the stuffing, break the bread into small pieces (about 1 inch squares) into 2 huge bowls or pots. Let the bread sit overnight to dry out.
The next day, after you remove the insides of turkey, boil them in water in 2/3 qt. sauce pan until cooked (about 20/30 minutes). Remove insides for later use or discard. Keep water and put aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop onion and celery and place into food processor until minced.
Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in large saucepan.
Saute onion and celery until heated through. Do not brown! (Saute mushrooms also at this time if wanted). Depending on how much stuffing you want and how much celery and onion you've chopped, you may have to saute the onion and celery in two parts.
Once cooked, pour the onion/celery mixture directly over the dried out bread.
Pour 1/2 tsp. sage over bread/onion/celery mixture.
Then take your reserved water and pour slowly over bread. The bread will shrink as you do this.
Be careful not to pour too much water in.
Mixture thoroughly and smell/taste for perfect stuffing.
If you need more liquid, open a can of chicken broth and pour over bread. If you need more spice, add more sage.
Once stuffing is of a consistency that it will stick together and does not look too dry, do not add more liquid.
Either stuff in turkey to be baked in oven, or put in 9 x 13 pan.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. You want the stuffing to have a nice brown crust on top.
Wild Rice Dressing
Ingredients:
4 Slices turkey bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Cup onion chopped
1 Cup celery chopped
1/2 Pound mushrooms sliced
1 Package (4 ounces) wild rice cooked according to package directions
2 Cups bread crumbs
1/2 Pound turkey breakfast sausage, cooked
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 Teaspoon dried sage
Salt
Pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325.
In medium-size skillet, over medium heat, saute bacon until almost crisp.
Add onion, celery and mushrooms; continue cooking until vegetables are tender.
In large bowl combine bacon mixture, wild rice, bread crumbs, sausage, oregano and sage.
Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.
Spoon dressing into lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish.
Bake, covered, at 325 degrees F. 35 to 40 minutes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup milk
3/8 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions:
Boil water.
Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes.
Put in boiling water. Let cook until potatoes are soft.
Remove potatoes, place in bowl.
Mash potatoes with potato masher or mixer.
Add butter and milk; stir.
Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir.
Dish onto bowl or plate.
Sprinkle cinnamon lightly over top.
Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
8 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup olive oil
4 russet potatoes
2 tbsp. butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated
2 tbsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Put the garlic and olive oil in a heavy saucepan over lowest possible heat and simmer until soft; 30 to 40 minutes.
Drain off oil (reserve for marinades or vinaigrettes).
Puree garlic; set aside.
Meanwhile, prick potatoes with a fork and bake in a 400°F oven for 1 hour, or until soft. While still hot, peel and mash, or pass through a potato ricer.
Melt butter in heavy cream; whisk in puréed garlic.
Stir into potatoes.
Stir in cheeses and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon into a gratin dish.
Place in a 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned and bubbling.
Thanksgiving Cranberry Relish
Ingredients:
4 c. cranberries
2 oranges
1 1/2 cup sugar.
Instructions:
Wash cranberries and oranges.
Cut oranges into quarters and core.
Put cranberries and oranges through a food processor or blender.
Add sugar and mix well.
This is best if made at least 2 days before Thanksgiving.
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1-1/2 C sugar
1 navel orange
1/2 t grated ginger
4 cup cranberries
1/2 C (2 oz.) toasted pecans.
Instructions:
Grate the orange peel and add to a pot with the sugar and ginger.
Add the juice from the orange into the pot and simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Add cranberries and cook until they pop - about 5 minutes.
Add pecans and cool sauce.
Praline Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
4 C. mashed sweet potato - canned or fresh
1/2 C. white sugar
2 T. vanilla extract
4 eggs - beaten
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4 lb. butter or margarine
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. flour
1 1/4 C. chopped pecans
Directions:
Butter one 2 quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a mixing bowl, combine potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and cream. Blend well.
Spread into casserole dish evenly.
Prepare the topping by combining the butter, brown sugar, flour, and pecans.
Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over top sweet potato mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes.
