Thanksgiving Dinner Basics

I have found the step-by-step directions for Thanksgiving turkey at the KraftFoods website work best for me. The turkey is cooked on a bed of carrots, celery and onions, and the skin is brushed with vegetable oil to prevent the bird from drying out during roasting. Check the link for their complete turkey roasting guide.

Serves: about 12
Ingredients:
32 oz. package of frozen cut broccoli
1 cup water
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 tsp. salt

Cook above ingredients until broccoli is tender. Then stir in:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 large can of mushrooms, drained
1 box chicken flavored Stove-top stuffing mix

Pour mixture into 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Optional: Sprinkle 1 cup grated cheddar cheese over stuffing after 25 minutes of baking time. Return to oven for final 5 minutes of baking time so cheese melts.

My Aunt Mary gave me this recipe, but there are various versions of it floating around the web. The photo below shows it with cheese on top, but I usually make it without the cheese.

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min
Makes: 10 servings, 1/2 cup each


3 cans (15 oz. each) sweet potatoes, drained
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows



PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Beat sweet potatoes, butter, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
SPOON into lightly greased 1-1/2-qt. casserole dish; top with marshmallows.
BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until sweet potato mixture is heated through and marshmallows are lightly browned.

I usually use only 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows on top, when I make this so that it is not quite so sweet.

Yields: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
DIRECTIONS
PLACE potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.
RETURN potatoes to saucepan; add evaporated milk and butter. Beat with hand-held mixer until smooth. Stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
NOTE: Chopped green onions, chopped parsley or cooked, crumbled bacon may be added to mashed potatoes.


I generally double this recipe for Thanksgiving.

1 8.5-ounce box corn-muffin mix (Jiffy)

1 16-ounce can corn, drained

1 16-ounce can cream-style corn

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter or margarine*

1 cup sour cream*

3 eggs, beaten

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Makes 10 servings.

* For a lower-fat version, use applesauce in place of the butter and low-fat sour cream in place of regular sour cream.

1 (12-ounce) package Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 unpeeled orange, cut into eighths and seeded
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
Place half the cranberries and half the orange slices in food processor container. Process until mixture is evenly chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining cranberries and orange slices. Stir in sugar. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
Makes about 3 cups.

1 (3 1/2 oz.) box pistachio pudding mix
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Combine pistachio pudding mix (dry) and pineapple.

Add marshmallows, Cool Whip, and nuts; fold together. Refrigerate.

My mom gave me this recipe. Various other versions can be found on the web.

1 package dry yeast dissolved in 3/4 c. warm water

Add 2 T. sugar
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg


Stir this all up, and then add 1 cup flour until smooth. Cover and put in warm spot. Let rise till dough is doubled.

Stir down batter and add an additional 1 1/2 cups flour. Knead it 3 minutes. Shape into balls.

Put in greased pan. Let rise in pan 25 more minutes. Bake at 425

degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 16 rolls.

Another recipe my mom gave me.

PREP TIME 30 Min
COOK TIME 40 Min
READY IN 4 Hrs 10 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.