As the year comes to an end, we once again anticipate with much excitement the celebrations that come with last quarter. Thanksgiving is certainly a much awaited feast, as friends and family gather together to break bread during this most American holiday tradition. The centerpiece of present-day Thanksgiving in America as well as Canada is a large sumptuous meal, by and large based around a generous roasted turkey. This is the time where some creative ideas come into play. The greater parts of the dishes in the customary American version of Thanksgiving dinner are created from foods indigenous to the New World, since according to history the Pilgrims got these foods from the Native Americans. As it turns out, several of the classic tradition ideas attributed to the first Thanksgiving are actually myths that were introduced later. Today’s ideas abound for all sorts of recipe ideas, from full blown dishes, thanksgiving salad recipe ideas all the way to even thanksgiving leftover recipe ideas. Be that as it may, Thanksgiving today is a feast worth waiting for every year. Here are some thanksgiving recipe ideas that are both traditional and contemporary, but nevertheless are all fun thanksgiving ideas.
Perfect Turkey
Ingredients:
One 18 pound whole turkey with the neck and giblets removed
2 cups of kosher salt
4 peeled and chopped carrots
4 chopped stalks celery
8 tablespoons melted butter
2 large peeled and chopped onions
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 pint of dry white wine
Recipe:
First, rub the entire bird inside and out using the kosher salt, then place it in a large stock pot, and cover it with cold water. Put it in the refrigerator and let it soak in the salt and water mixture for around half a day or 12 hours. After doing that, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse the bird very well, and get rid of the brine mixture. Now brush the turkey with half of the melted butter. Position the breast side down on a roasting rack in a low roasting pan. Stuff the turkey’s hollow middle with 1/2 the carrots, 1 onion, 1 sprig of thyme, 1/2 the celery, and the bay leaf. Distribute the remaining vegetables and thyme around the underside of the roasting pan, and swathe using the white wine. Now roast uncovered for around 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven. Do this until the inner temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F. Slowly turn the breast side up about 2/3 into the roasting time. Brush with the remaining butter. Let the turkey stand about half an hour before carving. Enjoy one of the most classic Thanksgiving ideas!
Baked Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound of fresh or thawed cranberries
1 cup of orange marmalade
1-1/2 cups of chopped pecans
1 cup of flaked coconut
3/4 cup of sugar
8 tablespoons of water
Recipe:
With a large bowl, blend all of the ingredients. Place everything into a well-greased 11x 7 baking dish. Now bake uncovered, at temperature of 350° for around 25-30 mins, or until the cranberries are tender. You may serve this Thanksgiving treat warm or cold.
Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
4 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup of milk
2 large whole eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of salt
1 1/4 cups of crushed cornflakes cereal
1/4 cup of pecans, chopped
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tbsp of melted butter
1 1/2 cups of miniature marshmallows
Recipe:
First, preheat the oven to 400°. Bake sweet potatoes at 400° for around an hour or until tender. Allow to stand until it becomes cool to the touch then peel and mash. No reduce oven temperature to 350°. Beat the mashed sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, and next five ingredients at moderate speed using an electric mixer until smooth. Place potato mixture using a spoon into a greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Next, blend cornflakes cereal and next three ingredients into a small bowl. Drizzle over casserole in diagonal rows around two inches apart. Bake at approximately 350° for half an hour. Take out of the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Drizzle marshmallows in every other row between the cornflake mixture and bake for10 minutes. Allow to stand around 10 minutes prior to serving.
Thanksgiving Stuffing
Ingredients:
One 12 ounce package of bulk pork sausage
3 chopped celery ribs
4 tsps sage rub
1 large chopped onion
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
2 loaves of cubed day-old white bread
1 loaf of cubed day-old whole wheat bread
3 lightly beaten whole eggs
Two 14.5 ounces cans of chicken broth
Recipe:
First preheat oven to 350°. Using a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, pre-cook the sausage, celery and onion over moderate heat. Break up the sausage into crumbles and drain. Take out from the heat and stir in the mustard, mayonnaise, sage as well as the poultry seasoning. Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and add the sausage blend and toss. Using a small bowl beat the eggs and broth and pour over the bread cubes, mixing gently to combine. Now transfer into two 3-quart baking dishes. Bake it covered for around 30 minutes. Take off the cover and bake another 12-18 minutes longer or till it lightly browns and reads 165° on a thermometer.
Classic Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
10 cups of peeled, cored and sliced all-purpose apples
8 oz. of white sugar
1 tbsp of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of water
8 oz.of quick-cooking oats
8 oz. of all-purpose flour
8 oz. of packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
8 tablespoons of melted butter
Recipe:
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Next, put the sliced apples in a 9×13 inch pan. Combine the white sugar, one tablespoon flour as well as the ground cinnamon together, and drizzle over the apples. Pour water equally over everything. Mix the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, flour, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble equally over the entire apple mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for around 45 mins.
Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 tsp of dried thyme
1 1/2 cups of turkey gravy
8 tablespoons of water
8 tablespoons of milk
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp of dried sage
One 14 ounce package thawed mixed vegetables
3 cups cubed cooked turkey Salt and ground black pepper to taste
One pastry for a 10-inch double crust pie
Recipe:
First preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Next, melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat. Stir in the mushrooms, onions, and garlic and cook until soft, but not till brown, or for around 5 minutes. Mix in the sage, flour, and thyme until infused together. Next, add in the gravy, water, and milk, and stir to mix. Cook till it boils over medium-high heat or around 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the turkey and vegetables, and cook until vegetables are soft or for around 5 minutes. Now line a 10 inch pie plate using the bottom crust. Add the turkey mixture and cover with the upper crust. Crimp and seal the edges and pierce the upper crust using a fork. Envelop the edges of the pie using aluminum foil. Now bake this in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes. Next, take off the foil and continue baking until crust turns golden or for about 20 more minutes, then take out from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes prior to eating. Now, your Thanksgiving is complete!
These are just a few classic Thanksgiving recipe ideas you can incorporate into your food lineup. There are countless other thanksgiving recipe ideas you can use, but just remember that regardless of what you serve, it is the spirit of Thanksgiving that is the true indispensible ingredient you should have these coming holidays. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy these Thanksgiving recipe ideas!