Since I know you’re at the edge of your seat, fascinated to find out what my Thanksgiving sides are going to be, I thought I’d give you a little snapshot into my side dishes.
Let’s start off with the cranberry, pineapple, Jell-O-y thing. This is a variation of the recipe that my cousin had. I like it because it’s kind of like a relish. It combines the need to have cranberry sauce and also Jell-O, so it’s really kind of multi-purpose. Everybody always seems to really like it. It’s interesting because you strain the crushed pineapple, and you use the juice with some additional water, and you boil that as the liquid for the Jell-O. Then you add the jellied with the whole cranberries to melt in and then one of jelly, and it just is a beautiful thing. The actual recipe calls for it to be made into individual mini servings, but I put it in a 13 x 9 pan. I still have a plate of sliced jellied cranberry with a sprig of parsley (for my sister.) See recipe below.
Next is sweet potatoes. Now I have never cared for sweet potatoes because I thought they always came out of a can, and they’re so slimy and sweet, and you put marshmallows on them. Eeeek. We were never a sweet potato family.
So, years ago I went to a tasting event and Ruth’s Chris Steak House was there. Instead of giving out steak, they gave out these little cups of their sweet potato casserole or soufflé. They call it either one. I tasted it and thought, “It’s one of the five best things I’ve ever tasted in my life.” It was so good. That changed my mind on sweet potatoes.
When I got home I typed in “Ruth’s Chris Steak House sweet potatoes”, and this recipe came up, actually, a million of versions of them. It is truly delicious. It is really easy to make, delicious. I make it with fresh roasted sweet potatoes, and I mash it all up. That’s number two, see recipe below.
Then here’s number three, also from a restaurant in Las Vegas called Piero’s. It’s their version of Cream Corn. They give to every single table with their meal, in a little copper dish. They have the laminated recipe by the door and give it to you as you leave because it’s so popular.
You use frozen corn, white and yellow. If you follow me at all, you know I have to make everything extra pretty. Some people put Romano cheese on the top and then some people put Parmesan. I’ve tried it both ways, equally as good. Holy cow, everybody talks about this corn. Recipe Below.
If you have watched or read or listened to my earlier posts, you will see that I already talked about the turkey, gravy, and the mashed potatoes.
I don’t have any suggestions for you for dressing because mine is extremely basic. That’s how I was brought up, and that’s what I like. I use Mrs. Cubbinson’s, an already seasoned dressing mix. My Aunt dries out her own white bread for example. Mick wants no vegetables in it and on the dry side. I’m making it so it’s my way. I think stuffing is so personal, people really gravitate towards their family’s versions.
But I guess I could tell you how I do it. I take a Mirepoix, (onions, celery and carrots), I sauté in a lot of butter. I use the turkey stock that I’ve created as the stock instead of chicken stock, and then I just bake it. It is quite simple. I’ve done it before where you added an egg, and then I put it in a little muffin tins, so everybody gets crispy. Simple.
So, let’s review. I make turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, the basics. Then the rest of it is corn, a cranberry dish, and sweet potatoes. The constant variable is something green. Sometimes I make Brussels sprouts. Sometimes I make peas with pearl onions. (That’s what I grew up with, peas with pearl onions). My family refuses to eat Green Bean Casserole, (I lose that battle). We don’t do any sort of green salad. We’re on the west coast, so we don’t do any kind of beans or macaroni and cheese. And rolls, I can’t forget rolls.
I did find this one recipe that I haven’t tried yet. Are you ready? It has butternut squash, beets, and Brussels sprouts, and then I believe it has pecans in it. You roast it all and put a little balsamic glaze on it, just a pinch. Doesn’t that sound delicious? It looks so perfect. It’s got the green and the orange and the dark red. That’s what I am going to for a different holiday meal. I only have six people this year, so it seems a little silly to make 7 side dishes!
One more thing I wanted to share with you, which was a real revelation but nobody in the world will do this because it’s so sacrilegious. My friend told me about making a pumpkin pie cake, and I’m telling you is so much better than a pie. It’s not quite a dump cake. I also add pecans, and I sprinkle it on the top and you bake it. Then, of course, you put the whipped cream on top of that. Oh, my gosh, it’s so much better than pie. It’s delicious. You can see that recipe below for that, too. But, once again, you might get kicked out of Thanksgiving if you replace the pie.
Thanksgiving is so traditional, but those are my recipes of the things that I’m going to make this year, and the things that I make every year. Have a great holiday!
