What I'm Cooking for Thanksgiving

We’re having a big crowd, and we try to cook everyone’s favorites. I’m the only vegetarian in the crowd, so we will be having turkey and a ham. It’s the vegetables and desserts that are the true stars of the day. My daughters help with the cooking, and one of our guests always brings her magnificent Mile High Apple Pie

Here’s the menu. It looks huge, but we have a lot of guests, and we all share leftovers.

Roasted, brined turkey
Honey baked Ham
Cornbread dressing baked in a pumpkin
Green bean casserole
Creamed onions
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Artichoke casserole
Relish tray
Maple- cinnamon sweet potatoes
Escalloped corn and tomatoes
Fennel with Bread Crumbs
Celery Mashed Potatoes
Butternut squash and greens
Pineapple au Gratin
Cranberry Black Walnut Salad
Rolls
Pumpkin Muffins
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Mile High Apple Pie
Mincemeat Pie (Yuck!, but my husband loves it.)
Chocolate Pie (my grandson loves chocolate)

Mashed Potatoes and Celery

4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bunch celery, cut into small pieces
8 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk, warmed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Cook potatoes in one pan of salted water and the celery pieces in another pan of salted water, about 15 minutes. ( I do this because I puree the cooked celery in the food processor. Never puree potatoes in the food processor because they get very gluey) Drain. With potato masher, mash potato-celery mixture with butter and salt. Gradually add milk; mash until mixture is smooth and well blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese, saving a little bit to sprinkle on top. Heat in oven until brown on top.

Artichoke Casserole

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the green onions and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they give off their liquid, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir in the parsley and artichoke hearts and remove from the heat. In a separate pan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high. Add the flour and stir constantly until thick, 2 minutes. Add the cream, and bring to a boil. Cook until thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to the artichoke mixture, stirring to mix well. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese. Pour the mixture into the casserole. Sprinkle the seasoned bread crumbs over the top of the casserole, and top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is bubbly and has a golden crust, 15 to 25 minutes. Serve hot. 6 to 8 servings


Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 small red onions, sliced into 1/4-inch wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 pints Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1. Preheat oven to 425°. In a medium bowl, toss onions with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread onions on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until translucent, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. In same bowl, toss Brussels sprouts with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add to baking sheet with onions, and toss to combine. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.

Maple-Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes

6 medium sweet potatoes
salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup pure maple syrup

In 5-quart saucepot over high heat, heat unpeeled sweet potatoes and enough water to over to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until sweet potatoes are just fork-tender but not soft, about 20 minutes; drain. Cool sweet potatoes until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease baking dish. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. In bottom of baking dish, arrange one-third of sweet potatoes; dot with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the spices. Cover with 1/3 cup of syrup, Repeat until all of the potatoes and syrup are used.
Bake 30 minutes or tender and bubbly.

Pumpkin Muffins

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
16 oz. pumpkin
2/3 c. water
1 c. oil
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin cups with papers. Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 12 minutes.