Our Traditional Thanksgiving Salad

Mixed Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
Cranberry Vinaigrette
2/3 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon herbs de Provence

Salad
2 bags mixed green salad
½ cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup black walnuts, coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. To prepare the vinaigrette, put half of the cranberry sauce in a blender with the vinegar and process until smooth. Scrape into a salad bowl and whisk in the rest of the cranberry sauce and the remaining dressing ingredients. Set aside.
2. Rinse the salad greens and pat dry between paper towels. When ready to serve, put the greens in the bowl with the dressing. Add the onion. Toss well to coat evenly with the dressing. Sprinkle the black walnuts and dried cranberries over the salad. Grind fresh pepper over the top and serve.

This is also good with about 1/2 cup mild blue cheese sprinkled over it, but we have cheese in so many dishes at Thanksgiving that we don't need more in the salad.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

Caramel-Pecan Pie

Refrigerated piecrust
28 caramels
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
Chocolate-Dipped Pecans
Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp. Prick bottom and sides of piecrust with a fork.
Bake piecrust at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned; cool on wire rack.

Combine caramels, butter, and 1/4 cup water in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until caramels and butter are melted; remove from heat.

Stir together sugar and next 3 ingredients. Stir into caramel mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake pie at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, and bake 20 more minutes, shielding edges of crust with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove pie to a wire rack to cool. Top with Chocolate-Dipped Pecans, if desired. Dip pecan halves into melted semisweet chocolate.

Winter Squash, Kale and Pecorino Cheese

Ingredients
2 cups winter squash such as Butternut, Hubbard, or Preservation, peeled, seeded and cut in 1/4-inch cubes
2 cups young kale, without stalks and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan)
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1/2 tsp. salt, add the squash, and cook 4 to 6 minutes, until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. With a slotted spoon remove the squash from the water into a colander. Add the kale to the water, and boil rapidly for approx. 5 minutes, until the greens are softened. Remove with the slotted spoon and add to the squash in the colander. Return the pot to the heat, add the butter and olive oil and garlic. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, add the stock and boil vigorously. Add the squash and greens, toss, and cook just to heat through. Toss in the cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper.

This can also be served with pasta.

Moist Cornbread Stuffing

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups of diced celery
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped pecan halves
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup vegetable broth
2 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp.pepper
18 cups of cornbread (already prepared) crumbled or a mixture of cornbread and bread crumbs

In an 8-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, in hot butter or margarine, cook the celery and onion until tender, about 10 min. Add parsley, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper, stir well till thoroughly mixed. Stir in cornbread, mix together well. Then pour about 1 cup of vegetable broth over the mixture in the casserole dish. Bake for 30 to 45 min in a 350 degree oven.

Pineapple Au Gratin
2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups sugar
3 cans (20 ounces each) unsweetened pineapple chunks
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1⁄2 cup butter or margarine, melted
70 Ritz crackers, crushed

In a bowl, combine flour and sugar. Drain pineapple, reserving 11⁄2 cups juice.
Add juice to flour mixture; mix well. Stir in the pineapple and cheese. Pour into a greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir; bake 10 minutes longer. Combine melted butter and cracker crumbs; sprinkle over pineapple mixture. Return to oven for 10-15 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Yield: 16-20 servings.

Green Bean Casserole

Large bag frozen green beans, cooked tender crisp and drained (I love Hanover brand tiny whole green beans. They need very little cooking.)
1 (10 oz) can/jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 pound Swiss cheese, shredded**
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or to taste
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
Can French fried onions

Saute mushrooms and onions in 1/2 cup butter. Add flour, milk, and cream. Stir in cheese, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. (Cook until thickened.) Combine cheese sauce with beans and water chestnuts and place in casserole dish. Sprinkle fried onions on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Creamed Onions

3 pounds small white onions, peeled
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup butter or margarine
5 tablespoons flour
2 cups low-fat milk
Dash Tabasco
Dash nutmeg

Place onions in saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and enough water to cover. Bring onions to a boil; cover and cook 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and set aside. For the sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in saucepan; blend in flour and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Stir in hot sauce and nutmeg. Drain onions and add to the sauce; heat through and serve.

Baked Fennel au Gratin

Baked Fennel au Gratin

Two 1 pound fennel bulbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups half and half, light cream, or milk
1/3 cup shredded Swiss or gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs

Trim the fennel stalks to within 1 inch of bulb, reserving some of the feathery leaves. Quarter bulbs, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick. (You should have 4 cups sliced fennel.) Place in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover, and steam for about 10 minutes, or till tender. Transfer to a 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add half-and-half, light cream, or milk all at once; cook and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly. Add Swiss or Gruyere cheese; stir till melted. Remove from heat. Pour sauce evenly over fennel in dish. In a small bowl stir together Parmesan or Romano cheese and bread crumbs; sprinkle over top. Cover and bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 25-30 minutes, or till hot and bubbly. Garnish with reserved fennel leaves, if desired.

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.

Vegetable Curry

Tuesday I made a vegetable curry without a real recipe, but it was so delicious I’ll write down what I put into it. I never have ghee on hand, so I always use a blend of butter and oil.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sweet curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 can low fat coconut milk
1 bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 or 3 chili peppers, seeded and chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 potato peeled and diced
1 cup sliced carrots
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 can red kidney beans
½ cup red lentils
1 cup water or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
teaspoon salt

Pick over and rinse lentils. Heat olive oil and butter. Fry seeds until they pop. Quickly stir in onion, garlic, peppers, potatoes, and carrots. Sauté until onions are transparent. Don’t burn the garlic. Stir in the red lentils, spices, water, salt and coconut milk. Cook about 15 minutes until lentils are cooked. Red lentils sort of melt into the sauce when they’re cooked. Add kidney beans and cauliflower and cook about 10 minutes until cauliflower is tender. Remove the bay leaf and serve the curry with basmati rice. Chopped peanuts are always nice to garnish a curry.

Deviled Pecans

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and the Youth Fellowship kids at church are selling pecans to raise money for their projects. I love having lots of pecans available to munch on. One of our favorites is deviled pecans. They’re wonderful to have handy when you have guests over. Here are two versions, both are great.

Deviled Pecans

One pound of pecan halves
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt (have substituted seasoned salt)
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce or more if you like them HOT

Place pecans in a 13-x 9-x 2-inch pan. Combine butter and seasonings, pour over pecans and stir to coat. Distribute pecans evenly in pan; bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring twice. (It’s important to stir so they all get coating and bake evenly). Cool and store pecans in an airtight container. Yield 4 cups

This version is sweeter. I don’t know which version I prefer. I’ll probably make both of them during the holiday season.

Spicy Pecans
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1 pound pecan halves
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 275°. Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine mustard, honey, butter, hot pepper sauce, and pepper in a shallow bowl; blend well. Add pecans; toss to coat well. Spread pecans in single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir to turn; bake for another 10 minutes. Watch closely to make sure they don't burn. Remove pans to wire rack; cool completely. Transfer nuts to tightly covered containers. Store in cool, dry place. The pecans will keep for about a week if tightly covered.