Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Consistently wrong since 2002

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

T R E 4 5 O N

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Cooking / Friday Recipe Exchange: Preparing for Thanksgiving

Friday Recipe Exchange: Preparing for Thanksgiving

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jeffreyw cornbread stuffing

Cornbread stuffing by JeffreyW

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From our Food Goddess, TaMara:

Bixby and I are hitting the road for the holiday, as long as the weather stays nice. I’m planning on arriving early so I can help with prep, because I like love to cook. Bixby is growing fast and you can see his latest photo here, along with a quick update. I hope he does as well in the car as he did last trip.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, next to 4th of July. Food, family, friends…and leftovers. I compiled some favorite recipes for tonight’s recipe exchange.

JefferyW makes Cornbread Stuffing, part 1 here and part 2 here.

Roasted Butternut Apple Soup makes a great starter, recipe here.

I think I’m going to volunteer for mashed potato duty this year so I can make these again, a lost recipe found, Hearty Garlic Mashed Potatoes, link here. I made them years ago and then completely forgot about the recipe.

And this recipe is the reason I think I get invited to many holiday gatherings, my Cranberry Upside Down Cake, click here.

Since my brother is cooking again this year, we’ll probably have deep fried turkey, which is ok by me, as long as I’m not cooking it. I have a real fear of deep frying anything, which is why all the deep fried recipes on the blog are from JeffreyW. I will still cook a turkey, though, because, leftovers. This year I’m going to try the braising method from America’s Test Kitchen’s Braised Turkey technique, link here, minus the brining.

Not sure how you want to cook your turkey this year? I’ve listed some ideas from people smarter than I am: turkey four different ways, here.

What’s on the menu for your Thanksgiving this year? Do you have a must-have recipe for your holiday dinner?

I’m not a fan of traditional candied sweet potatoes, so tonight’s featured recipes are some non-traditional styles of recipes for sweet potatoes.

Cajun Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
¼ tsp cumin (opt)
Covered casserole dish, well-greased
Steamer and saucepan

In saucepan, add water, steamer and sweet potatoes. Steam until you can easily stick a fork in them. They don’t need to be completely soft. About 10-15 minutes. Add sweet potatoes to casserole dish. Combine oil, butter and spices. Pour evenly over potatoes. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are soft. You can adjust cooking time if you prefer your firmer or softer potatoes.

Sweet Potatoes w/Apples

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
¼ cup water
2 apples, cored & sliced
8 oz can sliced pineapple (including liquid)
2 tsp butter
½ cup orange juice
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
2 qt casserole dish, greased

Add ingredients to casserole dish. Stir gently and bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes, uncovered, until apples and potatoes are very soft. Cover if it begins to brown too much

That’s it for this week. No recipe exchange next week I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. – TaMara

Reader Interactions

92Comments

  1. 1.

    Corner Stone

    What’s on the menu for your Thanksgiving this year? Do you have a must-have recipe for your holiday dinner?

    Yes, I do. But thank the lordt, the sides are made by my mom and sister.
    My sis makes about the best lasagna, guacamole, enchiladas, broccoli & rice casserole, and cornbread stuffing ever sampled by man.
    So this time of year is heaven for me. I buy the ham.
    It’s an awesome time to be alive.

    ETA, which is to say, we’re having brocc&rice and stuffing this week. The others are for other days.

  2. 2.

    Betty Cracker

    I’ve got a looming Thanksgiving cooking dilemma that maybe one of y’all expert chefs can help me with. For reasons too tedious to go into, I need to cook a 20-lb turkey at my house and then cart it to a second location about a 40-minute drive away, where it will then be served about an hour after I arrive. I’m worried that if I cook it all the way here and then reheat it there, it will dry it out. I was thinking maybe I could cook it almost all the way here and then resume cooking it at my destination when I arrive, but then the cooling off period might throw off the timing. Any ideas or advice?

  5. 5.

    Violet

    @Betty Cracker: Yeah, cook it all the way then cart it keeping it warm. If it isn’t all the way cooked you could end up with some weird bacteria developing. No one wants food borne illness at Thanksgiving.

    That’s a bummer that you’re doing the bird and then have to take it somewhere. Unduly complicated.

  6. 6.

    tybee

    @Betty Cracker:

    use a cooler. pre-heat the cooler with hot water or something similar. if you’re really concerned about drying out, put it in a paper bag that’s been coated with cooking spray.

  7. 7.

    JPL

    @Betty Cracker: Last year, I had to deliver the Thanksgiving meal an hour and half away. I researched online and ended up cooking it the night before, cutting it into sections and reheating. I didn’t save the instructions, because I hope to never have to do that again. Google is your friend though.

  8. 8.

    Violet

    TaMara–question on your cranberry upside down cake. Do you pour the orange topping on it right before serving or can you do that ahead if you need to take it somewhere? Is the topping a sauce or something that sort of sinks into the cake?

  10. 10.

    Violet

    @Betty Cracker: Also, you’re supposed to let the turkey rest for awhile before serving so if it comes out of the oven right before you leave for your destination it won’t be that far off what you’d be doing anyway.

  12. 12.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Betty Cracker: As raven said, cook it all the way and put it under towels and blankets and such. Bring along two bottles of bourbon and have everybody drink it for that hour you’re waiting to serve the turkey. Then nobody will care if it’s not real hot.

  15. 15.

    Gin & Tonic

    For stuffing, I’ve made something along the lines of this clams and chourico stuffing before. This guy, Matthew Jennings, is an outstanding chef — if you’re in the Boston area, once he has his new place open I’d recommend you run, not walk to eat there.

  17. 17.

    raven

    @Gin & Tonic: There were, at most, 10 people that I could see in either direction. Now the water is pretty cold for most people and there were 10-17 mph winds on and off. I’m pretty sure more people will roll in for the holiday tomorrow but sunrise is almost always me and a couple of other dog walking people.

  18. 18.

    JPL

    @Betty Cracker: Since you have had a pretty tough year, I’ll explain my Thanksgiving last year. My brother had cancer but loved coming to my house for Thanksgiving. The sons, SO and I delivered Thanksgiving to his house for his family. He was able to dress and sit and enjoy the banter. Since our politics are similar, the discussion had more to do with tv shows. He died less than a week later.

  21. 21.

    JPL

    This year I’m having Thanksgiving again, at my home. Since the vegies are heavy sides, I’m thinking of doing a simple fruit salad with grapefruit and orange sections. My appetizer with be a vegie tray. Will that work or should I do a green salad also?

  22. 22.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @Betty Cracker: My first piece of advice is cook two smaller birds, like 12 lbs each. You’ll have a better experience. Cook them in the over at the same time to the recommended 160 degrees (they’ll reach 165 after you take them out of the oven). Wrap tight in foil, kitchen towels and transport in “hot bags” that you can pick up at grocery store or bed bath and beyond. Then pop them in a warm oven when you get to your destination.

    Much easier to keep two smaller birds warm and warm them back to serving temperature than a big bird. My two cents. ;-)

    Also, really hot gravy helps with everything.

  24. 24.

    JPL

    @raven: The Finch was chewing on a nice size bone, or so I thought. It was the skeletal remains of a bird. I should send you a pic, so you can identify it. It had a yellow beak

  29. 29.

    TaMara (BHF)

    BTW, we always to two smaller birds when expecting a big crowd. You really have a more successful experience – less chance of the bird drying out, shorter cooking time, really better birds all around. Big, monster birds do not usually equal better flavor.

    Then you can have some fun – do one orange herb butter and one traditional sage butter, you get the idea.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    @Violet: I wondered the exact same things when I read the recipe.

    Paging Tamara with a question, paging Tamara. See violet at $6.

    Also, what a big grown-up boy you have!

  32. 32.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    We are most likely going to my brother’s for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law is a terrible cook, but she surprised the heck out of us last year by cooking a WHOLE TURKEY instead of pressed turkey loaf. Maybe this year she’ll attempt mashed potatoes made from real potatoes instead of Potato Buds.

    I am not allowed to bring anything other than pumpkin pie, which I usually buy from a local diner that makes great baked goods because I’m not a good baker.

  34. 34.

    mclaren

    That cornbread stuffing looks yummy. But I always just get a pizza for Thanksgiving. Turkey is a terribly bland food and I’ve never liked it, not on Thanksgiving or any other day. Some Thanksgiving I may avoid the pizza and instead make my signature Szechuan beef instead.

    But turkey and mashed potatoes? Please. Why not eat some cardboard instead?

  40. 40.

    JPL

    @Betty Cracker: I did do a lot of research though. It was a nice Thanksgiving. The mutt Finch, decided to roll in something foul and the son’s long time girl friend decided it was bear shit. I’m not sure how you know, but it did add to the discussion. Even after being hosed off, you could not get rid of the stench.
    I still feel bad, cuz my brother could smell him. yuck
    That’s the same Finch who gave me the skeletal bird that is quite large with an orangy, yellowish beak today.

  44. 44.

    Elly

    “What’s on the menu for your Thanksgiving this year?”

    We stopped doing traditional Thanksgiving meals about a decade ago; and we have yet to repeat a menu. This year, we’re starting with antipasti; followed by Italian Wedding Soup, Potato Gnocchi Alfredo, and finally, chocolate-hazelnut gelato and biscotti. And yes, I’m making the gnocchi/alfredo sauce, gelato and biscotti from scratch.

    Looking forward to it. Our holiday dinners are always elaborate productions requiring a lot of planning and effort. But they’re lots of fun, too.

  47. 47.

    Anne Laurie

    @mclaren: You’re not alone, which is why ham is so popular at Thanksgiving gatherings. And it’s also easy to buy a really good ham that’s already been cooked, so one can bring it to the party and not have one’s friends worry, openly or not, about one’s culinary talents…

  48. 48.

    JPL

    @Anne Laurie: I just googled starling and it’s not a match The beak is about an inch and it measures about 2 and 1/2 inches to the end of the head. Not sure that makes sense. The skeletal has a ridge across the head. After Thanksgiving I’ll send you a pic and we can use it on Sunday. Identify this. Because of the jagged ridge, I almost thought it was a bluejay, but that doesn’t match.
    Finch brings me all kinds of goodies.

  49. 49.

    RSR

    Just had out monthly meeting of the Philly Homebrew Club (@phillyhbc on the tweeps) with Thanksgiving dinner where we contested roasted vs smoked turkey. I personally preferred the juicier roast turkey, but the smoked turkey won the crowd over, and was declared the winner.

    We had a bunch of great sides, too, and, of course, many great homebrewed beers. I brought the beer that @brendancalling and I brewed few weeks ago: a Belgian rye double IPA. Brendan suggested we call it ‘Congo: a Belgian Imperial Adventure.’

    Having a few more tastes of it now.

    Cheers!

  50. 50.

    Anne Laurie

    And from political writer Jamelle Bouie at Slate: Salted Honey Pie “for people who hate pumpkin pie”

    (No, I haven’t tried making one, but from the ingredients list it looks like what my Irish grannie called a ‘custard pie’ back in the day)

  56. 56.

    srv

    > cornbread stuffing

    OMG…

    I knew I opened a bottle of wine for a reason… kinder cousin just called to tell me he’s engaged. That will be two we celebrate next week at the southern reunion.

    Just in time too, almost had to start a family squabble with the girls-and-boys in rooms together prudes – we were debating if B-I-L would allow his own daughter and fiance to share a room… I like Jesuits, but sometimes… wtf?

    Now I torture my niece with exotic pie requests. Last year it was peach pie – no freaking cobbler. I need to think of something mo exotic. What goes with cornbread?

  58. 58.

    Violet

    @Tenar Darell: I’d go with candied ginger if you want another flavor. If you’re looking for crunch, maybe some coconut chips–like the Dang coconut chips. Would have to be added later. Maybe something different like pumpkin seeds?

  59. 59.

    NotMax

    @srv

    Pear pie is a bear to make well, but really good when it does come out right.

    Exotic and for cornbread? Cheese souffle.

  60. 60.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @Tenar Darell: So, no nuts at all? Or if just no walnuts, I’d substitute pecans. It doesn’t really need nuts. If I was going to play with it – a little bit of dried or candied orange pieces (mince) or some minced crystallized ginger.

  62. 62.

    Violet

    @TaMara (BHF): Yeah, you can buy larger coconut flakes, not the finely shredded stuff, and bake it in the oven on a low temp for a little bit to crisp it up and get that light brown color. Or you can just buy some like the Dang chips I linked above. They’re lightly sweetened, but not too sweet. In any case, you want to add it at the end, like you said, to keep it crunchy.

    I think the ginger could be good. Would add another flavor but that might be okay. Not sure how well it would compete with the orange and cranberry. Might be kind of a busy flavor profile.

  63. 63.

    Hal

    I have to work this Thanksgiving. 3 to 11 shift, so I think I’m going to make a huge pan of lasagna and have some when I get home with a glass or three of wine. The upside is I do get holiday pay and an extra personal day.

  64. 64.

    maeve

    Heading out next week to visit the parents – neighbors are cooking the turkey but its at my parent’s townhouse (55+ community) – we are in charge of the mashed potatoes because we’re Irish and we take it seriously. I am making a pumpkin pie if no one else will (because the best breakfast the day after Thanksgiving is cold pumpkin pie with real whipped cream) plus a lemon meringue (because I love it). My Dad is into ironically retro so we’ll have green bean casserole (but made with fresh green beans) and cranberry sauce from the can – served whole with the lines from the can still visible – plus whole berry cranberry sauce from scratch.

    Although my parents just bought a sous vide so anything goes I guess.

  65. 65.

    wasabi gasp

    Pumpkin pies vary. If it’s creamy and spiced, I’m gonna dig in. If it’s bland and like wood putty, I’m not. But no matter because there’s guaranteed to be a flan on the table and possibly a cheesecake. And then comes my weakness – the boxes of pastries and cookies from Arthur Avenue. My mom doesn’t put them all out on the table. She always hands off a mixed box to me as I’m out the door. Love mom.

  66. 66.

    trollhattan

    Anybody have a favorite turkey brine recipe to share? Am interested in something beyond the basic 50:50 salt:sugar.

  67. 67.

    Hildebrand

    We will be helping out at the local Lutheran church on Thanksgiving. They have a food pantry and invite any and all for a Thanksgiving meal. They have about 450 folks signed up. Thus, the first part is to help cook turkeys this weekend (we are cooking seven this year), then help serve the meal on Thursday.

    Texas cut back the dollars flowing to the area food banks this year, so what has usually come from the regional food bank disappeared (last year they sold all of the turkeys to the congregation’s food pantry at 29 cents a pound), so the congregation just redoubled their efforts to make sure that everyone who will come for the meal will have more than enough.

    Its a good way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

  70. 70.

    ? Martin

    I take care of dinner. My grandparents always did Thanksgiving and taught me, so its my thing. I don’t think my mom was ever in charge of the meal – it just passed straight to me.

    The last several years we’ve rotisseried the turkey on the big Weber. It’s great – frees up the oven for the day, and get the benefit of it being smoked and roasted. And the rotisserie keeps it really juicy and you never get any tough meat – even the legs are really nice.

  72. 72.

    ? Martin

    @Betty Cracker: What most of the above suggest – wrap in foil, then in towels.

    But you need to let a 20lb turkey cool a good 20 minutes anyway, so if you wrap it up immediately it’ll hold most of its heat even for 2 hours. At most you could stick it in the oven on the other side for 15 minutes. Remember, it’s going to cool from the outside in, so it’s not like you need to heat it through to the center – just bring the outside back up to temp.

  73. 73.

    Corner Stone

    @maeve:

    we are in charge of the mashed potatoes because we’re Irish and we take it seriously.

    Ummm…a little more exposition here, please?

  74. 74.

    Yatsuno

    @trollhattan: Honestly? Never been impressed with brining anything. It’s entirely possible I do it wrong, but it has never seemed to work for me. The best way I’ve found for keeping turkey moist is butter under the skin. And a lot of it. You can even make a compound butter of sage and rosemary.

  76. 76.

    Mnemosyne

    @maeve:

    cranberry sauce from the can – served whole with the lines from the can still visible

    That’s how we do it, too — slide it out of the can and slice it. I’ve tried to bring cranberry-orange relish from Trader Joe’s or at least canned whole cranberry sauce, but nope — no deal. It has to be the jellied cranberry sauce that’s still in the shape of the can.

  77. 77.

    Anne Laurie

    @Mnemosyne:

    It has to be the jellied cranberry sauce that’s still in the shape of the can.

    It’s what their palates know. Even apart from the emotional ‘comfort food’ aspect, it can be daunting how much one’s mouth expects certain levels of sweet/salty, mush/chewy, organic/HFCS because that’s what small humans were fed before they had a chance to make their own choices.

  79. 79.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Anne Laurie: Nah. I hate turkey. I really do. Even the dark meat is flavorless (could we have a goose like my dad and I wonder every year?) But turkey is the flavor of the holiday. For some, the jellied cranberry is the flavor of the holiday. We may be saying the same thing but yours just sounds a bit demeaning. YMMV.

  80. 80.

    Anne Laurie

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I hate turkey. I really do. Even the dark meat is flavorless (could we have a goose like my dad and I wonder every year?) But turkey is the flavor of the holiday.

    Some years, the foodies I share a Thanksgiving Bloat with serve goose as well as turkey and ham (and of course vegetarian / gluten-free / vegan options). You can do quite a spread when thirty-odd old friends are competing against each other. But for me, ham is the flavor of Thanksgiving!

  82. 82.

    dance around in your bones

    I wanna be Tina Weymouth before I die. She totally rocks.

    Just warched Stop Making Sense again, just – well, fucking because!!!

  83. 83.

    dance around in your bones

    Also, I make a GREAT cornbread stuffing. Nothing fancy, but you HAVE to make the cornbread from scratch (no Jiffy mix) and then add onions and celery and chicken broth, sage and whatever else…..

    No gawd damn giblets, they make me wanna puke.Like, just smelling the damn things.

  84. 84.

    dance around in your bones

    Don’t know where my story about the freshly killed turkey disappeared to, but my neighbor and I built a chicken coop (the guys weren’t interested, and we thought “We are strong and capable women!!! WE can do it!!”

    Anyhoo, one year among her menagerie of chickens and geese and some turkeys, we had a guy come out and kill/pluck one of the the turkeys for our Thanksgiving dinner.

    My girlfriend said she just about hurled when she prepared/stuffed the bird for dinner, ’cause she has always been used to a frozen bird.

    This bird was warm, dudes! AND delicious, once she stopped puking over it :)

  85. 85.

    J R in WV

    JefferyW’s Cornbread stuffing recipe looks great, but his post is woefully incomplete to be called a recipe. His series of pictures would serve as a great foundation for a real recipe, but standing alone they are only a monument to his inspiration.

    He has two pictures of thick liquids being poured into something, what are they?? Specifically, what’s in that bowl of golden yellow stuff? I assume the more brownish stuff is the ” the broth and veggies that I cooked the necks in” whizzed and dumped in. Is the yellow melted butter? No mention of melted butter in the text anywhere.

    I see some parsley, which I would have used in the stuffing…

    Come on Jeffrey, you know how to write a recipe, list the stuff that goes in, then describe how you prepare the different complicated parts, then describe how you combine the complex parts into the real finished dish.

    All those pictures have to be a lot harder than writing a good description of the parts being combined in the pictures!

    Here’s wishing I could bake multi-grain French bread! I have loaf ends from Liz’s local bakery to use, though, and can make a mean cornbread, so all is not lost!

    JR

  86. 86.

    J R in WV

    @mclaren:

    You are doing it wrong! You use something called spices on your bird, and it comes out great.

    I’ve had bland turkey, and it tastes like someone used an Acme Flavor-Disruptor on a real dish. If it isn’t done right before it goes into the oven there’s no hope.

    Fresh Sage, thyme, rosemary, fresh ground pepper, all over that bird, crushed into soft butter to help it stick. In fact you can used flavored salt for your brine, or add extra dried herbs to the water you’re brining in.

    If the turkey you have had is bland, it was done wrong, period! Get a breast and work on it just for yourself, until you get one that makes you want another serving, even if you’re already full. Then invite people over to share one with you.

    Just the smell will tell you it isn’t bland!

  89. 89.

    chopper

    @Betty Cracker:

    Spatchcock the fucker. Roasts twice as fast and the timing is more reliable. Doesn’t come out as dry either. You can put it on a bed of veggies and make a nice pan gravy from it.

    And yeah, it can rest for an hour anyways. A 20lber should take around 2 hours at 425 or so.

  90. 90.

    chopper

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Modern broad breasted whites are pretty bland birds, like chickens. You have to be creative when you roast em.

    Or get an heirloom breed, they can be far tastier.

  91. 91.

    mainmati

    I am a fan of cornbread stuffing. Usually make it with sausage, the Trinity and various other niceities, like walnuts. I like this version with turkey extras.

  92. 92.

    mainmati

    @raven: Raven is correct. That would be sort of a Hawaiian solution and it will definitely work. Probably even better than just blankets would be an insulator (e.g. towels and then popping it into a cooler (a cooler keeps hot things hot as well as cool things cool). But, of course, in general, one should cook the bird where it will be served. But you (Betty) knew that, of course.

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