Thanksgiving RECIPES
Cornbread Casserole
If you are looking for an easy and impressive side dish to take to your Thanksgiving gathering, cornbread casserole is a must. This tasty side dish puts an innovative twist on an American classic. Who doesn’t enjoy eating cornbread with their roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce? The soft and creamy center perfectly complements the cheesy outside.
This one-bowl recipe for cornbread casserole is quick and user-friendly — even the most inexperienced cooks will have no trouble whipping up this side dish for Thanksgiving festivities. And not only is this dish easy to make, it’s also extremely affordable: All the ingredients can be found at a local grocery store and will fit into the budget of nearly any college student.
So, impress your friends and family with this warm delight. The delicious combination of ingredients will certainly satisfy the holiday cravings of cornbread lovers everywhere.
Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained and 1/2 of liquid preserved
1 (14 3/4 oz.) can cream-style corn
2 eggs
1 (8 oz.) package dry cornbread mix
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients until blended completely. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter.
Green Stuff
For all of you home cooks that like to experiment with unique combinations of ingredients, try “Green Stuff” Marshmallow Salad. This fun and flavorful dessert is not your typical mystery dish: The creamy pudding and soft marshmallows make this sugary treat highly enjoyable.
This recipe is not only easy to make, but also can be fun for aspiring chefs of any age. “Green Stuff” remains affordable and family-friendly, as well as an ideal dish for a party. Making a double or triple portion of this dish creates an excellent way to accommodate a large number of guests, especially if you are cooking on a budget.
Not only would this dessert salad complement any Thanksgiving spread, but it also makes an excellent fit for Christmas lunch or dinner. Just add a handful of Maraschino cherries and you will have the perfect red and green Christmas dish — a festive addition to any holiday menu.
Ingredients
2 (3 1/2 oz.) boxes pistachio-flavored instant pudding
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 (10 1/2 oz.) bag mini marshmallows
1 1/2 (8 oz.) containers Cool Whip
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, diced
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pistachio pudding and crushed pineapple. Next, add the marshmallows to the mix. Fold in the Cool Whip and cherries until the mixture is blended completely. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving cold.
Pepper Roasted Potatoes
A surprisingly simple side dish or appetizer, these potatoes are best prepared in an oven (marked with “a” in the recipe below) but can easily be prepared in a microwave (marked with “b”) if short on time or oven space. Borrowed from a family chicken recipe, Pepper Roasted Potatoes should have a hefty dose of spice for lots of flavor. The recipe can be adjusted to taste; the potatoes have a natural flavor of their own, even with an absence of seasoning. Hosts who are accommodating guests with a low tolerance for spiciness can substitute rosemary or plain salt for flavor, or simply simmer some store-bought gravy in a saucepan to accompany the potatoes.
Ingredients
1/2 lb. potatoes, any variety
Olive oil
Multi-pepper blend or seasoning salt
Baking pan
Large sealable container
1a. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Cut potatoes into large, evenly sized chunks.
3. Pour a medium amount of olive oil into a large bowl. Add plenty of pepper blend or seasoning salt.
4. Add potato chunks to bowl. Toss carefully with hands until potato chunks are evenly coated, adding olive oil and pepper as necessary. (Having enough olive oil in the bowl to begin with reduces the mess at this juncture. Any cooking oil will do, but olive oil is best for flavor).
5a. Place potato chunks evenly on baking pan, lined with optional aluminum foil for easier cleanup.
5b. Or place potato chunks in a large microwaveable bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a small gap to vent steam.
6a. Bake potatoes in oven for 30 minutes or until done, turning occasionally. (Potatoes should be easily pierced by a fork in the middle.)
6b. Microwave potatoes for nine minutes or until done. A healthy coating of oil on the potatoes is recommended at this stage.
7. Put potatoes into a large sealable container and add plenty of pepper blend. Seal container tightly and shake until potato chunks are evenly coated.
8. Pour seasoned potato chunks into a serving dish if desired. Serves two.
Iced Peaches with Filling
These peaches are a healthy and light dessert dish to finish off any meal without adding too much richness. The recipe is simple — take a piece of pitted fruit (peaches are used here, but plums will also work), remove the pit and replace it with some form of sweet filling. Dessert chefs who want to give this dish a personal touch are free to make their own judgments as to what kind of filling to use. Some options include ice cream, jam, sorbet or even small candies. This recipe uses basic spray whipped cream for maximum lightness and ease of preparation. The ambitious can try to reseal the peach halves together with fondant or some other sticky spread, but for the purposes of keeping the serving size manageable and the eating process neat, this is not advised.
Ingredients
1 fresh large peach, whole, preferably firm
Spray can of whipped cream
1. Using a sharp fruit knife, cut the peach in half. Cutting axially makes pit removal easier, but cutting around the equator gives a better cavity for filling.
2. Separate the two halves by gently twisting.
3. Carefully pry out the pit with the point of a knife.
4. (Optional) Expand the cavity by cutting out some of the center of the peach, leaving more room for filling.
5. Spray whipped cream into the center cavity of each peach half.
6. Place on a tray and freeze until it’s time for dessert. Serves two.