Thanksgiving Menu

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Can you believe that it is almost the end of November! Last year I was still on crutches, but did my best to make a Thanksgiving meal for Michael and I since it was just the 2 of us. This year we are going to Michael's parents for Thanksgiving. Since we are traveling quite a distance, I will not be making much for Thanksgiving this year. Michael's mom has requested the Pumpkin Cheesecake, so I plan to take that with us.

If you are still trying to figure out what to make for Thanksgiving, here are a few ideas for you to check out:

Michael's grandmother's Chicken and Dressing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Creamy Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

The best ever Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Bars

Sweet Potato Casserole

Another favorite for me around the holidays is Sweet Potato Casserole. It just goes with the holiday feast so well! I made a small amount of this recipe since Michael doesn't like sweet potatoes. I baked my sweet potato for about an hour and half, until it was soft, and scooped the potato out of the skin. I then mixed the remaining ingredients with the potato. The topping is a sweet mixture with pecans which give it an added crunch. I love the sweetness of the potato and brown sugar topping mixture with the crunch of the pecans. Again, another great recipe to add to your holiday feast. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Printer friendly recipe

Source: adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

4 cups sweet potato, cubed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake sweet potatoes for 1 hour or until cooked through. Cut potato in half, scoop out and mash.

In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

I am bringing another family favorite to you. I made my first Pumpkin Roll last year. We were driving quite a distance to go see my family for Thanksgiving, so I needed something that could be made in advance and travel well. A pumpkin roll was a great idea. Many of my family had never had one before and thought it was wonderful. I had only had one once when a co-worker brought it work. I thought it was absolutely the best thing ever! I was amazed that I had never had this goodness before.




This year I decided to use a recipe from Michael's aunt. This is by far the best pumpkin roll I have ever had! There is the right amount of spice to the roll and the filling is cream cheese wonderfullness!! Please try this recipe the next time you are in the mood for a pumpin roll. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
Printer friendly recipe
Source: adapted from The Pine Bluff Commercial

3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used a little less of this)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (I used a little less of this)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I used a little less of this)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used a little less of this)
1 cup nuts, chopped (I omited these)

Directions:

Grease and flour pan. Whip eggs until thick and foamy about 5 minutes. Add sugar gradually to eggs. Fold in pumpkin and lemon juice. Sift together, add dry ingredients and fold into egg mixture beating just until batter is smooth. (You may use electric mixer on low speed.)

Pour into pan spreading batter to corners. Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees or until springs back when touched lightly. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert on towel sprinkled with powder sugar. While hot, roll cake and towel from narrow end, cool completely, when cool add cream cheese filling.


Cream Cheese Filling


1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream cheese and butter together until blended. Add sugar and vanilla, mix well. Reserve 1 cup icing for decorating. Unroll cake, remove towel adn spread remaining filling inside. Roll up cake, wrap in waxed paper then foil. Refrigerate until filling sets before decorating. Slice and serve.

Chicken and Dressing

Dressing is one of those things that is required at Thanksgiving. It is the one food item that I look forward to the most. I could eat it at any time, but it just doesn't feel right to eat dressing in the summer. My grandmother always made the dressing for our family on Thanksgiving and Christmas. She passed away a few years ago and I thought she took the art and recipe for dressing with her. I have searched for a recipe that could come close to her dressing.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving last year. I asked Michael's mom if she or his grandma had a dressing recipe. She did so I reluctantly tried it last year. I knew that this could not even come close to the dressing my grandmother made every year. I was shocked when it turned out perfect!!! Michael said it tasted just like his grandmas! This tells me even more that we are ment to bet together!! I am in love with this dressing and come June, I may just decide to make it again.

I am entering this as a part of Bake at 350's Flavor of the Month. The Flavor of the Month for November is traditions. This is a tradition in both of my and Michael's families and I plan to continue that in the future. I truly hope you try this one!! Be sure to stop by Bake at 350 for other bloggers traditions. Enjoy!

Chicken and Dressing

Printer friendly recipe

Source: Michael's grandmother

8-inch pan of cornbread

8 slices toasted bread, or day old bread
4 eggs. beaten
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. allspice
pinch of sage
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth
2 Tbsp. margarine
Boiled chicken, use 1/2 of chicken, off the bone

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 º, 325º if using a glass pan.

Crumble breads and add in all other ingredients to margarine. Dot the margarine on top. Bake at 350º for 45 min. or until till brown.

EDIT: I am editing the recipe to state be sure to use low sodium chicken broth. I have made this again since I publishsed this post for Christmas. I had my mom get chicken broth without thinking about it and the regular chicken broth adds to much salt to the flavor. If you go with full strength broth, please reduce the amount of salt you add.

Thankgiving Menu

I love Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays, well that and the 4th of July. It is such a food holiday. This year due to work conflicts, Michael and I will not be able to travel to see family for Thankgiving so I am doing Thankgiving for the two of us. This year we are having:


Honey Baked Ham (yes, I am going to buy this! Cut me some slack, I've been on crutches!!)
Chicken and Dressing
Creamy Herbed Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Steamed Corn
Brown and Serve Rolls (Ok, buying these to!)


Pumpkin Roll
Chocolate Chip Bourbon Pecan Pie


Its okay to take some short cuts! Its the family time that counts. Watch for some of these wonderful recipes to hit soon!