Thanksgiving is getting closer, have you settled on your plans for the holiday?
We will be going to my mother's house for Thanksgiving, and it looks like it will be a small gathering this year. My husband's family will be gathering together over the holiday weekend, and that will probably be a livelier event (and a second opportunity to have a family meal).
For the first year ever, my mother has given me an assignment of what to bring — a corn casserole. Which is very unusual, because, first of all, she knows how much I like searching out new recipes and usually welcomes whatever I want to make, and secondly, my family doesn't eat many casseroles. The preparation time on the recipe says "2 minutes," however, and knowing that I have a 4-month-old on my hands, I'm guessing why she picked this for me.
So this week's first recipe is the cheesy corn casserole that I will dutifully bring on Thanksgiving. It's very eggy, with only 6 tablespoons of flour and no cornmeal, which would make it more like a spoonbread, so I'm wondering if this is going to have the texture more of a quiche. It does call for two diced jalapeno peppers, but I think I'm going to cut mine with a mandoline and leave them in their pretty circle or clover-ish shape. Or maybe I'll just put some extra ones like that on top and have it diced for the center of the casserole.
The second recipe is for a stuffing with fresh herbs. There's nothing fantastically innovative about this recipe, but maybe you're like me and have only made "homemade stuffing" using the Pepperidge Farm dried crouton-like bread. Well, this recipe talks you through toasting the bread yourself, then mixing it with the bacon, onion, celery, herbs, chicken broth and eggs until it truly is a homemade stuffing. Maybe I'll save this one and make it for Christmas, when I get to call the shots.
And finally, a maple cranberry sauce, made with whole cranberries, a whole cup of maple syrup (oh my!), orange juice and orange zest. You boil, simmer, and serve at room temperature. So much better than the canned stuff!
Two more weeks until the big day! Next week I'll share Thanksgiving dessert recipes, and on the day before Thanksgiving, recipes for using leftover turkey.
Enjoy!
Cheesy Corn Casserole
3 cups frozen corn
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and finely diced
1 1/2 cups milk
5 tablespoons butter, melted
5 eggs, whisked
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In an 8-by-12 casserole baking dish, add all the ingredients. Stir with a spoon to mix everything up.
Bake for 50 minutes. Let sit on counter for 5 minutes to set.
Source: casserole.cooktopcove.com
Thanksgiving stuffing with fresh herbs and bacon
7 ounces bacon, cooked crispy, cooled and chopped
10 cups soft sourdough loaf (or other favorite dense bread), cut in cubes
3/4 cups unsalted butter
1 medium cooking onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery (about a cup), chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
3 large eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
Once the croutons come out, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
In a large frying pan, heat the butter on medium high. Add onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper and herbs, and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, stir and increase the temperature to high until boiling point is reached. Decrease the temperature to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
Cool the broth mixture until it's just warm. Cool the croutons.
In a large bowl, toss together the croutons, eggs, broth mixture and bacon.
Grease a large baking dish. Pour in the tossed bread cube mixture and distribute evenly.
Place the baking dish in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 35 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve hot.
Note: This can be made ahead. From the fridge, simply add ½ cup of chicken broth, re-toss and place in the oven for about 15 minutes. Add more broth if it's a little dry.
Source: photosandfood.ca
Maple cranberry sauce
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon orange zest
Bring maple syrup, water, orange juice, and cranberries to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, and stir in orange zest.
Pour cranberries into a serving dish, and let come to room temperature. Cover, and chill until ready to serve.
Source: www.ihearteating.com
