Thanksgiving Feast - Dinner - Cranberry Sauce

Even though she used a can of jellied cranberry sauce, my Grandma Alice called this "cranberries".  9 times out of 10 we will use the canned cranberry sauce as well, but here is our favorite if we don't.

Cranberry Sauce

2 c 100% cranberry juice

1 6 oz bag of sweetened dried cranberries

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

1 c sugar

2 gala apples, peeled, cored and diced

2 tsp corn starch

1. In saucepan over medium heat, add juice, cranberries, cinnamon and sugar.
2. Stir well and frequently.
3. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes.  
4. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally until the cranberries have softened and apples are tender.
5. Remove 8 oz of the liquid and put in a small bowl.
6. Whisk in cornstarch.
7. Slowly add this back into saucepan, stirring constantly.  
8. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
9. Put in a bowl and refrigerate until thickened, about 30 minutes.
10. Remove cinnamon sticks before serving.

(from Aaron McCargo, Food Network)

Thanksgiving Feast - Dinner - Big Ass Bowl Dressing

Dressing or Stuffing?  Age old debate.  And even over what each means.  In my immediate family, dressing is done in a separate dish.  Stuffing is done on the inside of the turkey.  Mostly same ingredients, just different technique.

This dressing recipe was originally called "Sage Dressing" and comes from my Grandma Alice, on my mom's side.  It is AMAZING.

It was renamed after we tried to make this dressing without the "big ass bowl" that our parents have. This bowl lived under the stairs and was used for popcorn balls and this dressing recipe.  It was called the "silver bowl" back then.  When we ventured out on our own with this meal, our parents brought their bowl for us to use.  You can see what we are talking about here.  Ours is a little smaller, but the visual might help.  Then one year, they weren't here and we tried to make this in two separate smaller bowls.  It was the biggest mess.  And we said, "Sure wish we had that big ass bowl right now".  We now BOTH own a big ass bowl.  When I got mine, Travis, my sweetie, said, "What on earth are going to do with this the other 364 days of the year?"  And you'll never guess who uses it for butchering deer and elk?  Hmmm.  What will we do with it?

Big Ass Bowl Dressing

7 loaves of white or wheat bread

6-8 c turkey broth, canned or homemade (recipe to follow)
1 cube butter (1/2 c)
1 onion, chopped (easiest to chop in the food processor)
3-4 celery stalks, chopped (easiest to chop in the food processor)
3/4 c water
8 eggs
To your taste (amounts we used):
Parsley Flakes (3 Tbsp)
Black Pepper (1 Tbsp)
Rubbed Sage (1 Tbsp)
Ground Sage (6 Tbsp)
Poultry Seasoning (4 Tbsp)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In big ass bowl, break bread into bite sized pieces.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, combine chopped onion, celery, butter and water. 
4. Microwave covered 4-6 minutes until butter is melted and the celery and onion are soft.
5. Pour mixture over bread.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together.  Add spices.  Mix well.
7. Pour this mixture over the bread.
8. Pour turkey broth over bread.
9. Mix all well until bread is soft and all ingredients are well incorporated.
10. If dry, can add more broth.
11. Put in large baking dish (we use this 9"x13" baker from Pampered Chef) and bake for 1 hour until top is crispy.

Turkey Stock

Turkey neck and items from turkey bag when removed from packaged turkey.

2 white or yellow onions, cut into quarters

26 whole cloves, pressed into onion pieces

3 bay leaves

4 celery stalks, cut in half

6 cloves garlic

add water and/or chicken broth until large sauce pan is 3/4 full

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

add season salt and paprika to taste

1. Rinse turkey pieces.
2. Place in large sauce pan.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Simmer in large sauce pan, covered, on med-high heat for 2 hours.
5. Strain out large items and save stock.

Thanksgiving Feast - Dinner - Lena's Fruit Salad

This is one of the best dishes we make for this meal.  It's EVERYONE's favorite.  Lena is our Grandma Gummerson, on our Dad's side.  But I found this very recipe in our other Grandma's recipe box that I inherited. I love my Grandma Martin's handwriting.  I'm so glad we have the whole recipe...because check this out:

Missing the whole part about what fruit to add.  And how it uses corn starch instead of flour.  Reason #255 we are doing the cookbook.  LOL

Both sets of our grandparents lived only 3 blocks apart our whole childhood.  There were more "combined" holidays, then not.  Our grandparents were really good friends.  It's nice when the in-laws get along, even better when they are friends.  I love how on this recipe my Grandma Martin called Grandma Gummerson "Mrs. G".

Lena's Fruit Salad

 

Mix in saucepan:

1/2 c sugar
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp lemon juice (about one lemon)
1/2 c pineapple juice (use from drained can of pineapple for remainder of dish)
1 egg yolk

Stirring constantly, cook until thickened and cool completely (this part is best done the night before...less work the day of)

Mix in a bowl:

1 c whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar

Mix well until whipped and fluffy.
Fold into cooled mixture from above

Stir in fruit:

2-3 cans of mandarin oranges, drained
4 medium bananas, sliced
2 small cans, or 1 large can of pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained (save juice for sauce above)
2 hard apples, we use honey crisp, but old school is red delicious
1 small bottle maraschino cherries, drained, and halved
small marshmallows (about 1/2 a small bag, but to your liking)

Serve immediately.