Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

[Tink]

I'm pretty much a procrastinator and right now I'm trying to figure out what I want to make for Thanksgiving and I was wondering if any of you have recipes for Thanksgiving that you just love and don't think it's Thanksgiving without. My mom always made the basic stuff, which was fine, but I never really liked the stuffing, we never had cranberries, the pumpkin pie was, well, pumpkin pie (nothing special) and we had just a normal green salad.

Do you guys have any recipes that are more unique but really good? A special green salad that uses cranberries and pecans? A yam recipe that steers away from the normal candied variety? A sauce or gravy that is just to die for on turkey? Or any other recipe that you look forward to on the day of stuffing? If you need to, call mom, call grams, get the scoop and post here. I'd really appreciate it!

[Fellfrosch]

Look up Alton Brown brine turkey recipe on Food Network. It makes all other Thanksgiving dishes irrelevant.

[Nessa]

German Style String Beans (Sweet and Sour Beans)

1 can string beans
1-2 slices bacon
1 Tablespoons flour
1/4 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup  juice from beans
1/4 Cup  sugar
1/4 Cup  diced onion

Brown bacon and drain the grease, but leave 1/4 cup. Put flour in grease. Stir to thickness. Add vinegar, bean juice, and sugar. Stir. Add beans and onions and simmer for 1/2 hour.  I often leave in the bacon and add almond slivers to fancy it up. It's different, and very tasty.

[Nessa]

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening                            
2 cups sugar                                  
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla                                  
1 15-ounce can pumpkin                
4 cups flour                                    
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together shortening and sugar.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Stir in vanilla and pumpkin until well blended.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix in chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes, until edges begin to brown.

These are very cakey and they disappear fast. I suppose you could probably make them into muffins instead, but I haven't tried that.

[Spriggan]

Happy Spriggan
1 Spriggan
1 bottle of Mountain Dew

Instructions:

Let Spriggan drink the Mountain Dew.

[Chimera]

Oh, good. I was wondering how to make Happy Spriggan at home. Now my Thanksgiving is complete.  

[The Jade Knight]

My grandma's pumpkin pie recipe is wonderful, and we have lots of other wonderful thanksgiving dishes, but, unfortunately, I don't have any of the recipes except for the pumpkin pie recipe, and it's just Libby's + an extra egg.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Oh, good. I was wondering how to make Happy Spriggan at home. Now my Thanksgiving is complete.  

Except that you've got to find an illegal black market grocery store still willing to sell Spriggans since the government crack down.

[Fellfrosch]

Or you could talk to an unlisted dealer. Wink wink.

[Chimera]

Chimera's Infamous Jello Mold:

2 packages raspberry or strawberry jello
1 package cream cheese
1 just-ripe banana

Prepare jello according to package, adding boiling water and stirring until dissolved. Place half to two thirds of liquid in the blender and blend with cream cheese. Combine liquid in nice bowl. *Stir if you wish to make the jello mold consistent. Slice bananas and add to liquid--they will bob on top. Refrigerate according to the directions on the box until solid all the way through.

*If you don't stir it and wait a bit before you put it in the fridge to set, sometimes you get this three-layered effect where most of the cream cheese rises and you have a layer with the bananas on top, a thicker layer of cream cheese below, and a thinner layer on the bottom. Not always, though.

[42]

My Brother-in-Law's super-secret cranberry sauce.

Fresh Cranberry Relish
2 cups Fresh Cranberries, washed
Juice and rind of 1 Orange
1 cup of Water
1/4 cup Sugar
Pinch of ground Cinnamon
1 sprig fresh Rosemary

Place cranberries in 2  quart saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until cranberries pop.

Makes 2 cups.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

so he keeps it secret by dumpting it on an Internet forum

[42]

No, my brother-in-law has no idea that I copied the recipe while visited his place and posted it on an Internet forum.

[The Jade Knight]

Ari makes some killer pies.  Today, Apple's on the menu.  You guys should bother her for the recipes.

[Chimera]

You guys should bother her for the recipes.

Bother, bother, bother.