Creamed Corn

From the Internet.

2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen corn, thawed

1 C. heavy cream

1 C. whole milk

1 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. sugar

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour

Combine corn, cream, milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer five minutes. Watch carefully; do not scorch.

In a separate pan, melt butter and add flour to make a thickener.

Stir thickener into corn mixture using whisk. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when smooth.

Green Bean Casserole II

From The Girl Who Ate Everything.

2 lbs. fresh green beans, edges trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
12 oz. white button mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt (more to taste)
1/2 tsp. black pepper (more to taste)
1/4 C. flour
1-1/2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
1 C. heavy cream
1 package fried onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the green beans and 3/4 cup water. Microwave on high for 5-8 minutes or until just tender. Drain the beans well and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms have released their juice. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Sprinkle the flour on top and cook for a minute. The mixture will be thick. Whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cream and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until mixture thickens.

Pour sauce over green beans, stir in 1/2 cup of the fried onions, and toss well to combine. Pour into the prepared pan. If making this ahead of time, cover and store in the fridge.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until green beans are to desired doneness. For the last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle additional fried onions on top and cook until golden brown.

Notes: I used two 10-oz. steamer bags of frozen green beans. I cooked the beans in the microwave for one minute less than the cooking time on the package instructions and then drained the beans in a colander to remove the excess water. Make sure to salt and pepper the mushroom mixture after adding the broth and cream. Using just the measurements, the recipe seemed like it could use more salt and pepper.

I love mushrooms, so I used two 8-oz. packages of mushrooms.

If available, my preference is for Trader Joe's fried onions.

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes (are they different from yams??) always seem so appealing to me, but then I taste them and they are disappointing so I have learned to just steer clear. When I saw this recipe from Our Best Bites, I was skeptical that they would be so good because of my past disappointment, but these were sooooo good and got rave reviews from the family!

Sweet Potatoes:
1 29-oz. can sweet potatoes, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. butter (no margarine), softened or melted
1 egg, beaten
3.5 oz. sweetened condensed milk (about 5 tablespoons)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 C. brown sugar
1-1/2 C. (7 oz.) sweetened coconut flakes
6 Tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add sweet potatoes, sugar, 3 Tbsp. butter, egg, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until creamy. Spread in a pie plate. Mix topping ingredients together until everything is incorporated and sprinkle over sweet potatoes. Bake for 40-50 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Notes: You can substitute 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes) for the canned sweet potatoes. For a family-sized recipe, double the ingredients and bake in a 9x13 pan. To save time on Thanksgiving, make the sweet potatoes ahead of time and store in the refrigerator; add the topping right before baking.

Green Bean Casserole I

From Trader Joe's.

1-1/2 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bag Trader Joe’s Sliced Cremini Portabella Mushrooms
1/4 sweet onion, sliced
1 bag (24 oz.) Trader Joe's Frozen French Green Beans
1 container Trader Joe’s Cream of Portabella Mushroom Soup
1/2 C. water
1-1/2 C. Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 can Trader Joe’s Gourmet Fried Onion Pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil and butter in a large heavy skillet; add mushrooms and sauté until they become soft and lightly browned. Add onion and continue to sauté until soft and lightly browned. Add green beans and sauté until heated through. Add soup and water to skillet, mix and heat through. Add mixture to a small or medium size casserole. Top with cheese. Top cheese with fried onion pieces; place in the oven and bake until cheese melts and becomes warm and bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Notes: When I make this again, I want to double the mushrooms which may require more soup. I'm also curious about substituting cream/milk for water.

Potato Stuffing Casserole

From Taste of Home.

1/4 C. chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
3 slices bread, cubed
4 to 5 large potatoes, peeled, cooked, and mashed
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 C. hot whole milk
1 large egg, beaten

In a medium skillet, saute celery and onion in 2 tablespoons of butter until tender. Add bread cubes and stir until lightly browned. Stir in potatoes, parsley, salt, pepper, milk, and egg; mix well.

Spoon into a greased 1-1/2-quart baking dish. Dot with remaining butter. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

5 lbs. russet or Yukon gold potatoes
3/4 C. butter (1-1/2 sticks)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. (to 3/4 C.) half-and-half
1/2 tsp. (to 1 tsp.) Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. (to 1 tsp.) black pepper

Peel and cut potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked through, a fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add the butter, cream cheese, and half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Add the seasoned salt and pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until the butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

When making the dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until warmed through.

Notes: I used Yukon gold potatoes and light cream cheese. Yum! Also, I halved the recipe and it turned out great.

Slow Roasted Turkey with Gravy

From America's Test Kitchen.

Turkey:
3 medium onions, chopped medium
3 medium celery ribs, chopped medium
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 C. low-sodium chicken broth
1 whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast (5 to 7 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels
1-1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1-1/2 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Gravy:
2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 bay leaves

Instructions:
1. For the turkey: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Arrange onions, celery, carrots, thyme, and garlic in even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Pour broth into baking sheet. Place wire rack on top of vegetables (rack will rest on vegetables, not on bottom of baking sheet).

2. Brush turkey pieces on all sides with melted butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over turkey. Place breast skin-side down on vegetable-filled baking sheet.

3. Roast turkey 1 hour. Using wads of paper towels, turn turkey breast skin-side up. Continue roasting until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast, 1 to 2 hours longer. Removing baking sheet from oven and transfer rack to second baking sheet. Allow pieces to rest at least 30 minutes or up to 1-1/2 hours.

4. For the gravy: Strain vegetables and liquid from baking sheet through colander set in large bowl. Press solids with back of spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables. Transfer liquid in bowl to 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Add chicken broth to measuring cup (you should have about 3 cups liquid).

5. In medium saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is dark golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk in broth mixture and bay leaves and gradually bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick and reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Remove gravy from heat and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

6. To serve: Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking sheet with turkey in oven. Roast until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, transfer turkey to cutting board, and let rest 20 minutes. Carve and serve, passing warm gravy separately.

Sausage Cranberry-Pecan Stuffing

I was assigned to make stuffing for Thanksgiving. I am not really a fan of stuffing; I usually find the stuffing too salty, the texture mushy, and the seasonings too overpowering. While I was tempted to just make a box of Stove Top stuffing, I diligently searched the Internet and found this recipe. Although I am still not too excited to eat stuffing, I did rather enjoy this recipe. And, it wasn't much harder than making the box of Stove Top. So this recipe gets two thumbs up from me! The recipe is from Good Housekeeping. (Recipe updated 3/5/2017, with adaptations from recipe for Sausage Cranberry Stuffing on the Bob Evans website. Recipe updated 11/27/2020 to reduce butter, celery, onions.)

1 lb. sausage (sage or regular)
4 Tbsp. butter
4 stalks celery, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 pkg. (12 oz.) seasoned corn-bread stuffing mix OR herb-flavor stuffing mix
1-1/2 C. (6 oz.) chopped pecans
1 pkg. (6 oz.) dried cranberries
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) cans low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large skillet, crumble and cook sausage over medium heat until browned. Remove from skillet to a plate lined with paper towels.

In same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute celery and onion until softened, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine celery, onions, sausage, stuffing mix, pecans, and cranberries. Add the chicken broth and stir until well combined. If desired, loosely stuff some of the mixture into a turkey just before roasting.

Place the rest of the stuffing in a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until heated through and lightly browned on top.