Monday, November 24, 2008

Anniethology Thanksgiving Menu


Thanksgiving dinner at the House of Payne is going to be very traditional: Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, green bean salad, ect. Oh, and of course, pumpkin pie. But what I am missing is a way to show-off with food. I need a side dish or a dessert that will show my dinner guests that I put some extra thought and effort into the classic meal.
I invite you, my dear Anniethology readers, to give me your suggestions and recipes. Help me take my Thanksgiving meal from traditional to terrific!

29 comments:

  1. Sorry - I got nothing spectacular. My only ploy is to offer a chocolate pis along with the pumpkin and by the time everyone is finished with that they are groaning and sleeping turkey and sugar incuded dreams on every flat surface of the house. And when they wake up all they remember is food and food and chocolate. It's all good.

    If you want the recipe to my grandmother's chocolate pie I'd be happy to send it. Just let me know...

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  2. Chocolate pie - not pis. sorry. Still waking up the fingers today...

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  3. French Silk Pie...
    Ingredients
    1 Baked Pastry Shell (or chocolate oreo crust)
    3/4 cup butter
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces, melted and cooled
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    3/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
    Whipped cream (optional)
    Chocolate curls (optional)
    Directions
    1. Prepare Baked Pastry Shell; set shell aside.

    2. For filling, in a large bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed about 4 minutes or until fluffy. Stir in melted and cooled chocolate and vanilla. Gradually add egg product, beating on high speed and scraping side of bowl constantly until light and fluffy.

    3. Transfer filling to pastry shell. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 5 hours. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Makes 10 servings.

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  4. One of my favorite sides is Pretzel Salad. It's a great twist on the good ol' Jello salad. And a bonus is that you can make it the day before and just stick it in the fridge.

    2 cups pretzels, crushed(not finely)
    1/4 cup sugar
    1 cube margarine
    Melt margarine and mix with sugar and pretzels. Spray Pam in bottom of 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool

    1 cup sugar
    8 oz softened cream cheese
    2 cups cool whip
    Mix together and spread over cooled pretzel crust

    Disolve 1 lg package raspberry jello in 2 cups boiling water. Add 2 10 oz packages frozen raspberries and let jello sit until cool but not yet set up. Pour onto cream cheese layer (if you pour it on while it's still warm it'll melt the cream cheese and go to the bottom where it will make the pretzels soggy. Not that I've done that or anything.)
    Let cool in frigde until set up.

    I like to make it in a glass pan. It's pretty when you can see the layers and it's done well. I can't wait to see what other people suggest. I'm always wanting new recipes!

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  5. beeeeeee-I'd love to have that recipe.

    Here's my e-mail:

    bubbiesmommaatyahoodotcom

    Heff- French? Silk? You are speakin' my language.

    Camille-I bet that does look pretty in the glass dish. Sounds yummy.

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  6. How about Cracker Barrel's Whipped Sweet Potatoes. They have a crispy candied pecan topping and they'll add some color to your table.

    I've got the recipe around here somewhere...

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  7. Orange Jello it can go with the meal or as a desert. In my family if I am coming to visit. My nieces and nephews will call to beg me to bring this with me.

    Easy to make
    1 sm. ctn. whipping cream
    1 lg. pkg. orange jello
    1qt. pears, reserve juice
    1 8oz pkg cream chees, soften

    Drain pears and boil pear juice. Take one cup boiled pear juice mix in jello. In a blender mix pears and crem cheese together. Prepare whipping cream. Then mix all three together. Stir into a large bowl and chill until it is set.

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  8. How about Nachos and Little Smokies?

    Seriously, though, Cranberry Sauce: Do you buy it canned or make it fresh?

    If you get the canned stuff try it from scratch, it's a HUGE taste difference.

    The recipe is on the cranberry packages and is ridiculously easy; cranberries, sugar, boil for a few minutes.

    For a little extra zing, cut back the sugar by 1/3. If you want to get REALLY bold, mix in a little bit of orange zest.

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  9. I'm not hosting Thanksgiving, but I am going to bring a 4-berry pie along with my pumpkin pies. I picked the berries this past summer, and thought it would be fun to have a little summer during the fall.

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  10. Annie! Here it is...exactly what you've been looking for. My friend Shannon makes 2 every year. I've started using it through out the holiday season, and I get rave reviews EVERY single time. Courtesy of Paula Deen.

    Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

    Ingredients
    2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix
    1 (5.1-ounce) box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
    1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
    1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
    1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping
    1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional
    Directions
    Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

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  11. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1673129
    Only I cook the herbs in the potato water.

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  12. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1854014

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  13. Ok, that didn't look right.
    Go to cooking light and search for ranch mashed potatoes and for sweet potato casserole (from nov 08 issue).

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  14. I'm with anon on the cranberry thing. I need to find you a recipe for adding ginger to it. So delightful. It's more like a chutney. There's a cranberry ginger chutney on cooking light. That looks similar. Do it. It is going to be so good.

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  15. I'm loving that one of Karla's. That is right up my alley!

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  16. We always have a yummy pretty cranberry salad w/ fresh crans, apples , bananas,mini marshmallows, whipping cream pecans yummm I can hardly wait

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  17. I posted a really easy and delicious Tomato-Cucumber Salad on my other blog yesterday.

    I usually make this Corn Souffle thing that's simple. You just dump a couple cans of regular corn and cream of corn together with some boxed cornbread mix, sour cream, milk, melted butter, and shredded cheese.

    Your blog seems kind of unfriendly to me today. I get this weird feeling that its calling me "Dill Weed."

    Oh yeah? That's the way you want it, Annie's blog??!!? Well, I think you're a Dill HOLE. Take that!

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  18. I'm trying an Butter Rum-Glazed Applesauce Cake this year. I've never tried it before but it looks scrumptious!

    I also have a recipe for a Sweet Potato Apple Bake. You gotta have the sweet potatoes/yams in SOME form!
    I'll send you both recipes.

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  19. Such a group of foodies we have here.

    Thanks so much!

    I am planning on making my own cranberry sauce. I took a simple recipe from allrecipes.com. I hadn't thought of adding ginger. That sounds gooooooooood.

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  20. Such a group of foodies we have here.

    Thanks so much!

    I am planning on making my own cranberry sauce. I took a simple recipe from allrecipes.com. I hadn't thought of adding ginger. That sounds gooooooooood.

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  21. I can actually get away with making a really fancy thanksgiving dinner because my husband helps. He has to because he loves it so much. We make butternut squash soup, Alton Brown's corn bread stuffing (and his turkey), and I think our cranberry sauce is his, too. It is flavored with orange from scratch and is yummy. So I guess Alton Brown has taught me what I know about Thanksgiving.

    That trifle sounds really good.

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  22. also this year I am making a cranberry orange Stuffung

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  23. One of our faves each and every year is cheesey green beans. WHAT? you say? GROSS!! Nope! It's FABULOUS!!

    Make up your favorite cheese sauce (w/ Tillamook cheese of course), throw some worchestershire sauce in (til it tastes good but not overpowering), throw a couple cans of green beans in, mix together and sprinkle a little paprika on top. It can be heated in the micro and your guests will LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!

    (Sorry I have no concrete amounts. This is cooking by taste.)

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  24. A few suggestions from our family table - instead of plain dinner rolls we have Orange Rolls - you roll out the dough like you would for cinnamon rolls - pour melted butter over the dough and spread (you could spread softened butter if you wanted) sprinkle granulated sugar on top of the butter - spread to make sure it covers the surface - then sprinkle with orange zest - I don't have definite measurements - just be generous with all of it! Roll it up like you would for cinnamon rolls - cut in 1 inch sections and place each slice in a muffin tin or close together in a 9X13. Let them raise until double and then bake in 350 oven for 12-15 minutes. Turn out of the pan immediately after removing from oven - yum.

    We usually have a fruit salad - if my SIL volunteers for that she makes Frog Eye salad - it's good. I usually make a very simple but very yummy salad - with mandarin oranges, chopped apple, bananas, pineapple - drain the juice off the pineapple and use the juice with a small box of lemon pudding - toss the fruit with the pudding - oh and I almost forgot I add pomagranite seeds to this too.

    I live in California and in the refrigerator/deli section of our stores we have a bread and butter pickle called "Bubbies" - if you find them in your local store they are worth every penny! A definite must for your thanksgiving relish tray.

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  25. Waaaaah! I can't think of anything awesome at the moment :(

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  26. Drat - my sweet potato souffle is to die for, but I didn't make my submission in time. Did you try any of the recipes out?

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  27. It's okay that I'm late, because I've got NOTHING exciting to offer!

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