Hey, my most beloved blog community! I TOTALLY LOVE THANKSGIVING WEEK. Anybody else? It’s big on celebration and gratitude and small on peripheral stress. (i.e. gift-hunting, buying, wrapping) I dearly love Christmas, too, because of God’s incomparable gift to us in Christ Jesus but, man oh man, do I ever have a ton to do before then. SO, let’s stick to right now. I thought it would be fun and easy to share our biggest crowd-pleaser dishes over the next 24-hours. I started to wait until tomorrow but, by then, it’s almost too late to go to the grocery store for the extra ingredients. Let’s try to stick to recipes on the simple side so that we can fit some in at the last minute.
For my family, next to cornbread dressing and mashed potatoes and gravy, their must-have-on-that-table-or-else dish is the retro (circa 70’s) version of broccoli rice casserole. It’s the one thing both my daughters will ask me about in advance because, if I’m not going to make it, they’ll need to prepare themselves so they don’t go into shock and awe in front of the relatives.
Here is the recipe which I have to double into a Moore-der. Of course, a lot of you already have it or have moved on away from it but we also have lots of young cooks among us here in our blog community. You guys might want to throw this together and watch it disappear. It’s not sophisticated or trendy, but, Girlfriends, it is comfort food at its finest.
Broccoli-Rice Casserole:
1/4 cup of butter
1 medium onion, chopped
10 ounces of chopped broccoli (I always get the frozen version)
1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup
8 ounces of Cheese Whiz
2 cups cooked white rice
1 8-ounce jar of sliced mushrooms, drained
1 8-ounce can of water chestnuts, drained and sliced (You’ll usually find this in the section for Asian foods in your grocery store)
Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the chopped onion and saute it. Add the broccoli and cook it until tender. Usually five minutes is sufficient if it’s chopped in small enough pieces. You don’t want small trees in this dish but you also don’t want the broccoli to totally disintegrate. Add soup and Cheese Whiz and stir until smooth then stir all of this into your cooked rice. Add the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Pour into a prepared (buttered or Pam-sprayed) casserole dish then bake at 350 degrees for half an hour or until it is heated through and through and bubbly on the edges.
And, for whatever insane reason, many years ago my sister, Gay, and I started eating it with a tablespoon of our mom’s homemade blue cheese dressing right to the side of it. That will put you right over the edge so don’t try it the first year. Grin.
Oh, mercy. Surely you guys know how much I love you. The wonderful thing about being a community of women is that our relationship has all sorts of dimensions to it. We’re committed to women’s ministry around here and let’s face it. There are holiday occasions when food is your family’s favorite ministry.
I am so thankful for you guys. I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Let’s have a little 1 Peter 4:9 this week, Sisters! Let’s show hospitality without complaining! And that means even to our husbands under our breath. No kitchen martyrs. Happy attitudes make for happy holidays. Let’s not get ourselves all prepared for offenses. Overlook them and choose joy. Maybe even hilarity.
Happy Thanksgiving, Darlings. I’ll try to hop on here later in the week.
I am so happy to see all of these posts! It’s been a good season, but a busy one. So this morning I sat down with my cup of coffee to search out recipes for my holiday menu. (Thank goodness my sister reminded me to buy a turkey Monday so I wouldn’t have a frozen block to try and cook!)
I found a few new recipes to try, and a turkey recipe that I made years ago and had lost–so glad to have it again! Keep ’em coming 🙂
Anyone have a good (giblet free) dressing recipe? I only made it once that I really liked it, and of course I can’t remember how I did it!
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks, Beth, for a fun blog feast~
An easy dressing that almost tastes homemade – Stove Top Cornbread dressing, substitute chicken broth for the water and add in fresh, chopped celery and an egg, mix and bake!
Truly Thankful for all the encouragement, wisdom and love that flows from this family of women. It is amazing, God is so good.
One of my dishes I always bring to Thanksgiving is my Sweet Potato/Carrot dish. This year I am using white sweet potatoes found at my farmer’s market.
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (1/2 cubes)
5 or 6 carrots, sliced up
cranberries (fresh or frozen) chopped up, or dried
drizzle maple syrup or another sweetener over the mixture to make sure all is coated
Pour into a baking dish and bake on 400 for about 45-60 minutes. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top for the last 15 minutes of baking. Enjoy!
Oh, Beth, I am so into your last statements. I have always been a “Martha” at Thanksgiving, but this year I am a “Mary”. I plan on lots of praise and thanksgiving to my God. He has been so gracious and merciful to me and my family. Happy Thanksgiving from The Heads to The Moores and The Joneses and The Fitzpatricks!!
Oh my gosh Beth!! I love that casserole and my Mother in law just recently gave me the recipe!! Here is one of my most favorite recipes for Thanksgiving!
Festive Pineapple Cranberry Jello Salad
1 can 20 oz. crushed pineapple
2- 4 oz. Raspberry Jello
1-15 Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
1 med. chopped apple
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
Drain pineapple and add juice to cold water to make a total of 3 cups.
Put in saucepan and boil. Add jello and dissolve. Add cranberries. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. Then add pineapple, apple and nuts. Continue to refrigerate until set.
Enjoy!!
Looking forward to seeing everyone’s recipes!! Thank you Siestas!!
Happy Thanksgiving!! I love you like my own family!!! ( And I REALLY love my own family!! 🙂 )
My requirement for my mom is also the broccoli-cheese dish! So I have pulled out the other 1970’s recipe my brothers require of her: PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE
1 15oz can pineapple chunks
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 cups melted margarine
sleeve of Ritz crackers crushed
Drain pineapple, reserving 3-4 Tablespoons of juice. Combine sugar and flour, stir in juice, add cheese and pineapple. Mix well and spoon into greased casserole dish. Combine butter and crackers and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 30 min.
Thank you for the reminder for not kitchen martyrs! I hope everyone is blessed this Thanksgiving holiday!
Laura Sonefeld
Happy Thanksgiving from Georgia!!
Instead of the “traditional cranberry sauce” my kids would rather have cranberry relish…. its easy peasy && yummy!
2 cans of Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
1 can of Crushed Pineapple (drained)
1 bag of frozen Strawberries (thawed and drained)
Chopped Pecans or Walnuts-optional
Chill and serve-better if made the night before.
Enjoy!!
A neighbor and friend of my family, Rose, AKA Mamaw Rosie, always makes something called Ritz cracker cake for her family on Thanksgiving, and I usually manage to find a way to get a piece. This year, I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house two hours away, so I am planning to make a Ritz cracker cake on my own. I’m sure it won’t be as good, but better than nothing!
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,196,149168-242204,00.html
Thank you Beth,
The encouragement was great! I find myself this year going to my sons and his beautiful wife.a joy for us just the four of us. I was looking for something different from the green bean cassarole and decided on the grren bean wrap on bacon. Yummy !
Fresh (or can) green beans
Salt & pepper
1 pack bacon
Catalina dressing
Blanch green beans one to two min. Microwave bacon 1 min to begin cooking process. Bundle 4 to 5 beans and wrap bacon around spiraling down. Place in pan drizzle with dressing and bake 15 to 20 min. How ever crispy you like. Enjoy! Happy Thansgiving Sisters
The following dish is so easy and tastes great with our Thanksgiving turkey or a pork roast. It is not too tart, so the children have always liked it and still expect it at our holiday meals.
Cranberry-Banana Jello Dish
1 pkg (3 oz) raspberry gelatin
1 can whole cranberry sauce or jellied cranberry sauce
1 cup boiling water
2 medium bananas
1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired
Dissolve gelatin in water; add cranberry sauce; stir until blended. Chill until partially thickened. Add sliced bananas and pecans. Spoon into glass dish (or jello mold) and chill until firm. [I usually double this recipe. Also, before adding the bananas, I pour a little lemon-lime pop over the bananas to prevent them from turning brown, and then drain well.]
May God bless you all and your families with a great day!
Pineapple Side Dish goes great with ham!
2 cans undrained pineapple tidbits
1 cup sugar & 5 T flour
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1 stack Ritz crackers
1 stick butter, melted
Layer ingredients, then pop in at 350 for 30 minutes. Easy and oh-so-yummy!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thank you all so much for sharing your receipes. I am excited as this is my first reply on the blog site! This is my traditional family receipe that we only fix on Thanksgiving ~ and I hope you all love is as much as we do.
Sauted Mushrooms:
Buy sliced mushrooms(much easier)can fix small amount or a lot.
Boil until they cook down; and then drain.
Saute diced bacon and chopped onion until bacon is browned nicely, and drain some of the drippings (unless you don’t want to =)
Add onion/bacon to the mushrooms and heat thru together; then add sour cream until coated.
This is so yummy and simple. I have always gotten rave reviews ~ at least from those who enjoy mushrooms.
Last Thanksgiving my husband and I were by ourselves for the first time in our lives and we ate out in a nice restaurant. I thought it would be wonderful not to have all the food to prepare (and to put away afterwards!), but it wasn’t! This year my husband is on his way to Tampa to pick up our two now-grown kids and their spouses who are flying in from far away (Minneapolis and D.C.), so I am cooking up a storm. Here is a “salad” recipe that I received from my Auntie Gladys years ago and that we have served at so many family gatherings. It is very different from anything I have seen on the blog. Enjoy and blessings to everyone as we celebrate with family and friends and remember all those who used to sit around the Thanksgiving table with us in years past!
Creamy Frozen Salad
1 16 oz. carton of sour cream
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
a scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 firm banana cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (or more) maraschino cherries, drained and cut up
a dash of salt
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Mix all the ingredients together. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Spoon mixture into papers. Freeze.
These can be served on lettuce, perhaps garnished with a fancy cherry, or by themselves.
Excellent. Thank you, Beth.
An Absolute Must Have Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Mix the first 5 ingredients.
One package (3 oz.) Cherry jello
One-cup hot water
One-cup pineapple juice
One-cup white sugar
One tablespoon lemon juice
Stir till dissolved
Refrigerate until partially set. (I speed up the process by putting it in the freezer. You have to be careful to stir every 15 min. until partially set)
While that is setting up, use Cuisinart to pulse following 5 ingredients
One-cup drained crushed pineapple
One-cup finely cut celery
One-cup ground cranberries
One-cup chopped walnuts
One large orange ground with rind
Combined these items with partially set jello. Gently mix together, put in Refrigerator to set completely
Wishing everyone a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving
Y’all will love my simple recipes. I’m an empty nester and I don’t really cook anymore. All my cookbooks and recipe collections went to my daughter when she moved into her own home. She is preparing a delicious dinner for tomorrow, assisted by my future son-in-love. I am bringing the deviled eggs and pumpkin pie. So here goes.
The Empty-Nester’s Deviled Eggs
If you don’t know how to prepare eggs for deviling, you shouldn’t be reading this. So I will skip that part. Dump all the yolks into a bowl, add stuff, and spoon into egg halves. Refrigerate.
The Empty-Nester’s Pumpkin Pie
Drive to Kroger’s or your nearest supermarket. Go to the deli section and pick up a ready-made pumpkin pie. Add a carton of Cool Whip from frozen foods. Pay for it, go home, and relax until time to eat.
We always watch a DVD after dinner and this year it is my turn to choose. It’s hard to find something we all three like, so I am bringing the original “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Future son-in-love said no chick flicks, so hopefully he will like my choice.
Everyone have a blessed Thanksgiving day.
Oh Lynn. I laughed til I had tears running down my cheeks. And now I want to watch the “Invasion.” I hope you had a wonderful day!
Ironically, as a first semester empty nester, my only two culinary skills left, according to my son, are my deviled eggs (just throw in an entire jar of Miracle Whip), and chocolate pie, albeit the homemade version. I like your episode better!
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”? Really? I believe the cook’s done been snatched right outta your kitchen 🙂
Not gonna lie to you girl, I stopped reading the recipe at Cheese Whiz. 😉 Must be one of those recipes I have to try it first without knowing what’s in it. Not that I don’t trust you, just saying…
Thank you so much for the Scripture at the end! Oh girl, I was all set up to send some complaining up to the Lord this weekend, but now I will serve with Thanksgiving! Have a blessed holiday!
This will be the first Thanksgiving without Granny D. She went home to be with Jesus this past Spring. Our family will most defiantly be missing the way she makes her fruit salad. It was divine!!
My family hosts Thanksgiving with my family & my husband’s family which means LOTS of food. I started making Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes a few years ago. They have requested that I make no other recipe. They are delish & save lots of time since you can make them the day before. Here is the link to them. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/
Our Thanksgiving Day is not complete without Old Fashion Cream pie. This recipe is one that we have made for years.
1 stick of butter
1 cup sugar
5 TBS cornstarch
2 1/2cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon
Frozen pie crust or make your own.
Mix ingredients in pan over medium high & stir till thick. When it gets thick pour into pie crust & bake for 10 min. on 400. Let it cool for 10 min. Sprinkle on cinnamon & put in the refrigerator.
(Note: I put extra cinnamon in the mix while cooking on stove. My mama doesn’t. It is good either way.)
Happy Thanksgiving Day!!
Rachel, when you say milk in the cream pie do you mean whole milk or cream? I thought about making it.
Dear Sisters!!!! My husband and I LOOK FORWARD to the big T day because we have MASTERED the bird! (Thanks to Alton Brown) …*who is a Christian, very cool. So ladies, hop onto YouTube and watch Alton Brown’s Romancing the Bird!!! Your Turkey will be the stuff of legends! :). We top it off with Paula Deans Burbon-Pecan sauce and Good Night!!! It’s AMAZING! (Burbon gets cooked out of the sauce, so no worries about serving booze on your bird).
Happy Thanksgiving!
With MUCH love in Christ,
Heidi 🙂
*God has a WONDERFUL sense of humor when it comes to correcting me. Did I actually type (we have MASTERED the bird)? Oh wow. So this year is our first “family” Thanksgiving with our sweet 10 month old son. Between bouncing the baby and stirring pots and pans we made a major (& now hilarious) mistake. After the timer went off an the table was set, side dishes steaming- the bird was pulled from the oven with MUCH fan fare- pictures being taken, my husband drooling as he began to carve…. But the breast was so small! We had bought a 13lb turkey… But it was SO small! Perplexed we both looked the golden skinned fowl over.. To discover… We cooked it UPSIDE DOWN!!! Lol! We laughed and laughed & I then remembered my proud boast from earlier!
So correction; WE have NOT mastered! But we have so much to be thankful for, including God’s sweet corrections back into humility! 🙂
Hope y’all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! 🙂
Oh, this made me giggle. The Lord loves to correct me in the same way! 😉 Glad I am not alone!
I found this recipe last year in Janelle’s(www.comfyinthekitchen.com) Thanksgiving cookbook. It was the hit of our meal, although Mama Beth’s turkey stole the show! This recipe is really easy and it is a crowd pleaser -Pumpkin Trifle (18 servings)
Cake:
1 box Spice Cake
1 ¼ cups water
1 egg
*Mix all ingredients and bake in an 8×8 pan at 350 for 35 mins or until set. Cool on stove or wire rack.
Pudding Filling:
4 cups skim milk
4 packages (1 oz each) instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin mix- you can use EASY, but eliminate the spices below
1 ½ tsp Pumpkin Spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp of each: ginger, nutmeg and allspice)
* In a large bowl mix milk with pudding mix. Let sit until it thickens (appx 5 mins). Add pumpkin and spices and mix well.
1 carton (12 oz) light whipped topping
Layering Process:
In a Trifle bowl (or any large bowl) layer:
1. A fourth of the cake crumbled with your hands
2. Half of the pumpkin mixture
3. A fourth of the cake crumbled
4. Half the whipped cream
5. Repeat the layers
6. Garnish with whipped topping and cake crumbs
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
Thanks Beth, I am in the middle of moving, so I have not looked at the blog for awhile- I’m most grateful to you and the Siestas – the past 15 years have been overwhelming- with gratitude there are glimmers of regeneration – God Bless you and yours this season and I’m going to file that recipe!!! Love, Kathy an Austin Siesta
My favorite “Thanksgiving Recipe” and Christmas gift all rolled into one is this: PEACE during the Holiday Season. Over a few years, we trimmed down the spending, buying, shopping, wrapping, overspending, getting babysitters to shop, dreading the bills, etc. There is now more time for Christ and for each other…and still LOTS of good food! Having more peace-full Holy-Days will be very different in each family, but see where God might lead you…
Thanks Miss Beth for the reminder not to stress out.
Instead of sweet potato casserole, my family loves this. And, of course my kids have to have a broccoli casserole!
Sweet potato dumplings
1 large sweet potato sliced.
2 cans Pillsbury original crescent rolls (no subs)
Roll potato slices into rolls as a dumpling and place in pam sprayed pan
In broiler, melt 2 sticks butter (no subs)
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Don’t boil, mixture should be “grainy”. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla.
Spoon over dumplings. Now get this….
Pour over dumplings 1 can Mountain Dew (12 oz)
Bake at 350, 45 to 60 minutes till potatoes soft.
You may have to cover loosely with foil during part of the baking to keep from over browning.
I know, I know Mountain Dew is crazy 🙂 But this is yummy!
Can be used with Granny Smith apples or peaches. I’m from Georgia and cannot make a cobbler, but I can do this.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, Beth and family.
Janelle
Dear Mrs. Beth,
Happy Thanksgiving::)))!!!There are soooo many things I have to be thankful for and this blog is one of them! I just feel so wrapped in the sweetness and peace of the Holy Spirit when I read your blog and all my sisers’ replies! When I think about encouraging each other in the Spirit this blog comes to mind..I have so enjoyed the recipes but even more the Spirit speaking to me through you, Beth and all my sisters in Christ. Have a blessed holiday..Thank you, King Jesus, for Your ultimate sacrifice..Let us strive to fulfill your great commission even more…Tessa
What a great time to have just finished James Mercy Triumphs Bible Study. I am on the verge of tears as I think about what I have studied over the past 7weeks. Caring for the widows and orphans, loving the unloveable. I think of all The Lord has given to me and I fell truly blessed. I am so grateful but I can’t help but think of. Those that will go without. My heart cries out to Jesus to send me people to serve and minister to. I pray tomorrow His light will shine through me as I welcome people into my home which I truth is His home. Happy Thanksgiving!
Loving the recipes!
This is just a great back to school and fall cake!
Raisin Spice Cake
24 squares
Boil 2 cups raisins in 2 cups water uncovered for 10 min. Transfer liquid and raisins to large bowl, cool to lukewarm.
Stir the next three ingredients into the lukewarm raisins.
1 egg
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
Combine the dry ingredients and mix in with the wet.
2 cups A/P flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
Add in ½ cup chopped nuts.
Turn into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Frosting
Beat 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and 1 tablespoon melted butter till spreadable. Frost cake.
My sons would be hard pressed to show up for any holiday dinner if I wasn’t fixing a broccoli casserole – and they ask in advance too 🙂 and request I double it. Leftovers of this are almost as popular as the turkey for sandwiches as far as they’re concerned.
10 oz. frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
2 large eggs, whisked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 onion, minced
1C shredded cheddar cheese
1C mayonnaise
Mix all together and put in casserole dish. Top with fine bread crumbs and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Happy Thanksgiving from a Nashville girl transplanted “up North” to Maryland for her first Thanksgiving North of the Mason-Dixson line, lol. Wish my luck! Y’all they do oyster stuffing!!! I’ll stick with what I know ;). My favorites are food network’s recipes for Alton Browns brined Turkey! It’s a winner I promise. Sausage, Apple, & Walnut Stuffing, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Roasted Brussel Sprouts with bacon or pancetta, Miss Beth’s Broccoli Cassarole (southern girl staple) oh my I’m going on and on….. Thanks for sharing your recipes and I wish you each s blessed, sane (lol) and happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Beth, thank you for posting this receipe. I have forgotten this dish this thanksgiving. It was one of my favorites my Mother made every year. I have got to put it on my Christmas Dinner list. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving to your family and everyone at LPM
I’m not sharing a recipe, but wow there sure are a lot of people eating Ritz crackers, pineapple and cheese something or others…….
My mom’s stuffing – made with a recipe straight out of Betty Crocker’s 1960s cookbook. My mom adds poultry seasoning, which really kicks the stuffing up a notch!
This year, I’m trying a recipe simply called pumpkin dessert (although I’ve renamed it Pumpkin Esme because pumpkin dessert is just to dull a name!) It’s this wonderful pumpkiny cake with a buttery, slightly crunchy top. Can’t wait to eat it tomorrow.
Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you!
Please tell me what I can substitute for Cheeze Whizz? First of all what is it? I live in South Africa and wonder what it’s equivalent might be.
Happy Thanksgiving to all you Siestas in America.
You’re so right , Beth. As wives, moms and Nanas 🙂 we do set the tone for the day. I always try to remember this. Thanks for reminding me and for your sweet encouragement. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving !
I just wrote your advice for us in my prayer/sermon journal so I can look at it later today if I need to. Thank you, Siesta Mama! May all of you siestas have a blessed and joyous day!! So thankful for this blog!!
Hey Siesta Mama Beth and warmest Thanksgiving greetings to you! Happy Thanksgiving to LPM and all the Siestas too! I was catching up on posts I’ve missed, time goes by fast:) I will be praying for you and Melissa with ya’lls new writing project:) I hope your trips were such a blessing and a growing time in your walks with the Lord! I will have to try that brocolli casserole recipe sometime. I love my mother-in-law’s homemade Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie, so I will share that with you all:)
Mimi’s Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie
1 cup sour cream
1 9 in. unbaked pie crust (homemade or storebought)
3 eggs, separated
1 16oz can pumpkin (about 2 cups worth)
1 cup sugar (i prefer raw or unbleached)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2tsp. ginger
1/4tsp. nutmeg
1/4tsp. ground cloves
1/4tsp. salt
Early in the Day or Day before serving:
Prepare pie crust with fluted edge, refrigerate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form. In a lg. bowl, with the mixer at a low speed, beat pumpkin with egg yolks and remaining ingredients until well blended. with wire whisk or rubber spatula, gently fold whites into mixture. Place pie plate on oven rack, pour pumpkin mixture into pie crust. Bake 10 min.; turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake pie for another hour and 5 minutes more or so until the filling is set. Refrigerate. Makes 6 to 8 servings or one pie.
This is the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever tasted:) I love you all! Blessings to you all today:)
Beth, this may sound so silly but thanks for reminding me to be thankful. We are at my parents house for this year. My mom tends to get pretty stressed out when things get to out of the ordinary. So it can be pretty hard on all of us. She still wants all of us around and would be just as stressed at someone else home. This year has been better than the last several. Praising God for that. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks for sharing — now I know what Cheez Whiz is for HA! Can’t wait to print some of these great recipes.
My family is enjoying the white sands of Orange Beach, AL, and brought our entire meal with us. It will be just like home except with sand, waves and sun!
It’s too late to share a recipe but never too late to say happy day of thanks for all the siestas! J
Sounds yummy! I am Canadian and our Thanksgiving is long over but I am trying this tonight! I hope it is not irreverent to substitute fiddleheads for the broccoli. Thank you for sharing this 🙂
New and first website designed by new young volunteers…I am not computer savvy. Thank you for reading this…I know it is suppose to be submitted in another place, but not sure how to get there. I hit the button on my last comment about Sister Chicks mini-conference ladies night out…the date would be
A MONDAY NIGHT IN SEPTEMBER 2014….I submit this to you with tears for I am overwhelmed…may God lead us all to where He wants us to be…..please pray because it has to be a calling from God not from us.
I typed for maybe 2 hours, but must have deleted…can’t find…so you got the part I thought was missing from the first. Maybe this was not God’s plan, but should you be led to speak to a county of women in a small setting with tickets at $5.00 for a pickup supper and a program offering an invitation to be given hope and encouragement through Jesus. A ministry that has grown from my home of 10 women 2003 to 700+ in 2012..with no budget, but using God’s gifts donated by family and friends with no church involvement…using the community college to reach out to the community. I only asked God to use my small cottage at Lake Lure, NC not ever dreaming of hundreds that would be introduced to Jesus…a miracle that has spoken to a husband of 48 years that is not a follower of Christ. Beth, please pray because God already has it planned whether it is you or another…it has to be God’s plan not our desire, but His desire for these women who have seats already reserved by Him.
I have a recipe from my mother in law (now in a nursing home) that has become our favorite. She got it from the back of a raisin box and it was called Company Raisin Pie. When we were first married my husband’s family used to rave about it and I thought – yuk. But it has grown on me to the point I can’t leave it alone. In her honor we call it Ma Bell’s Raisin Pie:
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vinegar Mix these 3 in a small bowl and
set aside
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teas. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 teas. salt
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and spices. Mix in raisins and nuts. Pour into unbaked bottom crust. Bake 25 – 30 minutes @ 400 degrees.
Serve with whipped cream
This recipe can be doubled or tripled. Tripled fits in a
9 X 13 pan.
Enjoy!
I just feel hopeless this week. Our family is in the worst battle I’ve ever seen right now–just death, destruction, lies, sin, and any other thing you can imagine is pouring out and threatening to drown us. I am trying to keep focused on Him, but I didn’t grow up focusing on Him–this is not easy, nor is it second nature. The pain of it all is deep and soul penetrating.
Sheri:
I am late to reading the blog, looking at recipes, etc., when I saw your post. God is a great big God. I pray the enemy of your family will be put under HIS feet! I pray peace for you, grace for the troubles you face, hope in Christ, where our only hope comes from. God will see you through this, Sheri, and you will come out with a testimony that only He can give. YOU WILL MAKE IT – THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENS YOU! He loves and cares for all that concerns you. Cast it at his feet. Blessings.
I dearly LOVE these pre-Thanksgiving recipes/instruction sharing posts! They make me feel just as loved and looked after as any other kind of post. There are so many of us grown-up daughters with little ones and company coming, and it’s so nice to have a “mama” thinking about what kind of help we may need. Sometimes it’s just the little things, like an easy recipe and a motherly encouragement to keep our attitudes straight that can make all the difference in the world. Thanks so much!
Hugs from Seattle!
Lori
Hi Beth and All,
I am writing today not in response to the post but instead to an encounter I had today. I work retail, so needless to say, today I got WORKED! And of course, (Beth, I am sure you can relate) I decided to wear some amazing boots (beautiful, but not practical) to work today. After a long day, my feet felt as if NAILS were being stabbed into my feet. I left work and stopped by a CVS to get some yummy food for some serious R & R.
I noticed a homeless man sitting outside when I went in. I avoided eye contact and did so even while leaving. He did the same, never asking for anything. However, when I got home, all I could think of was this man. I walked past him like he was a brick wall. I came home and talked to my mother about it. She reminded me about the many trips I took to our local rescue mission and all the food I had donated, but I could think of is my not acknowledging this man.
As soon as I hung up, I drove up to the store to see if he was still there, hoping I could take him into the store and buy him dinner. He was gone and I was left feeling as if I had lost an amazing opportunity to witness.
I could not help but thing how many of us buy food for our local food drives, but still walk away from the opportunity to take care to witness to that ONE.
I went immediately to Publix and bought a ton of food to drop off at the mission, but here I am still thinking of that man. I walked passed him as if he wasn’t there. That is not what Christ would have done, nor is that what He would want me to do.
I just would like for this post to remind everyone that taking advantage of those moments will impact a person so much more than knowing some annonymous person bought their meal.
How often do we walk passed opportunities to witness becuase it is uncomfortable, or even scary? I don’t want another Sister in Christ to go to bed wondering whatever happened to that man they saw like I will tonight. How could I have impacted his life?
Sometimes God throws an opportunity at us that we did not plan to happen, it is our responsibility to respond to it like He would.
I love you and love your blog! I hope that every person reading this had a blessed holiday season and will take EVERY opportunity they are offered to share the Good News!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
~Lara
Hi Beth
The broccoli rice casserole dish sounds delicious, and I’m going to try it out. My first American dish, (I’m from the UK), but don’t know what cheese whizz is. Could someone describe it for me please so that I can find the equivalent.
Many thanks and have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.
Pam
Well said. Hilarious cheese whiz w/ a side of blue cheese. Sounds like a mouth having a dairy happy dance.
My mouth sent up a cheer of praise when I christened it w/ this season’s first bite of grandma’s chocolate pie. Of course, I was still praising long about the fourth and fifth bites too. I’ve given the recipe on here before, so I’ll spare the details (imagine that). Suffice it to say it takes all my self-control not to have it for breakfast everyday this week. Well, maybe not so much self-control as an aversion for the nausea that is bound to chase me over the next few hours if I try such reckless dietary practices. Sound like the voice of experience? You bet. Don’t judge.
HOPE ITS NOT TOO LATE TO INCLUDE A FAVORITE AND I MEAN FAVORITE !!! I CHUCKLE WHEN I HEAR MY NIECES MAKE IT TOO FOR THEIR FAMILIES ! MY SWEET HUSBAND STARTING CALLING THE CASSEROLE “GREEN DEATH” YRS BACK AND ITS STUCK : )
8 cans of well drained French style string beans
1 cup of shredded swiss cheese
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
Melt 1/2 cube of butter and sauté with the onions. Add 2 tabs of flour and mix . Add the sour cream, string beans, cheese ….place in pyrex dish ( covered with foil) and bake 350 for 40 minutes. Oops sprinke bacon bits on top of casserole before foiling…Enjoy and forget the calories
minutes.
I was out most of the day Wednesday picking up the few things I needed to get my Thanksgiving on at my mother’s house. We arrived just short of 9:00 pm to our family home in Granbury, TX where my daughter and her little dog, Lulu, were already sitting at the kitchen table with my mom. Brittany made deviled eggs – standard issue, nothing fancy – googled the recipe right off the internet but boy were they ever good. Mom made her standards – Banana Pudding and Applesauce Cake. Banana Pudding can be found in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (Red & White Checkerboard edition). She has used it since God was a boy, or at least since I was a little girl. Applesauce cake is pretty standard spice cake, but she uses a family recipe from my paternal grandmother.
But, my contribution each year is a perfectly divine 15 lb. (Or so) Honeysuckle White Turkey. It is stuffed with Harvest Apple Stuffing (Also known as Apple-Cornbread stuffing, and the best recipe may also be found in the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I always tweak recipes to my own liking — and rarely use measurements or instructions for cooking).
My turkey tradition reads like this: prep stuffing, defrock turkey from it’s plastic cover and netting. Disembody the giblet sack and neck and wash thoroughly.
I rub the whole bird down in softened butter and season generously with Morton’s Nature’s Seasoning, (use it on everything from browned ground beef to fried potatoes – yummy), Garlic Salt, and Poultry Seasoning and/or Sage. I drop the slippery bird into (and this is my #1 secret to perfect turkey) an Oven Roasting Bag and then stuff the bird with a large spoon. I add 1/2 stick butter sliced into “pats” around the turkey and then I pour in about 2 cups of chicken broth. Next, seal the bag and heat the oven to 250 degrees F. I deposit said bird in the pre-heated oven around midnight and go to bed. (My #2 secret to perfect turkey) Yes, go to bed. No “minute per pound” cooking here – just pop it in the oven and head off to catch some ZZZZs.
At around 8:00 am I open the oven and check my bird. The little red popper indicating the bird is done is usually exposed so I take a meat thermometer and make sure the large thick breast meat portions temp at 165 degrees. (They usually register around 180-200)
I remove the bird from the oven, allow it to cool for about 30 minutes and then begin to “debone” and unstuff it. Which means I pick the meat off the bones. No carving required. I put them in a dish that is oven safe and cover with foil. Set it on the back of the stove or in a warm oven with a generous amount of the broth from the oven bag to keep it moist. I also put aside about 2 cups of the broth in a bowl for making gravy. 🙂
It works every single time and I’ve made it for at least six years.
My apple pie is also a family favorite. The recipe is simple:
6-8 medium size “sweet” apples (I like Gala or Fuji), peeled and sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
1 double 9 in pie crust
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Flour and grease pie plate. Apple 1 of the pie crusts into the pie plate, trim to edge of pie plate, vent the crust with tines of a fork and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until bottom is just starting to “white” in and cook. Remove.
Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add sliced apples and toss liberally making sure all slices are covered. Add milk and apple juice and mix well. All dry ingredients should now be wet. The juice should gather about half way up the bowl.
Distribute the apple mixture into the half-baked pie crust and even out. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into pats and distribute evenly over the top of the apple mixture. Vent second pie crust by cutting slits in it and tuck excess edges into the baked pie crust edge and flute/hash edges with a fork. Mix a small amount of milk, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and brush over top of crust. Make foil “tents” over crust edges and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil tents and return to over bake 20 minutes or until pie crust is a rich golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly to serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping.
If you saw my perfect rolls on Twitter – here is my secret. Frozen roll dough. I purchase Bridgford or Rhodes brand (Parkerhouse or Texas Size rolls) and put them in a muffin tin. The instructions say 3-5 hours to rise from frozen, but my experience is 1-1/2 to 2 hours max. Convection ovens will make the dough rise higher while cooking.
I created this recipe by experimenting with different elements of a variety of apple pie recipes and then adding the apple juice. I wanted really juicy apple pies like you could get at Furr’s or Luby’s Cafeteria so… I made it up. We call it Momma Michelle’s Perfect Apple Pie. It is delish. Speaking of Apple Pie, I’m going to have a piece of leftover pie right now. 🙂
Blessings,
M