A Nice Collection of ADK Baker's Thanksgiving Recipes

Last night I was thinking that, rather than reinvent the wheel, I would did into past blog posts to bring you a few great recipes for Thanksgiving. And at the end, a glimpse into the Thansgivings we experienced growing up - such happy holidays for all nine O'Farrells!

Be sure to open each link for not only the recipe, but the memories which are just as delicious! 

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

1.  Fool-proof Make-Ahead Gravy, thanks to Jody Shepson! 

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/fool-proof-make-ahead-gravy-and-easier.html

2. Mashed Potato Casserole

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/mashed-potato-casserole.html

3. Cornbread Casserole

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2010/11/enter-holidays-and-kathryns-cornbread.html

4. Roasted Butternut Squash Mac 'N Cheese

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2013/11/roasted-butternut-squash-mac-n-cheese.html

5. Campbell's Green Bean Casserole

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2012/11/campbells-green-bean-casserole.html

6. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/whoopie-pies-pumpkin-style.html

7. Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-swirl-cheesecake-with-ginger.html

8. Pumpkin Walnut Fudge

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2013/11/pumpkin-walnut-fudge-for-thanksgiving.html

9. The Morning After - Stuffing Cakes

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-morning-after-stuffing-cakes.html

10. Memory of my childhood Thanksgivings!

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgivings-past.html

I would LOVE to hear comments, so please add your thoughts below! And be sure to use that search bar on the left for any recipes you don't see here. There are a lot of them!

Shortcuts to an Easier and Very Delicious Thanksgiving

I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year.  It hasn't been "my" holiday to host in many years.  I think the last one was  Thanksgiving 2001, the year before we lost our mom.  After that, I let different people take over.  Most recently, either my daughter Katie or my ex-husband Gene and his wife Kathryn have hosted, and it's been very nice.  Still, I can't help wanting to read recipes for this special day.  I think about what I would serve, or what I can contribute.

This year, Gene and Kathryn are hosting and my contribution is stuffing.  I'd always been a "Pepperidge Farm" devotee when it comes to stuffing.  We grew up enjoying it.  I'm going to make it my own this year by adding a few traditional ingredients, including chicken stock, sauteed onions and celery, and also some plumped-up dried cranberries.  I thought about adding walnuts, but there are a lot of people coming to dinner, and nuts are an "iffy" thing when you're serving a crowd.  So, yep, I cheat a little bit - no stale, cubed bread, no giblets, no Bell's seasoning -- and the results will be as good or better than any totally from-scratch recipe.  Pepperidge Farm makes a great stuffing, seasoned perfectly,  a success every time.  I can't wait for left-overs to make my Thanksgiving sandwich:  layers of sliced turkey breast, stuffing, lettuce, and cranberry mayo between two slices of whole wheat bread.  YUM!

One of the very best short-cuts is a recipe given to me by Jody Shepson, two Thanksgivings ago.  It's a recipe for make-ahead gravy and I wrote about it in 2009.  If you really want one thing that's going to cut down on stress and make your Thanksgiving day, this one is it:  Click here for the link to fool-proof Make Ahead Gravy...

If you want to get your mashed potatoes out of the way ahead of time (or if you're bringing them to someone else's house), try making Mashed Potato Casserole (link here) - it's from Cook's Country and Katie and I made it last year.  It's great, and easily portable!

Another short-cut I allow myself at holiday time is using Pillsbury Pie Crusts - an incredible time and mess saver.  They're great, too.  So if the thought of mixing pie crust dough, chilling it, rolling it out, and getting it to fit the pie plate and stay in one piece is freaking you out, then buy a couple boxes of Pillsbury's pie crust.  It's great and you won't be sorry.  I usually make a couple of easy pies for Thanksgiving, too.  One is pumpkin, the other chocolate cream.  My pumpkin pie recipe is a short-cut as well.  I buy Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix, a can of pumpkin already spiced with the perfect amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  All you add is evaporated milk and eggs, mix gently, and pour into a pie crust, and bake.  Simple as can be, and when served with real whipped cream -- heavenly!

For my chocolate cream pie, (my family's traditional favorite) I use cooked chocolate pudding - 2 boxes makes one nice pie.  I pre-bake a Pillsbury pie crust or you can buy an Oreo crust ready to go.  Pour the hot pudding in, cover it in Saran Wrap, chill, and top with whipped cream prior to serving.  Classic.

Try one or a few of these time-and-stress savers, and enjoy your Thanksgiving along with everyone else!

Photo credit:  http://www.womansday.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/wd2/recipes/make-ahead-turkey-gravy-recipe2/279879-1-eng-US/Make-Ahead-Turkey-Gravy-Recipe_slideshow_image.jpg

Mashed Potato Casserole

This recipe comes from "Cook's Country by America's Test Kitchen," episode 102, "Sunday Dinner." PBS has a channel, "Create," which is a blessing for us in geographically cable-free zones. It hosts cooking, travel, and build-it shows so my detox from the Food Network, The Travel Channel, and HGTV is buffered (well, maybe a little). "Cooks Country" is a BEAUTIFUL show, set in a gorgeous farmhouse in Vermont, with Christopher Kimball hosting. Each week they take a classic recipe and test and test to come up with the very best version of the dish. Katie and I were watching one day last year as they concocted their best rendition of Mashed Potato Casserole. We couldn't wait to try it, and when we did, we agreed. It is worthy of a primary place on your Thanksgiving (and every holiday!) table.

Mashed Potato Casserole from Cooks Country

SERVES 12

Ingredients

* 4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks
* 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
* 1/2 cup half-and-half
* 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 4 eggs
* 1/4 cup chopped chives

Directions

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Potatoes are done when a fork or paring knife can be inserted into a large chunk without much resistance.

Place butter, half-and-half, chicken broth, salt, mustard and garlic into a small saucepan. Heat until butter melts, about 5 minutes.

Drain potatoes well. Put potatoes in work bowl of stand mixer. Using paddle attachment, slowly add butter mixture with mixer on low. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in chives by hand. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Scrape top with tines of a fork to allow browning and texture. Place in upper middle 1/3 of a preheated 375°F oven for 35 minutes until golden-brown.

Photo credit: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document%5Crecipe%5C4704_SFS_DJ08_MashedPotatoCasserole_1_article.jpg