Thanksgiving Dishes You Love
You'll probably find all of these sweets and savories a part of the Thanksgiving feast each year: roast turkey, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
It's no surprise, then, that these are some of Beliefnet readers' tried-and-true favorites for the holiday season, and they are eager to share their recipes with you. Add cranberry-pear relish, four-cheese mashed potatoes, zucchini casserole, and other traditional and new meal ideas to your recipes collection.
Click through the gallery for Thanksgiving recipes
Editor's Note: The recipes shared here have not been tested by Beliefnet.
World's Easiest Turkey
World's Easiest Turkey
You make this turkey starting the night before with the oven on at 250 degrees. Allow 18 hours to cook, so if you're serving at 4pm, put the turkey in at 9 or 9:30 pm beforehand.
c9283627 c9283627 as Your Beliefnet Friend
Line a roasting pan with several sheets of aluminum foil so that they overlap the pan and can cover anything that's placed in it.
Put in one clean turkey (about 15 lbs.) and season according to taste.
Add a cup of water.
Use the overlapping foil to cover the turkey loosely and set to bake.
While it's baking, you can prepare the sides and set them in the fridge to bake the next day.
Now, go to bed. When the turkey is done, open up the foil, baste the bird, turn the heat up to 350 degrees, and crisp the top. [
Note: If you feel you must, you can pull the turkey out once or twice during baking, at any time, and baste it. This is not mandatory.]
Take the turkey out to rest and carve the turkey during dinner. If you're not an expert carver, pull it apart. Aesthetics be hanged. The meat will nearly fall off the bone.
Eat and enjoy!
Cranberry Relish
Cranberry Relish
Here is a crockpot recipe guaranteed to please family and friends while saving space in your oven for the more "important" things.
Recipe shared by CoronaQueen CoronaQueen INGREDIENTS 1 pound cranberries
1 can drained, crushed pineapple
2 apples, chopped into cubes
2 oranges, chopped into cubes
1 lemon, juiced (an optional ingredient)
1 1/2 cups sugar 2 ounces brandy or Grand Marnier
PREPARATION Chop the cranberries in a manual food chopper, not a food processor.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Allow the flavors to blend overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator.
Relish may be frozen.
Yield: 12 to 16 servings Prep Time: 3 hours Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cranberry-Pear Relish
Cranberry-Pear Relish
Try this fresh cranberry-pear relish and you'll never buy canned cranberry sauce again! This sauce is best made the night before or two days ahead.
Recipe shared by MarleneEmmett5 MarleneEmmett5 as Your Beliefnet Friend INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
3 cups of fresh cranberries
2 cups of cored and cubed pears
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4" cinnamon stick
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
Lemon or orange zest for garnish PREPARATION In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add cranberries, pears, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon stick. Stir and let boil.
Cook for 3-4 minutes until the cranberries "pop."
Occasionally, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the lime and orange juice.
Cook the sauce until it's to your taste.
Remove from heat. Let the sauce cool.
Place the sauce in a dish, cover, and chill overnight if possible.
When ready to serve, garnish with lemon or orange zest.
Makes 3 1/4 cups
Cranberry Salad Squares
Cranberry Salad Squares
The perfect complement for the Thanksgiving turkey and dressing. Easy to make and good to eat.
Recipe shared by ransomme ransomme INGREDIENTS 1 can (20 oz.) water-packed crushed pineapple (drained)
1 can (16 oz.) whole cranberry sauce
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans
PREPARATION Serving Size: 1 square Calories: 150
Zucchini Casserole
Zucchini Casserole
The combination of flavors is so great. I think the blendeded ingredients would also make great stuffed zuccini.
Recipe shared by Ms. Fairy Ms. Fairy INGREDIENTS
3 large zucchini (any variety)
1 bag baby carrots or 4 large carrots, shredded. No more than two cups.
2 onions, diced (Maui or sweet yellow)
3 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 box herb croutons
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
Fresh dill to taste
Pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Boil the zuccini in salted water for about 10 minutes or less until tender. Cut the zucchini into bite-sized pieces.
Add the shredded carrots and the cream of chicken soup. Add in the sour cream and zuccini.
Add the dill and pepper until it's to your taste. Blend everything together.
Tomato, Olive, and Feta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Tomato, Olive, and Feta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Here's a refreshing summer salad that can be used any time of the year.
Recipe shared by MarleneEmmett5 Add MarleneEmmett5 INGREDIENTS For the Salad
4 pints of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 pint of vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in quarters
3/4 cup black olives, cut in half
1 small red onion, sliced into thin strips
Low salt feta cheese, cubed For the Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh Thyme
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 grinds of fresh black pepper
Fresh basil, cut into "fine ribbons" PREPARATION In a large bowl, combine the tomatos and onions.
In a large jar, combine the herbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Cover and shake until all the ingredients are well blended.
Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and onions. Add the olives and toss lightly.
Add the feta cheese and toss gently so the feta does not break.
Taste the salad. Add more salt and pepper if desired.
Serve the salad in a large bowl, with fresh bread.
Golden Garlic Four-Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Golden Garlic Four-Cheese Mashed Potatoes
I've made these mashed potatoes for the last ten years and I've always gotten raves from my hubby and friends.
Recipe shared by MarleneEmmett5 MarleneEmmett5 as Your Beliefnet Friend
INGREDIENTS
6 large heads of fresh garlic, split in half and roasted until soft
9 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cleaned, peeled, and chopped
1 1/2 cups of cold, fresh heavy cream or half & half
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups of four cheeses, grated or finely chopped (I prefer cheddar, Swiss, goat, and blue cheeses)
Salt and white pepper to taste
PREPARATION
In a large stock pot, bring 3 quarts of water and a handful of salt to boil. Add the potatoes and cook until they are tender.
Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Mash the potatoes.
Stir in some of the cream or half & half. Add 1/4 stick of butter and mash until melted.
Add the rest of the cream or half&half. Add the remaining butter and mash until melted.
Crockpot Pecans
Crockpot Pecans
Don't you love this time of year? Everyone starts diving into their repertoire of favorite must-have recipes in hopes of finding that one family recipe that was handed down for generations.
Here is another recipe guaranteed to please the family: Crockpot Stuffing .
Recipe shared by CoronaQueen CoronaQueen INGREDIENTS
3 cups pecan halves
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more)
1 cup white sugar PREPARATION Put the pecans in crock pot. Add the egg white and stir until the pecans are evenly coated.
In a bowl, stir together the cinnamon, salt, cayenne, and sugar. Pour the mixture over the pecans and stir until they're evenly coated.
Cover the crock pot and set it on low. Let the mixture cook for 3 hours. Check it periodically and stir.
If the nuts aren't dry by the end of the 3 hours, uncover the crock pot, stir, and cook for another 30 minutes until dry.
Store the pecans in an airtight container.
Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
For me, Thanksgiving is all about pumpkin pie. Here's my favorite recipe.
Recipe shared by MissCGHeartofohio MissCGHeartofohio
INGREDIENTS:
1 large can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons dark molasses
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 unbaked pie shell
PREPARATION:
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
I started making both pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake, but my sons seem to like the cheesecake better!
Recipe shared by RoseS RoseS INGREDIENTS For the Crust:
1 cup low-fat graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp margarine, melted For the Filling:
2 pkg (8 oz each) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
4 egg whites, whipped For the Topping:
2 cups fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9-inch pan with cooking spray and flour. Set aside. Crust: Filling: Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and egg whites in a large bowl. Mix until well-blended. Pour the filling into the crust.Topping: Servings: 10
Baked Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Pecan Butter
Baked Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Pecan Butter
Found more in my Thanksgiving recipe treasure chest.
Recipe shared by CoronaQueen CoronaQueen INGREDIENTS 1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. ground mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. grated orange peel1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
3 medium sweet potatoes, sliced 1/2-inch
3 small tart cooking apples, sliced horizontally 1/2-inch, seeds removed
PREPARATION Heat oven to 375°F.
In 13 x 9-inch baking pan melt butter in oven (about 4 minutes).
Stir in all remaining ingredients except sweet potatoes and apples. Place sweet potatoes in butter mixture; toss to coat.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until fork tender. Add apples; spoon butter mixture over apples.
Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes or until apples are tender.
This is so good!
Rutabaga
Rutabaga
Recipe shared by ShirleyGoodness ShirleyGoodness INGREDIENTS 1 rutabaga, cut into one-inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced large or small as desired
1 cup water 1/4 stick margarine
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION Place everything in a saucepan and cook until tender. Add a little bit more water if needed but not so much as to make the vegetable mushy.
When the rutabaga is done, drain the water. Water may be reserved to make gravy.
Serve the rutabaga in chunks or mash as desired.
