Thanksgiving Recipes

Here is an idea for a scrumptious thanksgiving side dish to serve with your turkey. Keep in mind this is a dry dish so it won’t be too good with something like meatloaf.

But if you are not making a meatloaf, or are making multiple dishes, sweet potato fries are always an excellent addition. Offer your guests some ranch sauce, and some beer if that is their kind of thing, and they will be gone in seconds, so make sure you make enough!

Ingredients for approximately 2 servings:

1 large sweet potato (>12 oz) peeled (often called yam at your local grocery store)
2 tblspn olive oil
2 tbslpn crushed rosemary
1/2 tspn salt
2 tbslpn parsley

Preheat oven to 425F. Cut poatoes into wedges or fries as desired (not more than 1/2 in thick for even cooking).

Toss all ingredients into a zip loc bag and make sure potatoes are thoroughly mixed with remaining ingredients.

Place fries onto baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Turn occasionally as you bake them.

When ready they should be fairly browned. Add salt or pepper to taste and you are all set!

Good dipping sauces: ranch, sauce dijon, honey mustard ranch sauce

I simply love this dish!!!

For any folks who haven’t been reading I’m trying to lose weight since the beginning of this month. Here is my original post… http://cook4thanksgiving.com/uncategorized/weight-loss-goal-lose-8lbs-by-thanksgiving/

And like I said I am using a product called Slimvia just to try it out in combination with a personal trainer.

So my goal was 8lbs and I am proud to say that so far I have lost 10 lbs! It’s going great! I’m not stopping now – just a few days until Thanksgiving and I am going to continue exercising.

My personal trainer has said that this is a very unusual number with the amount I’ve been exercising. She is really against supplements but I think she is starting to consider the fact that this Slimvia product is actually doing something. I hope so! If that’s the case, I’m going to start paying for it because the first month is just a free trial. If it works… why not keep going?

There are a few things to keep in mind when defrosting your turkey.

The top top top thing you need to remember is Time. If you don’t get this thing done in time your dinner will be ruined! Of course as a last resort you will have the microwave or warm water but that could do some serious damage to the taste of your turkey.

1 - If you check your local ads NOW (it’s about 2 weeks to the day), you might be able to find some good deals on a fresh bird! Of course, if you have limited fridge space then that’s another issue. No need to buy a new fridge just for this day. Go with a frozen bird.

2 – If you choose to melt it in water, do NOT use warm water; it will begin cooking the meat and could create complications down the road.

3 – Do not defrost your turkey unwrapped at room temperature. Bacteria love that environment. Do it in water – either in a giant cooler or bowl if you have one, or try your bathtub or a sink you’re not using. Don’t just leave it out to sit there.

4 – Thawing in the fridge is a whole ‘nother story. It will take about 24 hours for every 5 lbs so make sure you are on time.

Set a reminder in your phone right now to put that thing in the fridge or in the water in time for the holidays!!!

Hey guys… I spent a long time typing up a post on how to cook a turkey but then found this really short and useful YouTube video that makes it all very easy! Enjoy!

I HATE canned cranberry sauce. I don’t know how anyone can serve that stuff. They must have never tried home made sauce! It’s so tasty – to have pieces of turkey with warm sugary cranberry sauce on top is probably my favorite part of a thanksgiving meal. It’s scrumptious without a doubt!

To be honest, last year I used a recipe from Cooks.com and will be using it again. I’m not going to plagiarize so here is a direct quote from their website. Enjoy!

PS: I don’t like the citrus flavor in the sauce but feel free to give that a whirl.

From Cooks.com:

Ingredients:

1 quart cranberries
1 cup water
1 3/4 cups sugar
citrus for flavoring (optional)

The general rule is: Use 1/4 as much water as cranberries. Add 1/3 as much sugar as cranberries. Wash and pick over cranberries, discarding any that are soft.

Bring water to a boil; add berries. Cover and cook over medium low heat until berries have burst outer skin.

Add sugar and boil a few minutes longer. If desired, cranberries may be strained before sugar is added.

Optional: A few tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice may be added along with a little grated citrus peel, if desired. A tablespoon of frozen orange concentrate is also a nice addition.

Let me know if you’ve had any success guys!

For another thanksgiving side dish, have a look at my sweet potato fries recipe! My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Here is a wonderful idea for a turkey meatloaf recipe. Make sure you have some ground turkey available – you can either buy it at the store or grind it yourself. If grinding yourself be sure to go for the leanest cuts possible because you are not actually using that much turkey meat. Might as well use the best! I recommend for going around 95% lean. Anything higher may result in a really dry meatloaf.

Feel free to use turkey burgers for the ground turkey. Read the nutritional facts – cheap turkey burgers can be over 50% fat!

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey
6 slices of bread
2 eggs
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloaves finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes with garlic
ketchup

Preheat oven to 350F and coat a loaf dish with cooking spray.

Mash turkey together with bread softened by pre-soaking in a cup of water. Add in salt, pepper, onions, peppers, garlic, and eggs. Combine and mold into loaf shape.

Heat loaf in oven for approximately one hour covered in aluminum foil. Desired temperature should be ~160F.

When ready, let stand for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle LIGHTLY with tomatoes and ketchup as desired.

Serve with something liquid and cold – apple sauce, cranberry sauce, sour cream are all great options.

Leave comments if you have your own variation or if this was a success for you!