Staff Writer
Let’s
be honest, as a teenager, you are most likely not a wonderful chef and cooking
a thanksgiving dinner may seem difficult. Well, after sifting through many
recipes, here are the easiest yet still appetizing recipes to make a special
holiday meal. The
first thing that comes to mind when someone hears the word “Thanksgiving” is
usually a turkey. Below is an easy recipe for roasting one. Other recipes follow including a pie, a special drink, and extra sides to go with your meal.
Easy Pumpkin Pie
You will need:
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
½ cup Original Bisquick™ mix
½ cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Whipped topping, if desired
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9-inch pie plate.
2. Stir all ingredients except whipped topping until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes.
4. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. Serve with whipped topping. Store covered in refrigerator.
Review: The last dish of all is the decadent classic pumpkin pie. The final result did not look like the one in the picture however, it still tasted delicious especially with a dollop of whipped cream.
Source: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-pumpkin-pie/c0eab3d9-06a3-4829-9125-7581f1d96315
Orange Lemon Turkey
You Will Need:
1
whole turkey, 7 1/2 to 8 pounds, thawed
1
tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1
tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1
tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1
tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
2
teaspoons kosher salt
1/2
teaspoon ground black pepper
2
tablespoons olive oil
2
teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2
cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2
tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2
cup chicken broth
1
orange, sliced
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325
degrees F.
2. Put turkey,
skin-side up in a heavy roasting pan or baking dish, preferably on a rack. (If
you do not have a rack, you will need to cushion and prop the turkey breast up
with orange slices)
3. Stir garlic,
rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, olive oil and the mustard together to form
a paste. Use your fingers to lift the skin away from the meat and spread half
of the paste directly on the meat. Smear the remaining paste all over the
turkey skin.
4. Pour the orange
juice, lemon juice and chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.
5. Scatter orange slices around the pan if needed.
6. Roasting the turkey: Roast the turkey for 2 to 2 ½ hours, until
the skin is golden brown and an internal thermometer registers 165 degrees F
when inserted into the thickest part of the turkey. If, while it roasts, you
notice the turkey is browned more than you’d like, cover the turkey loosely
with aluminum foil and continue to roast until done.
Review: My “taste testers” loved the turkey; it was
juicy and flavorful with a tasteful amount of citrus. When the turkey was finished
I used the excess juice in the turkey pan to make gravy.
Grandma’s Semi Homemade Cornbread
You Will Need:
Any
cornbread mix (I used jiffy corn muffin mix), and what you need to prepare it,
but decrease the liquid called for (either milk or water) by half.
1
extra egg
1/4
cup extra oil
1
can creamed corn
Directions:
1. Follow the
directions on your cornbread package, except cut the called for liquid (either
water or milk) by half.
2. Add in extra
egg, 1/4 cup of extra oil and can of creamed corn and mix together.
3. Bake as
directed, but add 5-10 minutes onto bake time. You will know when your
cornbread is done because the top will be golden brown and
"cracking".
Review:
The final product resulted in a moist creamy decadent bread. Everyone enjoyed
it so much they came back for seconds!
Garlic Corn Lima Beans
You
will need:
2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2
to 3 cloves of minced garlic, depending on how much garlic you like
1
cup frozen or fresh corn
1
cup frozen lima beans
salt
and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a medium
saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic,
salt, and pepper; cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Lower the heat if the garlic gets
too hot.
3. Add the corn and
lima beans and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir often.
Review:
I added butter to this recipe to give the corn and lima beans to make the final
product less dry. The garlic can be very strong and I made the mistake of
adding too much. However, my hungry family enjoyed the final product.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
You
will need:
4
large sweet potatoes, about 4 lbs.1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk or cream
2 large eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups marshmallows
Directions:
1. Preheat
oven to 400 degrees. Wash sweet potatoes. Prick them with a fork all over. Back
in the oven until soft, about 45 minutes. You can also microwave sweet potatoes
on high until soft.
2. Remove potatoes from oven and drop oven temperature to 350 degrees. Let potatoes cool. Then remove skins and add them to a large bowl. Add butter, milk or cream, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt to potatoes. Mash the potatoes and other ingredients together until well combined.
3. Transfer potatoes to an 8 x 8 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes. Then add marshmallows and return to oven for 5 – 10 minutes, or until marshmallows are lightly browned.
2. Remove potatoes from oven and drop oven temperature to 350 degrees. Let potatoes cool. Then remove skins and add them to a large bowl. Add butter, milk or cream, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt to potatoes. Mash the potatoes and other ingredients together until well combined.
3. Transfer potatoes to an 8 x 8 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes. Then add marshmallows and return to oven for 5 – 10 minutes, or until marshmallows are lightly browned.
Review:
This has always been a tasty Thanksgiving dish in many households for Thanksgiving.
The dish looked wonderful with the white puff of marshmallows on top and the
warm orange center. It tasted as if it was candy and not a sweet potato!
Cranberry Pineapple Punch
You
will need: 2 cup cranberry juice
2 cup pineapple juice
4 cups ginger ale
Whole, fresh cranberries
Directions:
1. Mix
juices in pitcher and slowly add the ginger ale. (Pouring too quickly will lose
the fizz.)
2. Garnish with whole, fresh cranberries.
Review:
This drink is a refreshing drink for any age. It has a unique flavor making it
a drink that you would like to sip and savor.
Overall,
these recipes were relatively easy compared to those that come out of old
fashioned cook books and cooking magazines. So surprise your family this Thanksgiving
and try out these easy recipes!
