Thursday, November 19, 2009

Group Blog Thursday: Thanksgiving Recipes

It's Stephanie's Group Blog Thursday again!

I'm really looking forward to visiting everyone else's posts this week because we're talking Thanksgiving recipes. And since I LOVE to eat--

(Seriously. A doctor once asked me if that was my favorite hobby.)

(Yes. Really.)

--I was pretty excited about this Group Blog.

My family is pretty normal when it comes to the Thanksgiving meal. You know, we're all about the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.

(And I totally ROCK at making homemade gravy.)

I also LOVE cranberry sauce. My brother and I are the only ones at our family feast that actually eat the stuff, but I always insist that my mom gets it for us. And, because she loves us and is the best mom in the world, she always remembers to pick up a can.

About two years ago, I decided I wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner. And I didn't want any of it to be from a can, a jar, or a bottle. Including the cranberry sauce. So, I learned how to make it myself, using a recipe I found at simplyrecipes.com.

I was totally shocked at how easy it is, too. Here's what you need:

4 Cups of fresh or frozen cranberries (I recommend NOT trying to find some the day before the holiday...)
1 Cup of white sugar
1 Cup of water
Optional: Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice (I like it with pecans.)

And here's what you do:

1 Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.

2 At this point you can add any of the optional ingredients. We typically mix in a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel. You can add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.

3 Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Cranberry sauce base makes 2 1/4 cups.

**Just a little tip...um...not that I learned this the hard way or anything, but when you are boiling the cranberries and waiting for them to burst, make sure you watch the pot. Because, well, sometimes they get a little carried away and might end up ruining your mother's white dish towel. Maybe. I've heard of that happening to someone before.

Anyway, so I love that recipe. Super simple and awesome.

And here's another recipe that I just absolutely love. And, for those of us trying to be good, this one is actually love in fat AND calories. And it's delicious.

Ready?

Here are the ingredients:

1 Box of Angel food cake mix
24 oz of Pumpkin Pie filling

This is where it gets complicated:

Stir the pumpkin pie filling into the angel food cake mix. Pour into a 9X13 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for something like 20-25 minutes, depending on how hot your oven really gets.

That's it. I usually top mine with whipped cream. Super yummy. Enjoy!
And if you want to join in the Group Blog fun, go see Steph in the City. You won't regret it!

Oops! I almost forgot my Twilight Week entry for the day! It's one of my favorite Twilight parodies. I think you can appreciate it whether you're a fan of the series or not!



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Posted by Karen Peterson
This post is: 
at 5:04 AM
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26 comments:

  1. easy and yummy recipes, my favorite kind! :-)
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  2. Since getting married, I've discovered the joy of eating out for the holidays.

    I love my grandma, but seriously, she has gotten crazier and crazier, and we try to get her to cook as little as possible.
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  3. Thanks for the recipe. I just copied it down.
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  4. Thanks for the cranberry sauce recipe. I am going to try it this year. Even when we use cranberry sauce from the can, we always add something to it, like candied orange peel or spices. But I'm excited to try it completely from scratch this year.
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  5. My husband likes to make his own cranberry sauce, too. Yummy stuff! I can't wait to dig into all things delicious next week! There will be round one of eating with the family, rounds two through seven after I get home... spread out through the weekend, of course!
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  6. I love cranberry sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
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  7. Kathie: My favorite kind too!

    Kristina: That sounds like a safe choice! I remember the last time my grandmother tried to cook a Hot Pocket. (It was a couple of years ago.) I thought she was going to burn down the house!

    Susan: I hope you enjoy it!

    Katherine: It's so easy and delicious, you'll never buy that canned stuff again!

    Shorty: I can't WAIT for the turkey dinner and all the fixins. I seriously LOVE Thanksgiving!
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  8. Emily: No problem! Enjoy!
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  9. Wow I had no idea homemade cranberry sauce was so simple!!
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  10. OK, so I'm a little worried about the last recipe -- it might take me a few tries to get it right. That sort of technique isn't something you just learn overnight. Funny Twilight parody, too -- I haven't seen that one yet. Can I safely assume you've seen this one? These parodies are seriously making me die laughing -- and I love Twilight! [side note: the Twilight books, not the movies... though I AM seeing the midnight showing of New Moon tonight in the hopes that somehow they've managed to redeem themselves from the atrocity that was the first movie)
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  11. Thanks for the recipe's. They look yummy and I will be trying them out. I've always wanted to know how to make cranberry sauce. THanks!!
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  12. Ooooo, Ooooo, guess what? I just bought the Harvard Lampoon Parody of Twilight called Nightlight. Funny! I had to share. :)
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  13. Oh yeah. I forgot to add that the video was hilarious and I love cranberry sauce too. I add minced jalapeno peppers to mine for a little kick.
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  14. I made cranberry sauce one year. It didn't turn out so well!

    Did you see the SNL Twilight spoof with Taylor Swift...where she fell for Frankenstein?
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  15. Hmmmmmmm!!!!! I'm going to have to look into a recipe to share now!
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  16. I remember when I had that cranberry sauce for the first time at my in-laws. I thought they were nuts for not having whole cranberry sauce like my parents.

    Now I admit. It really is good.
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  17. I love the Twilight spoof. I'm a huge fan of the books, but that is hilarious. :)

    I have never tried making cranberry sauce myself. I usually buy the can of the stuff that when you empty it into a plate it still looks like it's in a can. :)
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  18. I do the cranberry sauce every year! Sooooo yummy! I will have to try the pumpkin and angel food. Sounds like I can't mess it up.
    :)
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  19. The recipes are great, but I've got to say I really loved the Twilight spoof.
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  20. That pumpkin/angel food cake sounds so light and heavenly....

    .....ack, I just sounded like a commercial.

    but it does!

    Thanks for sharing.....I can't wait to get a full belly and pass out this Thanksgiving.
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  21. I love to eat too. It's one of my hobbies...but I need to find another hobby soon cause my clothes are getting a little snug. I'm sure those are great recipes but I don't care for cranberry sauce or pumpkin. My mom hates fixing our holiday meals because I'm not crazy about traditional holiday foods...but she refuses to make the food I suggest. "We have to have turkey and stuffing!" I asked if we could have mexician this year. :(
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  22. Eating is my favourite hobby too! :D I haven't had a thanksgiving dinner in years - i miss all those trimmings!
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  23. Do you have any recipe that uses perhaps Eggo waffles to stuff the turkey? I'm a waffle fanatic you know. Thanks so much for your kind words and support yesterday. It means a lot!
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  24. As hard as the pumpkin pie filling and angel food cake sound, I'm going to go for it! It sounds delicious! Do you like cornbread dressing?
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  25. I have a yummy and easy cranberry sauce recipe. We never had cranberry sauce as part of our holiday meals until I opted to make this one year and now it is a DEMANDED part of the meal- with family members asking me to make extra batches for them to take with them!

    1 can jellied cranberry sauce

    1-2 c chopped cranberries (quantity just depends on preference)

    1 jar Simply Fruit orange marmalade

    optional- 1 small bag chopped walnuts (I tend to chop them even further)

    Heat can of sauce. Add chopped cranberries. Once cranberries are tender, add marmalade and walnuts. Heat until chopped cranberries are soft and showing no white. Serve chilled.
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  26. Howdy!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!! :) :) :) :)
    Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and every year I like to get into the mood-extend the holiday, when it were-by reading "Thanksgiving novels." Of course, most of these stories are mostly about family, about coming together to heal old hurts and giving them thanks for the gift of love. . . ##
    Are You Far better Off Today Than You Were 2 Yrs Ago?
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"You know what they say. If you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me."

~Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias

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