Festive Food Tuesday:Thanksgiving Miscellania

Because Thanksgiving isn't until Thursday, I don't have any pictures of my food yet--it is still in various stages in the fridge (turkey thawing, pie disks waiting to be rolled out) and lucky for me, I delegated the food assignments enough that I don't have too much to make, while I'll still be able to enjoy ample leftovers. For today's post, I thought I'd include a few Thanksgiving recipes that I've used in years past that have bee a hit at the holiday table.

Crimson Cranberry Sauce (from The Essential Mormon Cookbook):
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 (12-ounce) package fresh or frozen cranberries

In a medium saucepan mix sugar and water, stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil; add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat. Boil gently about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Makes about 2 1/4 cups. can be made several days ahead and refrigerated or made weeks in advance and frozen.

This is the most simple thing to make--almost as easy as opening a can. And this cranberry sauce doesn't have those ridges and funky consistency that canned sauce does.

Another great recipe from this cookbook is candied yams and apples (come on, admit it...as much as we all say we love the yams with the marshmallows, it is just sickeningly sweet.)

6 yams
4 apples
1 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel and cut yams into desired size pieces. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water; cook until tender. Peel and core apples and cut into wedges. Arrange yams and apples in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. In a medium saucepan, combine orange juice, orange peel, cornstarch, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Pour sauce over top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until apples are tender.

I really love these recipes, because they are simple, homey kinds of food. Just perfectly comforting on Thanksgiving.

My all-time favorite mashed potato recipe is from Everyday Food magazine, Garlic Mashed Potatoes. It's simple and relatively healthy, compared to those recipes that pile on the cream cheese, bacon, and butter. The garlic adds great flavor, so you can leave the artery-clogging food for dessert:)

And, this is the recipe to my signature pie, Apple. I got this recipe from a question and answer section of Martha Stewart Living years ago, and it never fails me:
(it is also very similar to the Harvest Pie, which I wrote about last week)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
Pie Crust (from my post a couple of weeks ago)
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
3 pounds assorted apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
Best-quality vanilla ice cream

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of piecrust to a 1/8-inch circle, about 13 inches in diameter. Drape dough over a 9-inch pie pan. Transfer pan to the refrigerator and chill 30 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together the egg yolk and cream; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; place in chilled bottom crust. Dot with butter.
4. Roll out the remaining disk of piecrust as in step one. Brush the rim of the bottom curst with the egg wash. Place second piece of dough on top and trim so 1 inch overhangs. Tuck the dough under, and crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers. Transfer pie to the refrigerator, and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove pie from the refrigerator, brush with the egg wash, and sprinkle generously with sugar. cut four vents in the top, allowing the steam to escape.
6. Bake until crust begins to turn light brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve pie with vanilla ice cream.

I am nervously preparing to cook the turkey and gravy. I must say, roasting the bird is a lot of pressure! Please do leave me some tips, recipes, or words of confirmation in the comments section! I can use all the help I can get!

Happy Thanksgiving!