Thanksgiving is the time of year when families travel to celebrate all the things they should be thankful for; it is not the time to reinvent the wheel. So why can Thanksgiving dinner feel like such a chore? No matter what you make on this highly anticipated night, there will be a mess, just accept it. So, if you’re going to make a mess, you might want to make it a good one.

Key

Tsp- Teaspoon

Tbs- Tablespoon

Oz- Ounces

Lbs- Pounds

*- Degrees

Stuffing

Who doesn’t love stuffing on Thanksgiving? True, that question might not apply to everyone, it really depends on how the stuffing is made. It needs to hold in the moisture from the chicken stock, but the vegetables need to have a little bit of bite, even after hours of soaking and roasting.

Ingredients:

2 Loaves white bread, cubed and toasted until lightly browned

4-6 Carrots, peeled and diced

5-7 Celery stalks, washed and diced

1 Large yellow onion, diced

3 Cloves garlic, minced

A handful of fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tsp white pepper

1 Tsp Salt

2+ Cups chicken stock

2 Eggs, whipped

Saute carrots, celery and onion in 2 tbs butter and 2 tbs olive oil until softened – season with salt, pepper and white pepper.

Add garlic and parsley after veggies have softened and continue cooking for at least 2-3 minutes.

Allow the veg mix to cool slightly; in a large bowl, add the cubed bread, cooked veggies, and the eggs, then combine.

Add enough stock to soften the bread as you mix everything together- it should be soft but not mushy.

Stuff a cold turkey with cold stuffing, and place the remaining stuffing in a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes next to the turkey.

Green bean casserole

Even if green beans aren’t your first choice food, there are so many flavors that are melded together that if you don’t enjoy one component, the other flavors are there to say, “It’s ok, I’m not the seemingly unappealing dish you may think of.”

Preheat oven to 375*

Ingredients:

1 Lbs of french style green beans, trimmed and blanched

1 8oz package of sliced baby bella mushrooms

2 Tbs minced yellow onion

2 Cloves minced garlic

½ Cup chicken stock

1 Pint heavy cream

1 Large container of French’s fried onions

2 Tbs butter, olive oil,  flour

Salt, pepper

Place green beans in boiling salted water; plunge into cold salted water after 5-6 minutes of cooking.

Saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons olive oil on a med high heat, and season with salt and pepper. Cook  until mushrooms have shrunk and browned.

Add flour to pan (still containing mushrooms), making sure all the flour has been cooked slightly, to create a rue.

In a saucepan, add chicken stock to water as instructed on package. Slowly add the stock to the flour and mushrooms with a whisk until a thick sauce has been created, increase heat if needed.

Reduce heat to medium and add cream; whisk until smooth.

Add mushrooms, green beans and half of a package of fried onions to pan and mix thoroughly.

Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish, top with remaining fried onions, bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Pumpkin Pie                              

The flavor of pumpkin can either taste like cinnamon on a sand castle, or angel’s tears in the form of a pie. Let me reiterate, just because it’s Thanksgiving, does not mean you have to reinvent the wheel. Pumpkin pie can be as simple as you want it to be.

Preheat oven to 425*

Mix together:

¾ Cup granulated sugar

2 Tsp cinnamon

1 Tsp nutmeg

½ Tsp each clove & ginger

½ Tsp salt

In a bowl beat 2 eggs. Then add 1 can of pumpkin filling and 1 can sweetened condensed milk to the eggs.

Mix the pumpkin/egg mix to the sugar/spice mix until well combined. Then pour into a readymade 9-10 inch pie crust (or homemade if you like)

Bake at 425* for 15 minutes.

(After 15 minutes) Reduce heat to 350* and continue baking for an additional 40-50 minutes.

Chocolate icebox cake

Not every dish at Thanksgiving needs to be traditional, or even classically American. Chocolate Ice Box Cake is a little extra dish my family makes for those who are lactose-intolerant. Since this is such a simple cake, anyone can eat it.

Ingredients:

2 Packages chocolate wafers or 2 packages of oreos, separated

2 Small tubs or 1 large tub of cool whip

In a rimmed dish or pie pan, spread a layer of cool whip on the bottom and sides. Hold a cookie and place a dollop of cool whip on top; lean the cookie against the side of the dish.

Repeat the process by laying the cookies and cool whip next to each other, alternating between cookie and cool whip.

When the dish is full, cover the top of the cake with a layer of cool whip. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a lid for at least a full day (if made with oreos, let sit for longer).