Thanksgiving recipes

Turkey Stuffed with Fruit: Joel Zwart

I tried this recipe a couple years ago, after I heard about it.  I didn't follow any specific recipe, I just made it up as I went and was happy with the results.  If you look online, there are plenty of step by step recipes about stuffing a turkey with different types of fruit.  In short, stuffing the turkey with fruit adds moisture to the cavity of the bird, which helps to steam and season it with a nice subtle flavor. You can also add herbs along with the fruit, but typically I've used a mixture of oranges, lemons and apples (you can use other citrus too). You'll need a couple of each for a medium-sized turkey, and you simply wash the fruit and quarter it. You can choose to remove seeds and/or the cores of the fruit, but it doesn't make much of a difference, as the fruit is not for eating afterward, simply used for the cooking. Rinse the turkey inside and out, then stuff it with the fruit.  When you're finished stuffing, make sure to tie the legs together, in order to close the cavity and ensure that the moisture stays inside. Place in your oven, cook until done et Voila!

Fresh Cranberry Salsa: Janet Glassford

1 bag of fresh cranberries, chopped
2 sweet juicy oranges, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 lime, squeezed
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped, to taste
Bunch of cilantro, fresh, large stems removed, chopped
Sugar to taste

Mix and serve as side with hot turkey or on cold turkey sandwiches. Also great on tortilla chips at Christmas. I serve it every year for Thanksgiving and for my Christmas party. It makes a gorgeous red/orange/green dish.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie: Eunie Stegink

3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1–1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

1 envelope Knox gelatin
1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar
3 egg whites

Beat egg yolks. Add 1/2 cup sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt and milk.Cook until thickened (on low heat) to a custard consistency. Stir frequently (so it doesn't burn). Remove from burner.

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water and dissolve in hot mixture. Cool.

When mixture is cool, beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar. Fold beaten eggs whites into pumpkin mixture. Pour into a previously baked pie shell. Chill. Serve with whipped cream. Makes one large pie.

Kenny's Sweet Potato Pie: Dee Jackson

2 large sweet potatoes, washed
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1–2/3 cups evaporated milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell
Miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with boiling water. Water should be about 2 inches above potatoes. Cook until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, when cooked enough to handle. Peel.

Mash sweet potatoes in a large bowl; blend in sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Blend thoroughly. Add evaporated milk and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs. Pour mixture into prepared shell and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

If desired, decorate the edge of the pie with miniature marshmallows. Line the edge with two or three rows of marshmallows. Pop under the broiler for 1 minute to brown marshmallows. Do not let them melt. Makes 1 9-inch pie.

Valerie's Icebox Lemon Pie: Dee Jackson

3 egg yolks
Juice of 3 lemons
1 small can Eagle Brand milk
Crust of vanilla wafers
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 egg whites
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For pie: Beat eggs and Eagle Brand milk together. Add lemon juice. Pour into crust of vanilla wafers. Chill in refrigerator. Do not cook.

For meringue topping: Beat cream of tartar and egg whites together. Gradually add sugar. After this is fluffy, add vanilla. Spread on top of pie and brown in oven (if desired).

Pumpkin Cheesecake 

Many years ago when the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel first opened, my parents went to the Cornucopia restaurant and tried their pumpkin cheesecake. They loved it so much, my mom went home and went about trying to come up with a recipe that tasted similar. She came up with a great recipe, and it's become a Thanksgiving tradition ever since. Every year my youngest brother checks to make sure that my mom is going to make it. I don't think that she would mind me sharing the recipe.

Crust: 5 oz. crushed Lorna Dorne Cookies and 3 tablespoons of melted butter, or you can make a graham cracker crust with 1/4 lb. graham crackers (makes 1–3/4 cups), 2 tablespoons sugar, 1–1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 6 tablespoons melted butter.

Cheesecake:

1–½ lb. cream cheese
1–1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
1–3/4 cup pumpkin
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cloves

Beat well. Add sugar gradually, then eggs one at a time. Add vanilla last. Pour into Springform pan. Bake 45–50 minutes at 375 until set. Cool.

Topping: Whip 1 pint whipping cream and sweeten with sugar and cinnamon.

Spread over cooled cheesecake. Refrigerate.

Sheila Warner's Pumpkin Dessert: Cindy Wolffis

Crust:

½ cup melted oleo
1 egg
1 package yellow cake mix

Mix all together and reserve 1 cup to be used for the topping later. Spread in a 9” X 13” pan.

Filling:

1–14 oz. can pumpkin mix (pre-sweetened with spices)
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Mix together and pour over the crust.

Topping:

1 cup reserved crust
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soft oleo
Flour, if necessary

Dab on the filling with a spoon. Bake for 45–50 minutes at 350 degrees.