When Andy Williams sang about "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," he was talking about Christmas. But for foodies, move that up a month.
Thanksgiving Day marks the beginning of the holiday eating season, and for American food fans, it's every bit as big a deal as Christmas (or Hannukah or solstice, or whatever winter ritual your family may celebrate). It's the time when those special, traditional family recipes come out of the files and onto the table. Admit it, your mouth is already watering thinking of those treats you only get this time of year.
In preparation for the big day, we asked News Journal Food & Wine readers to share some of their favorite family recipes for the holidays. Some of our readers recipes follow, and you can find more online at pnj.com.
Happy Thanksgiving, and happy eating!
The Corn Deal
This is a very simple but much requested holiday side dish among my family and fellow employees.
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 jar jalapeos, chopped (or to taste)
Drain corn and add cream cheese, butter, milk and jalapeos. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Sharon Thompson, Milton
Crab bits
This is a great do-ahead appetizer that really tastes good.
3/4 cup soft butter
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 (5 ounce) jar Kraft Old English Cheese spread
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (8 ounce) package imitation crab meat, lump crab or frozen crab meat
9 English muffins
Mix butter, mayonnaise, cheese spread and garlic salt together. Fold in chunks of crab meat.
Split English muffins in half, spread with crab mixture. Cut each half of English muffin into quarters. Place in a single layer on a baking tray. (At this point, you can freeze these for later use, if desired they freeze beautifully.)
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.
Debbie Feinberg, Gulf Breeze
Mrs. Sheppard's cranberry casserole
After Hurricane Opal in 1995, we were living in a hotel and working hard to rebuild our downstairs. My dear friend, Laine Sheppard, asked us to come have Thanksgiving dinner with the family. Laine's parents and mother-in-law were there, and all had made different recipes. It was so wonderful, and I asked for recipes, and one of them follows. I made it that Christmas to take for my family's gathering at our grandmother's house. From then on, my family has always made sure that I am bringing it. After Christmas, I freeze fresh cranberries so that I can make it when Easter gets here, as well. It is so yummy that it seems like you are having dessert while you eat a side dish!
3 cups apples, diced (any are fine; I usually use Gala)
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix apples and cranberries. Put in a buttered casserole dish. Pour the granulated sugar over the fruit.
Mix oats, brown sugar, butter and flour. Sprinkle this on top of the cranberries, apples and sugar.
Sprinkle with nuts on top and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.
Anita-Marie Hitchcock, Gulf Breeze
'Best of the Bayou' rice and pecan dressing
This recipe has been in my family for many generations. Although there are numerous variations including the use of venison and other wild game, this is the recipe most often used in our family.
8 chicken livers
2-3 cups chicken or fish stock
1 dozen oysters and liquid
1 stick butter
1 pound ground beef (or ground venison)
1 pound ground pork sausage without casing
1 large onion (1 cup)
4 or 5 diced garlic cloves (2-3 tablespoons)
1 diced bell pepper (1 to 112 cups)
3-4 stalks of celery with leafy tops (about 1 cup)
8 cups cooked white rice
4 or 5 green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Salt and black pepper
In a saute pan, poach chicken livers in lightly salted chicken or fish stock until done. This will take about 20 minutes and can be done the day before.
After the chicken livers have been removed from the pouching liquid, poach all oysters and their liquid in the same pouching liquid. This will take about 20 minutes, as well.
Chop the chicken livers and pouched oysters and set aside. Reserve poaching liquid to keep the dressing moist during cooking.
In a large iron Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add ground beef or venison and pork sausage and saute until done, with grains of meat totally separated. This will take about 30 minutes, depending on the level of heat.
Remove all meat and liquid and set aside.
In a little extra butter, saute onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery until soft. You may want to add a pinch of salt to sweat the vegetables.
When the vegetables are done, return the meat, chopped chicken livers and oysters into the pot and continue to cook until all contents have come to temperature.
Add rice, cook and stir lightly until the mixture has been brought to temperature. Garnish using green onions, parsley and pecans. You may season to taste using salt and black pepper.
While this may seem like a complicated recipe, it is very easy to prepare. I tend to add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper and paprika for color.
Mark A. Bednar, Pensacola
Mama's chicken and dressing
The following is a recipe from my mama, Belle Clark. She always made this chicken and dressing every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and when we had special company. The "secret" ingredient that makes it so moist and fluffy is cornflakes. She never measured anything when she fixed it. I just mix it until it tastes good and the consistency is right.
1 fat hen
Chicken broth
1 large pan cornbread
2 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes
4 slices light bread, broken into pieces (or 1 package Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix)
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 eggs
1 cup milk
Salt & pepper, to taste
Sage, to taste
Boil the chicken and set it and the broth aside.
Crumble the cornbread into mixing bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients in the order given. If there is not enough broth from the chicken, add canned chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. The mixture should be firm but not too stiff, or it will dry out too much while baking.
Pour the dressing into a pan for baking at 350 degrees until brown. Mama always put the chicken parts on top of the dressing while baking. I debone the chicken and strip the meat and mix it into the dressing. It is good either way.
Serve with cranberry sauce and giblet gravy.
Giblet gravy
2 cups chicken broth
Boiled chicken parts (such as neck, wings, liver and gizzard, deboned and stripped into small pieces)
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 tablespoons dressing (from recipe above)
Mix the ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes. Pour into gravy bowl for individual servings over dressing.
Marilyn James, Milton
Mom's cornbread dressing
Our holidays would not be complete without my mom, Laura Fell's cornbread dressing, a wonderful tradition.
One batch of cornbread (mom used Martha White's cornbread mix)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans Campbell's chicken with rice soup
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
3/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
4 eggs
Crumble cooked cornbread into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, soup, parsley, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. The mixture should be very sloppy. If it isn't, add a little water.
Add the eggs and blend well. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 425 degrees until set and nicely browned, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with turkey and gravy!
Rita Riggs, Pace
Trash can turkey
We have a family tradition of camping at Thanksgiving, and we make trash can turkey! This turkey has a great flavor, reminiscent of the turkey legs you get at festivals.
This recipe cooks a 15-pound turkey in an hour and a half flat. No lie. This is a fun recipe for camping anytime!
Things you'll need
Shovel
New 30-gallon metal garbage can
Roll of high quality aluminum foil
Charcoal
Lighter fluid
1-inch diameter, 3-foot long rod (I like copper pipe)
Really good oven mitts
Large pan to put the hot turkey in
Ingredients
15-pound turkey, defrosted
Fresh herbs, rosemary, thyme and sage
Cajun seasoning
1 can beer
Choose a spot for your pit, and nearby, light about half of your charcoal and let it get hot while someone else is doing the next steps.
Dig a 9-to-12-inch deep pit in the ground. The pit needs to be at least 6 inches wider in diameter than the top lip of the trash can.
Pound the copper or metal pipe into the ground in the center of your pit.
Make a ball out of foil at least 6 inches in diameter and put on top of the stick. Make sure it is securely attached.
Line the bottom of your pit with foil.
Wash and season your bird as though you were cooking it in the oven.
Put the turkey on the stick with the neck up. The neck should be at the ball of aluminum foil.
Pop open a beer and drink about 13. Put the open beer next to the turkey on the ground.
Put the garbage can upside down on top of your pit and bird, being careful not to get dirt on your bird or in the bottom of the pit on the foil.
Shovel hot coals around the outside of the garbage can, but inside the edge of the pit, and put a 10-12 coals on top of the garbage can. NO COALS SHOULD GO INSIDE THE CAN!
Set a timer for an hour and a half for a 15-pound turkey. If your turkey is larger, add 10 minutes per pound extra. You are going to feel like adding time to the turkey, but don't. It will be done.
When your timer goes off, shovel out the coals and lift the garbage can carefully with your mitts.
Get a pan ready right next to the turkey and pull it off the stick carefully. I use the oven mitts and wash them immediately afterward it's easier to grip the turkey. Put the turkey in the pan as best you can.
Jami Clevenger, Pensacola
