thanksgiving 2011

last year we hosted thanksgiving dinner. i was 4 months pregnant, and by the time i was done cooking, roasting and baking, i would have liked to crawl into bed.

on the menu:

                                      

bacon wrapped turkey with roasted pears

candied sweet potatoes

 garlic mashed potatoes

green bean casserole (because thanksgiving just isn't thanksgiving in my family without it)

mushroom and bacon stuffing

pear-cranberry relish

 pumpkin cobbler with cinnamon whipped cream

recipes:
bacon wrapped turkey & pear cider gravy:

http://www.chow.com/recipes/11130-bacon-wrapped-turkey-with-pear-cider-gravy

candied sweet potatoes:
i normally make this fresh, but this time i used canned sweet potatoes. grease a square casserole dish with butter, and dump in the drained sweet potatoes. layer with butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon, and top with mini marshmallow. bake at 350 until toasty, about 15 minutes, but keep your eye on it because the marshmallows are quick to burn!

garlic mashed potatoes:
boil a few potatoes with three to five cloves of garlic, drain, and mash them with a dollop of sour cream, a splash of buttermilk or heavy cream and fresh minced garlic, add a pad of butter. don't over mix, they'll get gluey.


green bean casserole:
in a rectangular casserole dish: mix three cans of green beans with a can or two of condensed cream of mushroom soup (i use the garlic one!) and a splash of milk. cover with foil and bake at 350 until bubbling, about 20 minutes. remove foil and add french's french fried onions- i lay it on thick, but put as much or as little as you like, and bake until it starts to brown, 5-10 minutes.

mushroom and bacon stuffing:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/mushroom-stuffing-ghk1107

pear-cranberry relish:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cranberry-Relish

pumpkin cobbler:
http://www.grouprecipes.com/24621/pumpkin-cobbler.html

cinnamon whipped cream:
whip up about half a cup of heavy cream, add cinnamon and sugar to taste.