Thanksgiving Recipe Thread

If anyone has a Thanksgiving recipe they would like to share, please post recipes, or links to recipes, in the comments section.  I will post my sweet potato pie recipe later if I can get it down on paper.  I don't measure anything, so I will have to write out the recipe as I make it. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

Update:  I fixed my sweet potatoes tonight. I think that what makes my sweet potato casserole and pies really good is that I cook the potatoes whole in thei skins first.  I never use canned sweet potatoes.Sweet potatoes are really cheap (I paid 29 cents a pound today) and are really easy to cook.  Continue on to read the recipes, but don't even bother if you want to use canned.  It just won't taste the same if you do and the texture and color are not as good either. 

I use my biggest pot (the same one I use when I make a big pot of homemade soup) and put as many sweet potatoes in it as will fit (eleven tonight).  These are sweet potatoes you buy in the produce section, and I boil them whole with the skin still on.  Add water and boil for at least 30 minutes, and up to an hour, until the potatoes are cooked through and somewhat soft. The boiling time will depend on the number of potatoes and the size of the potatoes. I just check  one potato on top periodically by inserting a small paring knife until the potato feels soft inside.  When ready, remove pototoes from heat and drain off water.  Run some cool water over the potatoes and let them sit in it for a few minutes.  Pour that water off and then begin to peel while potatoes are still warm.  Be very careful because the insides are very hot.  I cut off the very tip of each end, then I use my paring knife to cut a slit in the skin the length of the potato.  I then carefully remove the skin by hand.  It should slide right off, losing none of the potato. 

I then place the peeled potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mash them with my potato masher or a large fork.  If they have cooked long enough they should be very easy to mash.  Add to the potatoes one stick of butter melted. Add two cups (or a bit more, to taste) of granulated sugar, a cup of evaporated milk, four eggs, and a teaspoon of vanilla.  You can add a bit of cinnamon if you choose, but it is not necessary.  Pour sweet potatoes into two 2 qt. casserole dishes. If using pecan topping, which I do because it is absolutely delicious, spoon topping over casserole. Cover with casserole lid and cook in 350 degree oven for forty minutes.Remove lid near the end of baking so that topping will be crunchy. If using marshmallows, bake the casserole for forty minutes, then top with marshmallows and put back into oven uncovered and brown lightly.

Pecan topping recipe (enough for 1 casserole):   mix together 1 c. light brown sugar,1/2 stick of melted butter, 1 c. chopped pecans and 1/2 c. flour.  Spoon over casserole and bake.

Instead of making two casseroles (they are very large and one will feed a lot of people), do as I did tonight and after pouring potatoes into one casserole dish, use the remaining mixture to make pies.  Add two more eggs to the potato mixture and a little cinnamon and pour into two unbaked 9 in. pie shells.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until set.  If you don't need two large casseroles or pies, save half of the mixture and freeze in plastic freezer container.  When you want to make a casserole or two pies, just thaw and continue instructions above.  Or you can pour mixture into unbaked  pie shells, cover and freeze until ready to bake.

I wrote these instructions out from my head.  I will try to find my written recipe to provide an ingredient list and more accurate measurements.  If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turns out.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Comments

[ML Gist]

I don't understand boiling sweet potatoes. I always use Garnet or Jewel sweet potatoes, and I cook them in the microwave. They are very sweet & don't really need any or much sugar.

Have you used the Garnet or Jewel potatoes? They are very orange inside.

[Rose]

Why did you boil the potatoes? I'm also from NC and when the potatoes are "cured" properly and you boil them; you lose quite a bit of the natural sugar? I do like my g'ma taught me... and bake my potatoes in the oven or microwave (depending on time constraints) but then, I proceed with pretty much the same method you use. I do however add cinnamon and a dash of ground cloves for that "old timey" flavor and I add 1/2 cup of evaporated milk. Yum!~

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