Thanksgiving Recipes . . .

Here are the successes from the weekend:


Best-loved was the Oreo Triple Layer Chocolate Pie. I made two and both were eaten quickly--and requested again. Also good was the Banana Cream Pie, which I kind of made the easy way, with instant pudding. Here's my recipe:


Banana Cream Pie

1 pkg banana instant pudding (4 serving size)
1 3/4 cups cold milk
1 banana
1 half-pint heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 baked pie crust

Cut banana into thin slices and line the crust with the slices. Mix pudding mix into milk with a wire whisk for two minutes, until smooth. Pour the pudding over the banana slices into the pie shell. In a medium chilled metal bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla until light and thick. Spread whipped cream over the pudding and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

My favorite of the sweet potato casseroles was Gourmet Sweet Potato Classic. It was sweeter and the topping added texture that really helped the dish. I also made Candied Sweet Potatoes, which was milder, and just a bit bland for my tastes. One brother-in-law said he preferred it, though.

The one recipe I was really excited about was the Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing. Never having made stuffing before, I was uncertain about cooking it outside of the turkey (but we weren't cooking it in the turkey for more than one reason). Following reviews, I added extra broth, but I added a bit too much and I think I didn't cook it long enough. So at Shelli and Sybil's suggestion, I spread it on a cookie sheet and broiled it for a few minutes. What it lacked in texture, it made up for in flavor. It all got eaten, and that was the only dish I took home that day.

For our second Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, I made Sweet Dinner Rolls (that I wish I could have let raise a bit longer, but were still good, and came up with my own recipe based on Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Here it is:

5 lbs red potatoes
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup butter
1/2 cup half-and-half (I actually used whole milk, but I think this would be better)
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Scrub potatoes and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Add 2 tsp garlic and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes (until potatoes are soft); drain. Mash butter into potatoes. Stir in milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.