This jacked up looking monstrosity is my Mimi’s Coke Salad and while it looks crazy, it is one of the most delicious things you will ever have and goes perfectly with a Thanksgiving dinner. Keep reading for the recipe.
Good morning and Happy (early) Thanksgiving to you all! I wanted to check in for the holiday to give you a quick greeting before everyone goes into a food coma and checks out. Barring any news emergency or urgent need to post, SHERO will take a holiday break for the rest of the week (including the Sunday Recap) and return on Monday to the regular full schedule.
I got up super early again, feeling like there was something I should be doing and then realized that my body must be on Thanksgiving time, regardless of what is happening around us. The urge to prep a turkey right now, while it is still dark out, is overwhelming. But, instead of being sad about that, and the idea of missing the first year that I was supposed to host this big event (I got a monogrammed turkey pan in February and everything), I have decided to approach this year with a positive attitude and focus on the idea of being thankful for everything we have. I’m not totally there yet, but I’m a big believer in the power of “fake it till you make it,” so I should have this on lock by noon.
To that end, I came up with a great idea — this is the perfect year to do a dry run and test out some old favorites and new ideas without the culinary pressure of falling on your face in front of your mother in-law, while she looks at you with that “judgy-wudgy/you just kicked my puppy” face. This year will be fantastic in that we can do whatever we like, and cook what we want for a change. So, I would really love it if you would comment below, and send me your BEST and MOST TREASURED family recipe. I’m talking about the ones you bring to every pot luck, or the ones you are responsible for bringing every year to the big dinner. If it is something rare or different, that’s even better.
From left to right: Me, my Mimi and my mother at my grandparent’s 35th wedding anniversary. It was not her first marriage, which is a whole other post, but this one seriously took. (From the Vanderpool archives)
It would be great if you could include just a little background on where you got it, or if it is a cultural dish or something everyone makes where you live. I would love it if you are in another country and don’t even celebrate our strange American holiday, but still want to comment with the recipe for your favorite dish during the holidays where you are. This is a great time to get inspired and try something new when we have lots of time to experiment and nothing is on the line. If you are someone who does not like to give out recipes to a lot of people, feel free to email me yours, and I promise to keep it in the family.
Here is mine: it is my Mimi’s Coke Salad recipe and the only jello concoction I have ever liked. Trust me, it might seem strange (as most southern things do) but it is EVERYTHING.
Mimi’s Coke Salad
1 (6 oz) box of black cherry jello
1 (20 oz) can of bing cherries (do not substitute fresh or frozen here, they have to be canned or it will jack up your consistency)
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple
1 (12 oz) can or bottle of Coke (has to be the real thing, don’t play with the RC cola here)
1 (8 oz) package of Philadelphia cream cheese, grated (put it into the freezer several hours before)
1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions:
Drain juice from pineapple and cherries and set pineapple and cherries aside. Heat the excess juice from the fruit in a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Put Jello into the large serving bowl you intend to use to present the dish. Pour the hot juice in to dissolve the Jello, stir well and let cool for 15 minutes. Add pineapple, cherries, cream cheese and nuts. Immediately add cold Coke and then put in the refrigerator for several hours (2-3 hours) until set. Viola!
I’d also like to take a quick moment to thank SHERO’s part-time research assistant, Liz Malone, who works tirelessly to give me back up support in all things-you are a treasure beyond words, and a great friend. I also want to thank my mother, my proofer and editor, who does such a fantastic job — I honestly would not know what to do without you, even when you scream at me like you just did and yell, “It’s too early and this is not MY job” before you hang up on me and then call me back two minutes later to say, “Fine. Send it. I’m UP.” I also want to tell you I’m sorry you had to call me from Costco crying yesterday because you saw the ginormous box of pomegranates and realized you didn’t have to get them for me when I come home this year — I got some here and it will be okay, we only have to get through a few more months.
That goes for all of you…just a few more months until we have a vaccine and a new president and we can all hug each other and put the bad things behind us. Thank you dear SHERO reader and supporter for being here, and for being a part of this community. I am so grateful for you. Be well and be well fed. This post is dedicated to my beloved grandmother…Thanksgiving is just not the same without you, Mim.
I also wanted to take a moment to remember Greta Curci, a beloved mother and grandmother, who just recently passed away from Covid-19 complications. Her daughter, Sandra Curci, is a part of the SHERO community, and dealing with a lot of loss this year, so I thought we could all take a moment to think about her and send the Curci family some light.
My family's must-do dish is corn pudding. I got the recipe YEARS ago from a McCormick spice advert/insert from somewhere, and saved it in photo album with other favorites. That photo album is now falling apart and stained and yellowed, and the corn pudding recipe is the reason! I'm estranged from my family who raised me, and so I, my hubby and two kids have used Thanksgiving every year to invite others who might be single, or no family in the area, etc. We've had an amazing array of "family," over the years, from a Japanese family who was fascinated by mashed potatoes, to an Indian couple who enjoyed the feast, but was puzzled by the lack of ceremony. Lots of friends, lonely folks, and others who are also estranged from their families. This year will be strangely quiet, but to me, Thanksgiving isn't about a day, it's about the state of one's heart. It doesn't take a special day to celebrate that. :)
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt (I actually bump it to 2 tsp)
1 tsp instant minced onion
1/2 c melted butter
1/2 c milk (I have used almond and oat milk and they work! I use slightly less than 1/2 c)
Stir until well combined, and pour into a greased 3qt casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, stirring once.
(I stir at about the halfway point).
My tip for extra pudding-ness: set the casserole out to cool without a lid, and let the residual heat thicken it to the max. Room temp is just as delicious.
OK, so it’s not food but my best recipe for a warm family Thanksgiving, especially when there are only a few at the table, is a movie, Home for the Holidays. It was directed and executive produced by Jodie Foster in the mid 1990’s. After all these years and all her magnificent work, Foster still identifies this movie as her favorite. I agree. It has sparked family conversations, drama and unexpected walking across the room big hugs in my household for over 25 years. Yes I make everyone watch. Yes I coordinate good with what’s on the screen. No I don’t dump a turkey on my younger sister but boy have I come close... thanksgiving blessings to you, dear Amee, a sister of the Bar I’m always proud and enthusiastic to claim.
Okay, here goes. This recipe is my own creation. I came up with it as a young attorney to bring to a Holiday potluck for the 2 floors of private-practice attorneys in which I had my first office. Most of the other attorneys were considerably older. When all their wives demanded the recipe from me, I knew I'd struck gold. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease in '05, the pasta changed to gluten free rice pasta, and I wouldn't ever change it back. This makes a BIG dish full.
Chris' Famous Mac 'n Cheese.
2 lbs Jack Cheese
2 lbs Swiss Cheese
3 Bags Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne Pasta
1 Bag Trader Joe's Brown Rice Pasta Fusili
1 qt Whole Milk
1 lb salted butter (you won't use it all)
1 head Fresh Cauliflower
Fresh Brocolli (equal volume to the cauliflower)
Salt
Pepper
Boil the pasta in separate pots, because the Fusilli cooks quicker. Put a little olive oil in the water. Brown rice pasta goes from firm to mushy quicker than wheat pasta, so keep your eyes on it and sample frequently. When it's just on the border between firm and al dente, take it off the stove, drain in colanders (still keeping it separate), and rinse with cold water to remove the starchy stuff and stop it from cooking further. Once you bake it (below) it will cook more.
Grate the cheese. I use a food processor because it's way faster and better. If you don't have a food processor and want to avoid the hell of grating by hand, cutting it up into little cubes is fine, because it's gonna melt. Keep the cheeses separate.
Clean and chop the cauliflower and broccoli, keeping *only* the florets, and chop them into little chunks (like 1/2"). You can use the stems for something else later if you want (soup, stew, steaming, etc.), but the idea is to have just small chunks.
Get a big baking pan, the deeper the better.
Melt a stick of butter in a little pan, dump it in your baking pan, and use a brush to coat the bottom and the sides fully. Since it's gonna re-melt later and get mixed in, the excess can stay on the bottom of the baking pan.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Take handfuls of the pastas and make a 1-1 1/2" layer in the baking pan. Next, layer on some of the Jack cheese and some of the Swiss cheese - make a good thick layer so the pasta's pretty much covered. Next, spread around some of the cauliflower and some of the broccoli. Next, chop a stick of butter into 6-8 pats, depending on the size of your baking pan, and set them on top of your work thus far. Ideally, this should have filled your baking pan about halfway to the top. Press everything down with your palms. Next, repeat exactly what you just did, which should probably fill the pan to nearly overflowing. Press everything down with your palms again. (This will all settle down once it cooks, so the goal is to have as full a baking pan as you can without totally overflowing the sides and making a mess of your oven - the pressing down part really helps). Add some salt and pepper to the top of everything (you can add more as you go as you want).
Next, open your preheated oven, pull out the middle rack and set your baking dish on it. Next, pour the whole milk into the dish - spread it around and use enough to where it comes up about an inch or so into the ingredients.
Bake for 20 minutes, then check to see how things are going. If a lot of the cheese has started to melt well, slide the rack out and, using a big metal spoon, carefully stir everything around and top to bottom. You will do this several times, so the goal is to have a well-mixed dish. If melting hasn't really progressed that far, give it another 10 minutes before stirring.
Bake for another 15 minutes, then pull the rack back out and stir everything again. If it seems a little dry, add more milk (the milk will evaporate/absorb and become part of the gooey, delicious mix). You can also add some more salt and pepper again if you want (once everything kind of starts coalescing together, your going to want to take a taste, and you can make your decision about more salt/pepper at this point.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes, the pull it out and stir it (and taste it) again. Things should be getting pretty gooey at this point, so if so, this should be your final stir. Once you do your final stir, making sure things are mixed well (careful about knocking the stuff out of the dish onto your oven door) and getting into all he corners of the dish, use the big metal spoon to smooth everything out on top to where it's nice and even. You should be noticing at this point that things have settled. Slide it back into the oven and set your timer for 15 min. Check periodically, because you're going for a nice, bubbly golden brown on the top. When it's nice and golden brown and making a sizzling sound, then take it out and set it on a trivet. It's gonna be hot AF at this point, so be really careful and always use gloves. Your house should smell great, and people should be coming in saying "OMG, that smells delicious!"
As it cools, it will get more solid. You'll need the big spoon or a metal spatula to serve, and it may even come out in blocks! There's a *lot* of dairy in this recipe.
Enjoy!! I'd post a pic but I can't in this post, so I'll post on Amee's Twitter feed. Sound up, so you can hear the sizzling!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and thanks for this, Amee!
And there is absolutely no hint in the taste or consistency that it's gluten-free. I (magically) no longer have Celiac, but I think the brown rice pasta is better than conventional wheat pasta on all fronts, especially in this M&C.
Happy Thanksgiving! Appetizer Deviled Eggs. 1 Dozen eggs, boiled, halved and yolks separated. One small onion, minced. Combine onion, enough mayo and brown mustard to moisten the yolks. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Assemble and sprinkle paprika over. Prepared and served on two continents.
Turkey tip: When my daughter hosted her first Thanksgiving several years ago, she accidentally put the bird in upside down. It provided a lot of laughs, but she got the last one because it was the juiciest, most tender and delicious turkey ever.
Thank you so much for sharing with us. We need more sharing of the wonderful things in life to get us through the rough spots. Have a healthy and fun holiday season.
Thank YOU for keeping us informed, entertained, and sane during this hideous time. I'm known for my mashed sweet potatoes: canned yams, lots of brown sugar blended together and covered in marshmallows. It's not really Thanksgiving unless I burn the marshmallows and smoke up the house. (((HUGS)))
(This is so easy, you'll wonder why the canned abomination exists.)
1 bag cranberries
1 navel orange diced (everything except the hard part of the navel)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Add sugar to water in a saucepan, bring to boil, stir to dissolve sugar.
Add cranberries & diced orange, lower heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.
Let cool.
You should have enough to fill one pie and enough sauce for two people.
If you are having more people, double the recipe. This can not only be made ahead and kept in the fridge, you can freeze it.
FOR THE PIE:
I'm lazy, so I use the frozen pie crusts that come two to a pack.
Thaw the pie crusts. (The one you use for the top you can either balls up, and re-roll, or flatten and patch together - usually what I end up doing, depending on how well it flattens when removed from the tin.)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Fill piecrust with Cranberry-Orange filling.
Cover and seal with other crust. Cut slots to vent.
Brush top crust with egg wash.
Sprinkle top with raw sugar/colored sugar crystals.
(This year, I'm going to add homemade candied pecan pieces.)
UGH - 15min at 400, then lower to 350 for about 30min, or until brown crust and bubbling insides coming up through the vents. I HAZ A BLONDE AND NEED SLEEEEEP.
mash up a baked sweet potato with cinnamon, maple syrup & whiskey. optional butter or vanilla bean with half and half. easy & reasonably healthy with the right amount of guilty pleasure.
My name is Kaniehtonkie and I'm Mohawk/Kaniehkehaka from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. We give 'thanks' everyday for what we have, usually in the morning while burning scared tobacco. Or, at night like I do, before I fall asleep. We do celebrate Thanksgiving and living in Akwesasne gives us the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving twice - once on the Canadian Thanksgiving and once on the American Thanksgiving. The border of Canada and the U.S. runs through the center of our community but no politics today. Hmmm, my favorite recipes... it has to be anything 'squash'. Squash is part of the three sisters; corn, beans and squash - our sustenance. Baked squash, mashed squash but my favorite is using Hubbard squash for pies. I clean and core the squash, cut them in similar size and roast them (covered with foil) in a large roasting with just a bit of water. Once they are soft to touch, I let them cool and then clean out all the good stuff. Use your favorite pumpkin pie recipe for a rich, luscious and flavorful pie.
This is the recipe I use:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
2 large fresh eggs
12 oz condensed milk
15 oz of cooked Hubbard squash
Blend well, sometimes I use a food processor for a finer texture, sometimes not. Pour into 1 unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 until golden brown.
Teiethinonhwera:ton ne!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyday!
(Check it out online, just type in Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address)
Years ago...probably 40...I liked to bake crescent rolls before thanksgiving and make enough for Christmas and freeze...I was always trying new things from my cupboard and made the happy discovery that dill weed rolled up with butter before cooking them added tremendously to their taste...
My younger son Robbie...probably about 10/12...slyly named them ‘dill-doughs’. Which they have been ever since...a must-have for our holidays...
In 🇨🇦, we celebrate thanksgiving early Oct. This year it was chicken with my husband and son. Usually a larger family supper so I always make the gravy (it’s an inherent skill) and bring my simple coleslaw: shredded cabbage, finely chopped celery, thinly sliced onion (prefer white). Dress with mayo, pinch garlic powder, salt/pepper. Secret ingredients: splash dill pickle juice & tsp. celery seed. Sprinkle paprika on top of course. Everyone loves it! Happy Thanksgiving all!
My wife and I have tried many different dishes for Thanksgiving, some we keep and others we never try again. One, however, has survived dozens of years and has only been slightly modified over time. I think I first made it for a Friendsgiving back in the 80s but don't remember where I learned it. It's really simple and fits in nicely with the theme of this Thanksgiving...or really any Thanksgiving who am I kidding.
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes:
-- Yukon gold potatoes: we've tried many types over the years, these make the creamiest version. peeled and boiled to a soft but not too soft nor mushy texture.
-- Sour Cream: enough to make 'em tangy but no so much to make the end result too soupy
-- Butter: I used salted and a shit ton (excuse my language but one must be precise here) of it.
-- Salt and Pepper to tast: Less salt if you use salted butter. I also have some higher end garlic salt that I like to add
-- garlic: roast a whole bulb in some olive oil and add it to the mix. This is the only ingredient that has been added over the years. I think my youngest daughter added it one year when it was her turn to make this awesome dish.
You'll notice that I didn't include measurements (except the garlic). That's because I've never used any. I usually start with way too many potatoes, half a tub of sour cream, 3/4 quarter stick of butter and salt and pepper along the way. My advice would be to start small. Mash the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients as you wish until it tastes right to you.
I am so thankful for the newsletter and this community. I really appreciate all the work you put into this and am happy and proud to have been one of the early subscribers (at least I think I was. that may not be the case) Happy Thanksgiving Amee.
Happy thanksgiving Amee, to you and yours. I tend to cook “off the cuff”, usually works out, sometimes it’s great, at others it’s a disaster! So very much based on what takes my fancy on any particular day!
I boil sweet potatoes, then mash them with eggnog (I do not measure, just eyeball it not too wet), plop in casserole pan, topped with pecans coated in maple syrup, bake at whatever temp the oven is at. Sugar bomb, but the eggnog makes it a little less dense. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cranberry Conserve - even people who hate fruit (Hi Mom) will love this. I saw it years ago on a repeat of a cooking show with Emeril and am requested to make it every year:
In a medium heavy saucepan combine cranberries and water and cook until berries burst, about 10 minutes. Add all other ingredients except pecans and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Add nuts, stir to combine, and allow to cool. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl or jar and refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 weeks. Conserve may also be frozen in plastic food storage bags for up to 1 year. Alternatively, you can process hot mixture in sterilized jars and keep in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
I have been making something nearly the same for years: 1 packet of cherry jello, 1 can of whole cranberry sauce, chill for a couple hours, then fold in can of crushed pineapple and a cup or so of crushed walnuts. Chill until firm.
Brilliant, heartwarming idea! Amazing photo Amee, wishing you & all a Happy Turkey day/weekend. My sisters do all the cooking, so my 'recipe' is an attitude of gratitude for their efforts, your work, & the sisterhood of women who raise their voices to make the world a better place for all people. Keep it rollin'~blessings!
My family's must-do dish is corn pudding. I got the recipe YEARS ago from a McCormick spice advert/insert from somewhere, and saved it in photo album with other favorites. That photo album is now falling apart and stained and yellowed, and the corn pudding recipe is the reason! I'm estranged from my family who raised me, and so I, my hubby and two kids have used Thanksgiving every year to invite others who might be single, or no family in the area, etc. We've had an amazing array of "family," over the years, from a Japanese family who was fascinated by mashed potatoes, to an Indian couple who enjoyed the feast, but was puzzled by the lack of ceremony. Lots of friends, lonely folks, and others who are also estranged from their families. This year will be strangely quiet, but to me, Thanksgiving isn't about a day, it's about the state of one's heart. It doesn't take a special day to celebrate that. :)
You forgot the recipe.
Silly me! My apologies. Here's my recipe:
Corn Pudding
1 12 oz can whole kernel corn
2 17 oz can creamed corn
5 lightly beaten eggs
Mix together.
Then add:
1/2 c sugar (I actually use about half that)
4 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt (I actually bump it to 2 tsp)
1 tsp instant minced onion
1/2 c melted butter
1/2 c milk (I have used almond and oat milk and they work! I use slightly less than 1/2 c)
Stir until well combined, and pour into a greased 3qt casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, stirring once.
(I stir at about the halfway point).
My tip for extra pudding-ness: set the casserole out to cool without a lid, and let the residual heat thicken it to the max. Room temp is just as delicious.
Ack! Please correct the dry mustard to 1/2 tsp! (although I think it would be just as tasty)
Happy Thanksgiving, Amee, and that photo is just wonderful. May all our futures soon include the ability to take photos like that one once again.
OK, so it’s not food but my best recipe for a warm family Thanksgiving, especially when there are only a few at the table, is a movie, Home for the Holidays. It was directed and executive produced by Jodie Foster in the mid 1990’s. After all these years and all her magnificent work, Foster still identifies this movie as her favorite. I agree. It has sparked family conversations, drama and unexpected walking across the room big hugs in my household for over 25 years. Yes I make everyone watch. Yes I coordinate good with what’s on the screen. No I don’t dump a turkey on my younger sister but boy have I come close... thanksgiving blessings to you, dear Amee, a sister of the Bar I’m always proud and enthusiastic to claim.
I consider that a recipe for a delightful holiday experience-love that movie!
Okay, here goes. This recipe is my own creation. I came up with it as a young attorney to bring to a Holiday potluck for the 2 floors of private-practice attorneys in which I had my first office. Most of the other attorneys were considerably older. When all their wives demanded the recipe from me, I knew I'd struck gold. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease in '05, the pasta changed to gluten free rice pasta, and I wouldn't ever change it back. This makes a BIG dish full.
Chris' Famous Mac 'n Cheese.
2 lbs Jack Cheese
2 lbs Swiss Cheese
3 Bags Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne Pasta
1 Bag Trader Joe's Brown Rice Pasta Fusili
1 qt Whole Milk
1 lb salted butter (you won't use it all)
1 head Fresh Cauliflower
Fresh Brocolli (equal volume to the cauliflower)
Salt
Pepper
Boil the pasta in separate pots, because the Fusilli cooks quicker. Put a little olive oil in the water. Brown rice pasta goes from firm to mushy quicker than wheat pasta, so keep your eyes on it and sample frequently. When it's just on the border between firm and al dente, take it off the stove, drain in colanders (still keeping it separate), and rinse with cold water to remove the starchy stuff and stop it from cooking further. Once you bake it (below) it will cook more.
Grate the cheese. I use a food processor because it's way faster and better. If you don't have a food processor and want to avoid the hell of grating by hand, cutting it up into little cubes is fine, because it's gonna melt. Keep the cheeses separate.
Clean and chop the cauliflower and broccoli, keeping *only* the florets, and chop them into little chunks (like 1/2"). You can use the stems for something else later if you want (soup, stew, steaming, etc.), but the idea is to have just small chunks.
Get a big baking pan, the deeper the better.
Melt a stick of butter in a little pan, dump it in your baking pan, and use a brush to coat the bottom and the sides fully. Since it's gonna re-melt later and get mixed in, the excess can stay on the bottom of the baking pan.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Take handfuls of the pastas and make a 1-1 1/2" layer in the baking pan. Next, layer on some of the Jack cheese and some of the Swiss cheese - make a good thick layer so the pasta's pretty much covered. Next, spread around some of the cauliflower and some of the broccoli. Next, chop a stick of butter into 6-8 pats, depending on the size of your baking pan, and set them on top of your work thus far. Ideally, this should have filled your baking pan about halfway to the top. Press everything down with your palms. Next, repeat exactly what you just did, which should probably fill the pan to nearly overflowing. Press everything down with your palms again. (This will all settle down once it cooks, so the goal is to have as full a baking pan as you can without totally overflowing the sides and making a mess of your oven - the pressing down part really helps). Add some salt and pepper to the top of everything (you can add more as you go as you want).
Next, open your preheated oven, pull out the middle rack and set your baking dish on it. Next, pour the whole milk into the dish - spread it around and use enough to where it comes up about an inch or so into the ingredients.
Bake for 20 minutes, then check to see how things are going. If a lot of the cheese has started to melt well, slide the rack out and, using a big metal spoon, carefully stir everything around and top to bottom. You will do this several times, so the goal is to have a well-mixed dish. If melting hasn't really progressed that far, give it another 10 minutes before stirring.
Bake for another 15 minutes, then pull the rack back out and stir everything again. If it seems a little dry, add more milk (the milk will evaporate/absorb and become part of the gooey, delicious mix). You can also add some more salt and pepper again if you want (once everything kind of starts coalescing together, your going to want to take a taste, and you can make your decision about more salt/pepper at this point.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes, the pull it out and stir it (and taste it) again. Things should be getting pretty gooey at this point, so if so, this should be your final stir. Once you do your final stir, making sure things are mixed well (careful about knocking the stuff out of the dish onto your oven door) and getting into all he corners of the dish, use the big metal spoon to smooth everything out on top to where it's nice and even. You should be noticing at this point that things have settled. Slide it back into the oven and set your timer for 15 min. Check periodically, because you're going for a nice, bubbly golden brown on the top. When it's nice and golden brown and making a sizzling sound, then take it out and set it on a trivet. It's gonna be hot AF at this point, so be really careful and always use gloves. Your house should smell great, and people should be coming in saying "OMG, that smells delicious!"
As it cools, it will get more solid. You'll need the big spoon or a metal spatula to serve, and it may even come out in blocks! There's a *lot* of dairy in this recipe.
Enjoy!! I'd post a pic but I can't in this post, so I'll post on Amee's Twitter feed. Sound up, so you can hear the sizzling!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and thanks for this, Amee!
Chris
PS - My profile pic is a pic of the mac 'n cheese!
this recipe is a dream come true for this gluten-free mac & cheese addict!!! swoon!
And there is absolutely no hint in the taste or consistency that it's gluten-free. I (magically) no longer have Celiac, but I think the brown rice pasta is better than conventional wheat pasta on all fronts, especially in this M&C.
Thanks! Enjoy!!!
Sending prayers for the Curci family. I’m so sorry for Sandra and her family, and hope that her memories bring some comfort.
Happy Thanksgiving! Appetizer Deviled Eggs. 1 Dozen eggs, boiled, halved and yolks separated. One small onion, minced. Combine onion, enough mayo and brown mustard to moisten the yolks. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Assemble and sprinkle paprika over. Prepared and served on two continents.
Stealing this recipe now! Thanks!
Turkey tip: When my daughter hosted her first Thanksgiving several years ago, she accidentally put the bird in upside down. It provided a lot of laughs, but she got the last one because it was the juiciest, most tender and delicious turkey ever.
That totally happened to me once!
Thank you so much for sharing with us. We need more sharing of the wonderful things in life to get us through the rough spots. Have a healthy and fun holiday season.
Thank YOU for keeping us informed, entertained, and sane during this hideous time. I'm known for my mashed sweet potatoes: canned yams, lots of brown sugar blended together and covered in marshmallows. It's not really Thanksgiving unless I burn the marshmallows and smoke up the house. (((HUGS)))
Cranberry-Orange Sauce & Double-Crust Pie filling
(This is so easy, you'll wonder why the canned abomination exists.)
1 bag cranberries
1 navel orange diced (everything except the hard part of the navel)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Add sugar to water in a saucepan, bring to boil, stir to dissolve sugar.
Add cranberries & diced orange, lower heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.
Let cool.
You should have enough to fill one pie and enough sauce for two people.
If you are having more people, double the recipe. This can not only be made ahead and kept in the fridge, you can freeze it.
FOR THE PIE:
I'm lazy, so I use the frozen pie crusts that come two to a pack.
Thaw the pie crusts. (The one you use for the top you can either balls up, and re-roll, or flatten and patch together - usually what I end up doing, depending on how well it flattens when removed from the tin.)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Fill piecrust with Cranberry-Orange filling.
Cover and seal with other crust. Cut slots to vent.
Brush top crust with egg wash.
Sprinkle top with raw sugar/colored sugar crystals.
(This year, I'm going to add homemade candied pecan pieces.)
UGH - 15min at 400, then lower to 350 for about 30min, or until brown crust and bubbling insides coming up through the vents. I HAZ A BLONDE AND NEED SLEEEEEP.
mash up a baked sweet potato with cinnamon, maple syrup & whiskey. optional butter or vanilla bean with half and half. easy & reasonably healthy with the right amount of guilty pleasure.
She:kon/Greetings.
My name is Kaniehtonkie and I'm Mohawk/Kaniehkehaka from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. We give 'thanks' everyday for what we have, usually in the morning while burning scared tobacco. Or, at night like I do, before I fall asleep. We do celebrate Thanksgiving and living in Akwesasne gives us the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving twice - once on the Canadian Thanksgiving and once on the American Thanksgiving. The border of Canada and the U.S. runs through the center of our community but no politics today. Hmmm, my favorite recipes... it has to be anything 'squash'. Squash is part of the three sisters; corn, beans and squash - our sustenance. Baked squash, mashed squash but my favorite is using Hubbard squash for pies. I clean and core the squash, cut them in similar size and roast them (covered with foil) in a large roasting with just a bit of water. Once they are soft to touch, I let them cool and then clean out all the good stuff. Use your favorite pumpkin pie recipe for a rich, luscious and flavorful pie.
This is the recipe I use:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
2 large fresh eggs
12 oz condensed milk
15 oz of cooked Hubbard squash
Blend well, sometimes I use a food processor for a finer texture, sometimes not. Pour into 1 unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 until golden brown.
Teiethinonhwera:ton ne!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyday!
(Check it out online, just type in Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address)
Teiethinonhwera:ton ne! ❤️
Dill-Doughs
Years ago...probably 40...I liked to bake crescent rolls before thanksgiving and make enough for Christmas and freeze...I was always trying new things from my cupboard and made the happy discovery that dill weed rolled up with butter before cooking them added tremendously to their taste...
My younger son Robbie...probably about 10/12...slyly named them ‘dill-doughs’. Which they have been ever since...a must-have for our holidays...
a
:)
Wow do you ever look like your mom!
In 🇨🇦, we celebrate thanksgiving early Oct. This year it was chicken with my husband and son. Usually a larger family supper so I always make the gravy (it’s an inherent skill) and bring my simple coleslaw: shredded cabbage, finely chopped celery, thinly sliced onion (prefer white). Dress with mayo, pinch garlic powder, salt/pepper. Secret ingredients: splash dill pickle juice & tsp. celery seed. Sprinkle paprika on top of course. Everyone loves it! Happy Thanksgiving all!
My wife and I have tried many different dishes for Thanksgiving, some we keep and others we never try again. One, however, has survived dozens of years and has only been slightly modified over time. I think I first made it for a Friendsgiving back in the 80s but don't remember where I learned it. It's really simple and fits in nicely with the theme of this Thanksgiving...or really any Thanksgiving who am I kidding.
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes:
-- Yukon gold potatoes: we've tried many types over the years, these make the creamiest version. peeled and boiled to a soft but not too soft nor mushy texture.
-- Sour Cream: enough to make 'em tangy but no so much to make the end result too soupy
-- Butter: I used salted and a shit ton (excuse my language but one must be precise here) of it.
-- Salt and Pepper to tast: Less salt if you use salted butter. I also have some higher end garlic salt that I like to add
-- garlic: roast a whole bulb in some olive oil and add it to the mix. This is the only ingredient that has been added over the years. I think my youngest daughter added it one year when it was her turn to make this awesome dish.
You'll notice that I didn't include measurements (except the garlic). That's because I've never used any. I usually start with way too many potatoes, half a tub of sour cream, 3/4 quarter stick of butter and salt and pepper along the way. My advice would be to start small. Mash the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients as you wish until it tastes right to you.
I am so thankful for the newsletter and this community. I really appreciate all the work you put into this and am happy and proud to have been one of the early subscribers (at least I think I was. that may not be the case) Happy Thanksgiving Amee.
Oh, and the coke salad looks...interesting. :)
I totally do this! Also add chopped green onions when adding sour cream.
I love that photograph of you, Amee, your Mimi, and your Mama. You're all so shiny and glowing. Happy Thanksgiving from England xxx
Happy thanksgiving Amee, to you and yours. I tend to cook “off the cuff”, usually works out, sometimes it’s great, at others it’s a disaster! So very much based on what takes my fancy on any particular day!
I boil sweet potatoes, then mash them with eggnog (I do not measure, just eyeball it not too wet), plop in casserole pan, topped with pecans coated in maple syrup, bake at whatever temp the oven is at. Sugar bomb, but the eggnog makes it a little less dense. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cranberry Conserve - even people who hate fruit (Hi Mom) will love this. I saw it years ago on a repeat of a cooking show with Emeril and am requested to make it every year:
1 pound fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 whole orange, seeds removed, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup peeled and chopped apple
1 cup peeled and chopped pear
1 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
In a medium heavy saucepan combine cranberries and water and cook until berries burst, about 10 minutes. Add all other ingredients except pecans and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Add nuts, stir to combine, and allow to cool. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl or jar and refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 weeks. Conserve may also be frozen in plastic food storage bags for up to 1 year. Alternatively, you can process hot mixture in sterilized jars and keep in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
LOVELY.
I have been making something nearly the same for years: 1 packet of cherry jello, 1 can of whole cranberry sauce, chill for a couple hours, then fold in can of crushed pineapple and a cup or so of crushed walnuts. Chill until firm.
Amee, I am so very thankful for you. You are my bright shining star.
And you are the wind beneath my wings...Bette Middler should sing songs about it.
I actually got to play that tune with Bette Midler one time several years ago at a charity event.
For all the people that can’t with gluten: https://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/10/vegan-pumpkin-pie-worthy-of.html?m=1
I just love that picture! I’m not yet a member of the Shero community. It looks like I need to be!
Get on in here and welcome!
Is there a trick to grating cream cheese?
It's easy breezy as long as you stick it in the freezer the night before you make it.
Brilliant, heartwarming idea! Amazing photo Amee, wishing you & all a Happy Turkey day/weekend. My sisters do all the cooking, so my 'recipe' is an attitude of gratitude for their efforts, your work, & the sisterhood of women who raise their voices to make the world a better place for all people. Keep it rollin'~blessings!
Happy Thanksgiving everyonezDobar tek💜⚓️
What a lovely post, and look at all of these recipes!
Love this. Happy Thanksgiving.
I wish I liked fruit. That sounds delicious.
I'm telling you-the fruit is more like a garnish and very subtle. Give it a try!
Happy Holidays! RIP Great Curci and condolences to her daugter Sandra.
Looks amazing.
I’ve made this! Can confirm it’s the bomb! I add one medium-small sweet onion chopped fine.