My Favorite Recipes

Making Thanksgiving Easier

Many families and friends gather for Thanksgiving, but for those who work outside the home or who have large numbers coming, some easy and make-ahead recipes may make life easier. Hearty breakfast dishes that can be made ahead and baked or reheated on Thanksgiving morning are popular, too.

In addition, what to do with the leftover turkey? Several recipes are family-tested and favorites, so Thanksgiving weekend is not limited to days on end of turkey sandwiches.

Turkey Ahead

Cathy White’s friend

shares this recipe.

Done the day before Thanksgiving.

1. Early in the morning: Cook your turkey and then slice meat into a large pan or dish.

2. Prepare the “marinade” and pour over the sliced meat to keep it moist overnight.

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

Sauté these ingredients in a saucepan.

Strain juices from cooked turkey into above marinade after skimming or separating fat first.

Add a little chicken broth, if needed, to make approximately 1 cup of marinade (for a large pan of sliced turkey).

3. Pour marinade over sliced turkey, cover with foil and refrigerate.

The Best (Do-Ahead) Gravy

(Homemade gravy even if you have grilled your turkey.)

10 cups chicken broth (I use low-fat.)

2 turkey wings from your turkey, cut apart at the joints

2 large yellow onions, brown skins removed and rinsed (to add color to gravy), onions sliced

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

3/4 cup celery leaves (If not enough leaves, you can add chopped celery.)

1 cup dry white wine or water

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 stick (6 Tablespoons) butter or margarine at room temperature

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Bring all ingredients except butter and flour to a boil in a deep-sided skillet. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours.

Remove turkey wings to cutting board to cool. Pull off skin and meat. Discard skin and save meat for later use (or discard it all).

Strain broth into a large pot, pressing vegetables through a strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables. Skim fat off surface of broth and discard.

Mash butter and flour with a fork until blended to a paste. Divide into four portions.

Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in flour mixture, 1 portion at a time, until blended. Increase heat and whisk until thickened and boiling. Boil 3 minutes to cook out the “floury” taste. Let cool a bit.

Cover surface of gravy with waxed paper or plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming and refrigerate.

To serve: Reheat in microwave or on range top over medium-low heat.

For Thanksgiving morning breakfast, a make-ahead quiche is a great idea.

Complete Egg Dish (Crust-less Quiche)

A favorite shared by Michael Garrett, formerly Endicott, now from Seattle.

This dish makes six servings. I make this many Sunday mornings and it makes for a great Sunday brunch. I put the left-over pieces of quiche into sandwich containers for lunches throughout the week. There are a lot of options to modify this dish depending on the types of vegetables, protein and cheese that are used. It is a great way to have a complete meal with dairy, vegetables and protein all in one meal that is very portable for work or school. It can be served hot or cold. Although this dish takes a bit of time to prepare, it results in several lunches for workers and students.

One dozen eggs

1 ½ cups of shredded cheese

1 cup of cream or milk

3 to 6 cups of diced vegetables

1 cup of protein (such as chicken, fish, sausage, bacon, etc.)

Seasoning to taste (no salt is needed, but non-salt seasoning is a great option along with pepper)

Dice up 3 to 6 cups of vegetables, such as celery, green onion, carrots, pepper, leeks, tomatoes, etc.

Vegetables should then be sautéed in butter or coconut oil for 5 to 10 minutes under low/medium heat. Empty vegetables onto plate with paper towel to absorb the excess butter/oil.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Crack all eggs into large bowl and whisk. Add the cream/milk to the egg dish; add the cheese and protein, and finally add the sauteed vegetables.

Grease a Pyrex baking pan (13x7x2½”). Pour the mixture into the greased pan.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Dish should be a golden brown – let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

Options:

The mixture of vegetables depends on taste, preferences and seasonality.

The type of protein also depends on preferences and what is available, so you can use left-over chicken, salmon, sausage or other protein.

Protein can be omitted for a vegetarian dish.

The type of shredded cheese can also alter the taste, for example, pepper jack cheese will make for a spicier dish.

Sour cream can be used as part of the cheese ingredient to make for a creamier dish.

Use heavy cream for a creamier dish, or non-fat milk for a lower calorie meal.

Mini Ham & Cheese Quiches - Fast Fix for breakfast

Alice Barlass

1 cup small salad croutons

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped fully cooked ham

4 large eggs

1-1/2 cups milk

1-1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp.salt

1/8 tsp. onion powder

Dash pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325. Divide croutons, cheese and ham among 12 greased muffin cups. In a large bowl, whisk remaining ingredients until blended. Divide egg mixture among prepared muffin cups.

2. Bake 15-20 mins or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 5 mins before removing from muffin pan. Remove to warm, paper towel lined plate or platter. Serve with fruit and English muffins, bagels or toast.

Pumpkin Breakfast Casserole

Cooks4forty published in The Growers’ Guide

10 slices bread, cubed

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk

6 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and place bread cubes into the dish. In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract, salt, eggs, milk, evaporated milk and pecans. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the bread cubes. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Uncover and bake the casserole until the pumpkin mixture is set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Yields 8 servings.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Alice Barlass

2 cups broken uncooked spaghetti (2-inch pieces)

1 chicken bouillon cube

3/4 c boiling water

1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/8 tsp celery salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons diced pimientos, drained or finely chopped red pepper

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile in a bowl, dissolve bouillon in water. Add soup, celery salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti; add to soup mixture.

Stir in turkey, onion, pimientos and 1/2 cup of cheese.

Transfer to a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Yield 6 servings. Can easily be doubled, using 9x13 inch pan.

Turkey Tomorrow

Marilyn Harder

3 cups cubed cooked turkey

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

4 hard-cooked eggs

2 cups diced celery

1/2 cup (or more) slivered almonds, optional

1 cup fresh mushrooms

2/3 cup uncooked Minute rice

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons chopped onion

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups crushed potato chips, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients except potato chips. Gently mix in 2 cups of crushed potato chips. Place in large greased casserole dish and top with remaining 2 cups of chips. Bake for 20-35 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Serves a crowd!

Turkey Hash

Cheryl Lothspeich’s family accepts no substitutes for this.

Left over turkey

Left over turkey stuffing/dressing

Left over turkey gravy

Depending on the amount you are making, lightly grease a 9x9-inch or 9x13-inch pan. Place a layer of turkey in the pan, add a layer of dressing, and finish with a layer of gravy. Cover lightly and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes until hot.

This is a great way to use up the small pieces of turkey that fall out of sandwiches, or just to use up more of the larger pieces of white meat if your family prefers the dark meat. Serve with the rest of the leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner.