The Perfect Side Dishes for Your Holiday Meal
- In This Quick Guide:
- Crunchy Cranberries
- Mom’s Pumpkin Pie
- Savory Stuffing
The best part about the Thanksgiving dinner is the side dishes! Whether you do a traditional turkey dinner or like to experiment with menus, you won’t go wrong with these recipes.
Crunchy Cranberries
Don’t just shake cranberry sauce out of a can this year; make your own fresh cranberry relish for your Thanksgiving Day meal. This delicious recipe is a favorite of Dr. Carol Taylor of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and has been a staple of the Taylor family menu for years.
Level: Easy
Time involved: Half to one hour
Equipment:
Food processor
Bowl
Mixing spoon
- 1 bag fresh cranberries
- 1 orange
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup walnuts (optional)
- Wash the cranberries and allow them to dry. Grind up the cranberries in a food processor, a small amount at a time, and remove them to the mixing bowl. Do not overprocess the cranberries to the point where they are mushy.
- Wash the orange and cut it into quarters. Remove any seeds. Grind the orange (peel and all) in the food processor. Add this to the mixing bowl.
- Add sugar and walnuts, if desired, to the mixture and stir until well blended.
- Refrigerate the cranberry relish overnight for the best taste and color.
Mom’s Pumpkin Pie
No one makes pumpkin pie like Mom does. Well, now you can, if you follow this easy recipe supplied by my mom, Mildred Taylor, of Pine Grove, Pennsylvania.
Level: Moderately easy
Time involved: One to two hours
Equipment:
Electric mixer
9-inch pie pan
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups pumpkin (Mom uses her own neck pumpkins, peeled, cut, and boiled, but you can substitute canned pumpkin—the 29-ounce size.)
- ¾ cup sugar (use ½ white sugar and ½ brown sugar)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- Ready-made pie crust
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place two eggs in the mixer and beat slightly. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and blend together until well mixed. Blend in the evaporated milk and molasses.
- Make a crust in the pie pan following the manufacturer’s directions for a prepared crust. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the heat to 350°F. Bake at this temperature for 45 minutes. The pumpkin pie is done when the tip of a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the pumpkin mixture is solidified.
Savory Stuffing
You can make your stuffing from scratch without a lot of hassle if you use prepared seasoned bread-stuffing cubes. You’ll get rave reviews from your family for this special stuffing recipe sent to me by Dr. Robert Barnet of Reno, Nevada.
Level: Moderately easy
Time involved: One to two hours
Equipment:
Large mixing bowl
Mixing spoon
Cooking spray
13×9 inch baking dish (optional)
- Two 16-ounce bags seasoned bread cubes
- 1 cup corn meal
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup white raisins
- 1 teaspoon chopped dry or fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon chopped dry or fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup celery (especially tips and leaves) cut into ½-inch lengths
- 1 medium-size onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 10 to 12 small mushrooms sliced (These can be added fresh or sautéed in olive oil first.)
- 1 cooking apple, cored and sliced into thick pieces
- 1 egg
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 or 2 cups chicken broth
- Mix the ingredients together in the mixing bowl in the order listed. Use enough chicken broth to make the mixture soft and moist, but not sticky (according to your preference).
- Stuff the turkey with the mixture or place it in a baking dish sprayed with cooking oil.
- Add some drippings from the turkey and bake this at 350°F for 30 minutes.
These quick and easy side dishes are sure to impress, and will make your holiday dinner one to remember. Enjoy!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Holiday Crafts by Marilee LeBon
