Thanksgiving Recipes

For those who call me for Thanksgiving Recipes: Here they are!  Call me anyway...maybe while the turkey's in the oven!

Basil Rub for Roasted Chicken or Turkey

Make one batch for chicken; double it for a small turkey; triple for a large turkey.

1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic (powder or fresh minced)
1/4 tsp onion powder or dried onions
1/4 tsp paprika
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp basil
2 T olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and rub all over chicken, inside and out. Roast as usual.

If you really want the flavor to get into the meat, you can put it under the skin of the breast.  If you don't usually use salt in your foods, then cut the salt in half.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cornbread

Servings:  6-9
Pan Size:  8x8 inch square 
Oven Temperature:  350

Ingredients:
cooking spray
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup gluten-free flour  (I use Domata Living Flour)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dairy-free milk (I used almond)
1 egg
3 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. dairy-free margarine (I use Earthbound Farms)

Spray pan with cooking spray; set aside.

Mix all dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture is fine crumbs. Add milk, egg, and honey, stir until thoroughly mixed.  Spread into pan as evenly as possible and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve hot.

Original recipe (with wheat and buttermilk) from recipezaar.com; adapted to gluten free by me.  

Zola Taylor's Crescent Rolls

Makes 32 rolls*

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 pkg. or 2-1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup  sugar
1 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, room temperature, beaten+
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour


Heat milk until hot but not burning to touch.  You should be able to stick your finger in it without getting burned.  Mix in sugar and yeast.  Let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes.)**

Mix in butter, eggs, and salt. Stir in flour.  Stir until dough is very stretchy and stringy.

Cover and let stand overnight.^

Divide dough in half.  Using just enough flour to handle easily, roll out into two large rectangles.  Cut each into four rectangles, then cut each rectangle into four triangles.  Roll from widest end.  Place point down onto ungreased cookie sheet; cover lightly with a towel and allow to raise at least 4 hours.

Bake just before serving at 350 deg. oven until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.^^

Serve on a pretty cloth-lined platter or in a cloth-lined bowl.  Don't stack them too high. You want light, fluffy rolls, right?   

* ** ^ ^^

Hints for the beginning baker

+If you forgot to get the eggs out ahead, it'll be okay.  Just get them out as you gather up the ingredients.  You do gather the ingredients first to make sure you have everything you need, right?

*  I usually double this recipe, depending on how many people we are serving.  For 8 people, 32 rolls makes 4 apiece, but they are small rolls, so that's okay.  They also keep well for several hours or overnight, so extras are always good.

**  If mixture doesn't foam by 5 minutes, it's either too hot, too cold, or the yeast has gone bad.  Test your yeast by putting about 1/2 tsp with 1 tsp. sugar in 1/4 cup warm water.  If it doesn't get bubbly, you need new yeast.  If you want to do this first, then just add it to the mix, reducing milk and yeast by the amounts used in the test.

^I usually put it in the fridge overnight.  The chilled dough is easy enough to work with, and to me seems less sticky.  Use non-stick cooking spray on the lid or plastic wrap to keep the dough from sticking to it as it rises.

^^If you have several pans, you can't bake them all immediately before serving.  You need to allow 10 minutes per pan, so start early or plan on taking rolls out of the oven all the way through dinner.  

Grandma Joy's Candied Sweet Potatoes
(Joy B Jeffery)

Sweet potatoes*
1 can Coconut (the fine grated kind )

Bake potatoes in very hot oven, 450 until  done.  Cool and remove skins. Slice about 1/2 inch thick, or desired size. Dip in a syrup that has  been prepared before hand. 
1/2 cup water
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 block (1/2 cup) butter
1 tsp cinnamon (or allspice if Momm is coming to dinner)
1 tsp lemon juice

Put in pan and boil. After bringing to a boil, turn heat down to low. Cook until it thickens. Dep slices of potatoes in syrup one by one; be sure to turn them over, then place slices of potato in baking dish. First lengthwise, then crosswise.  Put coconut between layers. Pour remaining syrup over them. Be sure syrup is thick. Put coconut and marshmallows on top and brown in oven.

Take out of oven when brown and let stand for an hour or so before serving.  Leftovers are excellent chilled from the refrigerator or reheated in oven.

* I don't know how many but she usually brought a 6x6 casserole dish filled to the brim, so maybe 3 or 4? 4?