Thursday, November 15, 2007

Gobble Gobble (some good stuff)


Today's the day! Karla is hosting her Gobble Gobble event and is on the lookout for some new Thanksgiving recipes to share with her family. I'll be honest ... I've never hosted Thanksgiving at my home. We are always travelling to spend time with one side of the family or another and have missed out on hosting the event or even participating in the cooking. So, what I'm sharing here are just a few items that would most definitely make my menu if I was having a home-cooked Thanksgiving celebration. : )

Apricot Salad
Every table needs a jello salad, right? And this is NOT your normal jello salad. The apricot juice gives it a totally unexpected flavor and is wonderful.

1 pkg orange jello (3 oz)
1 pkg cream cheese (3 oz)
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 c. apricot nectar
Bring 1 c. apricot nectar to a boil, add jello, then add 2nd cup of nectar. Shred/crumble cream cheese and add along with pineapple and nuts. Chill.

We always double this recipe because it disappears. Also, where it says "shred/crumble cream cheese" ... the best way we've found to do this (after much trial and error) is to freeze your cream cheese a little bit and then grate it like you would a bar of cheese.

Puny's Squash Casserole
This is from the Mitford Cookbook and is so so so so so so yummy. In fact, I've been known to cut the recipe in 1/2 and make a smaller 8x8 pan and because my husband doesn't care for squash, I can savor all myself over several days.

3 T. unsalted butter, more for greasing the baking dish
8 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large eggs, beaten
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 c. crushed potato chips, ritz crackers, bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside. Place the squash and onions in a large pot with a smal amount of water over medium heat. Bring to a summer and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, then drain into a colander. Place in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add the butter and stire until melted. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, parsley, cheese, salt, and pepper and add to the vegetable mixutre. Pour into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Top with the crushed potato chips and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the potato chips are browned.

Yeast Rolls
I wish I had the blog address to give credit, but I think it's moved. This recipe was originally from Melissa and she blogged at a very sweet Victorian style blog ... drawing a total blank here. : )
Edited to add: FOUND HER!
2 cups warm water
2 packets yeast (or 4 teaspoons)
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. salt
1/4 c. melted shortening (I sometimes use olive oil)
1 egg, beaten
6 to 6-1/2 cups flour (we use just plain old white)

Dissolve yeast in water and mix in rest of ingredients. Since I knead in a mixer, the time is short for preparation. After kneading briefly together, turn out in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise for about an hour. Then form into rolls and put on greased baking/cookie sheet. Allow another 1/2 hour or so for a second rise. Then bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. This recipe (which I show doubled here, halves well) makes about 20-24 rolls.

Thanks Karla, for hosting this! I'll be by later today when I have some free time to check out everyone else's menus!

9 comments:

  1. Mmmmmmm!

    Thanks for the cream cheese technique. I never would have thought of that.

    Off to make some jello salad RIGHT NOW!

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  2. I LOVE squash casserole.

    My college friend's mom used to make the best, but I never got the recipe from her. This sounds like it! Thanks for the recipe :)

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  3. I keep hearing about squash casserole but I've never tried it. I think I'm going to have to make this now. (I know my husband would love me for it!)

    Thanks for these yummy recipes!

    Blessings,
    K

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  4. Wow! What great recipes... I LOVE the idea of apricot jello salad. Do you melt the cream cheese also (to make it creamy) or is it chunky?

    Also, can you use an acorn squash for your squash casserole???

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  5. Yummy! Everything sounds great.

    Linda

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  6. I'm not a fan of Jell-O and this looks so very wonderful! And I do have a cool Jell-o mould that I can use...

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  7. I'm using your roll recipe! Except I will do 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour. I will form the rolls and pop them in the freezer to take on our trip. Thanks!

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  8. Stephanie,

    I don't know what I did wrong, but I could not for the life of me get the jello salad to gel!

    Later I remembered that pineapple is supposed to have an enzyme that prevents gelling and I *think* you might have to wait until the jello salad is partially set before stirring in the fruit.

    Please correct me if I'm wrong! That's the only thing I could think of.

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  9. Okay, all of these recipes sound fabulous! I'm so glad you linked them up in my post. I really need to get that Mitford cooking book!

    Thanks, Stephanie, for participating in my Favorite Ingredients Friday- Casserole edition recipe exchange. I sure appreciate it!

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Thanks for commenting!

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