Over the past three days, I’ve received more than a handful of random requests for my cranberry sauce recipe, and for the Corn Pudding Pushover. Recipes included below, along with links to prior Thanksgivings, including last year’s video of how I planned a do-ahead Thanksgiving, not days in advance, but weeks! Lots of these are side dishes, perfect to bring to someone else’s home. In the coming days, I plan to post a lot of Thanksgiving things, from recipes and videos to tabletop plans and takeaway plans (last year, I baked Cranberry Orange Nut muffins, and wrapped them individually for guests to enjoy “the morning after”).
STEPHANIE’S SAUCY CRANBERRY COMPOTE
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
3 (16 ounce) cans whole cranberry sauce (not jellied)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
1 (6 ounce) can mandarin oranges
Shaved apples
Orange zest (not sure how much)
In a large bowl, mix together the pineapple, cranberry sauce, walnuts and strawberries. Mix in orange zest. Cover and chill overnight before serving in glass serving bowl. The truth is, you can’t screw this up. Just drain out the juice, or it will be too watery. And if you want more mandarin oranges in it, just add them. Everyone, EVERYONE, loves this, and it’s so damn easy. The shaved apple idea comes from my father’s wife, Carol. She uses McIntosh.
Thanksgiving 2006 was an Open-Marriage, Open-Door Thanksgiving in Austin, TX back when the beans were still guppies, swimming in my bowl. Phil deep-fried his first turkey in the backyard!
Thanksgiving 2007 was in Manhasset, NY at my Dad & Carol’s pad. We were up visiting from Texas, so the grandparents could get their bean fix.
Thanksgiving 2008 involved my Grandmother’s China, a deep fried turkey and a glazed ham in Texas.
Thanksgiving 2009 is where the most recipes live. Including Cheesemonger’s Mac N’ Cheese
The Thanksgiving of 2009 was spent in Florida with my mama—one of the best cooks I know. She makes all holidays magical, and I LOVE that, like me, we can taste, enjoy, and analyze the meat out of any dish, knowing how we’d tinker with the recipe, what we’d add, how we’d change it, every bit of it. I wish I could spend every Thanksgiving with her. That’s what’s hard about divorce.
Thanksgiving 2010 was spent in Texas, just our double knot of 4: Luke, Abs, Phil, and Moi
Thanksgiving 2011 We were existing in Boca Raton, FL. My least favorite year, by far, and I was, of course, at my thinnest, size 27 J Brand jeans, size 4, looking my best, feeling my worst. It’s just true. When I’m happy, I get fat. For the record, this year, 2013, I won’t even get on a scale, that’s just how happy I am. None of my clothes fit, but my life suits me. I am at peace, which is my best description of what success is. It’s being completely at peace. I am. I’m likely a size 10, but screw it. I’m happy. In 2011, we spent Thanksgiving at my mom’s, then after dinner, we gathered together at a tented pool reserved for our family, where we binge picked our way through desserts. Together, with all my first cousins (and their kids) we were close to twenty-five people, give or take a drumstick.
Thanksgiving 2012 took a lot of planning (recipes here alone with my Do-Ahead Thanksgiving Video), fit to feed 19 people. Phil’s parents and sister, neice, my step-sister’s and their own crews, my step-mother, her brother, etc. It was the first Thanksgiving where we hosted at our house, both families, now that we moved back to New York. My theory is that if you live in the same state, you should all be celebrating together! 2012 photos here (my one regret is that I shouldn’t have had the meringue sitting out for presentation-sake. It got weepy and needed to stay cold. There are different types of meringue, some that stand at room-temperature longer than others. I need to work on this, this year). Another post soon to follow on the 2013 Thanksgiving lineup! It will surely include the recipe for these:
PARSNIP PEAR PUREE
6 cups coarsely chopped parsnips (about 3 large)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Anjou pears, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon Cognac
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Place parsnips in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add the pears and saute for 5 minutes. Add the Cognac and cook stirring frequently for 15 minutes.
3. Process the parsnips and pears in a food processor until smooth. Add the sour cream, allspice, and salt and pepper to taster and process just to blend. Serve immediately.
DUMP AND RUN CORN PUDDING
This is the best recipe for corn pudding, ever. Rave rave rave reviews each and every time. What I love most? You just dump and run, and then it’s done. Love it.
2 cans of corn kernels with juice
2 cans creamed corn
2 boxes corn muffin mix (Jiffy or Krustaez for an all natural alternative)
2 sticks of butter, melted
2 cups (1 container) sour cream
Mix all together and bake in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.
