COOK OF THE WEEK - THANKSGIVING RECIPES

Originally, Thanksgiving Day was to celebrate and give thanks for the abundance that had been given to us through the past year. Now to many, Thanksgiving simply means going to another friend or loved ones home and sharing some favorite foods and perhaps even “overeating”! Hopefully we all still give thanks for the abundance God has given to us this past year which we should be doing every day anyway. For others, the load is on your shoulders and all of your family is coming to your home.
Many people will be roasting or smoking a turkey and/or a ham. I’m not concentrating on preparing the meat because you probably already know how to do that if you are hosting the party! I’m going to share some favorite recipes down through the years and maybe some new ones that go on the table along with that turkey or ham. The first recipe that comes to my mind is one that my Dad always requested and even made himself. It must have been his favorite – Green Bean Casserole.

Dad’s Green Bean Casserole
1 quart jar or 2 cans French
style cut green beans
1 can cream of mushroom
soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can French’s onion rings
Mix beans, mushroom soup and shredded cheese. Sprinkle onion rings over top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and onion rings are crispy brown.

Mom’s Scalloped Corn
1 pint whole kernel corn
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup cracker crumbs
butter
Mix all ingredients except butter. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Dot generously with butter. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. Serves 6 to 8.

My Favorite Scalloped Corn
1 stick butter
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn
(do not drain)
8 ounce carton sour cream
2 beaten eggs
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
Melt butter. Add remaining ingredients. Bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Simple Candied Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes, cooked
until almost done, drained,
then peeled - amount is
determined by how many
people you want to serve
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
Put butter in a skillet or casserole dish and melt the butter. Put the brown sugar in the pan and stir well. Lay the sweet potatoes on top of the sugar and butter; heat thoroughly. Stir gently as you heat to coat the potatoes with the sugar and butter mixture.

Another Sweet Potato
Casserole
3 large sweet potatoes
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Crunch Topping:
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Boil potatoes until tender. Remove skins when cooled. Put into a large bowl and whip them until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased casserole pan and top with Crunch Topping. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Broccoli Bake
1/2 cup oleo
2 tablespoons chopped onion
10 ounce package frozen
broccoli
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup precooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom
soup
7 slices Velveeta cheese
Melt oleo, add chopped onion. Undercook broccoli, drain. Add cheese to melt. Mix all ingredients and pour into buttered baking dish. Bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Carrot Casserole
8 cups sliced carrots (to fill
9 x 13 inch pan)
3/4 pound Velveeta cheese
1 small onion
1/3 cup margarine
salt and pepper to taste
Parboil carrots and drain. Alternate carrots and cheese and onion. Melt margarine and pour over carrots in pan. Crush corn flakes. Place on top. Bake 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Au Gratin Potatoes
(Everyone’s favorite!)
2 pound package frozen hash
browns, thawed
8 ounce carton sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup crushed corn flakes
1 stick oleo, melted
Mix hash browns, sour cream, chicken soup, milk, cheddar cheese and salt and pepper. Put in buttered baking dish. Sprinkle corn flakes over the top and pour melted oleo over corn flakes. Bake 1 hour in 350 degree oven.
NOTE: This recipe may be divided into small family portions and frozen in casserole dishes, ready for baking. It freezes quite well for future baking use.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Crust Layer:
2 cups crushed pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick margarine or butter,
melted
Mix and spread in buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool.
Second layer:
8 ounce softened cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups Cool Whip
Mix well and spread over crust. Let set in refrigerator.
Third layer:
(2) 10 ounce packages frozen
strawberries
2 cups pineapple juice or water
(2) 3 ounce packages
strawberry Jell-O
Heat pineapple juice or water and dissolve Jell-O in it. Add strawberries and refrigerate until syrupy. Spread over chilled second layer. Let set 3 hours or overnight. You could also use frozen blueberries and blueberry Jell-O. You will be lucky if there are any leftovers of this salad!

Cherry Salad
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can Eagle Brand Condensed
milk
20 ounce can crushed
pineapple
1 large carton Cool Whip
Mix together and sprinkle with nuts. Can be frozen or served at once.

Cottage Cheese Salad
1 large carton Cool Whip
1 large carton cream style
cottage cheese
1 large box lime Jell-O
1 can crushed pineapple,
drained
2 small cans mandarin
oranges, drained
Sprinkle Jell-O over cottage cheese. Mix rest of ingredients together with the cottage cheese. Fold in the Cool Whip. Simple and delicious.

Cranberry Relish
1 sack of cranberries, fresh or
frozen, probably 12 ounces,
used to be 1 pound.
3 or 4 apples, I like to use
Granny Smith, peeled, cored
and cut into wedges
2 oranges, peeled and
quartered
sugar to taste
NOTE: If the cranberries are frozen they will chop up easier. Mom used to make this with the old crank grinder fastened to the edge of the cupboard but the food processor works fast and great! Just don’t chop too fine or you will have mush. Only do part of it at a time.
If you don’t have oranges you can substitute one or two cans of mandarin oranges, drained. Some people like to add a can of crushed pineapple, drained, but I prefer without the pineapple.

Cranberry Salad
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
6 ounce package raspberry
Jell-O
4 cups (1 sack) ground
cranberries
1 apple, unpeeled, seeds
removed and ground
1 orange, unpeeled, seeds
removed and ground
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Bring sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in Jell-O until dissolved. Chill until partially set; add other ingredients. Refrigerate. This may be molded.

Lime Jell-O Salad
3 ounce package lime Jell-O
8-1/4 ounce can crushed
pineapple and juice
8 ounce carton small curd
cottage cheese
4 ounce carton Cool Whip
2 cups water
1 cup crushed pecans or
walnuts
Combine Jell-O, pineapple, juice and water; boil for 3 minutes. Set aside and cool until slightly thickened. Fold in cottage cheese, Cool Whip and nuts. Pour into mold or bowl; refrigerate until set.

Libby’s Pumpkin Pie
This recipe is on every can of Libby’s Pumpkin I think. It is so easy to make and almost fool proof.
(9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie
crust, ready-made or
homemade
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
15 ounce can Libby’s® 100
percent pure pumpkin
12 ounce can Nestle®
Carnation® Evaporated
Milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Put on center rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes more or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
NOTE: Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.) Often, instead of using the cinnamon, ginger and cloves I use the same measurements of pumpkin pie spice.

Pecan Pie
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, cut up
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon butter
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
9 inch unbaked pie shell
Beat eggs until foamy. Add the rest of the ingredients. Put in pie shell. Bake in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, then at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

If you are reading this, then you probably enjoy new recipes. If you would like to share some of your recipes with the community, YOU could be Cook of the Week. Please contact me, Sally Redenius, if you would like to be in this column some week. I can be reached by phone at 515-373-6346 or email me at sacuthbe@msn.com.

The COOK OF THE WEEK 3rd Edition Cookbook is available. Cost per copy is $10.70, plus $4.80 shipping/handling. Order a copy today by sending a check or money order, along with name and shipping address, to: Humboldt Independent, 512 Sumner Ave., Humboldt, IA 50548.