I always have a fresh cranberry sauce on my Thanksgiving table, and I buy extra bags of fresh cranberries and throw them in the freezer so I can make it whenever I want to. It’s tart and sweet at the same time, and why would you buy the canned stuff when you can do this so quickly and easily. It’s delicious with all poultry. Buy a few bags of fresh cranberries, they are all over the place now. If you have the room throw a few bags in the freezer.
Ingredients:
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Directions:
Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, dump in whole bag of cranberries (12 oz) bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. I let it sit a little off the heat and then refrigerate, this is so easy. Keeps for a pretty long while in fridge, and can def be made way ahead of the big day. For Thanksgiving I use 2 bags because it is my second Cranberry Dish. Since it’s really just a relish 2 bags is enough. Just double . Depending on how many people you’re having, for just the 2 of us I make cranberry sauce using one bag and keep excess in fridge , it keeps for a while. Happy Thanksgiving!
*as it’s just a relish 1 bag would probably serve 6-8 and 2 bags would probably serve 10-12
We always have to have a sweet potato dish with those darn marshmallows! This has a little twist which makes it a bit more interesting. It’s easy, tasty and unique, because I make it with both marshmallows and pecan halves on top. There are probably a million different recipes for mashed sweet potatoes, but this one goes on my table this year.
Ingredients:
3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks. Cook Sweet Potatoes (If you want to cheat with the canned ones, I won’t tell anyone, and what’s more is no one will know with all the other stuff in it.) Just drain them well.
1/2 cup whole milk (no skim please)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (when I double I just add 2 tblsp. butter no need to add 8)
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
20 big marshmallows or mini marshmallows ( as many as you can fit on top)
*40 pecan halves to cover top (you can use only marshmallows if you want) completely optional with the nuts we don’t do it
*cooking fresh sweet potatoes -Prep and wash potatoes –to expedite cooking –peel and cut into chunks before boiling or you can boil them whole and peel afterward
Place in a large pot and cover potatoes with cold water
Bring to a boil
Reduce heat and cover and simmer anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes
Drain and cool — then mash and use in your desired recipe
Directions:
Cover sweet potatoes with cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are knife tender. Drain and return to pot. Mash potatoes with a masher, then stir in milk, butter, pineapple, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Transfer mixture to a 2 1/2 quart oval casserole dish, smooth out on top. If you want to make a checkerboard top, start at the top left, and alternate one marshmallow with 2 pecan halves until the entire casserole is covered. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until marshmallows are browned and puffed. If you don’t feel like doing the checkerboard, you can also sprinkle mini marshmallows on top, or some large ones. Whatever you like. This is pretty loose, but you gotta have marshmallows!
*one little tip when making a day ahead which is what I do. I assemble the sweet potatoes and I refrigerate as is till day of Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving when I am ready to put in oven, I put in oven at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour then add the marshmallows till they brown up. Also be careful with aluminum foil on top of cooked marshmallows because they tend to stick to the foil.
I made this recipe for the first time Thanksgiving 2011 and it has become my favorite stuffing. I found it in a Barefoot Contessa cookbook, loved all of the ingredients and thought it was delicious. I know there a lot of stuffings out there and unfortunately this one is not vegetarian.
I am not gonna lie this stuffing takes some work and a lot of ingredients but it’s well worth it .
I don’t cook my stuffing in the turkey. I make it ahead of time and cook it in a buttered/sprayed baking dish the day of.
Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup diced dried figs, stems removed
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Calvados or brandy (I used Calvados, bought the bottle last year)
2 yellow onions, diced (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup (3 stalks) celery, diced about 1/2 inch
1 lb. pork sausage (I do 1/2 sweet and 1/2 hot. Feel free to substitute any kind of sausage you would like. Try to get the butcher to take it out of casing for you. It’s one less thing to do.)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (put in oven at 400 for about 5 minutes and watch them!)
3 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix –I use Pepperidge Farm Brand
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 extra large egg, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place the dried figs and cranberries in a small saucepan and pour in the Calvados and 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and celery and saute until vegetables are softened and onions are translucent (don’t burn them.) Add the sausage, crumbling it as you go. Continue to saute, stirring frequently and breaking up sausage. Keep cooking for about 10 minutes, until cooked and browned up. Add the figs and cranberries with their liquid, the chopped rosemary, and pine nuts, and cook until all ingredients come together, for a couple of minutes. Scrape up and remove all the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture, chicken stock, beaten egg, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and mix well. (This can be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight, which is what I do. It’s just too much to do the day of.)
I put the stuffing in a well-sprayed, slightly buttered (optional), baking (gratin) dish. If you put this in the preheated over, you will likely cook it for at least 45 minutes and probably more like an hour to two hours if it’s doubled. I also stir frequently while it is cooking, and then let it go for the last 15 minutes and it browns up. Taste for Salt and Pepper.
obviously if you are doubling this recipe you will need to use a large (very) frying pan. Or you can just do it in batches. You will need a very large pan to cook it up in though. You need to spread it out while it cooks so it cooks through. Once it is cooked you can always put it in a pretty baking dish and as it heats up just mix it through every once in a while so top doesn’t burn and bottom won’t be soggy.
I know everyone thinks that their stuffing is the best, but if made properly this one is absolutely amazing!
*This will probably serve at least 8 -12 as one of many sides, but feel free to double.
This recipe has been around pretty much my whole married life. If there is a turkey on the table, there is cranberry crisp next to it. It originated from my bestie Karyn. We make it for Passover with matzoh farfel since we love it so much. It’s so sweet and delicious that it could really be a dessert. We love it with our meal; love the sweet and savory thing. You can’t eat too much of it, it is so rich. It is also very dangerous to have in the fridge the next day, so try to give any leftovers to everyone who wants to take home leftovers. This tastes good either hot out of the oven or at room temperature and pretty darn good straight out of the fridge the next day! Some people may even want to make it as dessert and serve with vanilla ice cream, but the Kolen family likes it on the table with dinner. We always serve it as a side dish and it is awesome however you serve it. Thanks again, Karyn. Truly one of the best recipes ever!
I suggest reading through the entire recipe before making it as you should always do with every recipe anyway!
Happy Thanksgiving from my kitchen to yours.
Ingredients:
4 medium apples ( I use all different kinds)
1 can (1 lb.) whole cranberry sauce
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup uncooked quick rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter–melted
*for a larger crowd you can easily double this recipe — as is should serve 8 -12– make in a larger baking dish or split into two baking dishes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam.
Peel apples, slice them, then arrange in baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Spoon cranberry sauce over the apples.
Separately, stir rolled oats, flour, and brown sugar together. Melt Butter and let it just cool for a few minutes then mix in with oats and brown sugar till nice and crumbly. Sprinkle this over cranberry layer. Bake at 350 degrees until apples are cooked and top is lightly browned. The entire mixture will be bubbling and your house will smell divine. You will bake about 40 minutes to an hour. You can make ahead of time, and then on the day you need it, just heat it up until it bubbles. I usually make this a few days ahead, because it’s that much less that I’ll have to do the day of. This can definitely be made ahead of time so you can make it way ahead and freeze it. If you freeze it, take it out of freezer a day before you need it, and then heat it up the day of. (Make sure it’s completely defrosted and at room temperature before heating up)
When you re-heat , pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and cover with foil for first 1/2 hour and then remove foil for last 1/2 hour till it starts to bubble.
This has to be one of my all time favorite side dishes for Thanksgiving. It really would be great any time of year but for some reason it only gets made for Thanksgiving. It’s super easy and super delicious. My friend Audrey gave this recipe to me many years ago, and it has become a staple on our thanksgiving table ever since. It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it. It is a favorite in our family. Can be doubled easily, just make sure your baking dish is large enough.
Enjoy!
This one is very special and a real winner! and super easy!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (unsalted) 1 stick
1 8 oz. sour cream (lite is OK but not fat-free)
1 8 oz. can sweet corn (drained)
1 8 oz. can creamed corn (not drained)
1 8 oz. pkg. corn muffin mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter, mix in beaten eggs, then add the rest of the ingredients.
Pour into glass baking dish (Pyrex is good and I spray it first with a good cooking spray like Pam or Bakers Aid ) 9 x 12 works fine, it’s not a very deep pudding.
This is truly traditional Jewish comfort food made with buckwheat grains and bowtie noodles. I love it and grew up eating it and try to make it a few times a year. It is super easy and super tasty. If you’ve never made it why not start now. It’s a wonderful side dish to any meal and it can be vegetarian for all of those who need some extra vegetarian dishes on their tables just substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.
Kasha comes in a box. There are different types of Kasha and almost all will work. I use medium or coarse granulation. Wolff’s brand is really wonderful so look for it and for this recipe I follow the directions on the Wolff’s box of Kasha.
If you’re looking for an easy side dish to put together now is the time to look at this great recipe. This is also our go to the night before Yom Kippur. It’s tradition and delicious and comforting all at the same time.
Also perfect for Rosh Hashana.
*Wolff’s Brand Kasha is always available on Amazon
1 white/yellow onion thinly sliced or you can use chopped onions , entirely up to you.
app. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil you may need a little more and may want a bit more to drizzle at the end plus more — probably 1/4 cup in total
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper–to taste
*1 small box button mushrooms sliced 8 ounce box — mushrooms are totally optional but sometimes I feel like they add a little something
1 cup kasha, medium or coarse granulation– I use Wolffs Kasha and follow instructions on the box which I have written below
1 egg for kasha as per instructions on the box
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth as per box instructions
Directions:
Cook the pasta according to directions on box for al dente.
Saute’ the onions in vegetable oil , salt and pepper until they just start to soften, about 5 minutes. I use a medium size frying pan large enough to add in the pasta, and make sure you have a tight fitting lid.
Add the mushrooms and sauté until they start to soften as well, a few more minutes , set aside. Place mushrooms and onions in a bowl and you’ll use same frying pan to cook kasha.
Coat the kasha in a slightly beaten egg. You’ll just place kasha in a bowl and put beaten egg on grains. This will help the grains not to stick to themselves while you are cooking them. Make sure the grains are completely coated with egg. Put the kasha in the same frying pan, set over a fairly high heat. Flatten, stir, and break up the egg-coated kasha with a fork or wooden spoon for a few minutes till toasted and the egg has dried on the kasha and kernels are brown and mostly separate. Kasha instructions for cooking are usually on the box as well. Then I pour in the broth that I am using, a little margarine/butter is OK as well ( app. 2 Tbsp) bring to a boil, cover tightly, lower flame to simmer and cook for 10 minutes till kasha is fluffy–these are the directions on the box that I follow .
Add back in the mushrooms and onions and combine with chicken broth. Cook box of Bow Tie Pasta according to directions on box al dente.
Bring to a boil and cook over low heat covered tightly. Check on it after 10 minutes or so to make sure the kernels are tender and the liquid has absorbed. If not, cover and continue steaming for another few minutes till all liquid is absorbed.
Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if you’d like, mix in cooked pasta, and if you’d like drizzle a little more oil on it. I like to do it all in a large enough frying pan to hold pasta . You can always mix in pasta in a large bowl separately. I like it in frying pan on stove top till I serve it. You can always make ahead and heat up in oven at 350 degrees in a pyrex dish, you’ll most likely need to add a little oil if you do so.
*Wolff’s Kasha has directions for cooking kasha on the box. It’s pretty much the same , I just add in the mushrooms and onions for more flavor.
Another wonderful inspiration from Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbook “The Can’t Cookbook”, even though I can cook there are so many great and easy recipes in this book. This was certainly one of them. I served over pasta (see photos) and it is so easy! Everyone gets nervous about cooking eggplant and I really am not sure why that is, well this will cure you of that fear if you have it. You can just make this as a side dish without the pasta but any reason to eat pasta in this house is a good one.
Eggplants should be smooth-skinned, evenly firm and without soft spots. I bought organic , when I’m eating the peel or the skin I try to buy organic, same goes for tomatoes.
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant or 2 small ones
4 cloves garlic
1 pint cherry or grape type tomatoes
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
*1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper ( optional )
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the eggplant and the tomatoes. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the eggplant into 1 inch thick round pieces. Stack 2 rounds, then slice rounds 2 x and 2x across to make 1″ cubes. ( see photos). Smash the 4 garlic cloves with the back of large knife. Prepare baking dish by spraying lightly with Pam spray.
Place the eggplant , garlic, tomatoes, and thyme in baking dish. Sprinkle salt , pepper and crushed red pepper if you’re using it. With clean hands toss together until the eggplant is coated with olive oil and don’t worry if it’s over-crowded. It will break down and there will be plenty of room.
Roast until the eggplant is really soft and tender. I roasted for an hour and gave it a stir and was good to go.
I served over pasta but you certainly don’t have to have pasta, you can eat this just as is. If you’re serving over pasta you may want to drizzle a little more olive oil into the eggplant and tomato mixture–just for a little more saucier consistency.
It’s the end of the Summer and the Palisade Peaches are still here in Colorado along with the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes. It’s a no-brainer salad going on here made with the freshest of ingredients. Fresh Mozzarella is readily available almost everywhere now and grab some fresh basil while you’re at it. This salad worked out well with a few easy ingredients and it packed some super delicious flavor. Hurry to your farmers market or produce store to grab some of these beauties before they’re gone .
*can substitute burrata
*this recipe should serve 4 but can easily be doubled for more
Ingredients:
1 pint of cherry tomatoes ( I grabbed some heirloom cherry tomatoes)or any tomatoes you’d like the local tomatoes are beautiful this time of year
1 large peach or 2 small (Palisade Peaches here in Colorado have been amazing)
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cut up in cubes or however you’d like to cut it up
1 shallot
some fresh basil–throw in about 8 pieces and add more or less depending on your own particular taste
1 1/2 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or any flaky salt you like –this is approximate and use as little or as much salt as you like, tomatoes can endure a lot of salt
app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Rinse off tomatoes and cut in 1/2. Clean and cut the peach in half, remove the pit and cut into bite size pieces. Add tomatoes and peaches to a platter or a bowl. Cut up the mozzarella and add to bowl.
Peel and slice the shallots into thin slivers or rings whichever you prefer. Scatter over tomatoes, add the basil, drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper and stir gently.
Presentation is beautiful on a platter as well. Whatever way you do it the taste is phenomenal.
This is an oldie but goodie and always welcome on the table. It is perfect with a bbq and always seems to be a hit. It’s the time of year when cold salads are abundant but this beauty is really wonderful all year round.
Napa Noodle Salad
4 cups sliced Napa Cabbage ( I cheat and buy the cabbage in a bag. It’s not always Napa but sometimes I don’t feel like chopping. if you buy the bag, it’s fine, just use 1 whole bag. It’s more than 4 cups but it’s fine, and if all you can find is the cole slaw kind it’s Ok too, it will just have some carrots and some purple cabbage.
5 green onions (scallions) sliced very thin (green parts only)
Mix cabbage and green onions and refrigerate for a few hours (at least 2). This gives it a chance to meld and wilt a bit.
2 packages of Ramen noodles– buy the ones with the flavor packets (It doesn’t matter which flavor you buy b/c you will be throwing away those flavor packs –you won’t be needing them for this salad–just the noodles
handful of sliced almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds (available in the spice aisle)
1/4 cup butter
Take the noodles (hard crunchy ones) and put in a large plastic bag. Bang noodles with a mallet or your fist (fist is fine) and just crack them up. They’ll be easier to work with. Add the almonds and sesame seeds and brown all together in the butter.
Dressing
1/2 cup sugar ( I know, but I never said I cook DIET)
1/2 cup salad oil (plain old vegetable oil will do just fine)
1/4 cup vinegar (I use white rice vinegar, which is available in Asian section of supermarket or just wherever the vinegars are.)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce (low sodium always)
Toss all together and Serve
*cabbage and onions need to meld and wilt a bit, so make sure to give them at least 2 hours in the fridge. The hard noodles should stay a little crunchy. Don’t burn–just brown–the ingredients until the butter gets a bit bubbly; not burnt. Be careful. While you’re browning the noodles with the almonds and sesame seeds, move them around with a wooden spoon so it all gets buttery.
I know this is fattening, but isn’t everything fattening so yummy??? And you’re not eating the whole thing, so enjoy!!!
Of course you can double up this recipe, it’s just a whole lotta cabbage to toss! As a side dish, this is a nice amount as is.
This is my easiest Charoset to make — all in the food processor. It’s traditional in the sense that it’s an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) recipe. I add a little brown sugar instead of white sugar and it gives it just a bit more character. Remember, while a reminder of the mortar used in making bricks for Pharaoh, charoset is really just a sweet condiment of apples and wine! And we love it on Matzoh!
Have a Sweet Passover !
Ingredients:
3 medium Fuji apples (or any other kind you like), peeled, cored and finely diced (use processor to make your life simpler) I usually use whatever is in the house, but on Passover I go through so many apples, so buy what you like (I always like Granny Smith because they are nice and tart)
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (buy them pre-chopped)
1/2 cup sweet red wine such as Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga or just Concord Grape is fine
*20 pitted dates, chopped; or 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
*for a bit of extra added flavor you can add 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger (optional)
Directions:
After chopping apples, stir all ingredients in a large bowl. Keep in refrigerator ’til ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. You can also pulse everything together in processor, just be very careful not to over-process. I often do this to save time. You don’t want it too fine, so just go gently with the processor if you go that route. I do it in the processor, and I know exactly how I like it to come out, so go easy with the chopping. If it’s a little dry or too thick, you can always add more wine. I find this always tastes better after it sits and allows the wine to really soak and ripen for 24 hours. Before serving, check for consistency and add a little more wine, if necessary.
I always have a fresh cranberry sauce on my Thanksgiving table, and I buy extra bags of fresh cranberries and throw them in the freezer so I can make it whenever I want to. It’s tart and sweet at the same time, and why would you buy the canned stuff when you can do this so quickly and easily. It’s delicious with all poultry. Buy a few bags of fresh cranberries, they are all over the place now. If you have the room throw a few bags in the freezer.
Cooking with Candi 