Happy Thanksgiving

I spent the day in the kitchen yesterday and made our entire Thanksgiving meal. This is unusual for me since I'm not good at multi-tasking. We didn't have any Thanksgiving plans this year so we had a great dinner last night and now we have leftovers!

I posted yesterday on Facebook about my Broccoli Salad and Cranberry Sauce. I will repost those recipes here. I also made dressing for the first time in my life and I made it in the crockpot. It was fantastic! Michael said that it reminded him of his mother's which was the ultimate compliment.

We also made Alton Brown's Green Bean Casserole (with some changes) and it was wonderful. I will have to post that recipe another time since I'm not sure exactly how Michael did it. 

And, of course, turkey.

Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing

6 cups prepared cornbread (Michael made me some cornbread the previous night. You can also use Jiffy mix cornbread but I suspect it would not be as tasty).
8 slices of day-old bread (I just used regular loaf bread)
4 eggs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 TSP. of poultry seasoning or Sage (I used a combination of both)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 10 1/2-oz. cans of cream of chicken soup
2 10 1/2-oz cans of chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt

*Lay your bread out on the counter the night before you prepare the dressing so that it will dry.
*Crumble the breads.

*Add all other ingredients except butter. Salt to taste.
*Pour into a sprayed crock pot.
*Dot with butter.
*Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

Broccoli Salad - my favorite side dish!

1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces, washed and driedb
bacon (6-8 slices)
1 bunch green onions, chopped (blades)
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans
2 TBS. cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Cook bacon, cool and crumble.
Toss broccoli, bacon, onions, raisins and pecans.
Whisk together the vingegar, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over the broccoli mixture and refrigerate.
Chill overnight.

Cranberry Sauce

1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange 
1/2 cup water
2 T. Grand Marnier liquor (optional)
Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Plop all the ingredients into a heavy stock pot. Simmer on low (be sure to cover!) for about twenty minutes. You will hear the berries start popping and that is OK. Stir occasionally and make sure heat is very low. Refrigerate. Can be made up to four days ahead.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy