Thanksgiving Potluck
Thanksgiving may be the most famous potluck on the American calendar.
Thanksgiving has all the hallmarks of a typical potluck. It has all the following:
a slight competitive spirit
a personal mortification if the food isn’t eaten
specialties and
family.
Atypical potluck qualities include the fact that an entire country is eating the same dishes at once. How strange!
Since we’ve been married, James and I haven’t prepared Thanksgiving dinner much. We’ve tended to travel to Astoria to visit his mom. However with my pregnantypregnantness and our toddler, she of the limitless energy, well, we’re spending this year at home.
Since I also have a sprained ankle* and thirty extra pounds on me, well, these are the side dishes I’m preparing that require the least amount of continued standing.
I’m traditional like that.
The Way I Make Green Beans Recipe
Ingredients
2 pounds green beans
3 tablespoons salt
Directions
Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil.
Add salt.
Plunge the green beans into the salty water.
Remove after 2 minutes.
Butter, salt and pepper the beans. Serve hot.
Grown Up Creamed Corn Recipe
I can eat these decadent corn kernels because I still need those extra three hundred calories each day. You can eat them because they’re delicious.
Ingredients
16 ounce bag of frozen corn
1 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Slowly heat the cream in pan over medium heat. Please, for the love of pilgrims, do not bring to a boil.
In another skillet, melt butter.
Add flour and stir and mix until golden brown (about 5 minutes). It will be crumbly.
Add crumbly flour/butter mixture to the warmed cream.
Add corn, sugar and salt to the decadence.
Warm the entire mess. Taste before serving and adjust seasoning before serving.
Easy Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
1 loaf dense white bread chopped into cubes
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup cream or half and half
2 large eggs
2 medium onions, chopped fine
3 carrots, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
12 ounces bulk pork sausage, broken into 1 inch pieces
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large bowl, mix chicken stock, cream and eggs. Add the bread and fold gently.
Heat a large saute pan over high heat, add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage when done. Add the celery, onion, carrot mixture to the pork fat and saute over medium-high heat until soft (or another 5 minutes). Dump the contents of the pan into the bowl with the bread and liquids. Fold all together ever so gently. Add to a baking dish and cover and refrigerate until ready to go.
When you are ready to go, bake for 20 minutes at 400° F stirring once. You can also bake your stuffing during the last half-hour of your turkey baking time, whatever temperature that is.
And here’s my chalk-faced daughter calling someone’s fax machine or Australia or something.
*I didn’t tell you about rolling my ankle last week? Ooh, what a hoot! I stepped into the backyard and rolled it, falling, swearing and effectively beginning my end of pregnancy rest period.
Tags: helen jane thanksgiving, thanksgiving potluck, thanksgiving recipes
Follow along by subscribing to comments RSS 2.0 . Comment, or trackback, yo.