Granini's Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Recipes

This year as I make plans to put together a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, I thought it might be nice to have all my recipes on one page.

Many of my recipes do not (yet) have photos. When I'm making Thanksgiving dinner, I rarely have time to breathe, let alone take photos of the lovely yummy dishes that I'm making. So, alas. I shall try to do better this year.

But for now, here are my recipes:

(I will add the links as I post the recipes)

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory Treats

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip

Side Dishes

Cornbread Stuffing / Cornbread Dressing

Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

Gravy

Dinner Rolls (aka Parker House Rolls)

Ratatouille (for the vegetarians!)

Cranberry Orange Relish
Glazed Carrots

Creamed Corn Casserole

Sautéd Green Beans with peppers and onions
Sinful Macaroni & Cheese

Additional Recipes you may want to peruse:

Cornbread
Spaghetti Sauce (for the Ratatouille)
Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie for the days after Thanksgiving

Pies!

The week of Pie 
(all of my pie recipes in one place)


Pie Crust recipe & instructions
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie with caramel drizzle
Blueberry Pie (with 3 crusts!)
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Chocolate Eclair Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
French Silk Pie
(it's a fancy chocolate cream pie with chocolate crumb crust)
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Pumpkin Pie

Snickerdoodles

(What to make with the leftover pie crust)

OR, if you prefer to drool over recipes with pictures, see below:

Dutch Apple Pie with homemade caramel sauce

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory Treats

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms

Links to all Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats

Pie Crust
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pie
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cupcakes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Sticky Buns
Coconut Cream Pie
Coffee Cake
Danish Pastry Dough
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Almond Cake
Lemon Breakfast Cake
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Oreo Cheesecake
Oreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pumpkin Pie
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)
Thin Mint Truffles

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip

Granini's Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip

Ingredients:

1 red pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese

smoked paprika

cayenne pepper

cajun seasoning

Directions:

Crush the clove of garlic. Cut the red pepper into small pieces, removing the seeds and stem. Blend together in a small cuisinart. Using a rubber spatula, squeeze as much of the liquid out of the pepper as possible. Add in a dash of smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and cajun seasoning. Add in the package of cream cheese and blend thoroughly.

Serve with crackers or on veggies

It's so good, you almost won't want to eat the turkey.


For those of you who like pictures, here you go:

Blend the garlic and the red pepper in a quisinart. Drain any liquid.

Sprinkle on some smoked paprika, cajun seasoning and some cayenne pepper

Add in the cream cheese and blend until all mixed together.

Shlop all of that into a nice dish, and spread onto crackers! or veggies.
If you like those.
 Or a spoon.
Or your finger.

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Creamed Corn Casserole

Granini's Creamed Corn Casserole

source

Again, I'm sorry the picture isn't mine. I'll post one as soon as I make it again. Mine doesn't have that odd looking crusty stuff on top. But the insides look just like that.

Nowadays, I tend to stick with just heating up a can of corn, or heating up frozen corn, and serving it plain. I have enough items on the buffet that are filled with eggs and butter and sugar and every other way you can disguise a vegetable. But when I was growing up, creamed corn casserole was a staple and a favorite. My father-in-law will eat the entire dish by himself if we let him. I haven't made this dish in years, but it's on the list of things we're serving this year, so I needed to include it along with all my other recipes. It is truly tasty. Even if it isn't even remotely healthy.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 can cream style corn

1 cup milk

dash of pepper

Directions:

Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Beat two eggs in the bottom of the casserole dish. Add in the salt, flour, sugar and butter and mix completely. Add in the can of creamed corn and the milk. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Sprinkle pepper on the top. Bake at 350º for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Super easy.

Or, you can just open up a can of regular corn, add in a dash of water, allow to heat thoroughly, and then drain and serve. That's even easier. And better for you. Then you can eat more pie.

Enjoy!

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Green Beans

Granini's Green Beans

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 clove minced garlic

1/3 diced red pepper

1/3 diced onion

1 package Trader Joe's frozen green beans. I get mine from Trader Joe's, because they're delish, and easy, and I pop open a bag and just dump out a few as needed whenever, and then pop it back into the freezer. But that's just me. Now, if you have access to FRESH green beans, and you don't mind putting someone else to work popping off the ends and de-veining them, by all means, use those! Give them a quick wash and a drain, and follow the recipe below. I, however, can never seem to find lovely green beans that are fresh at the end of November. And I NEVER EVER use canned green beans. Because that's mushy. And these are not. These, these are lovely.

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

dash of salt

dash of pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add in minced garlic, red pepper, and onion, and sauté for a few minutes. Add in the frozen green beans and toss them around. Cook for a few minutes until they are no longer frozen. Sprinkle on onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Serve.

Super easy.

And always the second to last thing I serve at Thanksgiving. The last thing I serve are my glazed carrots. But these are the second to last. I don't even start making them until everything else is sitting on the buffet, ready and waiting.

Hey, I wonder if any of you want to see my crazy Thanksgiving to do list, which tells me exactly when to put what in the oven, and when to make whatever, and organizes the whole thing for me. I also have a shopping list. And it's organized by store. And by dish. And by ingredient. And there's a whole separate spreadsheet just for pies. If I posted that link, do you think it might be helpful? Hmmmm.

Anywhoo, these green beans are super tasty and delicious, and the red peppers add a pretty contrasting color to the bright green of the beans. And I'd like to shout out a special thank you to my sister-in-law Adrienne for making them this way a hundred years ago at her very first Thanksgiving dinner with our family. I'd never seen them done like that before, and I've been using her idea ever since. So here's to Adrienne! Thank you!

Enjoy!

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Glazed Carrots

Granini's Glazed Carrots

source

So I hate cooked carrots.

And I never eat them.

But the thing is, my family loves (!!) glazed carrots. And I mean LOVES them. Loves them as in no matter how many pounds of glazed carrots I make, they will eat them all.

And lick the plate clean.

And ask for more

So that must mean they like my recipe.

So I'll share it with you.

The bummer part is that I've never really written down the recipe. I just wing it. So the amounts may be a little bit off. You'll just have to taste the glaze and see if it tastes just right, and then adjust as necessary. Because, I'm sorry to say, I can't do it for you. If you want to know why, please see below. If you couldn't care less, which I suppose will be 99% of you, please feel free to just read on.

Ingredients:

2 (16 ounce or so) bags of wee baby carrots, OR
3 or 4 large carrots peeled and sliced (at an angle) into 1/2 inch slices (or so)
2 Tablespoons salted butter (if you don't have salted, then just sprinkle on a wee little bit salt)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large squirt honey or maple syrup. Probably 1/8 of a cup? maybe 1/4 of a cup? Depends upon how many carrots. Not too much. Try squirting in just a little, and then tasting it. Then add in more if you need more.

Directions:

**I usually steam the carrots when I have time on Thanksgiving day, and then let them sit in the corner somewhere until I'm ready to make the glaze. I make the glaze as one of the very last things before serving my dinner, because I want them piping hot. Sometimes, I have people start gathering around the buffet before I even start glazing the carrots, just so that they're the last thing out.**

Steam carrots for 5-8 minutes or so, until they're al dente.
Don't oversteam, or they'll be mushy. Drain.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the drained carrots, and stir, until they're all coated with butter. If you have a lot more carrots, feel free to add in a little more butter.
Once the carrots are all coated in butter, sprinkle on top the brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. Once all the carrots are coated, squirt in a wee bit of honey or maple syrup. Yep, the kind you put on your pancakes. Stir.

Cook on a medium low heat, stirring often, cook for 3 minutes or so, allowing the ingredients to melt and bubble. Do not overheat or the sugar will burn and ruin your carrots. Once the topping starts smelling delish, dip in the tip of a spoon, blow on it (or you'll burn your tongue), blow on it again, and then give it a good taste. If it needs a wee bit more syrup, or brown sugar, or salt, add in just a weeeee bit more, and mix together. Get a fresh spoon (or wash the first), and taste again. If it tastes good, then you're ready to serve immediately. While piping hot.


 Enjoy! That is, if you can get any. I'm guessing they'll all be gone before you even make it around to that end of the buffet.

Click here for more Thanksgiving Recipes

* * * * *

So. If anyone cares, here's why I don't eat carrots.

First of all, I hate cooked carrots.

And I never eat them. I don't know what it is about them that I don't like. The mushy texture, the weird taste? I've tried smothering them in gravy, but that's usually the only way I can gulp them down. But now, get this...

I'm actually allergic to them.

Which is awesome.

Because when you're allergic to something and you hate that something, and you can NEVER EVER EVER eat it again, it's a fine thing.

Best excuse ever.

Because when you're allergic to something and you love that something, and you can never ever ever eat that again, it's a very, very sad thing.

And I know this from first hand experience.

Because I am allergic to SO many things, and I still crave them. Dream about them. Yearn for them. And it's a sad, sad thing.

But, the funny thing about carrots is that I'm not actually allergic to carrots. And no, I'm not cheating. It's that I'm allergic to birch trees. Evidently my body thinks that carrots are birch trees, and every time I try to eat a carrot, my throat closes off, my nose plugs up, and I start going into anaphylactic shock. Because my stupid body can't tell the difference between a carrot and a birch tree.

Which is ridiculous.

But true.

And why I never have to eat my vegetables ever again.

hahahaha.

And I'm not even joking.


* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Cranberry Orange Relish

Granini's Cranberry Orange Relish

Source

Again, I apologize for not using my own pic. I promise I will do my best to take pictures this year! I say that every year though. So perhaps you'd best not hold your breath. I do know the number for the paramedics, should you hold your breath, and turn blue, and start to pass out. Or actually pass out. But if you're all the way over there, and I'm all the way over here, however am I going to tell when it's time to call them?! So maybe, just this once, don't hold your breath.

Anywhoooo...

My recipe for cranberry orange relish, which I prefer to call: 

Mmmmm. Thanksgiving Jelly. Mmmmmm.

is a recipe I made up a gajillion years ago. I've seen many people make variations of the recipe, but their's never seemed to come out sweet, and not bitter.

So I looked up "how not to make cranberries bitter" and found out that if you cook them too long, THAT'S why they turn out bitter!!! Good to know!

And now YOU know too!

So yay me for sharing!

I don't like bitter.

So the trick to this recipe is to only cook the cranberries until the very first few cranberries start to pop.

So here we go:

Ingredients:

1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries

1 cup water

2 peeled and roughly chopped satsuma oranges. You know, the sweet little oranges that you can eat five of at lunch time before you realize that you should probably stop.

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cup water

Directions:

Wash the cranberries. Don't bother draining them, just plunk them into a saucepan. I prefer a nonstick saucepan because they can get a bit 'stainy,' and that's just what I prefer. Easy clean up.

Peel and roughly chop up two satsuma oranges. Plunk those into the saucepan.

Add in one cup of water. Ish. A little more or a little less won't kill you.

At this point, bring those items to a boil on medium high, stirring away every now and again. But keep your eye on them, because you only want to cook them JUST until the first few cranberries pop. And by pop, I mean kinda burst open in a rather traumatic way.

Once two or three cranberries have popped, add in your sugar and your lemon zest and turn down the heat to a simmer.  Stir merrily away as necessary, and allow the rest of the cranberries to soften up, about 7 or 8 minutes or so.

Remove from heat and allow to rest.

Do NOT be tempted to overcook.

They WILL soften up on their own when you let them rest.

And if you overcook them, they will be nasty bitter.

And who likes bitter cranberries?!?!?!

Blech.

So just cook them like I suggested, then take them off the heat and let them sit on the counter until they're cool enough to chill in the fridge.

Once the mixture has cooled, place it in an airtight container (so that it doesn't spill over in the fridge and then STAIN EVERYTHING IN SIGHT, which it will, because it's a sneaky little toad), and then let it chill completely.

I usually make my thanksgiving jelly, er, um, I mean cranberry orange relish, about two or three days before thanksgiving. Because frankly, I'm usually too darned busy making pies to make jelly on the day of thanksgiving. I mean really, this year I'm making sixteen pies. Blissful sigh. It's no where near my magical week of twenty three thanksgiving pies. Alas. I'll just have to make do with only sixteen. Sixteen should keep me on my toes. Or at least give my arms a wee bit of a work out before the BIG DAY, my most FAVORITE DAY, the DAY OF GLUTTONY!

mmmmmm.  Gluttony.  mmmmm

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Homemade Caramel Sauce

Granini's Homemade Caramel Sauce

source

I was so grateful to come upon this recipe for homemade caramel sauce when I was pinteresting one day. The first time I made it I was eager with anticipation. Now I almost regret having made it, as it is SO good that I can't ever go back to anything else.

It is a simple and easy recipe. And it tastes mmmm good on top of, well, anything. But it particularly tastes yummy on my apple pies.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon salt (if you're using unsalted butter. If you're using salted butter, no need to add in the extra salt)

1/2 to 3/4 cup evaporated milk *

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, add butter, brown sugar, water, and (optional) salt. Cook over medium heat until the butter begins to melt.

Allow the mixture to boil for five minutes. It will bubble. A lot. Just keep stirring. Constantly.

Once the five minutes are up, remove from heat. Slowly pour in the evaporated milk and stir completely. Mix in the vanilla.

When you dip in your spoon to taste, because you're going to have to, make sure you blow on the spoon first to cool the caramel down. It is mighty hot, and you will burn every.single.taste.bud.off.your.tongue. And then you won't be able to taste the caramel on your pie! And that, my dear, is a travesty.

If you happen to have any of the caramel sauce leftover, simply pour it into an air tight container and keep it in the fridge. Mine never seems to last very long in the fridge -- not because it goes bad, but because I'm a fat chick with a sweet tooth, and there's no way I'm going to allow a container of caramel sauce go to waste.

And I promise, neither will you.

Enjoy!

Yummmm!

Click here for more Thanksgiving Recipes

Or for more of my pie recipes

click here for The Week of Pie

*Now, once upon a time, I got my evaporated milk and my sweetened condensed milk all mixed up in my head. It happens. Particularly when I'm at the grocery store, and I'm supposed to buy the one for the pumpkin pie, and I can't remember which one it's supposed to be, and they're all out of the pumpkin I like, so I can't even look at the back of the can of pumpkin for their recipe to see which one they use, and my phone's internet is not connecting in the baking aisle, and people are pushing and shoving and irritated because they have to bake and cook for their relatives, and their stress levels are growing by the instant, and I'm all alone. So yeah. It happens.
So. This one time I made this caramel sauce with sweetened condensed milk rather than evaporated milk. And that one time, well, let's just say I was not disappointed!! I'd be curious to taste the two recipes side to side, to see which recipe I preferred. And I'm thinking if you used the sweetened condensed milk you could probably cut back on the amount of brown sugar that you need for the rest of the recipe. Perhaps I shall do an experiment in January when my sugar coma has subsided from all the holiday treats, and I'm yearning for something delish to experiment on.

Maybe I'll just do that.

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)