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Sweet Potato Casserole

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Sweet PotatoYam Casserole

Speaking of classic Thanksgiving recipes, this is the classic baked sweet potatoes or yam casserole recipe.  I know there are a lot of new moderns versions of this side, but I love this original marshmallow-covered one too much to give it up.  When we were younger my mom made the mistake of trying to update the sweet potato recipe to a more modern version which was topped with candied walnuts or pecans.  I am sure it would have been delicious, but my sisters and I threw such a fuss that she ended up having to put marshmallows on half.

What can I say?  To me it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without marshmallow-covered candied yams/ sweet potatoes or canned jelled cranberry sauce (sliced at the can ring lines…. Not mashed up!) I call this sweet potatoes, but really I use yams because they are cheaper.  Preparing this dish is so easy, you will never use yams out of a can again!

Yams!

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Sweet Potato Casserole
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Ingredients
  • 2-3 pounds of yams or sweet potatoes
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp. maple syrup
  • 2-3 cups marshmallows
Instructions
  1. Peel and cut sweet potatoes up into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-12 minutes until sweets potatoes are tender.
  2. Drain sweet potatoes
  3. In a large bowl add cooked sweet potatoes, butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Mix together until combined and smooth.
  4. Spread out sweet potatoes in casserole dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees until sides are bubbling. Add marshmallows on the top during the last 5 minutes. To get the toasted marshmallow effect, turn broiler on for the last 2 minutes. Be careful because they can burn easily!
  5. These yams can be made ahead, up until the baking step and then refrigerated or frozen. You will need to add extra time to the baking to make sure they heat thoroughly.

Baked Yams with Marshmallows
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Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing

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Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing

I know K has already touched on this, but seriously, how is it already late November already?  I am really trying to enjoy Thanksgiving as it’s own holiday, but with December 1st right around the corner, it’s hard not to start thinking about Christmas. But first, we must keep our focus on a truly great holiday- Thanksgiving.  And I have a truly special dish to commemorate this holiday, Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing.

While I always enjoy a serving of regular stuffing on Thanksgiving, I think I could enjoy this chorizo cornbread version year-round.  A local restaurant has a version of this recipe on it’s menu and my husband and I order it as a side dish every time we go.  I was so pleased that I was able to recreate a very similar version in my own kitchen!

If you are looking to mix it up with some non-traditional Thanksgiving recipes this year, I highly recommend making this version.  Or, if you wanted to go all out for the stuffing lovers out there, you could make traditional stuffing and Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing…just let me know what time to stop by!

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Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
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Cook time: 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 oz. dried Spanish chorizo (I used a smoked version), cut into small cubes
  • 1 medium white onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
  • 3 cups cornbread, cut into cubes (you can buy it from pre-made or try this recipe for cornbread)
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish if desired)
  • cooking spray
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and heat the olive oil. Once hot, sauté the chopped chorizo for a few minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables start to brown (8-10 minutes.) Add the cut-up cornbread pieces and chopped parsley (reserving some for garnish if you like.) Stir well to combine. Stir in ½ cup of chicken broth (add more if the stuffing appears too dry.)
  3. Meanwhile, use the cooking spray to prepare a medium-sized casserole dish. Add the stuffing to the dish and bake for about 20 minutes (look for it to be lightly golden on top.) Garnish with additional parsley before serving.

Source: Adapted from Aaron Sanchez for Food Network Magazine

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Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

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K and I are both cooking up a storm in our kitchens this weekend so we asked our mom to do a guest post on her traditional make-ahead turkey gravy recipe.  By completing this step ahead of time, it cuts down on a lot of the cooking time (and stress!) on Thanksgiving day.  Take it away mom!

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy {from 2 Sisters 2 Cities}

I love to get many of the sides for Thanksgiving dinner done ahead of time. There are so many tasks to complete towards the end  of the cooking session that this recipe is a great time saver and delicious, too!  Before I  found this recipe, roasting a turkey dinner and then making gravy was a dreaded event. After nearly four decades of cooking for my husband and family, I have resolved that part of my holiday stress.

On a calm day in early November, this  recipe comes together easily – don’t let all the steps scare you. Most of the time is spent smelling the awesome vegetable -turkey broth simmering on the stove.  Easy enough to place in a couple quart mason jars, and freeze up to 1 month. Then, take out two days before Thanksgiving, put in refrigerator to thaw. The final steps of reheating can easily be delegated to a willing guest or one of my four daughters in my case!

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Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
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Recipe type: Sauce
Cuisine: American
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Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 10
 
Makes 6-7 cups Planning tip: Freeze up to 1 month then refrigerate 2 days to thaw. Reheat in saucepan, whisking to combine.Turkey drippings from roast pan can be added at that time.
Ingredients
  • 4 turkey wings ( 3-4 lbs)
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
  • 8 cups chicken broth ( RESERVE 2 CUPS)
  • 1 cup dry white wine or water
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 3 peeled garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp. dried thyme
  • ¾ cup flour
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put wings in a single layer in a roasting pan. Scatter the onions on top. Roast 1 and ¼ hours or until wings are nicely browned.
  2. Put roasted wings and onions in a 5- to 6-qt. pot. Add 1 cup of the broth to the roasting pan and scrape any of the brown bits from the bottom. Add this back to pot with 5 more cups chicken broth,( Keep the remaining 2 cups broth in the frig until later), carrots, garlic and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered 1 and ¼ hours.
  3. Remove wings from broth. Optional: When cool, pull off skin and can save meat for another use. Otherwise discard.
  4. Strain broth through fine mesh strainer, pressing vegetables to extract as much broth as possible. Discard vegetables. Skim fat off broth ( easy way to do this if time permits, refrigerate overnight and remove any solidified fat.)
  5. Whisk the flour into the reserved chicken broth until well blended and smooth.
  6. Bring strained broth to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture. Whisk until thickened and boiling. Boil 3-4 minutes to cook out any flour taste. Stir in butter , season to taste.
  7. On Thanksgiving, after the turkey is removed from the roasting pan, you can spoon the fat off the drippings and add 1-2 cups of the drippings to the gravy as it is being reheated.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

-2S2C Mom

Thanksgiving Menu 2012

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happy thanksgiving from 2 sisters 2 cities!

A photo from Thanksgiving 2006

I know it’s a little late to be writing this, but I wanted to share my 2012 Thanksgiving menu with you!  I ended up picking up our turkey and doing all the grocery shopping today- talk about last minute!  Now that I have all the ingredients at my house, I’m hoping to start prepping dishes this afternoon as my guests start to linger in from their original destinations.  Tomorrow morning I am running in a our town’s 5K turkey trot with my husband and sister.  Then, it’s a full day of cooking and fun family time!  Here’s my current menu for the next few days:

Wednesday Night:

Thursday (aka The Big Day!):

Friday:

  • Breakfast: Bagels and veggie cream cheese (hoping to post this recipe soon!)
  • Lunch: Sandwiches made from leftovers!
  • Dinner: Pork Carnitas and Guacamole (brought by my mom)
  • Dessert: Salted caramel bars and gluten-free brownies

I would love to hear what’s on your Thanksgiving menu this year.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

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