Can you please give me some good ideas for side dishes to have for Thanksgiving dinner?
This year is my first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner at my home. I would like it to be a memorable experience for my family but I am all out of ideas other then the usual turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes! I looked online for recipes but nothing seems to be easy! I don’t cook for myself, I eat takeout day and night so I really need dishes that wont be too difficult and ones that taste good. Thanks in advance,
Jessica
Baklava is made with walnuts or pistachio nuts…I looked it up, anyway can you substitute it with fruit? Sorry to sound so ignorant but cooking is not my thing!
Maple Glazed Carrots well that sounds yummy!
Green Bean Casserole is a good and easy dish, the one with the french cut green beans, cream of mushroom soup and those Frenchs’ french fried onions. Go to the store and look at the onion can and they will have a recipe.
Then on to sweet potatoes, you can just bake them and serve them with butter, or you can get the canned ones. mash them well, add butter and cream ( or milk) and a bit of brown sugar. bake and enjoy ( do NOT put marshmallows on top please)
Creamed Corn is easy, and there are some brands that come frozen in chubs, those you can just putinto the pot and cook. You can add some fresh black pepper and a bit of butter to taste.
Creamed SPinach is a tradition at my house. I make mine from scratch, but birds eye and green giant both make a very good creamed spinach also.
take a minute and get yourself a better homes and gardedn , southern living or some sort of women’s magazine, they are going to be loaded with recipes this time fo year. If you are a non cooker. then there’s nothing wrong with buying premade and just heating and adding your own seasoning..semi-homemade is accpetable. If you really cant step up and cook, then most local grocery stores have “meals” that you can buy precooked, just heat and eat at home. and you dont have to tell anyone either.
One thing that always helps a meal is good bread. again tradition at my house is pillsbury crescent rolls. just the smell of those bring me back to dinner at momma’s house.
good luck
Green Bean casserole, its easy and classic.
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Baklava
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Green bean casserole is an easy one. The recipe is on the can of mushroom soup usually. Also you can never fail with macaroni and cheese. Sweet potato casserole is also an easy one. There are many recipes on the web (use the canned sweet potato’s). And don’t forget the rolls.
You will be fine.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Jamaican jerk chicken, fried plantains, dirty rice. For apps you could have mini-Cuban sandwiches. Play Jimmy Buffet music and serve Corona or Dos Equis. Shouldn’t Thanksgiving be a little more Caribbean?
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I like to do a vegetable bake. A bag of frozen veggies, (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) and a can of cream of broccoli soup. Mix in 1/2 cup of milk. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Add french fried onions around the edge, (optional) or some shredded cheese on top. This is very easy, and good. I usually doube the batch, though. So buy 2 bags of veggies, 2 cans of soup.
Enjoy!
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mom of 3
Here are some great side dish recipes
Sherried Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
A Southern style side dish that’s always delicious.
Serves 6
Preparation Total: 55
Ingredients:
6 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup honey
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/3 cup sherry
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons margarine, or butter
Preparation:
Boil the sweet potatoes in salted water until they are tender. Peel and cut in thick slices. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, combine the honey, orange juice, orange rind and sherry.
Place a layer of sweet potatoes in a baking dish, cover it with some of the honey mixture and sprinkle generously with pecans. Repeat layers of potatoes, liquid and pecans until the casserole is filled.
Pour the remaining juice over the top, sprinkle with nuts and dot with butter. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until the juice has been absorbed by the potatoes and the top is browned.
Steamed Sweet Potatoes with Yogurt Herb Sauce
Serves 4
Preparation Total: 23
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, yam-type, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup chopped onions
1 garlic clove, crushed
3/4 teaspoon dill, crushed
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Dried parsley, for garnish
Preparation:
Steam sweet potatoes just until tender, about 6 to 10 minutes. To prepare sauce, melt margarine in small saucepan. Add onion, garlic, dill, paprika, salt and pepper.
Cook until onion is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 1 minute. Pour sauce over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Boursin Mashed Potatoes
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients
3 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peel and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 pkgs. Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs
1/2 cup half & half
4-tbsp. butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Place the peeled potatoes in large pot, cover with water. Bring to boil and cook 20 -25 minutes until potatoes are tender and done. Drain potatoes thoroughly in a colander. .
With hand held mixer mash or a ricer, process the potatoes until smooth. Add the Boursin cheese and butter and process until thoroughly incorporated. Thin mashed potatoes with half & half, beat 1
minute more.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Green Bean Sauté
Serves 4
Preparation Total: 25
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/3 cup finely chopped white onions
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
2 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sliced, raw mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
Preparation:
Sauté the first 3 ingredients over medium-high heat in a Teflon fry pan for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the 1/2 cup of chicken broth and let simmer for a minute or so more.
Then add the oregano, green beans, sliced mushrooms, and wine. Cover and let simmer over medium heat for a few minutes. Remove cover and simmer until the beans reach the desired tenderness.
Mom-Mom Mounts’ Harvard Beets (1956)
1/3 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 Cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. minced onion
3 Cups hot, diced or sliced, cooked or canned beets
Blend sugar, salt and cornstarch in a double boiler. Stir in vinegar, then cook until smooth and thickened, stirring constantly. Add butter, onion and beets and heat 20 minutes longer. Makes 5 servings
Maple Glazed Carrots
(4 servings)
Ingredients:
8 ea. Medium sized carrots
1/2 cup Fresh orange juice
1 ea. Rind, of orange grated
1 ea. Pinch of mace or nutmeg
3 tbsp. Maple syrup
3 tbsp. Butter
Preparation:
Peel carrots; cut into sticks. Pour the orange juice into a saucepan and add the carrots and the orange rind. Stir to coat the carrots with the orange juice.
Bring to a boil for a couple minutes then add the remaining ingredients and cook until carrots are tender.
Baked Yams and Apples
Ingredients:
3 pounds of yams
4 cups of granny smith apples, thinly sliced
Butter
4 tbsp. brown sugar
Allspice
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Parboil the whole yams for about 20 minutes with skin on. Remove and cool until you can handle them easily. Peel and slice them about ¼ inch thick. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a two-quart baking dish and layer half the sliced yams on the bottom, top with half the apples.
Dot with 2 tbsp. of butter and 2 tbsp. of brown sugar. Sprinkle with seasonings and repeat.
Bake covered for about 25 minutes, remove cover and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until yams and apples are tender and glazed.
Green Beans Almondine
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
2 lbs. fresh green beans
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup slivered, blanched almonds
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)
Preparation:
Wash beans and cut off ends. Place in a large skillet with water.
Combine butter and almonds in a small skillet and cook over medium heat, until the almonds get a nice golden color.
Cook beans over high heat until beans are crisp-tender. Drain beans and return to the pan. Add the almond butter and cook over medium heat until beans are tender. Serve at once.
Blue Cheese Stuffed Celery
Easy to make, just remember 2 parts cream cheese to 1 part blue cheese and you can make as many as you want.
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces blue cheese
Celery stalks
Mix the two cheeses thoroughly and chill. Wash celery stalks and cut into 3 inch lengths. Use a pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe the cheese mixture on the celery. Arrange on a decorative plate and cover with plastic wrap. Keep chilled until service.
Deviled Eggs with Bacon
6 large eggs, hard boiled
1 tbsp. mayonnaise or more if needed
1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
Dash of Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked crisp
Fresh parsley for garnish
Preparation:
Halve the eggs and carefully scoop out the yolks and put them into a mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, horseradish, mustard and Tabasco and blend well.
Season to taste and place the eggs on a decorative dish. Can be made to this point a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.
Sprinkle with bacon bits and chopped parsley before serving.
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Buy canned yams (1 can for 2-3 people), drain liquid off and dump into a 13/9 pan (make sure you spray with non stick), spread them out evenly. Dump bag of marshmallows on top, even them out and cook at 350 till hot and bubbly and marshmallows are golden brown on top.
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carrots cooked in maple syrup
References :
Green Bean Casserole is a good and easy dish, the one with the french cut green beans, cream of mushroom soup and those Frenchs’ french fried onions. Go to the store and look at the onion can and they will have a recipe.
Then on to sweet potatoes, you can just bake them and serve them with butter, or you can get the canned ones. mash them well, add butter and cream ( or milk) and a bit of brown sugar. bake and enjoy ( do NOT put marshmallows on top please)
Creamed Corn is easy, and there are some brands that come frozen in chubs, those you can just putinto the pot and cook. You can add some fresh black pepper and a bit of butter to taste.
Creamed SPinach is a tradition at my house. I make mine from scratch, but birds eye and green giant both make a very good creamed spinach also.
take a minute and get yourself a better homes and gardedn , southern living or some sort of women’s magazine, they are going to be loaded with recipes this time fo year. If you are a non cooker. then there’s nothing wrong with buying premade and just heating and adding your own seasoning..semi-homemade is accpetable. If you really cant step up and cook, then most local grocery stores have "meals" that you can buy precooked, just heat and eat at home. and you dont have to tell anyone either.
One thing that always helps a meal is good bread. again tradition at my house is pillsbury crescent rolls. just the smell of those bring me back to dinner at momma’s house.
good luck
References :
Green bean casserole. It’s on the back of the frenchies onion can!
Cream corn~ but take a can of regular corn and a can of cream corn and mix it together and then cook it! it taste better then just cream corn alone
Punkin pie- you can buy one
Apple pie- for people like me that dont like punkin pie, you can just buy one of these too
fruit salad!
buns
cranberry sauce, just get a can of it
Sweet patatoe cassorole- buy a can of it and the rest of the directions will be on the back of the can!
Good luck i hope everything turns out the way you want it. Don’t give up the first thanksgiving can be hard. But everything should turn out good if you know what your doing!
References :
Cheesy Grean Beans
2 can green beans, drained
1 jar of cheese whiz
stir green beans and cheese together in a sauce pan over low-medium heat until cheese is melted and heated throughout
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Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
Episode: Emeril’s Chelsea Market Thanksgiving
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_29157,00.html?rsrc=search
This is a fantastic recipe. My husband and I have made this several times and people always love them….They are yummy!
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id say easy stuff like go out and buy the canned stuff….. corn, string beans or whatever….get some desserts too!!
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Sweet potatoe Cassarole is a big hit with my family.. Mashed sweet potatoes with a pecan topping! Email me if you would like the recipe.. sunshine2boy@aol.com
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Personal Experience
i always cook a dish called broccoli rice and cheese casserole. The recipes is simple. here is the recipe for it. 1 cup of cooked rice,1 big jar of cheese whiz,1 medium size onion chopped& cooked,1 (16 oz) package of frozen chopped broccoli,1 can of cream of chicken,1 can of cream of celery and 1 stick of butter. First cook your rice set it aside. then cook your onion then mix your broccoli and cheese whiz together then your 2 soups then put in the cake size pan.then cut your butter in small pieces then put it all over the mixture in the pan. Bake it the oven @350 for 1hr or until the cheese is bubbly. the sevre. it is great good….My whole family loves it. My three year old loves it too….and she doesn’t like alot of things
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