Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish

I can not separate them. I tend to mix my mashed, stuffing, and green bean casserole together, so to have it be the perfect side I need all three :)

My favorite....ambrosia salad. Mmmmmmm yummy. Last year I didn't have it and it didn't feel like Thanksgiving.

I make a layered sweet potato and cranberry casserole that my husband goes wild over. My whole family loves it actually. It's a pretty simple recipe.

4 lg. sweet potatoes
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 c. fresh cranberries
1/2 c. fresh orange juice

Cook sweet potatoes, drain and cool slightly. Peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange half sliced potatoes in greased 1 1/2 quart casserole and sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar. Dot with butter and sprinkle 1/2 cup cranberries over top. Cover with remaining sweet potatoes, brown sugar and cranberries. Pour orange juice over all. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, distribute walnut topping over top and bake 10 minutes longer.

WALNUT TOPPING:

Mix together:

1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Roasted garlic mashed sweet potatoes: Roast one head of garlic. Bake sweet potatoes and regular potatoes in a 2:1 ratio. Mash the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and roasted garlic together with butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg.

Also, roasted brussel sprouts. Just trim the brussel sprouts, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until some of the ends are crispy. Mmmm.

Macaroni salad made with Kraft Rings macaroni (which are hard to find). The dressing for this salad also makes a great potato salad.

Strangely enough, zucchini casserole!. You'd never know there were veggies in it - it's made with Jiffy corn bread mix and cheddar cheese - my kids love it!

I love this topic! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without sweet potato casserole, which I insist on topping with marshmallows. Yummm...

This year, we're adding our new favorite veggie recipe, the Barefoot Contessa's roasted broccoli: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-ro... - I promise you have never tasted broccoli like this! My kids come back for seconds and thirds.

Sweet Potato Casserole topped with Brown Sugar, Butter and Pecans.

Homemade Mac & Cheese :-)

Yams. Definitely the yams! It can't be Thanksgiving without them.
Also, we have my grandfather's "Million Dollar Salad", cream cheese, whipped cream, marshmallows, pineapple, cherries, and slivered almonds.
I love everything about Thanksgiving. I can't wait.

My mother-in-law makes the best stuffing and asparagus with 'sand' (a butterly breadcrumb mixture). We all fight over the stuffing!

I made a corn and leek pudding a few years ago that was delicious, but I am a purist....good old mashed potatoes are my favorite.

Cream Gravy made from turkey drippings :) :) :) On everything.

Layered salad. Lettuce, peas(frozen), cucumbers, celery, onion, radishes, bacon and dressing(mayo & sour cream).

Greenbean casserole. I think it is a couple cans of green beans,campbells,cream of mushroom soup and the dried onion things that go on top. You can probably find the recipie on the campbells web site.

I love love love wild rice. But my MIL makes a to-die-for corn casserole type of thing (truly defies description).

My Aunt makes the most amazing broccoli rice casserole, but she uses the spicy Velveta cheese.. Mmmmm..

Of course our daughter makes the BEST pecan pie.. She is so precises it comes out perfect every time.. (she uses the recipe on the back of the Karo syrup bottle.).

I'm sharing my favorite, even though I don't know how well it would travel... my favorite to eat on Thanksgiving is green beans in a sour cream (make a thick roux adding sour cream and milk to get the right consistency). Yum! Can barely wait the 10 days to Thanksgiving ;)

Green beans! This is one of those dishes that EVERYONE eats during Thanksgiving dinner.

Cut a pack of bacon in half. Cook the bacon a little in a skillet or in the microwave. Then, wrap each piece of bacon around several green beans (as many green beans as will fit) and secure the bacon with a tooth pick. Place all your bacon wrapped green beans in a casserole dish and bake at 350....not sure how long. It doesn't take too long though. Just until the bacon is cooked.

We use canned green beans and I like French cut best but you don't have to use as many with the regular green beans.

Here are a couple of our favorites:


Baked Corn

2 1/2 c corn thawed and/or drained (we usually use frozen shoepeg corn)
1 1/2 T flour
2 1/2 T melted butter
1 T sugar
3 eggs beaten
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper

Mix all ingredients together except eggs. Fold in the beaten eggs. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes in a greased 2 QT casserole. I have doubled this batch for the holidays and put it in a 3 QT oval casserole and baked at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour.



Baked Pineapple or Pineapple Stuffing

1 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter
3 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 can crushed pineapple drained
4 cups or about 5 slices of stale bread cubed

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add pineapple and stir in bread cubes. Bake in a greased casserole uncovered for about 45 min at 375. Serve hot or cold. I have doubled this recipe also and put it in a 9x13.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Pie Pudding
Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter (melted) or 2 tablespoons margarine (melted)
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla
whipped topping (optional)

Directions:
Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 6 1/4 hrs

In a large bowl mix together the first eight ingredients.
Transfer to crock pot coated with Pam.
Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours.
Serve in bowls with whip cream, if desired.

Love Green Bean Casserole!

Mashed yams or sweet potatoes. I make them the day before and add ginger, nutmeg as well as some butter. Then I put the potatoes in a casserole dish and top with sweetened pecans. Not too fattening, yet tasty and looks good on the table.

My favorite side is homemade stuffing with sausage in it!