A Complete Thanksgiving Dinner

Our family makes this dinner ever year for the holidays. The turkey is the best!

Herb-Roasted Turkey with Pan Gravy
Serves 8 to 10

An instant-read thermometer is more accurate than the pop-up timers that sometimes come with frozen turkeys. The thighs should be cooked to an internal temperature of 180°; to avoid overcooking, remove turkey from the oven once it reaches 175°, as it will continue to cook out of the oven. Check again after about twenty minutes, and return to oven if it hasn't reached 180°.

Ingredients:
1 eighteen- to twenty-one-pound fresh turkey, thawed if frozen, giblets and neck removed from cavity and reserved for gravy
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, plus more for seasoning
3 to 4 lemons, each cut into quarters
2 to 3 onions, each cut into 6 wedges
1 cup dry white wine or water
3 cups Giblet Stock or Homemade Chicken Stock, or low-sodium canned

1. Rinse turkey with cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Let stand, uncovered, 2 hours at room temperature.

2. Combine butter, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers, gently loosen turkey skin from over the breast meat, and smear half the butter mixture under skin.

3. Preheat oven to 450°, with rack on lowest level. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set in a heavy metal roasting pan. Fold wing tips under. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside cavity. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as many lemon and onion wedges as will fit comfortably.

4. Tie legs together loosely with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Rub entire turkey with remaining herb butter, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, pressing to adhere.

5. Cook 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Using a pastry brush, baste the turkey with any pan drippings. Reduce oven temperature to 350°, and continue cooking 2 more hours, basting turkey and rotating pan every 30 minutes; if pan gets too full, spoon out some of the juices, reserving them for gravy.

6. After 2 1/2 hours of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone. The temperature should reach 175°, and the turkey should be golden brown. If thighs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey again, and continue cooking.

7. When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter, and let rest, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour the pan juices into a large glass measuring cup; let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim with a large spoon.

8. Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add wine or water, and bring to a boil; deglaze pan by scraping up any browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add stock; stir well, and return to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the defatted pan juices, and cook 5 minutes more; you will have about 2 cups. Remove from heat, and season with the salt and pepper. Strain into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey.

Nan's Green Beans
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon, diced
2 medium onions, sliced
1 pound green beans
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon sugar

Sauté bacon and onions in large saucepan until bacon is crisp.
Add green beans, season with salt and pepper and cover with water. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
Add sugar and simmer 20 minutes longer.

Holiday Casserole
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 (16 oz) cans Yams, drained and mashed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup cream
16 large marshmallows

Blend yams with sugar, salt, spices, butter, cream. Cut 6 marshmallows in half and mix with yams. Turn into greased baking dish. Top with remaining marshmallows. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until mixture is puffy and marshmallows are lightly browned.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Serves: 12

Ingredients for Filling:
3 pkg. (8 oz each) cream cheese. Softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eaggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash of ground cloves

Ingredients for Crust:
2 cups finely crushed ginger snaps
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
6 tablespoons butter. Melted

Crust: Mix ginger snap crumbs, pecans, and butter. Press onto the bottom and 2 inches up the side of a 9 inch spingform pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup of the sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the plain batter. Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, and spices into remaining batter. Spoon 1/2 of the pumpkin batter over crust, top with spoonfuls of 1/2 of the reserved plain batter. Repeat layers. Cut through batter with knifes several times for marble effect.
Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes or until center is almost set if using a silver springform pan. Or bake at 300 degrees for 55 minutes if using a dark nonstick springform pan. Loosen cake from side of pan, cool before removing side of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.