Cooking for Thanksgiving Day

Cooking the Thanksgiving Day turkey has got to be one of the most clichéd domestic acts in TV history. Probably a lot of us are intimidated by cooking a feast on Thanksgiving Day and would rather just get a reservation at Mandarin House or some other Chinese food restaurant that's open. On the other hand, you may be blessed with a family like mine who protest if one tiny bit of tradition is tampered with! If that's the case, here are some recipes to hopefully put a new spin on old favorites for Thanksgiving Day.

Add a slightly different touch to the snack mix. Your kids can even help make this:
Party Mix:
¼ cup butter or margarine
2tsp. Maple extract
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
1/3 cup brown sugar
8 cups Chex brand cereal
Melt butter in microwave, approximately 30-45 seconds. Stir in sugar and maple extract. Add cereal and nuts two cups at a time, stirring until all pieces are coated. Microwave on high 4-5 minutes, stopping to stir every 1 ½ minutes. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

Cranberry sauce is a staple at all of the Thanksgiving Day feasts I've seen, and yet I don't know anyone who actually likes cranberry sauce. Here's a recipe to honor the traditional use of cranberries, but that everyone will actually eat.

Cranberry Salad:
1 large box cherry jello - -leave out ½ cup cold water when preparing
½ cup cranberries, chopped (actually these are better if put through a food grinder, and easier to put through a grinder or processor if they are frozen)
1/ cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
½ to 1 cup of chopped celery
½ cup white sugar
juice of one orange (I cheat and use a couple teaspoons of frozen concentrate)
Add all ingredients to the jello, and let set in refrigerator for at least six hours, preferably overnight. For the first couple of hours, stir it every now and then, as the heavy ingredients tend to settle on the bottom.

As a nod to the use of maize, or corn, native to North America and presumed to have been provided by the Native Americans at the original Thanksgiving Day feast, how about serving some Roast Corn Soup?
Roast Corn Soup:
12 ears of white corn
1 pound salt pork
1 pound pinto or kidney beans
Roast corn on top of range using low heat. Keep rotating corn until ears are golden brown. When corn is cool enough to handle, scrape kernels off with a sharp knife. While corn is being roasted, boil about 3 quarts of water in a large pot with the salt pork cut into small chunks. Cleaned beans should be parboiled for 30-45 minutes. After parboiling and rinsing, add beans and corn to salt pork and cook for one more hour. This actually is better if it's made the day before, and heated up before serving.

Most people like the turkey roasted in the oven, basting every now and then, and wondering if it's too dry (it usually is), and getting up at the crack of dawn to put that huge bird in the oven. But for a change of pace, why not try deep frying the turkey? Turkey deep frying kits are sold in most department stores, including Walmart and Target. Follow the instructions and safety procedures. Make sure you have adequate outdoor space or open garage when preparing to fry the turkey. The meat will be very moist and tasty. No one will politely cough their way through your dry turkey again. (Plus, most guys I know can't resist deep-frying a turkey, so that's one chore off your mind.)

What about stuffing? Make some apple stuffing. This recipe is so simple that your sister-in-law could do it.
Apple Stuffing:
1- 6 ounce package dry bread stuffing mix
¾ cup finely chopped pecans
2 apples, finely sliced, cored and peeled
Make stuffing according to directions, then mix in nuts and apples. Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until light brown.

No traditional North American Thanksgiving Day feast would be complete without something made with pumpkin. The early American settlers used the pumpkin as an all-purpose food for side dishes, desserts, soups, and according to some sources, even beer! No meal would be complete without dessert, either, so combine them into a pumpkin pie, like this one.
Rich Pumpkin Pie:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons apricot brandy
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
Combine eggs and the rest of the ingredients. Pour into a 9 inch pie crust (I buy mine); sprinkle the top with the candied ginger. Bake 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

I hope you enjoy planning for, preparing, and eating a Thanksgiving Day meal as much as my family and I do.