Easy Slow Cooker and Stove Top Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I look forward to the gathering of family and friends, taking time out from hectic schedules to prepare a home cooked meal, and remembering to give thanks for the many blessings in my life. For too many people, Thanksgiving becomes a stressful day where you have to worry about feeding a lot of extra people, overcooking the turkey, and preparing everyone's favorite traditional side dishes when there's no extra space in the oven.

When you've got a humongous turkey in your oven and little room for anything else, you sometimes have to get a little creative with your Thanksgiving side dishes. Utilizing a range top or a Crockpot is a great way to get those sides to the table at the same time as the turkey.

To make the best use of the stove top, start preparing the things that take the longest first. Once the turkey comes out of the oven to rest before carving, those items can be stored inside of the already hot stove so that they maintain their temperature and are brought to the table just as if they had just come out of the oven. (Technically, they have!)

When you're counting your blessings this year, be sure to give thanks for the invention of the slow cooker. I've included some traditional Thanksgiving favorites that can easily be made in the slow cooker. Because the slow cooker dishes take a while to cook, you can easily prepare them first thing in the morning (or early in the afternoon if you enjoy a late dinner) and then concentrate on things like setting the table, setting out place cards, basting the turkey, and enjoying some of the football games on television.

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

Serves 6

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tablespoon raw honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons butter

In one medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, oil, and honey. Combine the dry ingredients in another mixing bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently with a wooden spoon, just until combined. Preheat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons butter to the pan and spread over the bottom of the skillet. Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet. Immediately cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the cornbread is done around the edges and the center is almost firm. Remove from heat, keeping foil tent over top to allow the cornbread to finish cooking and keep warm until serving. To serve, cut into wedges and remove from the pan with a spatula.

Stuffing on the Range

Serves 4

2 cups small-cube or 3 cups large-cube stale bread

1/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/4 cup onions, finely minced

1/4 cup celery, finely minced

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

In a medium saucepan over low heat, sweat the onions in the butter for 2-3 minutes until butter is melted. Add seasonings and stir. Add vegetable stock and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer- about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add bread crumbs, giving a quick stir to coat. Place lid over pan and let sit 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Crockpot Green Bean Casserole

Serves 6

2 10-ounce packages frozen French-style green beans

1 1/2 cups semi-condensed cream of mushroom soup (Amy's Kitchen is what we use)

1/4 cup cream or half and half

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup fried onion straws

In the crock of a Crockpot or slow cooker, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, half and half, melted butter, white pepper and nutmeg until combined. Stir in the green beans. Top with the fried onion straws. Cover and cook on low heat 4 hours. Transfer to a bowl or casserole dish to serve.

Crockpot Candied Sweet Potatoes

serves 6-8

6 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons butter, to grease crock

1/2 cup pecan halves, optional

1 cup mini marshmallows, optional

Lightly butter the inside of a crock from a Crockpot or slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, orange juice, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Place potatoes into the crock and pour the syrup mixture over the potatoes. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or until potatoes are tender. If desired, top with pecan halves and mini marshmallows 1 hour before cooking time has ended. Transfer to a casserole dish or bowl to serve.

Cranberry Chutney

Serves 6

12 ounces fresh cranberries

8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

Rinse cranberries and remove stems or blemished berries. Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer the chutney over medium-low heat until the berries begin to pop and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the chutney into a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill in refrigerator overnight, or at least 4-6 hours before serving.

Mashed Potatoes

Serves 6

3 pounds redskin potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely minced

1 tablespoon parsley, finely minced

1/2-1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2-1 teaspoon coarse salt, to taste

2-3 tablespoons cream or half and half

Bring a stockpot of water to a boil. Scrub potato skins and remove any eyes or soft spots. Cut into 1-inch cubes. When water comes to a boil, add potatoes, cover and boil for about 15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and remove to a large mixing bowl. Add in butter, chives, parsley, salt and pepper. Start to mash the potatoes using a hand masher. As the potatoes begin to break down, slowly add in the cream. Whip the potatoes with the hand masher and add cream until the potatoes loosen but are a thick, creamy consistency with little to no lumps (except for the skins). Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. To keep potatoes warm, cover with a foil tent. You can also submerge the lower part of the bowl into a pot of hot water over low heat, double boiler style, if you need to keep the potatoes warm for an extended period of time. Using a double boiler will help keep the mashed potatoes from drying out.