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Having Thanksgiving in your home this year? Take the stress out of the holiday cooking and check out these deceptively simple Thanksgiving recipes. Your family and friends will think you have been slaving over the stove for days. Turkey recipes, drink recipes, turkey stuffing recipes, and other useful holiday recipes can be found here.

These free recipes will ensure that you will be the hostess with the mostest. Why lock yourself in the kitchen for days when you can reduce those cooking hours? Spend a few minutes with our Thanksgiving recipes and save yourself hours.

Some handy hints to remember before you start:

• our turkey recipe is so rich and flavorsome it does not need gravy.
• prepare as much as you can the day before to save any last minute panicking.
• buy your corn bread from your best local bakery in advance. Freeze and warm in the oven before serving.
• prepare the turkey with the butter and leave on baking tray covered in the fridge overnight.
• cooking the stuffing separately will take 30 minutes off your roasting time and save any problems with stuffing hygiene.
• prepare the pie the day before and reheat. Alternatively, prepare in the morning and put on to bake with the turkey.
• prepare cranberry mix for cranberry eggnog the night before and refrigerate until the guests arrive.
• use pre diced dried fruit for the turkey stuffing recipe. Use already prepared Garlic bread. Make the stuffing the night before, cover and refrigerate, cook while the turkey is roasting.
• the vanilla sauce accompanying the sweet potatoes can be made up to 48 hours in advance.
• the lemon crumbs for the broccoli can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.

Traditional Eggnog with Cranberries. This is one of those holiday drink recipes that will be a hit with everyone.

1 cup water
1/2 cup cranberries (can use frozen)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 quart eggnog mix

Using a small saucepan, bring cranberries and water to the boil. Continue to simmer until the cranberries are falling apart.
Stir in nutmeg and sugar and remove from heat. if making the night before, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Combine cranberry mix and eggnog mix in a mixer. Shake well until thoroughly combined. Serve immediately, over ice if preferred.

Turkey and Molasses Butter. (will serve 8.) This turkey recipe requires no gravy.

10 or 12 pound turkey
2 Tab.spoon molasses
10 Tab.spoon unsalted butter brought to room temperature
1/4 cup black pepper, ground coarsely
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh is best

Combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl, leaving aside 2 Tab.spn of the butter.
Remove the giblets. Clean the turkey under the tap with cool water. using paper towels, ensure that you totally dry the turkey. Position the turkey in a roasting pan on a rack.
Evenly spread the combined butter mix under the skin of the turkey, using your hands. Do this gently without tearing the skin. Place butter under the skin as far as you can reach. Any leftover butter mix can be used in the cavity. The set aside butter will e rubbed on top of the skin.
*If preparing the evening before, place the prepared turkey in the fridge covered under plastic until the morning.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Add approximately 1 cup of water to the roasting pan. Roast uncovered for approximately 45 minutes, or until browned. Using foil, loosely cover the turkey. Return to the oven and continue or approximately another 2 1/2 to 3 hours, the roasting thermometer should register 180 F when inserted into the turkey’s thigh.
Leave covered with the foil and allow to settle for at least 30 minute prior to carving.

Sausage and Apple Stuffing. (Will serve 10.) Cook this turkey stuffing recipe separately to the turkey.

4 medium sized red tart apples, core, dice, do not peel.
1 pound Italian sweet sausage with skin removed.
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoon fresh chopped sage or alternatively 2 teaspoon dried sage
7 ounce bag dried mixed fruit, pre-diced
1 cup chicken broth
2 x 10 ounces frozen garlic bread with Parmesan, allow to thaw, cutting into 1/2 inch cubes.

Using a medium heat and a large skillet, cook the sausage meat until brown. While the meat is cooking break it into small chunks.
Add the apples, cook until tender for about 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Stir in the nutmeg, sage and dried fruit.
Fold in the cubed bread and then add the chicken broth.
Spoon the stuffing mix into a lightly greased 3 quart casserole or baking dish. If making stuffing night before, cover and refrigerate.
Bake in the oven while the turkey is roasting until the top is golden brown, approximately 40-45 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes Served With Vanilla Sauce. (Will serve 10.) Even the children will eat their veggies with this delicious holiday recipe.

1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups of maple syrup
1 teaspoon whole cloves
10 small sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine vanilla bean, maple syrup and whole cloves in a microwave safe vessel. Microwave for 5 minutes.
OR: Combine above ingredients in small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. This syrup can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Store covered in refrigerator.
Scrub sweet potatoes, making sure to pierce each one with a fork. Place directly on oven rack and cook with turkey. Cook until tender when pierced with a fork, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove sweet potatoes from oven and cut decoratively into quarters lengthwise (or however you prefer). Reheat the syrup if made in advance.
Remove cloves and vanilla bean from syrup prior to serving.
Arrange sweet potatoes decoratively on platter, sprinkle with salt and heated through syrup.

Broccoli Florets and Lemon Bread Crumbs. Liven up the greens in your holiday recipes.

2 slices multi-grain or wholemeal bread
1 lemon
2 Tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
touch of ground pepper
1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets, or 2 x 12 ounce bags of broccoli florets.

Place bread in food processor until bread crumbs are formed.
In a small skillet melt butter and add breadcrumbs. Cook gently over medium heat until breadcrumbs have toasted.
Add juice from half the lemon to the pan. Grate zest from lemon and add to pan. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir until bread crumbs have dried out. If making lemon crumbs in advance, store in sealed container at room temperature.
Use the directions on the broccoli package and microwave the florets. This will save time and space on the stove top.
Alternatively, place florets on microwave safe dish, sprinkle with a little water, cover with plastic and microwave for approximately 3-5 minutes.
Serve cooked florets in decorative bowl with lemon breadcrumbs sprinkled through.

Pear and Cranberry Pie. (Will serve 8.) This Thanksgiving recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
2 1/2 cups pears, peeled, cored, quartered, and sliced across
1 Tablespoon. lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar, additional 1 teaspoon
prepared pie crust, already thawed

Lightly grease pie dish and lay pastry.
Combine cranberries, pears and juice in bowl. Stir cornstarch and 2/3 cup sugar into the fruit.
Place fruit mixture into pie shell. Add a top layer of pastry for pie top. Press the pastry edges together firmly. Crimp edges with a fork after neatening sides with a knife. Place some decorative vents in the top of the pie.
Brush the top of the pie lightly with milk. Sprinkle on the additional sugar.
Bake for approximately 55-60 minutes at 375 F. The pie is ready when the juice is thickly bubbling.
Allow to cool for 2 hours before serving.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 6:15 pm and is filed under Birthday gift. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.