Thanksgiving Cooking Tips and Our Menu

When I was a little girl, there was nothing I loved more than watching my mother

and my aunts and my grandmothers work in the kitchen,

especially on a day as important to cooking and family as Thanksgiving.

My jobs usually involved putting ice in the glasses, pouring iced tea and whatever duties my mother

assigned, all with a smile on her face.  

 

It was in that kitchen that my beloved Ranch Recipes were born.

Every single method I use, in preparing –with the help of my own daughters- every dish we share

Thanksgiving day originated in my mother’s kitchen at the ranch.

These are some of the things I do to prepare for Thanksgiving day.

*I bake a 9x13 pan of cornbread 2 days in advance so it is not so ‘new’ when I mix the cornbread dressing.

*I use poultry seasoning in the dressing because outright sage is sometimes hard to gauge.

*I use Sister Schubert dinner rolls because they are the best.

*I bought Riverside turkeys at HEB for years because she said they were just as good.

*I now buy Butterball turkeys because as I shared here, the idea of a 24 hour hotline feeds my dramatic soul.

*I  mix the dressing and prepare Pioneer Woman’s mashed potato recipe the day before.

*For years I prepared a compulsory sweet potato casserole, but this year I think I am going to create twice

baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar instead of savory seasonings.

*After the turkey has been wrestled into the oven, after I have checked the cooking time a million times,

I relax for a moment or two, check the table, and have another cup of coffee.

Thanksgiving Menu 2016

Turkey

Cornbread Dressing

Spiral Sliced Ham

Katherine’s Sparkle Salad

Heather’s Green Beans With Bacon and Garlic

Lauren’s Brussel Sprouts With Dried Cranberries, Pecans, and Bacon

Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Giblet Gravy

Sister Schubert Rolls

Pecan Pie with Pecans from Heather’s Tree

Pumpkin Streusel Pie

Flat Apple Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!!