Different cultures celebrate Thanksgiving with their own personal touches. Here, we have compiled a list of the top 5 Thanksgiving recipes from across the United States.
Roasted Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 turkey, fresh or frozen (follow package directions to thaw)
- butter or margarine, softened
- salt and fresh ground pepper
- gizzards and neck from turkey
- 3 cups water
- 1 stick butter or margarine
Recipe Instructions:
First remove, neck, gizzards and anything else from the body cavity of the turkey and set aside for your broth. Rinse turkey under running cold water, then pat bird dry using paper towels. Rub the outside of turkey generously with softened butter or margarine, salt and pepper. If desired loosely place stuffing of choice into the neck and body cavity of your turkey. Close all openings with string and now your bird is ready for roasting.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
While your oven is preheating, its time to make your turkey broth. Place your turkey neck and gizzards, water and stick of butter in a sauce pan. Bring broth to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer.
Place bird into a roasting pan and place into preheated oven. After 30 minutes of cooking, its time to begin basting the turkey frequently with your turkey broth and pan drippings from the bird. Frequent basting will produce a juicer bird.
Cook turkey to an internal temperature of 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, with the center of your stuffing reaching at least 165 degrees. Allow turkey to cool for about 15 minutes before carving.
Giblet Gravy Recipe
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup flour, general purpose
- 1 cup cooked gizzards, finely chopped
- 1 hard boiled egg, finely chopped
Recipe Instructions:
In a saucepan add flour to chicken broth, stirring slowly to mix well. Then add gizzards and chopped eggs.
Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens to your liken. Pour your gravy into a sauce bowl and serve over your favorite cornbread dressing.
How To Boil Gizzards:
Cover gizzards in a pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Cover pot with lid, reduce heat to low and slow cook the gizzards for about 1-1/2 hours until the are tender. It’s important that you let the gizzards cool before chopping them up.
This giblet gravy recipe should be poured on top of your cornbread dressing during dinner.
Corn Bread Dressing Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
- 2 cup self-rising corn meal
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon vegetable shortening oil or dripping
- 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken gizzard
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sage (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon poultry season (adjust to taste)
- 1 cup finely chopped onions (optional)
- 5-8 cups chicken broth
Recipe Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornmeal and sugar. Add milk and egg. Mix until blended, then add shortening and again mix until well blended. Pour cornbread mixture into greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Once done remove from oven and allow to cool.
Grease an 8 or 9-inch baking pan and set aside.
To make the dressing, crumble up cornbread, add chicken gizzards, celery, green bell pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning to taste. Add chopped onions if you like.
Next, pour 5 to 8 cups of chicken broth into cornbread mixture. Mix well and then pour unto greased baking pan. Bake dressing at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until dressing is browned to your liking.
Add sage and poultry seasoning to taste. Then pour in enough chicken broth to make your mixture somewhat soupy. Pop the cornbread dressing into the oven and cook until browned.
Be sure to pour giblet gravy on top of your cornbread dressing.
Collard Greens Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
- 6-8 Bunches Of Collard Greens
- 2-3 Smoked Ham Hocks
- Garlic Powder To Taste
- Season Salt To Taste
Cookware and Utensils:
- 1 5 Or 6 Qt Boiling Pot
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Sharp Knife
Recipe Instructions:
Start with cooking your ham hacks. Add ham hocks to pot and fill with water. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 hours until meat is tender. Meat is done when it begins to fall off the bone. Add additional water if necessary.
While the ham hocks are cooking clean and cut your greens. Greens should be rinsed several times in cold water to remove dirt or sand.
After greens are clean, stack several leaves on top of each other. Using a cutting board and knife, roll the leaves together and cut leaves into 1 inch thick strips.
When the ham hocks are done, add the greens, garlic and season salt to the same pot. Boil on low heat for 1-2 hours until greens are tender.
Stir your greens often to distribute the ham hock and increase the flavor.
About halfway through cooking taste test your greens and add more seasoning if necessary.
Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
- 3 frozen unbaked 8 or 9 inch single crust pie shells
- 4 pounds uncooked and unpeeled sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1/2 cup pure finely granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Cookware and Utensils:
- 1 measuring cup
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 cooking blender
- 1 stirring spoon
Recipe Instructions:
First, hand wash your sweet potatoes. After a complete washing, boil the sweet potatoes until they are tender. Once potatoes are tender drain and allow them to cool before peeling and mashing. Blend your sweet potatoes in mixing bowl with a blender to remove strings.
While you are cooking the sweet potatoes place butter on the kitchen countertop and allow to soften.
After the potatoes are ready, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, cream the softened butter with both sugars. Mix in the blended sweet potatoes and continue to mix while adding the eggs one at a time. Finally, add your milk, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt and mix thoroughly.
Last, pour mixture evenly into your three frozen unbaked pie shells. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes at 350 degrees on your center oven rack.
