It’s finally Thanksgiving week. Most of us now get a much-needed break from school, work and real life. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because you get all the family, without any of the religious drama associated with other holidays such as presents or special ceremonies. It’s the only holiday without responsibilities except for going home, eating a lot of good food and taking a minute to think about what you’re thankful for. To me, Thanksgiving is about food. It’s about the pumpkin and cherry pies that my dad makes from my grandma’s old recipes. It’s about the green bean casserole, the mashed potatoes and the cranberry sauce that we all help to make. And it’s especially about the slow-roasted turkey that my mom makes. This week, instead of talking about restaurants (because hopefully most of you won’t be eating at one), I’ll be sharing a few of the recipes that will be eaten at the Cox household this week.

Green Bean Casserole

A few years ago, I set out to make a green bean casserole that wasn’t from a can and also didn’t have any carbs in it (we had a diabetic guest that year). After a few iterations, I ended up liking it a lot better than the canned version you might be used to. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

• Fresh green beans (enough to fill a baking pan, 1-2 lbs.)
• A variety of your favorite mushrooms (I use white, cremini and shiitake, but any variety will work. Also, don’t worry about having too much, they’ll cook down!)
• 1 large onion
• 3 or 4 large cloves of garlic
• 1-2 cups of walnuts
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of butter
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water nearby. Blanch the beans in the boiling water quickly (5-10 minutes). Strain the beans and immediately transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking (you want the beans to stay a little bit crunchy). After a few minutes, remove them from the ice water and spread them out on paper towels to dry.

Finely chop the walnuts and set aside. Mince the garlic and finely chop the onion and mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot (the oil will start to sizzle quietly), add the onion. Stir with a wooden spoon for a few minutes before adding the mushroom mixture. Cook the garlic, mushrooms and onion until they cook down thoroughly (20-30 minutes). Add the green beans that were set aside. After another 10 minutes, lower the heat and add the heavy cream and half of the parmesan cheese. Stir the mixture for about 5 minutes until everything is nicely mixed and turn off heat.

Preheat an oven to 375 F. Spread the butter onto the sides and bottom of a baking dish. Add the green bean, mushroom, onion, garlic, cream and cheese mixture to the baking dish and spread out to form a level top. Add the rest of the cheese to the top of the bean mixture and then add the walnuts on top of that. Add to the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes (everything’s cooked, so you only need to make sure it’s heated and the cheese is melted).

Beth’s Roasted Chicken or Turkey

A lot of people fry their Thanksgiving turkey, but my mom has always roasted hers. She uses a variation on the same recipe that she uses for chicken. I’m pretty sure everyone’s required to say this, but this chicken and turkey is the best! Seriously, it’s good. I have dreams about it. Here’s her recipe, written by her, for either chicken or turkey, so you can see for yourself.

Ingredients:

• Whole turkey or chicken
• Several garlic cloves
• Sprigs fresh rosemary, thyme, sage or tarragon, as your preference
• Several pats of butter
• For the dry spice/herb rub: salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried sage, five spice powder, oregano, dried mustard
• Onion or fennel bulb
• Fresh carrots, roughly sliced

Directions:

1. The key here is to prepare a mixture of herbs and spices.
2. In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, onion powder, dried oregano, five spice powder (no more than 1/4 teaspoon), and any other spice or seasoning that you like. (I often add Penzey’s Rocky Mountain Blend, although I’ve been known to also use a common brand of “poultry seasoning” in a pinch).
3. Mix all these herbs and spices together. For a large chicken you should have about 1/4-1/2 of a cup, altogether. For a turkey, at least 3/4 of a cup.
4. Find the loose skin on the breast side by the neck and by the cavity. There will be four areas. Slide your finger under the skin, without breaking it. Insert a pat of butter, a piece of garlic, and a sprig of fresh herb of your choice (thyme is always good, but for a stronger flavor you can use rosemary, tarragon, or sage).
5. Rub the bird all over with olive oil.
6. Rub the dried spice/herb mixture liberally over the bird, top and bottom. The bird should be covered or encrusted with the dried spice/herb mixture.
7. Place a fennel bulb or onion inside the cavity. Or, if you prefer, stuff the bird with the stuffing of your choice.
8. Place some fresh carrots on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the bird on top of the carrots.
9. For chicken, roast in a hot, 400-425 F oven. For a turkey, roast in a slow oven (325 F) for the duration recommended on the turkey.

Five-Minute Cranberries

I didn’t want all the recipes I included here to take over an hour, so I decided to add this one. For all of the not-so-culinary inclined, this is an easy one that should always turn out well. I got this recipe from a friend a while ago, and it doesn’t involve any cooking. It’s a recipe for a dry cranberry sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of frozen cranberries
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (This recipe will be tart, and more sugar can be added to taste later)
• 2-3 tablespoons of triple sec
• 1 orange

Directions:

Place the cranberries, still frozen, and the sugar into a food processor. Add the triple sec. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice from it into the food processor. Be careful not to get the seeds in the mixture. Finally, use a fine grater to add several teaspoons of orange rind. Mix in the food processor until everything is very finely chopped. If it’s too dry, more orange juice can be added. Also, if it’s a little too sour for your liking, more sugar can be added as well.

Hopefully, this gives those of you who are looking for something to make this year some ideas. Feel free to use any or all of these recipes to impress your family this year. Have a great Thanksgiving!