These rolls have often make an appearance at the Thanksgiving table in the past.

Parmesan Pan Rolls

makes about 3 dozen

2 pkg. dry yeast or 2 scant TB bulk instant yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup milk, warm
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup butter
3 TB sugar
1 TB salt
4 1/4 to 4 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal

Parmesan Butter:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dissolve yeast in water in a small bowl. Combine hot milk, cheese, butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl; stir to melt the butter. Cool to warm, blend in 1 cup flour and softened yeast. Add cornmeal and eggs. Beat smooth. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Cover and place in a warm place to rise 45 min. to 1 hour.

Divide dough in half. Knead each half 10 minutes on a floured surface. Shape each half into 18 rolls. Dip tops of rolls in the Parmesan butter. Place top up in 2 greased 9" cake pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm.

Waldorf Cranberry Salad - I've made this several times for our Thanksgiving table and will be making it again this year.

1 pt. cranberry juice cocktail
1 3 oz. pkg. lemon jello
1/4 t. salt
1 cup unpared apple, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Heat 1 cup of the cranberry juice just to boiling. Dissolve gelatin in the hot juice. Add remaining juice and salt. Chill until the consistency of egg whites. Fold in celery, nuts, and apples. Pour into an 8" or 9" square pan or 6 individual jello molds. Chill until firm.

Can also add mandarin orange segments, drained, patted dry and chopped; or chopped fresh banana; or halved red or green seedless grapes.

Curried Chutney Spread

A nice appetizer with plain crackers.

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. salt
3 TB sherry
1/2 cup chutney, chopped if pieces are large
2 green onions, finely chopped

Combine first 5 ingredients well. Spread in a shallow serving dish. Top with the chutney and the green onions. Serve with Bremner wafers or other plain crackers.

lindac's Cranberry Jezebel, of course.
My new Best Of is woodie2's Make Ahead Turkey Gravy.

I've made Mom's Sausage Stuffing/Dressing every year since 1964 - the first time I did Thanksgiving dinner. This is the format she wrote it in for me, instead of the usual recipe format.

Sausage Stuffing
Yield: enough to stuff an 18-20 -lb turkey and bake more in a dish

Fry 3 lb sausage, breaking into bits with a fork.
Dice 3 large onions. When sausage is two-thirds done, add onions and cook until they are shiny and clear. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp sage and stir. Remove from heat.
In large pan or kettle put 2 pkg dressing, 3 c diced celery, 1 large diced raw onion, 1/4 c currants, 2 Tbsp sage, and salt and pepper to taste. (Sliced mushrooms, sliced water chestnuts, pimiento and almonds are optional.)
In large bowl, beat to a froth, 4 eggs, 1 qt milk and salt and pepper. Add to sausage and onions. Stir.
Add sausage and milk mixture to bread mixture. Toss well to mix.

This is a favorite of mine when vegetarian friends come for Thanksgiving.
Apple-Pecan Stuffing/Dressing
Yield: 6 cups

butter or margarine
2/3 c diced onions
2/3 c diced celery
3 c diced day-old bread
3 c diced apples
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sage
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c vegetarian or chicken bouillon, or water

Melt 1/4 c butter in skillet. Add onions and celery and cook until tender. Mix vegetables with bread cubes.
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in skillet. Stir in apples & cook until golden. Add apples to bread mixture.
Mix in salt, pepper, sage, marjoram, thyme, parsley and pecans. Add bouillon or water and mix thoroughly.
Stuff turkey or bake in baking dish at 350 degress 40 to 60 minutes.

Aunt Helen's Cranberry Jello Salad
serves 12

3 8 1/4-oz cans crushed pineapple
1 lb fresh cranberries
1 c sugar
1 6-oz pkg orange Jello
1 1/2 c boiling water
1 1/2 c celery, chopped fine
3/4 c pecans or walnts, chopped fine
1/2 c mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

Drain the pineapple, saving the syrup. Put cranberries and pineapple syrup in blender. Run on High until berries are liquified. Pour into mixing bowl, stir in sugar and let stand 10 minutes.
Dissolve Jello in boiling water, stir until well-dissolved. Chill until slightly thickened. Add Jello to cranberries and mix well.
Add celery, nuts, mayonnaise and pineapple.
Pur into 10 c mold or 9x13 pan or baking dish. Chill until firm. Serve with dressing. (I cut the salad into squares and serve on lettuce.)

Dressing
1 1/2 c mayonnaise
3/4 c sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice

Stir ingredients together well. Put spoonful on each serving.

Caramel Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 5 cups

4 large sweet potatoes
1/2 c water
1/3 c butter
1/2 c dark-brown sugar
1/4 c chopped walnuts
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp lemon peel
1/4 c dark corn syrup
dash of allspice

Wash potatoes and place in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover with water and heat to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and cool. Peel and quarter, and place in b uttered 9x13 baking dish.
Combine remaining ingredients in small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour sauce over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 50 minutes, basting with sauce several times.

This recipe, from Epicurious, has been on our table every year since 2000. I only make it once a year though, because it's so, so rich. I've tried lightening it up, but it just isn't the same, so I make it as-is (with the necessary kosher substitutions) and just serve small portions.

whipped sweet potatoes with brown sugar pecan topping

For sweet potatoes
22 ounces red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 2 large), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt

For topping
1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Make sweet potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; transfer potatoes to large bowl and add butter. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add egg, sugar, spice and salt; beat to blend. Transfer mixture to 8 x 8-inch baking dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.) Bake potatoes until beginning to brown around edges and slightly puffed, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare topping:

Mix together all ingredients in medium bowl.

Spoon topping evenly over potatoes. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes longer.

Another sweet potato offering; I call it Sweetnana:

Sweetnana (sweet potatoes with roasted bananas) 6 pounds (about 6) sweet potatoes
4 ripe bananas, skins on
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup pure maple syrup
½ cup Brandy
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound pecans
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Roast the bananas, with the skins on, for the last 15 minutes of cooking time. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and bananas, and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until the potatoes are chunky.

Add the butter and maple syrup, puree until smooth. Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt; puree to combine. Transfer to a shallow baking pan and smooth out the surface with a spatula.

In a skillet, cook the pecans in butter over low heat and sprinkle with salt. Sauté until well-coated, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Transfer the pecans to paper towels to drain. Arrange pecans on top of puree and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 300 degrees F until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Mincemeat Peaches
Served on the meat platter and surrounding the turkey, ham or pork roast.

2 cans elberta peach halves
jarred minced meat.

In pie pan, place peach halves, cut side up. Into each seed indentation, place 1 tablespoon of mincedmeat.

Warm in the oven (with whatever is cooking at any temperature) at the last minute for 10-20 minutes.

A small bit of mincedmeat peach tastes great with each bite of meat. The smell spicey good and look so pretty with the meat.

SJ my mom would sure like those mincemeat peaches. She loves mincemeat. Would be easy enough to do this year for her.

And Teresa, thanks for posting that curry spread recipe, it's going to come in handy during this holiday season, since I made a bunch of jarred curry with some fruit my neighbor gave me and was wondering how I will ever use it up!

Mustangs - When do you add the Brandy? Or do you drink that while it is cooking? ;-)

LOL Jeri - I think you are right! At least that is what *I* would do with it *hic* LOLOLOL! Here is one of my "must haves"....

Alexa

********************************************************

New England Biscuits with Cranberries and Rosemary

2 cups flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Place the mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the cranberries, rosemary and buttermilk. Mix well. The dough will be sticky. Transfer to a floured work surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough 10 times or until smooth. Pat into a round about ½ inch thick. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut out biscuits and place on the prepared pan. Gather the scraps and repeat until all the dough is used. Brush the biscuit tops with the beaten egg. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly.

I don't know about "best of", but certainly "must have" on mom's side of the family.

Pink Jello Salad (yup, jello, cream cheese, cool whip and fruit).

Shrimp Dip (munchies, not the main meal).

My broccoli salad (broccoli, dried cranberries, bacon, onion, mayo, sugar, cider vinegar).

My sage/giblet stuffing. "No Changes Allowed".
I cannot change this tradition. No sausage, no apples or fruit of any kind, no nuts, no cornbread.
Just white/wheat bread, the cooked/chopped giblets, celery, onion, fresh sage, S&P and the broth from cooking the giblets. Very moist, cooked in the turkey and any extra in a separate pan, then basted with some of the turkey juices.

OH! We must have deviled eggs.

And if I have guests staying beyond Thanksgiving Day, there's an unspoken expectation that we'll have Turkey Enchiladas in the next day or two!

I love Thanksgiving!
Deanna

I have many memories of Thanksgivings past so I'll start with when I was a little girl. We'd always go to my paternal grandparents' house. My father had seven brothers and sisters, their spouses, more than a dozen grandchildren, and always a couple of relatives and friends who'd be alone for the hoiday.

So of course the turkey (or turkeys) would be huge. At the crack of dawn, my Uncle Don would take the stuffed turkeys to a bakery in the town where my grandparents lived. The baker would weigh them and tag the leg with our family's name. Then they'd join dozens of others roasting in the commercial ovens.

My dad's job was to pick up the birds from the bakery and I always went along. You could smell the bakery a block before arrival. They weren't open for selling baked goods so we'd park in the alley and enter through the back door. I remember the smell when we entered - pure turkey essence!

My dad would carry the bird(s) out to the car and then bring in a bottle of whiskey for the baker. I never figured out if that was the full payment or if cash was also involved. Then we'd ride a few blocks to my Nana's house and arrive triumphant with the bird in tow.

The one Thanksgiving memory that has stuck in my head all those years is that turkey aroma. I don't remember much at all about the meal itself.

Ruthanna,

What a wonderful memory! Just reading your story was like living it myself! And I can smell that 'pure turkey essence'! YUM!! My mouth is watering - Such torture! - we have 2 more days to wait! or is it 3??

It is such a wonderful memory!:) Thanks for sharing! And what a good idea to use the bakery ovens! I'm jealous! (Wish I new a bakery owner!)

Must have's include The Best of Bridge's Potato Casserole.
Mashed potatoes mixed with sour cream and cream cheese, melted butter on top and heated in the oven. Being able to make it a couple days in advance makes this a real time-pleaser.

Marinated carrot salad. The longer it sits the better it tastes. Green peppers, celery, green onions, tomato soup, worcestershire, etc.

Turnip puff. Only a couple of our family members like the mashed turnip with butter and brown sugar, but everyone loves the puff, made with eggs, topped with breadcrumbs and baked in the oven. It's so light.

Sweet and sour braised red cabbage (I believe originally posted by CanaryBird? here) is a must at our thanksgiving table -- goes perfectly with turkey, and serves the slightly sweet/tart function of cranberry sauce which I don't like...

BRAISED SWEET AND SOUR RED CABBAGE
Serves 4 - 6
1 TBS olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 large apple, cored and chopped
½ of red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly shredded - (6 cups shredded)
3/4 cup apple juice + ¼ cup chicken stock or red wine
3 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
red pepper flakes / splash of hot sauce
1. Heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat in a deep frying pan. Cook the onion and apple for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the cabbage and toss well.
Add the apple juice, vinegar, sugar and seasonings and stir.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the liquid reduces completely and the cabbage is tender. Check seasoning and serve.
Leftovers can be chilled for one day and reheated over a moderate heat.
Source: Adapted from Rick Gallop's GI Diet
Green-Light Cookbook

Oops, I forgot the recipe. This has been on our Thanksgiving table for 50 or more years.

HOLIDAY APPLESAUCE

4 lb. sweet apples (Red or Golden Delicious, Empire, Winesap, etc.), cut into chunks (don’t peel or core)
3 cups cranberries (12 oz.)
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
Two 3-inch strips lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

In covered pot, simmer apples, cranberries, cider and lemon peel, stirring occasionally, for 1/2 hour or more, until apples are very tender. Add sugar and cinnamon. Simmer, covered 10 minutes. Discard zest. Pass mixture through a food mill. Add honey, sugar, or brown sugar to taste. Makes about 2 quarts. Can be frozen.