Reduce the stress of preparing for Thanksgiving dinner by trying one of these recipes from The Denver Post “One Dish” contest:
Scalloped Oysters
Carol Berry of Aurora sent her mother-in-laws’ recipe: “She is such an awesome lady and wonderful cook. Her name is Margaret Berry and she and her husband Charlie hosted Thanksgiving for our family ever since our children were little, a long 38 years. My husband and I now host the Thanksgiving meal, but Margaret still brings her scalloped oysters in the same beautiful blue dish she has always made them in. They are a definite tradition, even though we had to beg the kids to try them. Oysters…yuck!!! Even my husband, Chip and I had to ‘learn’ how good they really are! We have a new generation now – Charlie and Margaret have 4 great-grandchildren in Denver and we are all hoping they have a more adventurous taste. They really are a wonderful accompaniment to turkey!”
Ingredients
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1 1/4 cup fine cracker crumbs
3/4 cup melted butter
1 quart fresh oysters
1 teaspoon salt
Dash black pepper
Dash nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup oyster liquor
1/4 cup milk
Directions
Mix bread crumbs, cracker crumbs and melted butter.
Line bottom of a greased casserole with 1/2 of the crumbs. Arrange oysters in 3 layers, sprinkling each layer with salt, pepper, mutneg and parsely. Add liquor and milk. Top with remaining crumbs.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Mashed Rutabagas
Laurie Johnson Larsen of Denver says her family calls these “Swedes”: “Growing up in a very Scandinavian Minnesota, this was a staple of our Thanksgiving table. Since it has a distinctive odor while cooking, it was an acquired taste rather than the first things the kids ate. It provides just the right somewhat sweetish, pungent contrast to mashed potatoes. If there were leftover Swedes and mashed potatoes, they were even better formed into patties and fried in butter the next day.”
Ingredients
Rutabagas
Butter
Salt and pepper
Directions
Use enough rutabagas for your guests (approximately 4 medium rutabagas for 8 people). If waxed, pare this off. Cook each rutabaga in microwave for a few minutes until softened enough to cut up. Cut into small pieces and boil in salted water until very soft (these take longer than potatoes of similar size). Drain and add butter to taste. Mash until mushed up, but don’t try to make them smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cinnamon Apples
Kathy Graham and Maxine Graham of Sterling sent this story with their recipe:
Taste of Thanksgiving
When Johnny Appleseed traveled the hills of Coshocton County, Ohio, sowing his apple seeds, we’re certain, he set the stage for a Graham family Thanksgiving tradition. Beginning in the 1800’s, great, great, great Grandma Graham used the apples in her backyard to make red cinnamon apples for Thanksgiving. This family recipe migrated to Iowa and then to Colorado. Although, Johnny didn’t sow apple seeds in Sterling, Colorado, the tradition continues as a ‘can’t resist’ Thanksgiving favorite for young and old alike. Although we could forgo cranberries, we couldn’t do without our colorful, tasty cinnamon apples.
Ingredients
2 cups water
1/2 cups red hot cinnamon drops
1 cup sugar
8 apples, such as Jonathan or Delicious, peeled and cut into quarters
Directions
Combine water, candy and sugar in skillet or heavy pan. Bring to boil and cook until candy is dissolved. Add apples, a few at a time, and cook until tender. Add a few drops of red food coloring if desired. Place apples in a bowl and pour remaining syrup over them. Cover and chill. Keeps for several days in the refrigerator, if there are any leftovers.
Cranberry Orange Chutney
From Carol Borthwick of Littleton: “My family’s all-time, hands-down favorite is a wonderful cranberry orange chutney that originally came from the Junior League cookbook Colorado Cache, modified to accommodate family tastes. I’ve made this cranberry sauce since my daughters were toddlers and old enough to try it; they’re both in college now. They love this dish and are very insistent that we have it every year, even when we’re guests at someone else’s home for Thanksgiving. Over the years the main course has changed from turkey to tofurkey and back again, but this dish has been a constant it’s a keeper!”
Ingredients
3 medium navel oranges
1/3 cup orange juice
12-ounce package of fresh cranberries, washed
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons diced crystallized ginger
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 clove garlic, peeled
Dash of curry powder
2/3 cup raisins
Directions
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer rind from one orange. Cut the outer rind into 1/4 cup of thin slivers about 1 inch long. Remove remaining peel and white membranes from all oranges and discard. Cut oranges cross-wise into 1/4-inch slices and cut slices into quarters. Discard any cranberries that are soft.
In a medium stainless steel saucepan add orange rind slivers, orange juice, cranberries, sugar, ginger, cinnamon stick, raisins, garlic and curry powder. Cook over medium-low heat until the cranberries pop open (about 20 minutes).
Cool slightly and discard the garlic and cinnamon stick. Mix in the oranges. Can be served at room temperature or chilled; store in a glass jar; keeps refrigerated for about 3-4 weeks.
Nadjifka
From Rob Pipal of Centennial: “My family could not spend the holiday without our stuffing. The official name in Czech is nadjifka, but we have catagorized and Americanized the name into 2 types – birdjifka and and pandjifka. The first is for stuffing, the 2nd to be baked in, what else, a pan. My grandma brought the recipe from the old country and the rest is, well, history!”
Ingredients
9 eggs
3 sticks butter, melted
1 box saltines
1 pound white bread (preferably loaf ends you have been saving since summer and have let get dry and stale)
Fresh parsley
Fresh minced garlic – A LOT
Generous “shplunks” of milk
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients – milk goes in last to obtain a consistency for stuffing – slightly runny. When you smell the mixture, the garlic should come through loud and clear. When it does, add more garlic!
Spoon birdjifka into the bird, put the remainder in a pan, and bake with the bird at 325 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cover with turkey gravy. Call your doctor and schedule an angioplasty for Friday.
Perfect Pumpkin Pecan Pie
“The Celebration of Hogmanay” author Constance Weston sent this recipe from the novel’s character, Clarinda Tetrick: “Whereas pumpkin pie can be dreadfully bland, and conversely, pecan pie can be sickeningly sweet, the combination makes a perfect marriage. In my house it would not be Thanksgiving without Perfect Pumpkin Pecan Pie. Since I hail from Vermont, where pure maple syrup (not an imitation) is a household staple, I use that ingredient, but the molasses is just as good. Below is the recipe, just one of many taken from my romance novel, “The Celebration of Hogmanay” which can be found at bookstores and through Amazon.com. Sláinte Mhath enjoy in good health!”
Ingredients
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour (for higher elevations only)
1/2 cup maple syrup (or dark corn syrup/molasses if real maple syrup is not handy)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Combine eggs, pumpkin, sugar, flour, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until smooth. Pour into pie shell (adorn edge of pie crust with leaves or fork tine indentations). Top with the chopped pecans and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes until a test knife pulls clean.
Frozen Pumpkin Pie
V. Scott of Ottumwa, Iowa, sent this recipe: “This is a favorite at our house and it isn’t Thanksgiving without it. I usually make two as human “mice” sneak down to the freezer at midnight and nibble on it. We have very few regular pumpkin pie eaters but everyone eats this. Dessert is ready 1-2 weeks ahead of the day !”
Ingredients
Crust:
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground ginger snaps
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soft butter
Filling:
1 cup canned pumkin
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 quart French vanilla ice cream, softened (May use sugar free and fat free ice cream if desired)
Directions
Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a very lightly oiled 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 450 degrees 5-7 minutes.
Beat pumpkin, brown sugar, salt and spices with beater several minutes. Stir in softened ice cream. Pour into crust and freeze overnight. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream if desired.
May be made 1-2 weeks ahead and covered with foil after initial freezing.
Jello Salad
From Andrea Spikes of Wheat Ridge: “As long as my family can remember, my Grandma’s Jello Salad has been the one dish we can’t live without at Thanksgiving (or lived to regret if we didn’t make it). And, if there weren’t enough leftovers the next morning, arguments ensued about who gets the last bowl. There’s nothing difficult about the recipe, but Grandma always snipped the marshmallows and dates with scissors. I thought this was a waste of time until I tried buying smaller marshmallows and date pieces. The salad is moister and creamier this way. Trust me you won’t want to live without this delicious tradition!” Serves about 8.
Ingredients
1 large box cherry flavored Jell-O
1/2 pacakge large marshmallows, snipped
1 28-ounce can fruit cocktail, drained
3 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 cup dates, snipped
1/2 pint whipping cream
Directions
Prepare the Jell-O as directed. Chill for one hour (until semi-solid). Add all ingredients except whipping cream, then chill again until solid. Whip the cream until it’s very stiff. Fold half of the whipped cream into the salad and chill until ready to serve. Use the leftover whipped cream for pie!
Sweet and Sour Carrots
From Karen Woods: “This is a family recipe from my Aunt Agnes who lived in Wichita, Kansas. There is no real story to go with it. I have had this recipe since I have been married and my niece and nephew and our children always make sure that I make Aunt Agnes’ carrots. The taste adds a zing to all the other flavors you have at your Thanksgiving dinner. You can use canned carrots but I steam fresh carrots to just a little soft.”
Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
6 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/8 teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamon, and salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry
1 pound carrots, chopped (or use whole baby carrots)
Directions
Cook honey, vinegar, green pepper, spices and sherry over low heat until well blended. Add the carrots to the glaze and heat through. They are delicious.
Potato Sausage Stuffing
From Tammy (Racco) Nonko of Centennial: “Growing up in Brooklyn in an Italian family, every Thanksgiving was a seven course extravaganza.
“It started around noon with antipasto, and ended late into the evening when the cannoli platter and espresso pot were empty. When the turkey arrived, somewhere around course 4 or 5, it was Nana’s famous stuffing I craved. I filled my plate with a huge mound of her savory potato sausage stuffing, the highlight of my Thanksgiving meal. Last year, our family joined together for our first Thanksgiving without Nana. This year, I’ll prepare her stuffing to celebrate her memory, and the memory of Thanksgivings past.”
Ingredients
6 large potatoes, cut into eighths
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
5 slices Genoa salami, diced
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste (this varies because the quality/brand of parmesan cheese and Italian sausage that you use will add differing amounts of salt to your stuffing)
Directions
Boil potatoes and onion in salted water until potatoes are just fork-tender. Do not overcook the potatoes! Drain. Place them into a large bowl. Brown sausage and break up into small pieces. Drain. Add sausage and all other ingredients to the potatoes and onions. Mix well. Bake inside your turkey or in a large greased casserole dish, uncovered, at 350 for about 35-40 minutes or until heated through. If you cook it in a casserole dish, you may need to add a little chicken broth to moisten the stuffing. Enjoy!
Kugelis
From Lynn Vaseleski of Golden: “The “must have” side dish for our family at holidays is a Lithuanian potato pudding dish known as Kugelis (or Kugula as my family calls it). Creamy on the inside, wonderfully crusty on the outside, the corner pieces are especially prized and go to those lucky few with the fastest forks who craftily manage to seat themselves within striking distance of the platter as it is placed on the table. I’m never one of them, unfortunately maybe that’s why the middle pieces work just fine for me!”
Ingredients
6 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces
3 eggs
1 cup Milnot or other evaporated milk
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
5 cups peeled raw white potatoes
1 medium yellow onion
Directions
Fry bacon slowly till brown save grease.
Beat eggs, add evaporated milk and salt.
Grate fine the potatoes and onion. Add to milk and egg mixture. Add bacon and grease. Mix well.
Liberally grease bottoms and sides of 2 bread pans with Crisco. Place mixture in pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Invert onto a platter, cut into squares, and serve hot.
Fresh Cranberry Salad
From Betty L. Heath of Firestone: “I was 25 weeks into my 4th pregnancy when my water broke on November 1, 1967. The doctor had confined me to full bed rest until the baby arrived. An elderly couple we knew called us asking if they could have Thanksgiving Dinner with us. She explained that they would bring the dinner and join us. Her fresh cranberry salad was so tasty I added it to my recipe file. My friends have since passed away, but I honor their memory by having this delicious dish at my Thanksgiving table every year.”
Ingredients
1-pound package raw cranberries (finely chopped or ground)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup miniature marshmallows
3 ripe bananas
1/2 pint whipping cream
Directions
Mix all ingredients together and store in refrigerator for at least 24 hours or longer. A few hours prior to serving, whip cream until stiff. Slice bananas and fold, with whipped cream, into the cranberry mixture and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Dar’s Sweet Potatoes
From Michelle Montoya: “Moms are amazing, whatever they cook, (even if there’s nothing in the fridge or pantry) always comes out delicious! My mom (rest her soul) was an amazing cook, she was always experimenting. The holidays were especially exciting because the food she created were quite delectable. My favorite was a sweet potatoes dish with mandarin oranges, pineapples, walnuts, butter, brown sugar, mini marshmallows and cinnamon. She would then save the juices from the oranges and pineapples to further sweeten the potatoes. It was the best thing I ever tasted. Thanksgiving just isn’t the same without it on the table! It has taken me a few years to get it just right because my mom never used measurements she just knew what to add and how much.”
Ingredients
1/2 cup real butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
Large can of sweet potatoes (yams)
One can cut pineapples/drained (save the juice)
One can mandarin oranges (save the juice)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 bag mini marshmallows
Directions
Begin by melting the butter on a low heat and add the sugar while stirring constantly. Once sugar is dissolved add the sweet potatoes and mash slightly with a wisk, add the cinnamon and ginger. Once that is stirred in (careful not to stir too much) add the fruit and walnuts (add a little of the juice for taste and the right consistency). Fold potatoes in to a baking pan, top with the marshmallows and put in the oven for 20 minutes or until brown. My family loves this dish!
Krall Cranberry Salad
Cathy Kruzic of Denver submitted recipe from “my grandmother and mom that is served in my family EVERY Thanksgiving! Of course, it has those great Iowa roots and each year as I prepare it, I think of helping my mom grind up the cranberries in the hand-cranked meat grinder. Of course, Cuisinarts were still a pipe-dream then! And by the way every year, someone always asks for the recipe.”
Ingredients
Grind 1 pound fresh cranberries and 2 whole, unpeeled oranges
Add 2 cups sugar, 1 small can of crushed pineapple and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Dissolve 2 pkgs raspberry jello in 1 pint hot water
Stir cranberry mixture into the dissolved jello. Top with pecan halves.
Refrigerate until set or overnight.
Thanksgiving Sauerkraut
From Barbara Beeler of Estes Park: “When I married into the German Beeler family 50 years ago, I was surprised to learn that they traditionally serve sauerkraut with Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Over the years, our non-family guests have been amazed to realize that sauerkraut enhances and complements turkey. (Could this be called “fowl” play?)”
Loose recipe: put sauerkraut (from jar, not can) in heavy pot, add chopped, peeled apple and chopped onion, toss in some brown sugar and white wine, cover with boiling water and let it simmer (covered) for hours. Amounts depend upon the size of your party.
Have fun! Observe the feed limit!
Aunt Fanny’s Baked Squash
From Vernie Combellick of Littleton: “This yellow squash recipe has long been a favorite with my family on Thanksgiving; it goes especially well with turkey. I grow them in my vegetable garden and they are seasonally readily available.
“When my husband, Glenn, and I were in Atlanta for a convention, three busloads of ladies were taken to nearby Smyrna, Georgia for a luncheon/style show at ‘Aunt Fanny’s Cabin.’
“As we were being served family style, one of my friends asked me what this dish was. After tasting I answered ‘I think it’s scalloped corn.’ Oops! When handed the recipe, this gardener was pleasantly surprised!”
Ingredients
3 pounds unpeeled yellow summer squash with very tender skin
1/2 cup chopped onions (2 medium)
1/2 cup cracker crumbs (12 small soda crackers)
2 eggs
1 stick butter (or less if preferred)
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons black pepper (salt and pepper may be decreased according to personal taste)
Directions
Wash and cut up squash. Boil until tender, drain thoroughly, then mash.
Add all ingredients except 1/2 of butter to squash. Melt remaining butter. Pour mixture into baking dish, then spread melted butter over top and sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately one hour, or until brown on top.
Crock Pot Stuffing
From Trudy Neff of Arvada: “This is one of my family’s favorite dish It is so moist. My family says it tastes as if came out of the bird.”
Ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
l cup butter or margarine
14 cups bread pieces
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
5-ounce can evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions
Sauté onions and celery in butter. Add bread and seasonings. Toss with broth until moist.Beat eggs, milk and baking powder together. Fold into bread mixture and put into large slow cooker. Cook on high for 30 minutes then turn to low for about 4 hours.
Scalloped Oysters
From Ellin Alstatt of Grand Junction: “I am a city girl born in Brooklyn, New York. In the course of my Dad’s job, we ended up in Colorado. Who do I marry but an authentic farm boy from Mack, Colorado. What side dish can they not live without? Scalloped oysters. As far as I know, they developed the recipe themselves. Now we have the second generation who loves them, too.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 cups coarse saltine-type cracker crumbs
2 cups liquid (reserved oyster liquid mixed with half-and-half and milk to make 2 cups)
10 ounces shucked oysters, liquid reserved (they swear they have to be West Coast oysters – East Coast ones will not do)
Directions
Combine the melted butter, 2 cups of liquid and cracker crumbs. Put half of this mixture in a buttered 9-by-9-inch baking dish. Flatten layer. Arrange the oysters over the crumb layer. (If oysters are very large, cut in half.) Pat remaining crumb mixture over oyster layer. Smooth top. Salt and epper to taste (in this family that means pretty black with pepper). Dot with butter (hey, this is Thanksgiving. Nobody said it was low-cal.) Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes until golden. This recipe can also be doubled (which it is in our large family).
Healthy Apricot-Wild Rice Pilaf
Former chef Earl Pettet created this recipe after a serious health scare caused him to change his diet. Look for the rice in the bulk section of health-food stores.
Ingredients
8 cups salt-free organic chicken stock
2-3 bay leaves
5-6 whole peppercorns
2 cups organic wild rice
2 cups short grain brown rice mix
2-3 cups walnuts
4 teaspoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons cold pressed canola oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped organic Vidalia onions
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 cup dried organic apricots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped organic dried prunes
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
1/4- 1/2 cup cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped sweet red peppers (use the roasted marinated peppers that come in a jar)
Kosher salt to taste
1 cup finely chopped green onions (optional)
1 cup finely ground walnuts (optional)
Directions
For the rice: Bring 8 cups chicken stock to boil with bay leaves and whole peppercorns. Add wild rice and brown rice to stock.
Reduce heat to low and cover pot. Cook 40-43 minutes until rice has absorbed stock.
Remove rice from pot immediately to mixing bowl. Keep a little stock to moisten dish later as rice will continue to absorb liquids while it cools.
For the candied walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly toss walnuts in blue agave nectar, just to coat, and sprinkle with salt.
Spread on baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes until caramelized. Check every 5 minutes or so, as nuts tend to burn quickly due to their high oil content. Remove from oven and cool.
For fruit/onion mix: Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high. Add canola oil, heat, then add garlic, chopped onions and shallots.
Cook, stirring, until golden. Add apricots, prunes, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and curry powder. Stir and add rice wine vinegar. Reduce liquid by 1/4. Lower heat and add red peppers. Remove from heat.
Heat oven to 225 degrees. Add fruit/onion mix to rice. Stir in candied walnuts and season with salt to taste. If the rice has become gummy, add chicken stock to moisten. Place bowl in oven to keep warm until serving.
To serve: Check moisture prior to placing in serving bowl. Add a little more stock if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and ground walnuts to garnish if desired. You could also use small ring molds to mold the rice mix on the plates and serve turkey slices on top.
Aida’s Freekeh Stuffing
Sherry Metzger of Westminster says Thanksgiving would not be the same without her mother Aida’s freekeh (cracked wheat) stuffing. A traditional stuffing recipe in her native country, Egypt, it has a texture similar to couscous, but the flavor is nuttier, yet creamy.
Ingredients
2 cups freekeh (cracked wheat found in Mediterranean markets and some supermarkets)
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Giblets (gizzards, liver, heart) from turkey, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
Directions
Rinse freekeh in hot water. Cover with water and and soak for 2 hours.
In a large skillet, sauté onion, celery and giblets in butter until vegetables are tender. Add 1 cup water to vegetable mixture and bring to a boil. Add drained freekeh and simmer until most of the water is absorbed. Toss with pine nuts.
Stuff turkey, close and roast as desired, or serve on the side.
Selleriesalat
The daughter of German immigrants, Eleanore Snogren of Littleton makes this celeriac (celery root) salad for every Thanksgiving. It has a texture similar to parsnips and a delicate celery flavor. Serves 12.
Ingredients
6 medium-size celery roots
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 large red onion, chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
3 heaping tablespoons sour cream
Chopped parsely, for garnish
Directions
Wash celery roots, cover with water and boil 1 hour or until fork tender. Do not overcook. Drain. When cool, peel and slice as for American potato salad. As you chop each piece, drizzle with a little olive oil and vinegar. Add chopped onion and season with sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, adjust seasonings. Add more vinegar, to taste. Stir in sour cream. Garnish with parsley.
Sweet Brown-Green Beans
Roselan Carr drove all the way from Glenwood Springs to share this dish with us. Serves 8-10.
Ingredients
3 cans whole green beans
1 pound bacon
1/3 cup brown sugar
Directions
Roll a strip of bacon around 8-10 beans. Place in a pie plate. Top with brown sugar. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve as an appetizer or side dish.
Hungarian Appetizer Plate
Charlotte Nagy Miller of Littleton carries on her ex-mother-in-law’s Hungarian tradition of serving this appetizer platter at family gatherings. She gets the kolbasz at Takacs Grocery in Toledo, Ohio, takacsgro ceryandmeats.com, but says Continental Sausage (250 Steele St., 303-388-3354) sells a kolbasa ring that comes close. Serves about 10.
Ingredients
Smoked kolbasz, cooked, chilled and sliced
Boiled ham, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 hard-cooked eggs, cut into 6 segments lengthwise
Directions
Arrange in a sunburst pattern on a round platter. Serve with bread and raw veggies.
Mexican “Gravy”
Teresa Duran of Littleton inherited this tradition from her mom, who made red pork chile for holidays. Serves 10-12.
Ingredients
2 pounds diced pork (with extra bones if you have them)
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups water
1 tablespoon red chile powder
2 dashes cumin
1 tablespoon crushed oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown pork and bones in oil. Add flour, and cook, stirring. Add onion and garlic, cook until golden. Add 3 cups water and mix in chile powder, cumin, oregano and salt to taste. Simmer at least 1 hour.
Sauerkraut for Turkey
Judith Liebman scared her husband 48 years ago when she told him she planned to serve sauerkraut with the turkey, just like her mother did. He came around, though, and she has been making this dish ever since. Serves 6.
Ingredients
2 pounds refrigerated sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
6 juniper berries
1 bay leaf
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges
1 medium onion, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced thinly
1 turkey neck
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth or turkey broth
Turkey drippings, if available
Directions
Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the cooker with a 1/3 of the sauerkraut. In next layer place 3 juniper berries, the bay leaf, 1/2 of the apple and 1/2 of the onion. Add the turkey neck, pushing neck down into the sauerkraut. Add 1/3 of the sauerkraut and the remaining apple, onion and juniper berries. Top with remaining sauerkraut and pour over the wine or broth. Cover and simmer at low setting for 6 to 8 hours, basting the sauerkraut with turkey drippings each time you baste the turkey.
Corn Bake
Marcia Wolf’s Aunt Evie gave her this recipe from the Junior League of El Paso’s “Seasoned with Sun” cookbook. It transports well to Thanksgivings in Boulder.
Ingredients
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 8 1/2-ounce Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 8-ounce can cream style corn
2 16-ounce cans whole kernel corn, drained
l cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup shredded cheese
1 4-ounce can chopped green chile (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except cheese. Spread in a buttered 8-by-10-inch pan. Bake 1 hour. Put cheese on top for the last 15 minutes of baking. If you have any leftovers, it freezes well.
Cranberry Casserole
Susan Connelly of Lafayette is part of a large extended family that gathers every year in Siesta Key, Fla. This is the one dish they cannot live without, she says. Leftovers are good warmed for breakfast. Makes 8-10 servings.
Ingredients
6-8 tart apples, unpeeled, cored and roughly chopped
2 cups raw cranberries, whole
1 1/2 cups sugar
Topping:
1 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine apples, cranberries and 1 1/2 cups sugar and place in buttered rectangular glass baking dish. Mix together the oatmeal, flour, chopped pecans, light brown sugar, melted butter and salt and spread on top of cranberry apple mixture. Bake for one hour. Serve warm, or at room temperature if you must.
