We are going to celebrate Thanksgiving at my in-laws house and my mother is going to join us. I am in charge of the Cranberry-Raspberry-Orange Sauce, mashed potatoes, and cornbread dressing. I love it because these are all items that can be made ahead of time. I am also going to prep the turkey the day before Thanksgiving, so I included that recipe too.

I have never been a fan of canned jellied cranberry sauce–the shape of it; the taste of it; the awful sound it makes as it slides out of the can. There was nothing about it that I found appealing in any way. So I started making my own cranberry sauce from a recipe that was in the McCall’s Cooking School cookbook. While it was better, it needed something to mellow the overbearing/harsh cranberry taste. I played around with it and found that adding raspberries, orange zest, orange juice, and a little pectin (to get the consistency just right) worked well to create a sauce that my family loves, and I think you will too. (And it’s easy to make! And you can can it for later.)

12 oz. bag fresh cranberries

12 oz. bag frozen raspberries

1 ½ tbsp. Ball Real Fruit Pectin powder

1 medium sized Valencia orange

1 2/3 cups of sugar

Makes about 5 cups of sauce

To get started:  Wash and pick over the cranberries—removing stems, and any berries that are soft/discolored.  Thaw the raspberries on the counter or on 30% power in the microwave.  Using a vegetable peeler, peel just the orange rind from the orange.  Combine the orange rind and sugar in a food processor and pulse until the orange rind is dispersed completely and is in tiny pieces—set aside.  Juice the orange and set aside.

To make the sauce:

Combine the cranberries, raspberries, pectin and orange juice in a large pot and cook over medium high heat until the berries start to pop.  Add the sugar/orange rind mixture to the pot and continue cooking until it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.

To can the sauce:

Get your jars, bands, and lids ready.  (I usually use the microwave to sterilize my jars.)  Get your hot water canner up to boiling. Fill the jars leaving 1/4″ head space. Tighten bands and lids.

Process jars for 15 minutes.

Cathy’s Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

8 oz. cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese

4 oz. butter

Milk (as needed to achieve desired texture)

Garlic Salt (to taste)

Put the potatoes in a large pot and boil until incredibly soft.  Drain in colander.  In the meantime, place the cheese and butter in the bottom of your mixing bowl and pour the drained potatoes on top.  Let sit for about 5 minutes to allow the butter and cheese to melt.  Whip the potatoes with the mixer, adding milk, as necessary.  (If I am making these the day before, I make the potatoes slightly runny because the starch in the potatoes absorbs the extra liquid in the refrigerator.)  Add garlic salt.  Because potatoes and milk tend to need a lot of salt, it will take a surprising amount.  If you do not want to use garlic salt, you can use salt and pepper to taste.  Place in grease baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.  (If you are short on oven space, you can microwave these.)

Dry Brined Turkey (cooked in pieces)

I made this last year for work and it is so much better than cooking a whole turkey—it cooks quickly and thoroughly.  You have some work to do the day before Thanksgiving, but the carving is an absolute snap.  She is right—make the stock.  This along with the pan drippings makes a fantastic gravy.

Dry Brine:

¼ cup salt

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic granules

Watch this video to learn how to break down a whole turkey for this recipe—it sounds intimidating, but the instructions are good.  (Make sure that you have a sharp knife, preferably a boning knife, but you can use a chef’s knife.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd1rM3CsoN0&fbclid=IwAR2A-VvDpH_vrsgKO9zsV9D7W0Jz6p_6-Xddl6jAJUQOWBM4TejWZ7FM5Xs&ab_channel=Tasty

Super Cheaty Cornbread Dressing (Easy and Delicious)

This is a recipe that can be made ahead and frozen.

Make this mix according to the package instructions.

I baked mine for about 16 minutes and it got pretty brown, so keep an eye on it.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter

2 onions finely chopped

3 cups sliced celery

2 tsp poultry seasoning (I like Post Modern Poultry seasoning from Alchemy Spice in Chattanooga)

Cornbread cut into 1/2″ cubes

5 cups herb stuffing mix

4 cups chicken broth

Can of cream of chicken soup

Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook until the vegetables have softened and the water from the vegetables has evaporated. Add poultry seasoning and stir until fragrant. Turn off the heat and add the cornbread and stuffing mix. Stir to combine. Add chicken broth stirring well to combine. Add soup and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. (Notice that I didn’t call for salt in this–it can end up too salty, so wait until the end to add if desired.) The dressing will be quite moist because it will be baked.

Put the dressing into 2 quart container to freeze. If baking right away, place in a greased casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until brown.

Happy Thanksgiving!!