Happy pre-Thanksgiving, All!

My Mom's recipe that I've been using for years:

Candied Sweet Potatoes

• Sweet Potatoes (baked/steamed with skin on)
  Sauce
  
• 2 cubes of butter; melt in frying pan
  ADD
  
• 2 cups of brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (try using real maple syrup)
  
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1/3 tsp. salt
  
• 1 Tablespoon dark molasses
  
• Dash of nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon
  

Cook sauce ingredients together until mixed, DO NOT OVER COOK OR YOU WILL HAVE CANDY!!
*personally, I'll cook the sauce until it gets a bit thick but not quite caramel.

Pour sauce over the cooked, peeled & sliced sweet potatoes in a glass cake/casserole pan, cover & cook in oven, 350 degrees for about 60-75 minutes, turning every 15-20 minutes until juicy and sauce has penetrated potatoes.
*cook time may depend on how cooked the potatoes were, pre-sauce.

I usually use the above recipe at 1.5x for 5 lbs of potatoes.

Crawfish & Andouille Cornbread Dressing

6 cups crumbled cornbread
3 cups soft bread crumbs
1 lb. crawfish tails, chopped
2 cups cooked Andouille sausage, diced
4 Tbsp. butter
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
3 to 4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning or Tony Chachere's
3 boiled eggs, chopped
3 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornbread and bread crumbs. Add the Crawfish & Andouille and mix together.

In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onion and celery in butter until tender. Do not brown. Combine the sautéed vegetables with the bread mixture. Stir in chicken broth, using enough to moisten. Add Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning or Tony's, chopped eggs and beaten eggs. Mix together well.

Spread the mixture in a large buttered casserole dish (we use aluminum pans, but up to you). Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

George Stella's Low Carb Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients
3/4 pound turkey sausage (you may use pork breakfast sausage)
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 eggs
2 cups coarsely chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup diced yellow squash
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions
Cook sausage, onions and celery, add cooked items to all others in a bowl and stir; pour into an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.


This recipe has turned into a family favorite.

Watching with great interest but can't contribute a recipe.

For me and our family doings it's always potluck. I'm gonna do you a favor and just bring the sweet tea LOL!

My extended family has scattered to the winds and rarely gets together anymore but has some really good cooks and that used to be some good eating.

My wife's extended family... whew... all 75 or so that usually show up, get together every year and have to rent a room to fit everyone. Potluck. Cold potluck. You would think that in all them folks there would be a cook or two...
You would be wrong.
I have actually left hungry on occasion with 50 or so dishes to choose from, but the redneck fellowship is always good! For example...

A thanksgiving meal to remember... First year I ate with the wife's clan. The 20 or so cousins in attendance decide they are going to single out one "city boy" cousin to be the victim that year. He was maybe 16 yr old. They hog-tied the poor guy with duct tape and taped over his mouth... And then, they just left him laying in the middle of the floor, while every one else ate. Oh yea, good times! Now they meet in the church and have toned it down... a bit.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1 ¼ cups pecan halves

Mix everything together except the pecans. Blend well, but lightly enough not to creat air bubbles. Foam is the enemy.

Lay out the pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven at 325° for about 4-5 minutes.

Pour the pecans into the filling mixture, then pout everything into the pie crust.

If you like cool patterns, spirals or concentric rings or whatever, use a fork to arrange the top layer of pecans.

Bake @375 for 35-45 minutes, untill the outside sets. Thie middle will still be a little jiggly.

Let it cool awhile, and everything will firm up.

Its so good it should be illegal. Almost orgasmic!

Spatchcocked smoked turkey! I did this a couple years ago when I smoked my turkey on my BGE.

It's listed as option #3 on Amazingribs.com Many benefits to having a more even cooking temperature on inside (bone side) and outside (skin side):

it cooks faster.

less chance of burning the skin side to get meat done on the bone side.

Less chance of having dry turkey

When I pulled my Maverick's temperature probe it shot juice over a foot. That's a juicy bird.

I also like the thin gravy recipe in the link above.

Whichever way you choose to cook your turkey, cook to temperature on an actual thermometer (not that god awful pop up thingie) not time. If you don't own a good leave in thermometer, order one delivered next day or 2nd day air:

Maverick ET-733 Long Range Wireless Dual Probe BBQ Smoker Meat Thermometer Set - the one I own

ThermoWorks Smoke™ 2-Channel Alarm - the one I'd buy if I were shopping today

ThermoWorks DOT - accurate but affordable at $43

ThermoWorks ChefAlarm - accurate and a few more features than DOT - $64

I always check large cuts of meat, turkies, and whole chickens in multiple places with an instant read thermometer. Here are two options (I tried pissing around with the ones on Amazon but only get a few months out of them and they're slowwwww):

Classic Super-Fast® Thermapen® - the one I own. Currently $79 but every so often they have them for $59

ThermoPop® - the accurate but budget minded ($34)

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4 - the latest and greatest, but $99

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

I dislike cranberry sauce but found the best way to integrate cranberries into TG dinner was making a batch of Betty Crocker's cranberry stuffing.

I could feel my arteries cringing as I picked up the 4 sticks of butter for it tonight.

Grandma's most delicious and best in the world cranberry salad

2 red delicious apples
2 oranges
2 bags cranberries
2 small boxes orange jello
2 cups sugar

Boil 2 cups water and mix in the jello. Pour into large mixing bpwl and place into refrigerator. Monitor the mix untill it becomes syrupy but not set.

Grind the apples, oranges, and cranberries and drain. Mix in the sugar.

When the jello mixture is syrupy but not fully set, add the fruit mixture and stir well. Pour mixture into serving bowl and place into refrigerator untill fully set.

Great thread! A Happy and safe Thanksgiving to all!

I made this as a combination of several recipes.  It was very well received on Monday.

55 Butterscotch Pie

1 9" pie crust, homemade or store bought, baked before being filled.

1 cup packed brown sugar
5 Tablespoons butter
5 Tablespoons white wheat flour
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon Kahlua
2 cups cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

In a double boiler melt the butter then add the sugar.  Stir until blended.  Add the flour in small amounts.  Stir constantly.  When mixed, add the cream in small amounts as it is absorbed.  Stir.  Add the Kahlua, salt, and nutmeg.  Stir.  Remove one cup of the filling to the bowl with the egg whites, mix well.  Return this to the double boiler.  Stir!!  Evaporate until soft peaks will stand.  Cool.  Fill the crust.

Pre-heat oven to 350'.  Combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl.  Whisk vigorously until stiff peaks form. Layer atop the pie.  Place the pie on the top rack of the oven.  Monitor until a gold/brown coloring appears.  Chill two hours.  Serve.