What is your "Signature" Thanksgiving dish?

[Pippen]

My husband's family has a fairly set menu and I've often wished for variation, especially because we do a near duplicate meal at Christmas, only substitute in ham for turkey.

 

My signature dish are homemade rolls using an old Betty Crocker recipe. I like this one because it rises in the fridge overnight so it's very flexible. Use regular yeast--not fast rise--and I never bake at such a high temp.

http://www.recipesource.com/baked-goods/rolls/01/rec0158.html

 

This spinach salad always makes our holiday meals. It's another family member's signature dish--I just take it everywhere else. ;)

 

Spinach Salad

Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon pepper

onion to taste (recipe calls for ½ medium onion—I use two tablespoons)

Finely chop onion and mix with other ingredients 12 hours in advance.

Salad Ingredients

Spinach, washed & dried

bacon, fried crisp & drained

One 11-ounce can mandarin oranges

mushrooms & avocado (optional)

Just before serving, mix ingredients and toss with dressing

[eewaggie99]

Cornbread stuffing with sausage. I make a huge vat of it and we eat it for days. It's the only thing I like once Thanksgiving is over.

 

I thought I was the only one with a completely set menu. My parents would try something new every year and it usually didn't work out which made for many hit-or-miss meals. I haven't changed my planned dishes in years, although I'm always tweaking to improve the recipes. Last year, I made dry-brined turkey, which was delicious and much easier than a wet brine.

Edited November 9, 2011 by eewaggie99
wording

[kalphs]

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes mashed (Approximately 5 sweet potatoes)

1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup millk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Topping

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In mixing bowl, combined mashed potatoes with brown sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Break up any chunks of sweet potato with your spoon. Mixture should be smooth.

In a separate bowl, use fingers to combine flour, brown sugar, melted butter and peacans for the topping. Set aside.

Spoon sweet potato mixture into an oven safe dish and sprinkle pecan mixture evenly over the top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until sweet potatoes are warmed through and the topping has formed a crust.

Bon Appetit!

:)