Thanksgiving is almost upon us and we have extra to be thankful for this year. Being able to safely gather with family again is truly a great gift. Of course, having a delicious meal is a huge part of a fun Thanksgiving, but this can be a daunting task in a vacation home kitchen. To take the stress out of meal planning for your holiday trip, we gathered some of our favorite (and easy!) Thanksgiving recipes from our staff to assemble a fantastic family meal for your get-together.
Appetizer:
- Courtney, Website Design and IT: Sausage Balls
“Short and sweet, and yummy.”
- Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
- ¾ cup Bisquick
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper onto sheet pan.
- Mix sausage and cheddar cheese in a bowl. Mix in Bisquick. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place onto prepared baking sheet. If mix is too dry, add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk or water at a time.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and sausage is cooked through.
- Tips:
- To add a kick, add a diced jalapeno to the mix (seeded or unseeded) or spicy ground breakfast sausage (recommended Jimmy Dean, hot).
- Recipe works great with gluten-free Bisquick and dairy-free cheese.
Sides:
- Spencer, Guest and Owner Relations: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
“Simple, easy, and perfect if you love garlic. I typically use 8-10 cloves”
- Ingredients:
- 3 ½ pounds russet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 16 ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed (add more if you love garlic!)
- 6 ounces grated Parmesan
- Instructions:
- Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
- Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.
- Kamille, Reservations and Marketing: Cranberry and Apple Stuffing
“Instead of making stuffing and cranberry sauce separately, make this all-in-one stuffing! Use the tips to save on buying extra ingredients!”
- Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 medium apples, chopped
- 1 bag (6 ounces) dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon Parsley
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 6 cups dry bread cubes (use croutons for flavor!)
- 1 can (14 and ½ ounces) chicken broth
- 1 cup apple juice
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in apples, cranberries, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.
- Place bread cubes in large bowl. Add celery mixture, broth, and apple juice; toss gently until well mixed. Spoon into lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with foil.
- Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil; bake additional 20 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.
- Tips:
- Use a blended “Italian Seasoning” instead of buying multiple seasonings
- Use seasoned croutons for the bread
- Replace cranberries with blueberries for a sweeter flavor
Main Course:
- Cole Macias, Director of Operations: Baked Ham
“It is easier to prep than turkey and less chance of drying out. Plus you don’t need gravy with ham!”
- Ingredients:
- 15 lbs whole bone-in ham
- 1 lb brown sugar
- ½ cup yellow mustard
- Aluminum foil
- Directions:
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix yellow mustard and brown sugar until you have a thick "paste".
- Take all wrappers off of ham and trim away excess fat.
- Line baking pan (I spray with Pam in case some of the brown sugar mixture escapes, clean-up is easier) with Aluminum foil.
- Place ham on foil and spread brown sugar/mustard paste on top.
- Fold and seal foil. Do not open again until ham is done.
- Bake at 350° for 4 hours.
- Let sit for about 1 hour then carve.
- Tips:
- Use Dijon or Honey mustard for added flavor!
Dessert:
- Ashley Kubiszyn, CEO: Pumpkin Dump Cake
“Here’s my fav Thanksgiving dessert. It’s ridiculously easy and, unlike other baked goods, shouldn’t be impacted by the altitude.”
- Ingredients:
- 1 can (29 oz.) pure pumpkin
- 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 box (15.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
- ¾ cup melted butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until well mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the top of the batter. Pour the melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with pecans.
- Bake for 50 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool 10 minutes before serving