Jazmin's Thanksgiving Dinner Plated
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Turkey Wings Creole Injected
Cornbread Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Mustard Potato Salad
Cheesy Mac and Cheese
Mixed Collard Greens
Glazed Sweet Potato with Marshmallow
Apple Cranberry Cider Vodka Cocktails
My daughter Jazmin hosted "Thanksgiving Dinner" this year in her new home. This is the first of many as she celebrates the holiday season and gives thanks for now being a landowner. For dinner, she prepared everything from scratch. All the dishes were superb. I had seconds and then crashed from the "idis." or waiting all afternoon to enjoy her cooking without ruining it eating lunch. It was well worth the wait.
Funny, we were so anxious to get to dinner, pray and eat that no one took pictures of the presentation table. There was a fabulous bouquet of flowers that had a height and was the star of the wet bar island.
Our family had so much to be thankful for that we all reside in one state now and could be together this year. That we are all present after the worse pandemic in the history of mankind. Amazingly, we all survived. I am most grateful for seeing my family come together to celebrate 2022.
Turkey Wings Injected
Turkey Wings Injected
Cornbread Stuffing
This is THE best Southern cornbread stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving. It's rich, savory, and flavorful without using a pound of butter. This traditional stuffing recipe needs to be on your holiday table!
Favorite holiday food of all time? Mine is stuffing, hands down. What could be better than a pan full of carbs? Bread AND cornbread with a rich, savory, buttery, herby flavor that only comes around once a year? Pass me a fork!
Southern cornbread stuffing is one of those Thanksgiving dishes that never seem to have a recipe when our family makes it, but it always turns out absolutely delicious. Like, the best. And I have always wanted to share the absolute best ever cornbread stuffing with you for Thanksgiving, so I set out to find (or build) our family recipe. Turns out, there's not one. But I've finally recorded my favorite recipe for traditional Southern cornbread stuffing without using obscene amounts of butter.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS STUFFING
This is the quintessential cornbread stuffing recipe that comes to mind with mentions of Thanksgiving (at least for me!). It's homey and savory, full of flavor from herbs, aromatic veggies, broth, and butter. It takes a little time and prep work, but it's easy to make. And the results are SO worth the effort, especially for Thanksgiving dinner. And a little bonus? It's a little healthier than many recipes!
WHAT MAKES THIS STUFFING HEALTHIER?
Not that stuffing for the best food day of the year needs to be healthy, but this stuffing is better for you without sacrificing flavor or coziness. This stuffing uses just a bit of butter (3 tablespoons for a whole pan, which is not much comparatively) and derives a lot of the delicious savory flavor from broth and aromatics. My homemade cornbread, which uses whole wheat flour, can be even better for you.
THE INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 package (8 ounces) of unseasoned stuffing mix
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Ground Sage
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Thyme
- Cornbread - IMO, homemade is best! You'll want to make some at least the day before you plan to make stuffing. I use my healthier cornbread recipe.
- Bread - Really, any type of bread is acceptable. Sandwich bread, whole wheat bread, French bread, whatever you have. I typically save the butt ends of my bread loaves and any bread I won't eat before it goes wrong in the freezer for stuffing later.
- Onion, Celery, and Garlic - Classic flavoring elements in any good stuffing recipe.
- Parsley, Thyme, and Green Onion - Lots of herbs for so much flavor! You can add any other you like, such as sage or rosemary.
- Butter - Not too much, just enough for a classic rich flavor.
- Eggs - They help bind everything together.
- Broth - I use my homemade chicken broth or low-sodium store-bought broth
HOW TO MAKE IT
- 12-image collage showing steps for making cornbread stuffing.
- Cube the bread and cornbread and let it get stale, either by leaving it on the counter overnight or by toasting it in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Chop the parsley, thyme, and green onion. Add the stale bread and cornbread to a large bowl with the chopped herbs.
- Chop the onion, celery, and garlic.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook until slightly softened.
- Add most of the broth to the saucepan with the onion mixture (reserving about ½ cup). Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the onion and broth mixture into the bowl with the bread and gently stir to coat.
- Whisk the eggs with the remaining broth, salt, and pepper. Pour into the bowl with the bread and stir to coat everything evenly. If the bread still looks dry, add a little more broth.
- Spread the stuffing mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. Cover and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
- Remove the cover and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
Mustard Potato Salad
3 pounds medium russet potatoes
1cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, 3 chopped and 1 sliced
paprika
Instructions
Cut each potato in half. Cut each potato in half. Place in a large pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer until fork tender all the way through, about 20 minutes. Drain well. Let cool and then peel and discard the skins. Run a knife through them until they are cut into bite-sized pieces.
Mix mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and onion powder in a small bowl. Pour over potatoes and mix in well. Add relish, celery, onion, and the hopped eggs. Mix in. Could you add salt and pepper to taste? Top with sliced egg and sprinkle with paprika. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Mixed Collard Greens
Photo by Sue Lau
Cutting or tearing into bite-size pieces
This is how collards grow in the garden before picking.
1/2 pound smoked turkey ( diced, about 6 thick slices)
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 pound smoked ham (chopped, optional)
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 container (32 ounces) of chicken broth
1 bunch (2 pounds) of fresh collard greens, Turnips washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Step 1
Cook turkey in a heavy 10-qt. Stockpot over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until almost crisp. Add onion, and sauté for 8 minutes.
Step 2
Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute.
Step 3
Stir in half the broth and the remaining ingredients. Cook until the desired degree of tenderness, keeping an eye on the liquid level and adding more as needed. I rarely add more than half (16 oz). It should have a layer of liquid at the bottom but not be soupy. I usually cook for about 45-60 minutes.
Cheesy Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
8 ounces of cheddar cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the flour, cream, half-and-half, sour cream, egg, mustard, cayenne, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth.
Drain pasta. Transfer to a greased 2-1/2-qt. Baking dish. Stir in cubed cheeses. Top with cream mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° until bubbly and golden brown, 30-40 minutes.
Vodka is essential to a well-stocked home bar. The smooth, easy-to-quaff liquor plays well in classic cocktails like martinis, gimlets, vodka tonics, cosmos, and all kinds of other fruity libations from frappés to spiked lemonade.
Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria
8 SERVINGS
750 mL red wine
3 cups apple cider (soft, non-alcoholic)
1 cup cranberry juice (unsweetened)
1/2 cup triple sec (or other orange liqueur)
1/2 cup honey (*, or 1/2 cup simple syrup made by heating equal parts of sugar and water over medium heat until dissolved)
1 cup frozen cranberries (or fresh)
sparkling water (to top off)
1 cup green apple (freshly diced red and/or cubes)
cinnamon sticks (for garnish, optional)
Order Ingredients
Resource Credits:
- https://livelytable.com/best-southern-cornbread-stuffing-recipe-thanksgiving/BY KALEIGH MCMORDIE - NOVEMBER 15, 2021THE BEST (HEALTHY-ISH) SOUTHERN CORNBREAD STUFFING RECIPE
- https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/best-ever-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe
- https://www.recipezazz.com/recipes/view_photos/8395
- https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Cranberry-Apple-Cider-Sangria-2116030
- https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/southern-potato-salad/
- https://www.marthastewart.com/274340/vodka-cocktails?.
