Happy Thanksgiving! Today I'd like to share a couple of our traditional family recipes with you. We use these at Christmas, too, and sometimes even in between. They are not that hard to make, and soooo yummy. This photo of our spread (below) was taken before the turkey made its appearance.
ALSO--and this is very important--that glare you see on the front edge of the tablecloth is a reflection off my favorite meal-time stress-reducer. I buy two square yards of clear plastic/vinyl from Hobby Lobby and cover the real tablecloth with it. Kids spill? No problem! Buttery knife falls off the plate? No problem! I LOVE this stuff. Cheap. Worth it. Bravo. Now let's get cooking.
Fluffy Cranberry Salad
3 cups fresh cranberries (one 12 oz bag might do it, but I usually buy two in case there are a lot of squishy berries to discard)
1/2 cup sugar
20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups heavy whipping cream (1 pint)
Chop cranberries in half. Yes, sit down at the table and chop each berry in half individually. We tried putting them through the grinder once to save time and the recipe was just not the same. Put on some nice Christmas music (I recommend Handel's Messiah or Charlie Brown's Christmas) and get comfy. Add next three ingredients to chopped berries. Chill overnight.
Drain excess juice from the bowl. Whip the cream in a blender, adding sugar to taste. Fold in the whipped cream to the rest of the bowl. (Note: you may not want to add ALL the whipped cream to your salad. You will probably have some leftover to put on your pie later. :) )
Spinach Salad
10 oz. fresh spinach
slices crisp bacon, crumbled
1 bunch sliced scallions (green onions)
1/4 lb. sliced, raw mushrooms. Don't use canned mushrooms, they're gross.
Dressing:
T. lemon juice
5 T. olive oil
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. sugar
1 egg yolk
Assemble salad. Mix and chill dressing. Pour dressing on salad just before serving. I won't even tell you to enjoy it because I know you will without being reminded to. It's drool-worthy. Truly. Happy, happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Jocelyn Green
Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning and bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including The Mark of the King; Wedded to War; and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. Her books have garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, and have been honored with the Christy Award, the gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America, and the Golden Scroll Award from the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association. She graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a B.A. in English, concentration in writing. As a speaker, Jocelyn inspires faith and courage in her audiences. She loves Mexican food, Broadway musicals, strawberry-rhubarb pie, the color red, and reading with a cup of tea. Jocelyn lives with her husband Rob and two children in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.
Add new comment