I have these friends who just can’t help themselves…They excel. You’ve met Brenda, and in the last blog post, I shared her beautiful table setting for Thanksgiving. In an earlier post, I told you about her cookbook. Well, all that to say, Brenda is one fabulous cook and hostess!
Brenda serves a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey and dressing, and other side dishes that her kids insist on. The family will gather at Bebe and Doc’s lake house this year, and you can take a peek at how she’s decorated their table in anticipation of the Thanksgiving feast. She’s also letting me share a few of her recipes, and, believe me, they are worthy of their calories!
Brenda’s Menu for Thanksgiving
Turkey Smoked on the Green Egg
Traditional Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Thomas Family Dressing
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Bundles
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Corn Pudding
Snow-Capped Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Sugar Cookies (made with the grandkids)
Tea Punch and Coffee
I think she’s brilliant for getting the guys involved with the grill. It keeps them busy and gets the turkey mess out of the kitchen! She’s one smart cookie there. I’ve tried to talk my hubby into getting a Green Egg, but no dice. Oh, well. (In a future post I’ll tell you about my brining method that results in a delicious and moist turkey.)
I have made everything on her menu, except the tea punch and snow-capped pumpkin pie. So, I can guarantee their deliciousness. Here are a few of her A+ recipes…
Thomas Family Dressing (aka Jack Carney Dressing)
Ingredients
1 loaf bread (she uses wheat), torn into pieces
1 pan Jiffy corn bread mix, baked
1 1/2 sticks butter
5 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 C celery, chopped
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1 C turkey broth
1 1/2 T poultry seasoning
1 t sage
Directions
Melt butter and sautee onions and celery. Stir for a few minutes. Take off stove and add seasonings, salt, and pepper to taste. Add bread and broken corn bread to sautee mixture. With a fork, add eggs to mixture. Add 1 cup turkey broth (don’t over-mix). Put dressing in a large casserole. Dot top with butter and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours uncovered. During the last 1/2 hour, start dripping juice from the turkey over dressing.
Delicious Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
3 C cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 C sugar
1/2 T salt
2 beaten eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 C milk
1/2 T vanilla
1 C pecans
1 C brown sugar
1/3 C flour
1/3 C butter, melted
Directions
Mix first 7 ingredients and spread in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle pecans on top. Mix brown sugar, flour, and butter and sprinkle over pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Snow-Capped Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
1 1/4 C unsifted flour
1/3 C quick cooking oats
1/2 t salt
1/2 C shortening
4-5 T cold water
1 16-oz. can pumpkin
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1 1/2 C sour cream
3 T sugar
1 t vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Add water, 1 T at a time, stirring after each addition. Form mixture into a ball, roll out on a lightly-floured surface. Line pie plate. Flute edge to make high rim, set aside. In large bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, salt, and remaining spices. Mix well and turn into shell. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and continue baking 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Spread evenly over top of pie. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Return to oven 8-10 minutes, or until topping is set. Cool before serving. Keep refrigerated.
Tea Punch
Ingredients
4 family-size tea bags
1 regular-size frozen orange juice, thawed
1 regular-size frozen lemonade, thawed
2 C sugar
Directions
Seep 4 tea bags in 2 quarts boiling water. Add remaining ingredients. Pour in a gallon-size pitcher and add water to make 1 gallon. Keeps for 1 week. Stir before serving.
Anne's Corn
Ingredients
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
8 oz sour cream
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
salt and pepper to taste
2 t sugar
1 stick butter, melted
Directions
Mix all ingredients except butyter and pour into a casserole dish. Pour butter over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Will be wet in the middle. It will firm as it stands.
Note from Brenda: She doubles this for her big crew, but only uses 1 1/2 sticks melted butter on top when she does.
Y’all will be thanking me if you make any of these dishes! But, maybe you should be thanking Brenda. Oh, go ahead and thank me…I’ll pass it on! 🙂
What does your Thanksgiving meal look like? Are you traditional all the way or do you have some twists and zingers?
Jamie
Wow! I am so very curious why it’s called Thomas Family Dressing. It is almost identical to the recipe I grew up having in my own Thomas family every Thanksgiving. Weird, huh?
Tracey Buchanan
My friend Brenda’s maiden name is Thomas and this is the dressing recipe her family’s always used. What a fun coincidence!
Tracey Buchanan
Good luck! You’ll have good dressing, but I don’t know if any of us can recreate our mom’s!
Julie Kleet
Year after year I try unsuccessfully to recreate my mother’s fabulous dressing. Jack Carney Dressing will be my 2021 attempt.
Tracey Buchanan
Yay!! Thank you! ❤️
Karen Dodson
Tracey, you can count on me for the corn pudding……sounds like a dish for the woman who is definitely a sad cooking-challenged mother. I can handle that recipe!!! Thanks Brenda!