Thanksgiving Recipes

We made 3 dishes to take over to a friend's place for Thanksgiving - Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash, Green Bean Casserole, and Smashed Potatoes with Garlic. It took a couple hours to prepare everything, but we had a wonderful time doing it and everything turned out great. And isn't that all that really matters?

Black Turkey (Sort of)

So it's not exactly black, and I'm not entirely sure why, but it worked just the same. This is basically a Thompson Turkey (link at the bottom) minus the complicated meat stuffing extravaganza.

The gist is this: this is fun. The whole family can get involved with this turkey. Every person can baste the paste on the bird for the gazillion times it needs to be done. Constant vigilance!

Bottom line: if you want something very different, if you want the moistest turkey you've ever made yourself, and if you want everyone to have a bit of fun making the main dish, then give this a shot. Disappointed you will not be. Let me know how yours turns out, and if it actually came out black! Enjoy.

BBQ Country-Style Pork Spareribs

This is perhaps about the easiest recipe ever for pork spareribs. Really, I don't think it could get any simpler. In fact, it's so simple I think I'll just cut right to it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

country-style pork spareribs
your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 250. Place spareribs in shallow baking pan and bake for 2 hours. Reduce heat to 200, cover ribs with just BBQ sauce so it coats it, and bake again for another 45 minutes to an hour. Sauce with more BBQ if desired.

Serve with a side of beans and veggies.

Homemade Cannoli

A chocolate chip cannoli could be one of the easiest Italian desserts you'll ever make. Well, as long as you forget about making the cannoli shells yourself. Those things can be a huge pain, and they are only worth doing at home if you're going to make more than 20. Since most of us aren't, and we only want some of that sweet ricotta filling anyway in a fun, easy-to-hold shell, it's just better to buy a couple cannoli shells from a local bakery or supermarket.

The secret to a great filling is in the simplicity and ratio. All you really need is ricotta and powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is essential. You won't get the right texture without it. There are some other fun additions you can make like amaretto or orange-flavored liqueur, but be sure to adjust for the added 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp of liquid so it's not too runny. Now on to the cannoli!

Ingredients

2 cannoli shells
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
handful of chocolate chips

Directions

Mix together ricotta and powdered sugar. Start with the above ratio and adjust to your personal tastes.

Spoon (or pipe) into shells, filling all the way through.

Sprinkle chocolate chips on the outside.

Grab a cappuccino and enjoy!