Fall Favorites Friday {Our Family Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes}

I’m a little late, but here it is…my FINAL Fall Favorites Friday (posting on Saturday — oops!!)  Did fall fly by or what?  My kids are already pestering me to put up Christmas decorations.  One thing at a time, kids, one thing at a time.  Momma’s gotta cook a Thanksgiving turkey first!

Speaking of which, I feel like I’ve devoted a lot of my Fall Favorites Fridays posts to food, but honest to God, I love a good meal.  And, one of the reasons I love Thanksgiving even more than Christmas is because a lot of the food we prepare is a once-a-year treat.

Today, I’m sharing a few of our family favorite Thanksgiving recipes.  I’ll warn you right now that you will consume nearly a billion calories and lots of fat with these beauties.  But, if you just tell yourself that it’s only once a year you’ll cut down the fat and calories by at least half – ha!!  (Wouldn’t it be nice if that were actually true?)

Recipe #1
Alton Brown’s ThanksgivingTurkey

This recipe is not the big fat and calorie offender, but it is very good and it is our go-to holiday turkey recipe.  It comes out moist every time and it only takes a couple of hours to cook – so no getting up at 4 a.m. to put the turkey in — gotta love that!

The recipe can be found here on the Food Network site.

Recipe #2
Cheesy Corn Bake

I got this recipe from a former co-worker when we did a potluck Thanksgiving meal at work one year.  If you like creamy corn with a little southwestern kick to it, you’ll love this recipe!  I make this every year for my Texas family — they love it!

Click here for a printable recipe.

Recipe #3
Something’ Special Sweet Potato Casserole

This is not an actual picture of my sweet potato casserole, but it’s a pretty good representation of what this recipe looks like when done.  (Since I’m a new blogger I don’t have my own picture, so I improvised.) 

This dish has a kick to it, and not the jalepeno or Cajun kind.  It is spiked with alcohol.  The recipe calls for apricot brandy, but one year we ran out and used Jim Beam bourbon instead and it has been the number one favorite around here so we now use it regularly.  (I know, we sound like a bunch of drinkers, but seriously, the alcohol burns off during cooking and just leaves a bold flavor.  Your kids can eat this too.)

This is another recipe from a former co-worker who got it out of an old Southern cookbook called, “Big Mama’s Old Black Pot.”  I seriously need to order a copy of the book.  I can only imagine what other gems are inside!

Click here for a printable recipe.

I should also note that one of the great things about this particular recipe is that it needs to be prepared a day or so ahead of time so the flavors can marry — that’s what makes this such a great Thanksgiving recipe! 

Recipe #4
The Ultimate Pecan Pie (& Pie Crust)

This recipe is one that I modified from a Southern Living recipe I found several years ago.  I can’t seem to find the original online but here’s a link to several they have posted if you’re interested in doing more browsing.

My recipe is my family’s hands-down favorite and I get rave reviews every time I bake it.  My husband’s work colleague came to dinner one night and told me it was the best pecan pie he’s ever had! 

Click here for a printable recipe.

I should also mention that I am a pie snob and believe a pie is only as good as it’s crust, so I only make pies with a from-scratch crust.  That’s not to say I haven’t cheated a time or two with a store-bought one.  I’m just saying that I’m always disappointed with the results when the crust isn’t home-made.

I have also tried a few pie crust recipes over the years and have decided that Martha Stewart’s easy pie crust recipe is my favorite.  It’s buttery and flaky and I’m hungry for pie just thinking about it!

I can’t tell you how much I look forward to eating our Thanksgiving meal each year.  Even if these particular recipes were not a part of it, I still enjoy the act of preparing a sit-down dinner for family and friends. 

Happy Thanksgiving!