Thanksgiving Recipe Blog Hop

Welcome to my first Blog Hop! If you’d like to start at the beginning of the “hop”, jump on over to Creative 2x Mom, otherwise, welcome and read on! As per the description of my blog, I didn’t really get into cooking until shortly after I got married, about 7 years ago. I’ve come a LONG way since then. (Have I mentioned that I didn’t even know what a clove of garlic looked like? Yikes!)

Anyhow, I’ve got two of our family’s regular recipes we have at Thanksgiving. I’ve cooked for about 2-3 Thanksgivings since getting married, and enjoy making nearly everything from scratch except for two things: GRAVY and PUMPKIN PIE. Gravy…just too much work it seems, and pumpkin pie, sooo cheap and still delish from Costco, am I right? So, here are the two “must-haves” that our family enjoys:

 Smooth Cranberry Sauce

1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Directions: Rinse berries under cold water. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and stir, put on high heat until it comes to a boil. Add berries, stir, then bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the berries start to pop. You can actually hear them pop!

Here comes the absolutely necessary part in my book! To get it to taste like my Grandma Betty’s cranberry sauce.

Pour the cooked berries into a colander or strainer. Make sure you scrape EVERYTHING out of the saucepan. Press all the berries through the colander. Start with a spatula, but don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty in the end, and DON’T forget to scrape the ooey gooey goodness from the bottom of the colander or strainer!! Let it chill in the fridge for an hour or more so it will set. The consistency is delicious! Sorry I don’t have a picture, perhaps I’ll add one after Thanksgiving. But, here’s a similar looking picture and a Thanksgiving picture of my family and I 2 Thanksgivings ago (see the red stuff on our plates?).

Broccoli Salad

1 large head of broccoli

1/2 red onion

1 lb. bacon

Dressing:

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

Direction: Wash and cut broccoli into bite-sized florets (I just buy the broccoli pieces from Costco, you still have to cut them smaller, but it saves time). Cut stems into bite-sized pieces (or discard). Dice red onion. Fry and drain bacon, chop into small pieces (You can also save time on this step by buying the bacon crumbles that come in the bag. No frying necessary!). Combine all ingredients with dressing. Marinate in refrigerator several hours before serving. Toss occasionally and before serving.

Hope you enjoy these recipes and have a fabulous Thanksgiving! Hop on over to Juella Designs for 2 more side dishes!