As the Thanksgiving season approaches, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the relationships with friends who have become like a second family during your time at the University of Miami. In less than two hours and for only around 10 dollars a person, you can put together a “Friendsgiving” that you’ll never forget.
What You’ll Need:
- Frying pan
- Cooking spray
- Mixing bowl
- Saucepan
- Knife
- Cookie sheet
All except for the pie, which serves eight, are designed to serve four but can easily be halved, doubled or any combination for your group.
Suggested Cooking Itinerary:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Boil water for the sweet potatoes
- Prep the bread and onions for the stuffing
- Chop sweet potatoes
- Bake stuffing in the oven
- Put sweet potatoes in the pot
- Assemble and bake pie
- Finish sweet potatoes
- Prepare cranberry sauce
- While cranberry sauce is simmering, prepare turkey
- Take pie and stuffing out of the oven
- Enjoy
Onion and Herb Stuffing
Adapted from Real Simple Magazine
Can it really be called “stuffing” if it wasn’t cooked inside of a turkey? Yes – this bright and flavorful recipe will make you forget the soggy stuff you grew up with.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large loaf French bread torn into bite-sized pieces
3 medium onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp thyme leaves
Directions
Heat oven to 350° F
Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish and a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Scatter the bread on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until crunchy
While the bread is cooking, melt the butter in a frying pan.
Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Saute over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add ½ cup cooking stock and cook until evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Combine the onions, bread, broth, eggs, chives, thyme and ½ teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl, then pour mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for 45 minutes, until top is crusty and golden-brown.
Mashed Maple Sweet Potatoes
Adapted from New Frontiers Market
It’s not Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes. A hint of maple syrup makes this recipe a fall favorite.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 2 very large potatoes)
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
Directions:
Peel and cube the sweet potatoes.
Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and cook for around 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Drain out any remaining water, then add butter and maple syrup to the pot. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
Mash the potatoes with a fork until smooth (they should already be soft)
Cranberry Sauce
Adapted from About.com
Sure, you could buy the canned stuff, but this chunky, tart topping is almost as easy and infinitely prettier than that artificial jelly.
Ingredients
1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup orange juice
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the sugars and orange juice and bring to a boil.
Add the cranberries and allow the water to boil again.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for around 15 minutes, or until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.
Pan-Seared Turkey Tenderloin
Adapted from Family Fresh Cooking
Who has time to cook a whole turkey? This recipe saves you the stress of roasting an entire bird, and lets you easily customize how much you make.
Ingredients
1 pound Turkey tenderloin (or however many your group needs)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions
Coat a large frying pan with oil and heat.
Season and carefully place tenderloins in the hot pan.
Let cook around five minutes on each side, until the outside is nicely browned and the inside is cooked through, with no traces of pink.
Pumpkin-Pecan Pie
Adapted from Pillsbury
Why choose between two classic Thanksgiving desserts when you can have both in one incredible pie? Serve with some vanilla ice cream, and you have a sweet treat that will have your friends fighting for seconds.
Ingredients
1 pre-made graham cracker crust
Pumpkin filling
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 egg, beaten
½ cup half-and-half
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Pecan topping
¼ cup light or dark corn syrup
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups pecan halves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F
In a mixing bowl, beat all pumpkin filling ingredients until well-combined. Pour filling into the crust.
In another bowl, mix together all pecan filling ingredients except the nuts, and then stir in the pecans. Carefully spoon mixture over pumpkin layer.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the refrigerator until the pumpkin layer is firm and set.