Thanksgiving Round 2

Try to contain yourself....I actually am writing a blog post when i said I was going to. Shocking, I know!!! But in honor of my favorite food holiday, I couldn't go without posting!

I am sharing my two favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. I actually have three, but the 3rd is Green Bean Casserole. And I'm not retyping that whole recipe because it is clearly posted on the side of the French's French Fried Onion can, so you can go find that one at HEB :)

The 1st recipe is my mom's Sweet Potato Casserole. This is for all my peeps who don't want smushy, overly sweet, marshmallows ruining a perfectly good sweet potato! The other is my dad's Corn Bread Dressing. It is SO delicious with butter, pecanns, bacon, and all sorts of other goodness mixed in!

Sweet Potato Casserole

1 large can sweet potatoes
3/4 stick butter
2 eggs
Dash cinnamon & nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup Carnation evaporated milk

Topping:
1 cup crushed Frosted Flakes
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 stick butter


Warm potatoes and drain liquid.

Cream sugar, butter and eggs together. Add spices, milk and vanilla.

Mash potatoes and mix. Add topping and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min – 1 hour.


Toasted Cornbread Stuffing

6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 Tbsp bourbon
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley

Heat oven to 350F. Spread crumbled cornbread onto a baking sheet. Coarsely chop pecans and add to cornbread. Toast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until cornbread is golden, tossing the crumbs once or twice during toasting. Cool and place in a large mixing bowl.

Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a saute pan of skillet. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to bowl with cornbread and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings (YUM). Add butter and olive oil to skillet and when butter has melted add onion and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add celery and saute another three minutes.
Stir in thyme, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Add to cornbread.

Turn up heat under saute pan and add bourbon. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock, cook for 1 minute, and add mixture to bowl. Add parsley to bowl and adjust seasonings.


ENJOY!! Tomorrow I'll add recipes for the brine and last but not least....THE TURKEY!!!!