What You Cooking?

Here is what we are eating this year along with some notes:

Apple Cider-Brined Turkey with Savory Herb Gravy : I can't remember if we've had this before.  Let me know if you'd like me to review this as I'm writing this a few days before Thanksgiving.

Mashed Potatoes: I use Yukon gold potatoes, butter, evaporated milk, and if I'm waiting them extra I will add cream cheese, cheddar cheese, parsley, and some roasted garlic.

Slow Cooker Stuffing: Just don't.  I've made this twice and both times the dressing burns around the edges and is soggy in all the worst ways in the middle.  It is WAY less stressful putting it into the oven.  My little something special for dressing is always adding one chopped apple.  

Cranberry-Orange Sauce: My favorite.  Just make sure you cook it until it thickens.  Some recipes will say until the cranberries start popping and if you remove it from the heat then you will have a runny mess.

Simple Fudge: I make this without nuts.  I always loathed nuts in my desserts as a child and while I might appreciate them now as an adult, I would feel like I was betraying my younger self if I served a whole pan of it to other people.

WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIE DOUGH FUDGE: surprisingly good and enjoyed by all including those who don't like white chocolate.

Buckeye Fudge: very good although I think I want to play with the chocolate fudge part.  I thought it was a touch too soft.

Old School Sweet Potato Souffle: We used coconut cashews from Aldi.  So good.  We also doubled the mini marshmallows.  Here is what I will do next time.  I will dry cook the sweet potatoes.  Cooking them in water made the soufflé a bit lighter than I like.  After putting the soufflé in the pan, I will sprinkle some extra brown sugar on top.  I would double the topping recipe as well and possibly swap the cashews for candied pecans.

Texas Roadhouse Bread Rolls with Cinnamon Butter: I've made these a few times now and really enjoy them.  I got complaints last time that I need to triple the recipe.  I will double it for Thanksgiving even though it will only be 6 or 7 of us.  

Fruit salad: 2 of the jumbo cans of fruit cocktail, 1 full size can of mandarin oranges or 2 small cans, 1 banana sliced, 1 apple chopped, sweetened flake coconut, cool whip.  Drained canned fruit really well.  Add everything into the bowl except cool whip.  I use about half a regular container of cool whip, in general, but sometimes more and sometimes less.  You basically want to coat all the fruit.  This is stupid simple and ridiculous because it is my family's favorite and I feel it negates all of the work above.  Le sigh.  Le put upon mother.  Le sigh.