Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

The holidays are right around the corner, and we here at Residential Properties wanted to share with you a little view into our own holiday homes with some of our favorite recipes.

CRANBERRY GINGERBREAD

Sweet Tart Spicy Sticky. Yumbo.

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (1/2 pound)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup golden syrup (or honey, as I used)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 9 inch baking pan.
2. In a small saucepan, stir together the cranberries, sugar, and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries form a thick, bubbling sauce, about 10 minutes. Half of the cranberries should be broken down with the other half relatively whole.
3. In a separate saucepan, stir together the butter, brown sugar, milk, honey, and molasses over medium heat. Bring it to just barely a simmer and remove it from heat. Don’t let it come to a boil.
4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Stir in the butter/molasses mixture and then whisk in the eggs, one at a time until combined well. Stir in the ginger root and candied ginger.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Drop fat dollops of cranberry sauce on top of the gingerbread, evenly. Transfer to the oven and bake until the top if firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

-David Abbott, Sales Associate, Providence Office

TURNIPS

My favorite side dish on Thanksgiving is Turnips. I was brought up in an Irish household, not known for being the best cooks, but my Mom made the best turnips at the holidays.   As she got older, we took over the turnip making at the holidays- orange turnip (had to be orange not white), a white potato, and a big carrot- boil and then mashed with butter and salt and pepper.   While they tasted good they were never quite the same as my mom's.   She finally fessed up- she would put some bacon grease/fat in them in place of the butter! Happy Thanksgiving.

-Denise D’Amico, Sales Associate, East Greenwich Office

STUFFING

My husband Jim makes the best stuffing on Thanksgiving! He is the chef at our house, while I do the cleaning up. He makes it with apples, walnuts, and raisins. I don't dare ask the calorie count-I just do extra cardio exercising the week before Thanksgiving!

-Carolyn Drumm, Sales Associate, East Greenwich Office

TURKEY STUFFING

I love the flavor the apple and sausage adds to the stuffing.   A family favorite.

• 1 bag of Pepperidge farm corn stuffing. (gold package)
• 1 bag of Pepperidge farm herb cubed stuffing. (red package)
• 2 packages of Jimmy Dean’s premium original sausage
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 medium onion (chopped well)
• 4 stack of celery (chopped well)
• 2 Delicious apples (chopped)

1. Cook sausage and put on paper towel to get grease out. (spaghetti pot)
2. Use same pot start melting both sticks of butter once melted throw onions and celery in.
3. Cook until onions are translucent.
4. Throw sausage and both bags of stuffing mixing it up.
5. 
I boil water and start pouring hot water in and stirring until I get the right consistency I want.

-Laurie Fletcher, Broker Associate, Barrington Office

HOT MULLED CIDER

-Toby Kimball, Sales Associate, East Greenwich Office

SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE

One of my favorite recipes  that I have made for years from New Orleans.

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 c evaporated milk
• 1/3 c butter or margarine softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbls orange juice
• salt to taste
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 c chopped pecans
• 1/3 c all-pupose flour
• 1/3 c butter or margarine melted

1. Boil sweet potatoes until very tender. Peel and mash. Combine with next 6 ingredients and fill casseroles. Freeze.
2. For topping: combine next 3 ingredients, sprinkle (heavily) over casserole and drizzle butter.
3. Bake at 350.

4 x's it and it makes a boat load. You do not have to 4 x's the crumb topping. 3 x's would be plenty. YUM

-Sally Lapides, CEO & President

JUMBO SHELLS WITH MEAT

A holiday at our house would not be a holiday without our stuffed shells with meat recipe.   This is a recipe that my mother took off the Prince Jumbo Shells box when I was a kid and she began the tradition of serving them as the "pasta" course at both our Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday dinners.   It is a tradition that has remained in my household - my kids, Dennis and Katie love them and the tradition will likely will trickle down to their generation.   We will, of course, be serving it at Thanksgiving this November! It is a nice change from stuffed shells with cheese as it is a meat mixture laced with a touch of sherry!   Try it, you'll love it!

• 1/2 of a (12 oz) package Prince Jumbo Shells, uncooked
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup cooking sherry
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 (26 oz) jar pasta sauce
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare pasta shells according to package directions; drain.
2. In large skillet, melt margarine. Add beef and pork; cook until lightly browned. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook until tender. Remove from heat; stir in sherry, Parmesan cheese, salt, and bread crumbs. Cool mixture for 10 minutes.
3. 

Stuff each shell with meat filling. Pour half of pasta sauce in bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells in dish. Pour remaining sauce evenly over all. Top with mozzarella cheese. 

Cover and bake in 350 degree F oven for 35 minutes. Refrigerate any leftovers.

-Liz Messier, VP of Relocation Services

BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER au GRATIN

Prep Time: 20min. Total Time: 20min. Servings: 10 servings, about 3/4 cup each Ingredients​ • 5 cups large broccoli florets • 4 cups large cauliflower florets • 1/2 cup water • 4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed • 1/4 cup milk • 1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream • 1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese • 10 RITZ Crackers, crushed • 3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese ​ To assemble & make​

1. Combine vegetables in 2-qt. microwaveable casserole. Add water; cover with lid. Microwave on HIGH 8 to 10 min. or until vegetables are tender; drain.
2. Microwave cream cheese and milk in 2-cup microwaveable measuring cup or medium bowl 1 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended when stirred. Stir in sour cream; pour over vegetables. Sprinkle with cheddar; microwave 2 min. or until melted.
3. Mix cracker crumbs and Parmesan; sprinkle over vegetables.

-Nancy Weaver, Sales Associate, Barrington Office

SWEET POTATO PIE

You can assemble the night before, or prepare it early and put in the freezer and take out to cook the day of your dinner. Just cover with wax paper and saran wrap and it can go in the freezer for a few days. Then thaw on the counter and cook the morning of. This is something that you can go ahead and cook early and keep some foil on, and then just reheat before you eat. This is also a very large dish so if it is just for 4 or 5 people, cut in 1/2 and put in 2 qt casserole but if you are feeding a lot of people, then this is the amount to make and it is great the next few days with left overs if you have any.

• 2 large cans ( 40 oz)   sweet potatoes - drain the juice and mash with mixer ( try not to get the one with heavy syrup if you can find it)
• 1 C sugar (you can half with splenda if you like)
• 1/2 C butter
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 can evaporated milk ( skim evap milk is ok too)
• 2 tsp of cinnamon

Topping:

• 1 C light brown sugar
• 1/2 C all purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 C pecans chopped very fine   - you can put in the blender or cut by hand or roll with rolling pin and keep in bag

1. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour over the other ingredients already mixed until it makes a crumb type mixture (try not to eat all of this before you put it in the dish because it is great). This is the praline and it is good uncooked too.
2. Combine all ingredients for the pie, mix well and spoon into large casserole or 9x13 pan (spray pan with cooking spray or butter), cover with crumb topping and Bake 350 for 30-40 min. Keep an eye on the middle to be firm. You may need a little extra time but just keep checking after the 40 min to make sure the middle has puffed up.

-Kathy Wilcox, Chief Financial Officer

UH...AND THERE'S THIS AS WELL

I make this lime Jell-O mold with strips of bologna, and what really makes it special is the mayonnaise dipping sauce. It’s just mayonnaise but everyone says 'Oh so good' and 'Better than mayonnaise', and I have to laugh at them silently because they are eating lime jello with strips of bologna and mayonnaise.

-Chris Whirlow, Photographer

We don't recommend making that last dish, but we do hope you have a happy and safe holiday, and that you share with us some of your favorite dishes this time of year.