Cooking Up Thanksgiving Favorites

Everyone has his or her favorite Thanksgiving dish, and as Thanksgiving rolls around, cooks around town are dusting off their best recipes. Whether they are old recipes that have been in the family for generations or new recipes being made for the first time, families are heating up their ovens and starting up their stoves in preparation of the Thanksgiving feast.

In keeping with the holiday theme of sharing, Burlingame Patch is sharing some of its favorite family recipes. 

 Cranberry Relish

• 1 package of cranberries, washed and de-stemmed
• 1 large orange, deseeded, but keep skin
• 1 cored apple
• 1/2 cup sugar

Grind or chop the fruit in a food processor, then add in the sugar. Stir and chill.

Candied Yams

• 2 pounds yams, sliced

Syrup:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For syrup: Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil in a sauce pan. Allow to boil for 10 minutes or until it begins to thicken.

Yams: Put yam slices in greased shallow baking dish. Pour on syrup, then cover dish with foil. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the yams are soft.

Mashed Potatoes

• 8 medium sized Idaho baking potatoes, peeled
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• about 1 cup milk

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and mash with electric mixer. Add butter while mixing. Also while mixing, add just enough milk to keep the potatoes fluffy and not sticky. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Vegetarian Stuffing

• 6 pieces of whole wheat bread cut into chunks
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced

Saute onions in butter until soft and opaque. Add celery and bread. Stir the mixture constantly until evenly coated and soft and the bread begins to brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.