Thanksgiving: Fill your tummy with something yummy

Delicious recipes to try over the holidays

The Voice team wishes everybody a thankful Thanksgiving. Below are some tasty recipe suggestions you can take to your kitchen table during the festive season!

Bread and Butter Pickles

Lauren Brutger | Graphic Designer

Growing up, we’d take a whole day canning fresh pickles at my grandma’s house. For holiday meals, we either have plain canned dill pickles or these bread and butter pickles. A funny side note – my grandma used to have well water, and instead of scrubbing the cucumbers one by one, she’d throw them in the washing machine to wash/scrub them faster (with no soap, of course) before pickling them! These are an all-time favorite in my family; I hope whoever tries these loves them as well!

Ingredients:

• 4 quarts fresh cucumbers, sliced thin
• ½ cup salt
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups white onion, sliced

Cooking Instructions:

1. Use only fresh, crisp cucumbers. Wash thoroughly; do not peel; slice very thin, about ¼ inch thick
2. Place cucumbers in a large bowl. Sprinkle with ½ cup salt; let stand 3 hours and drain
3. Bring the sugar, turmeric powder, celery seed, mustard seed & vinegar to a boil
4. Add cucumbers & onions, then reduce to medium-high heat. Heat thoroughly, for approx. 7-10 minutes, but DO NOT BOIL THE CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS
5. Place in sterilized jars & seal according to canning instructions

Corn Bread

Shelby Beaty | Photo Editor

My mom and dad always make it every year, and it’s my favorite dish. Honestly, I could eat the whole dish. I don’t have anything unique we make on Thanksgiving, but I wanted to share the most significant dish I look forward to.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 can drained whole kernel corn
• 1 stick of melted butter
• 2 eggs beaten

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a greased, 2-quart baking dish.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until done.

Potato Latkes

Emily Landau | Digital Editor

The 8-day Jewish winter holiday of Chanukah starts on November 29 this year, the Monday after Thanksgiving. While it isn’t quite as perfect as 2013’s “Thanksgivukkah,” when the first night fell exactly on Thanksgiving, it’s close enough that I figured I’d share my recipe for latkes — deliciously oily potato pancakes served with sour cream and applesauce.

Ingredients:

• Russet potatoes (1 potato makes about 20 3-inch latkes)
• Medium yellow onion (1 per potato)
• Large eggs (1 per potato)
• All-purpose flour (¼ cup per potato)
• Kosher salt (1 tsp per potato)
• Ground black pepper (¼ teaspoon per potato)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Grapeseed oil for frying
• Chopped chives
• Sour cream
• Applesauce

Cooking Instructions:

1. Using a box grater or food, grate the potato and onion. Transfer the mixture to a dish towel or cheesecloth and wring out as much water as possible (you’ll get a lot).
2. Transfer potato/onion mixture to a large bowl. Add egg, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper, and mix until thoroughly combined.
3. In a heavy-bottomed pan (cast iron preferably), pour in ½ inch of oil, then heat to medium-high. Once heated, add batter to the pan by the heaping spoonful. Cooking in batches, use a spatula to flatten the batter into discs. Cook about 5 minutes for each side, flipping when the edges are brown. Once deeply browned, transfer to a dish lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil, and sprinkle with salt and chives.
4. Serve latkes immediately with sour cream and applesauce.

Chicken/Turkey Sopa

Ethan Berman | Staff Writer

On my father’s side, my grandmother passed this delicious, calorie-loaded dish down the line, and it ended up in my hands. Most years, we have chicken sopa, but sometimes we settle for a more traditional meal (lame old turkey, ugh). It’s honestly the best thing I’ve ever tasted, regardless of how good/bad it possibly is for me. I seriously cannot wait to make it for my kids in the future!

Ingredients:

• Corn tortillas, one pack
• One large package of chicken thighs or breasts (in the spirit of Thanksgiving, one whole turkey also works here.)
• Four cans of cream of chicken soup
• Block of Velveeta cheese
• Shredded cheese (preference), one pound
• Optional: jalapenos
• (Can add any vegetables or ingredients you think would taste good with listed ingredients)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Boil chicken/turkey until tender, remove all skin and bones, and shred it.
2. Shred the corn tortillas into pieces.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (to desired consistency).
4. Throw it into a casserole dish.
5. Add more shredded cheese on top of the mix.
6. Pop into the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
7. Slice into cubes (like lasagna).

Bon Appétit!

Ginger-honey carrots

Ruby Go | Staff Writer

My mom stole this recipe from Food Network a few years back, and it’s been a staple at our Thanksgiving table ever since. It might not have the sentimental value of your grandma’s pumpkin pie recipe that’s been passed down for generations, but it sure is tasty!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter (non-dairy butter works, too)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup of water
• Salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in ginger
2. Add honey and stir to dissolve
3. Stir in carrots and toss to coat
4. Pour in water and cover to steam
5. Stir occasionally and cook 8 minutes or until tender
6. Season to taste

DJ’s Mac-n-Cheese

James Cason | Deputy Editor

In my family, we prepare several traditional foods for Thanksgiving: honey-baked ham, collard greens, turkey, dressing (kind of like stuffing), cranberries, freshly baked rolls, and my favorite–mac-n-cheese. Our recipes have sometimes changed over the years, but I’d like to share an old friend’s recipe with you that is easy to make, tried, and true.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of macaroni pasta; I don’t use Elbow, but it’s just my preference.
• 2-1/4 cups of half and half
• one stick of butter – sometimes I use 1/2 stick
• one cup of Velveeta cheese cubes
• 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of pepper jack
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs – beaten

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cook pasta, drain, add butter and beaten eggs.  Flavor with seasoning salt & pepper.
2. Add a little onion and garlic powder and accent salt.
3. Add cheeses and milk.
4. Taste and determine if you need more seasoning salt to ensure flavor.
5. Pour into a buttered baking dish, the mixture will not be soupy, but that’s good; you don’t want it like a bowl of cereal.
6. Sprinkle top with pepper jack, parmesan, and lots of sharp cheddar on top.
7. Bake at 375 for 20 – 30 minutes (depends on how fast your oven cooks) until cheese bubbles and browns.  You can sprinkle a little paprika on it if you’d prefer a golden-brown color.

Roasted root veggies

Judy McGovern | Voice Adviser

On a typically overstuffed holiday, I keep it light and let good food speak for itself. So if it’s my turn to bring the veggies, you’re probably going to get roasted roots. (It’s November. That’s what’s in season.)

Get ready to chop. This is easy, looks and tastes great. (Serves six.)

Ingredients:

• Butternut squash
• 4-6 medium to large carrots
• 2-3 parsnips
• One large red onion
• Two garlic cloves
• Balsamic vinegar and brown sugar (one tablespoon each)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Steps in making recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and locate a roughly 3-quart baking dish.
2. Clean, peel and chop the veggies, aiming for airly uniform size pieces; 1 to 1.5 inches. 
3. Place 5 heaping cups of chopped carrots, squash and parsnips in a 3-quart baking dish. Mix in half a large red onion cut into 1 to 1.5 inch pieces..
4. In a small bowl mix

• • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves (I use a garlic press)
  • a light shake of salt and a few of pepper

1. Stir the mixture well, being sure the brown sugar is dissolved. Then baste the vegetables with the dressing.
2. Finish with a sprinkle of pepper, cover with foil and roast for one hour, checking the hard vegetables for tenderness periodically, and stirring halfway through.

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