Our Thanksgiving Menu

 I'm starting to plan our Thanksgiving dinner menu and thought "Why not add it to the blog?!" That's part of why I started a blog in the first place. I wanted a place to somewhat organize recipes, share photos, and try to keep myself motivated to actually make & blog about bentos. Not that I've done much of that lately but this way I've got something to work toward.

I'm sure this year's menu will include dishes from previous years. Last year I saw an article by Guy Feiri about how you should never serve a new recipe you haven't tried to guests. Well, I guess he won't be coming to my house any time soon, because I usually use guests as my guinea pigs to some degree. Not often for Thanksgiving, usually more for football or a Superbowl get together, but still.

I just found this recipe for Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes that I want to try this year. The last couple of years I've made a sweet potato dish in the crock pot that worked out well, but this looked so yummy I immediately had to put it on the list.

Ok, scratch that previous sweet potato recipe - I've jumped ship and am going with this recipe for Sweet Potato Balls now instead. My girlfriend said she started making these a couple years back for turkey day and they have been highly requested ever since then. I think I've read all the reviews on the Food Network site, so I'm a little hesitant, but I'm going to give it a try anyway. We're going to go the route of rolling them in cinnamon sugar as suggested by my friend and some of the reviewers online. The sweetened coconut just sounds too sweet. I may also roll a few of them in chopped pecans.

So the menu is:

Baked Brie with Apples & Cranberries - this is another one where the baking dish is usually licked clean completely clean before dinner even starts (licked clean is kinda gross sounding I guess)

Shrimp in mini phyllo shells - I thought I'd modify this recipe for Shrimp Wonton Cups to use the mini-phyllo shells instead. The filling is always a hit, and I just love those little phyllo shells.

Turkey,Gravy, & Stuffing - my mom is bringing these first three
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes - I've made these a couple times before and they always turn out good. Love being able to use the crockpot too. Frees up some of that high-value oven space.
Cranberry Jello salad
Corn Pudding
Green Bean Casserole

Crunchy Pumpkin Dessert Squares - this is another I've made several times and it's always gone before I know it! 

Would love to hear what's on your menu.

Recipe Review: Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Found this recipe over at Food Network on the 5 Ingredient Fix show. I've been enjoying sweet potatoes more, so I thought I'd try this recipe and see if Dave likes it too. Sounds good to me, but I'll probably cut the spices back a bit for him.

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries
Original Recipe: 5 Ingredient Fix

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus 2 teaspoons
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 450°

Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch squared strips (fry shape) and put them into a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, 1 tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper, to taste, the ground ginger and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking until reduced to a thick consistency. Remove from the heat, pour over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. (don't use your fingers, the oil is very hot)

Rub 2 teaspoons of remaining vegetable oil on a rimmed nonstick baking sheet or use a silicone liner and omit oil. Arrange the sweet potato strips on the prepared baking sheet and bake until brown, about 25 minutes, turning after about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the potatoes to a serving dish.

The verdict: I definitely could have baked them a little longer, but the rest of our dinner was ready and it was getting late, so I pulled them out before they got very crispy. The flavor was great. I didn't use ginger or cayenne, I used some Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus spice blend instead. Will definitely try them again when I've got a little more time.