Every year we are looking for new recipes to make for thanksgiving so we can wow our friends and families. Well I am going to give you just that! These are recipes I have created over the years of hosting thanksgiving dinner and they are definitely my families favorites. Once you make these you will have your guests begging for seconds! These recipes feed about 5-10 people, so depending on your guests lists you may need to double them!
Baked Parmesan Potatoes and Carrots:
This is definitely one of my favorites, not only does it include potatoes and parmesan cheese (which I love) but it gives you a new way to introduce potatoes at the table instead of your standard mashed. The recipe is fairly simple. Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 30+ minutes
Ingredients:
- 5 medium sized carrots
- 15 small red potatoes
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 5 tbsp. salted butter
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp parsley
- 2 tsp black pepper
Now that you have the ingredients let's get to cooking!
Step 1: Peel and cut your carrots julienne style, this way they cook better with the potatoes and it makes it easier for your guests to eat. While doing this make sure to preheat your oven to 350.
Step 2: Wash your potatoes, you can choose to peel them but I prefer to keep the skin on for my red potatoes. Cut your potatoes into cubes. *Put your carrots and potatoes in water to keep them from browning while you make your sauce*
Step 3: Grab a sauce pan and start melting that butter! Once all your butter is melted and at a slight simmer you want to add your mayonnaise. I know it sounds weird adding mayonnaise but trust me it is worth it. Mix those two together creating a cream sauce. It's okay if it is a little runny, that's what the butter does.
Step 4: Add your parmesan cheese to the cream sauce and mix it well together. You should still be able to see flakes of cheese in your sauce. Once all of that is mixed add your pepper and minced garlic, I normally use jarred garlic but fresh works too!
Step 5: Once everything is mixed together you can turn your stove to a low heat. If you notice your sauce is separating that is normal, just give it a quick stir and everything will go back together.
Step 6: I like to use a glass baking pan big enough that I can spread all of my potatoes and carrots out so the sauce can cover everything evenly. You can spray your pan down before hand but since we're cooking with butter nothing should be sticking. Add your potatoes and carrots to your pan, making sure all of the water with them is drained completely.
Step 7: This is the part where I add my extra seasonings. Since my family loves pepper I normally sprinkle a little more on the potatoes and carrots before I add my sauce. I highly suggest not adding any salt to this recipe since we are already working with salted butter. When you have added your extra ingredients, grab your sauce and a ladle. Give your sauce a good stir and make sure when you use the ladle you aim it towards the bottom of your sauce. This way you are getting all of the sauce since butter likes to separate from the other ingredients. Continue doing this until you are either out of sauce or feel like you have enough. *Remember to stir between each ladle dip*
Step 8: Once you're done adding your sauce you can sprinkle a little extra parmesan cheese on top if you're a cheese lover like me. Place your dish in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. The time varies depending on your oven so be sure to check it. You will know your dish is ready once it has browned on the top and your potatoes and carrots are soft enough to eat. You can sprinkle a little extra parsley before serving to give it that professional look.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Buffalo Chicken Dip:
This dish is more of a family tradition. No matter what kind of event it is someone is bringing buffalo chicken dip. This is the dish I normally have to make more than one pan of because everyone eats it so fast! Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 3 cup oz. Frank's Buffalo Sauce (2 of the 12oz bottles)
- 4 cup Philadelphia cream cheese (4 of the 8oz bars)
- 2 cup Mexican cheese
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup blue cheese
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp black pepper
Alright let's get started!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350. Grab your chicken and put them on a baking pan. You can throw them in without any seasoning but I always throw some garlic powder and cayenne pepper on top. Cook your chicken breasts until fully done in the oven. Once your chicken breasts are done, grab two forks and start shredding it. After all of your chicken is shredded place it to the side, we won't need it for a couple more steps.
Step 2: Grab your crockpot and put it on high heat. While that is heating up add the cream cheese and blue cheese to the crock pot. Don't worry about stirring it together right now, once it all melts down it will become much easier to stir. Let that sit for about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Once your 15 minutes is up, grab a bottle of buffalo sauce and pour the whole bottle (12oz) over the cream cheese and blue cheese. You can give it a quick stir to add in the buffalo sauce but it should still be a little tough. Again, let that sit for about 15-20 minutes or until everything has melted together smoothly creating a paste.
Step 4: Once everything is melted together you can add your chicken breasts, slowly pour it into the sauce while stirring to make sure everything is blended together.
Step 5: Grab your other bottle of buffalo sauce. I prefer my buffalo sauce very spicy so I use the whole bottle again, at this point you are going to want to season to what you like. Add the sauce that you're going to use, and if you feel you need more you can always add more later.
Step 6: Add all of your extra seasonings, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Let all of that sit together for another 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.
Step 7: Grab your cheese and add half to the sauce, mixing it all together. At this point if you want to add more sauce now would be a good time. I let this sit again for another 15 minutes.
Step 8: Giving the dip one last stir and taste test I add the rest of the cheese on top covering it completely. Change the heat to low and let it sit until all the cheese on top is melted.
Step 9: When that cheese is melted you can garnish with some parsley. Change the croc pot to warm and serve with a bowl of Tostitos chips.
Make sure you have drinks ready because this dip is hot!
I hope you and your guests enjoy these recipes! They are definitely my favorite, we can't go a thanksgiving without them! Let me know how they come out for you and I would love to hear your modifications!
