Thanksgiving Oddities{My Favorite Holiday Recipes!}

I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving!  We'll be spending time with family and feasting ourselves silly, like most everyone else in the country.  All Thanksgiving meals are basically the same, aren't they?  Turkey. Some variation of stuffing.  Potatoes and gravy.  Rolls.  The usual.  But, every family has their signature dishes -- the ones that you have to have every year, just the way you make them, for the day to feel complete.  My family is no different.  As my kids and I were talking recently, I realized that some of our signature dishes are a little . . . odd sounding . . .  Don't get me wrong, they're delicious.  It's just that if you have never tasted them, you might not think you want to.  Today I am going to share some treasured family recipes with y'all.  Whether or not you are brave enough to give them a shot is entirely up to you . . .

We'll start out with a pretty standard dish so you don't think we're completely nuts -- my mom's Sage Stuffing.  Nothing unusual about it, I promise.  It's just my all-time favorite stuffing recipe.  I've had some that were similar, but none that I ever liked as well as this.  I remember waking up to the smell of sauteing onions every Thanksgiving growing up.  Mom was always up early getting the turkey started and I just knew it was going to be a great day. 

Mom's Sage Stuffing

1 loaf of bread, cubed

2 medium onions, diced

{I also add a couple stalks of chopped celery, too, but the "official" recipe doesn't call for it}

1 stick butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. salt

2 -1/2 tsp. ground sage

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Add onions {and celery, if desired} and saute until soft.  

Put cubed bread in a large bowl.  {Here's a weird little tip I discovered by accident:  a couple packs of stale hot dog or hamburger buns make the yummiest stuffing in the world.  I don't know why.  Maybe because they're more dense?  I just like them better.} 

Pour butter and onions on top.  Add seasonings and eggs.  Stir gently until bread is moistened.   If the mixture seems too dry, add warm water 1 Tbsp. at a time until moistened. 

Stuff inside turkey cavity and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes per pound of turkey.

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Next,  a favorite appetizer.  When my family gets together for Thanksgiving, here's how the day goes:  our kids, the cousins, all hang out together, laughing and playing games; the women all help out in the kitchen; and the men watch football.  It's a pretty good system, actually.  No one is complaining.  We LOVE eating Shrimp Chip Dip while we work . . . and watch football.  Seriously, a bag of Wavy Lays potato chips and a bowl of Shrimp Dip are just as important as the turkey and potatoes in my mind.

This dip is light and creamy and unlike any other chip dip I have ever had.  

Shrimp Chip Dip

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 pint whipping cream
1 can of tiny shrimp {deveined}
2 Tbsp. grated onion
garlic salt to taste

Drain and rinse shrimp, but keep them in the can they came in.  Fill the can with fresh water and a few ice cubes to get the shrimp nice and cold.

While the shrimp chills, pour the cream into a mixing bowl, reserving about 1/3 C. to blend with the cream cheese.  Whip the cream.  In another bowl, blend the cream cheese and reserved cream.  Add onion and garlic salt.  Fold in whipped cream and shrimp.  Serve with potato chips or crackers.

Keep leftovers {if you have any!} refrigerated.

This dip is especially good if you make it at least an hour in advance so all the flavors have a chance to blend before eating.

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Finally, I'm going to share one of our favorite Thanksgiving desserts.  I know this one sounds awful, and may have a very limited fan base due to one of the main ingredients, but it is extremely tasty.  Are you ready?  Sour Cream Raisin Pie.  No, I'm not kidding.  It has spices similar to pumpkin pie, but it is completely different and so, so good!

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

1 9-inch baked pie shell

1/2 C. raisins

1 1/2 C. water

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 C. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 C. sour cream

Boil raisins in water for 5 minutes, until they become plump and soft.

Mix all other ingredients, except for sour cream.  Stir into raisin mixture and boil until thick, stirring constantly.  

Cool slightly before stirring in sour cream and pouring into baked pie shell.  Cool in the refrigerator for several hours and serve with whipped cream.

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There you have it!  Will you be eating anything tomorrow that others might think is a little strange?  Sometimes those things are the yummiest dishes on the table.  Have a very, very safe and happy Thanksgiving, friends!