Easy Thanksgiving Dishes

I know I've said it a million times, but I really do love Thanksgiving.  Here are some quick and easy meal ideas!

At home, I prepared some quick dishes to bring over to my parents home.  Although my family had already prepared a Thanksgiving dinner, I made a couple dishes I thought they might enjoy.  At any rate, the left overs would be brought to work the next day, where a "Thanksgiving left-overs" party was being held. A co-worker of mine coordinated the "party", stating that he wanted to eat Thanksgiving food and that he was counting on us to bring left-overs, none of which he would have.  (Yes, he did get hassled a bit by others, but I was glad to share).

I made cranberry sauce from scratch, fruit salad, candied yams, and blueberry pie. 

Oceanspray Cranberry Sauce Recipee

  Bruce's Yam Recipes

I also made candied yams.  I used the recipe from the back of 3 cans of Bruce's yams and made my own sweet concoction out of the following recipes: quick candied yams, mallow yams, and a yam casserole.

2 -16 oz can of Bruce's yams 
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup syrup from can
Handful of pecans
Handful of marshmallows

I boiled 1/2 cup butter, 2/3 brown sugar, and 2/3 cup syrup until thickened.  Then, I tossed in pecans.  I poured the two cans of yams into a baking dish and then poured the liquid mixture over the yams.  I baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Then, I added some marshmallows and baked for a couple more minutes.

It turned out sweet and delcious!  The pecans added a nice touch too. 

I also made fruit salad, a favorite. 

You'll need a can of mandarin oranges & pineapple chunks, sour cream, sweetened coconut, and marshmallows.  Normally, this type of fruit salad is called a "5 cup fruit salad," meaning you measure a cup for each ingredient for the salad. However, I like to use less sour cream, marshmallow, and coconut.  I accidentally picked up "pineapple slices" too, so to correct the problem, all I did was cut it up into chunks.

Drain & add 1 can of mandarin oranges, 1 can of pineapples.  (A little liquid will help spread the sour cream around, so no worries!)  Depending on your taste buds, add the amount of coconut, marshmallows, and sour cream necessary to meet your needs.  I normally only add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of coconut and marshmallows, while I only put about 2 - 3 spoonfuls of sour cream.

Most people might add a cup of each in this 5-cup fruit salad, but I think that much coconut, marshmallow, and sour cream is a little too much! You could also add grapes to add a little more to your fruit salad. It's all really up to you.

Finally, I also  made a quick and easy blueberry pie!  If you are on a time crunch, there's nothing like a quick pie.  Purchase 2 Pillsbury 9" pie crust and 2 cans of pie filling of your choice.  (I wouldn't recommend sugar free unless you have diabetes or some other condition where you must limit your sugar intake). 

It's easy to make pie!  It may not be the prettiest, but it sure was quick and easy. 

For more recipes, click the link below:

Comstock Pie Recipes

All I did for my pie was purchase two pie fillings and two 9" crusts.  I poured both cans into one pie crust.  Then, I took the other pie crust out from the container and added it to the top of my filled pie, meshing the crust's edges the best I could to avoid any filling from oozing (it still happened).  Then, I baked it (place it on a cookie sheet) for 15 minutes at 425 and another 30 minutes at 325.  I let my pie cool down before taking it out of the oven.

The directions on how to make the pie is on the bacvk of the cans, so it's easy as 1-2-3. =)  Although I wish I could say I made it from scratch, I didn't.  However, everyone seemed to enjoy it A LOT.  I was happy!

Although a Turkey may take up to two days to prepare, there are quick and easy recipes that can be made to save time.  Many of these recipes are very affordable too, none being over $10.00!  If you are on a time crunch, give these recipes a shot! You'll be sure to enjoy them.