Cooking a True Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is all about family and a festive dinner to warm the heart and express gratitude to the bounty we have at our fingertips.  Treat your guests to a true Thanksgiving feast this year with mouth-watering recipe ideas.

No other holiday spans across faiths, backgrounds and lifestyles quite like Thanksgiving.  Children, parents, grandparents and friends across the country come together over a table full of Thanksgiving fineries.  Food that is native to the United States is at the heart of the dinner feast.  If you are lucky enough to host guests, prepare the dinner for close family, or to contribute a dish as a guest, recipe choices are as bountiful as the year's harvest.

Whole roasted turkey is the centerpiece of the dinner table and requires some planning ahead.  Ordering a fresh turkey is ideal for optimal flavor and ease of preparation.  Be sure to pick up the order no later than 2 days before the big dinner.  If you are opting for frozen, take into consideration that a large turkey can take up to half a week to thaw.  That means sacrificing valuable fridge space to the big bird and ensuring cleanliness in the process.  For a taste as close to what our ancestors ate as you can come, opt for a Heritage turkey.  Grown by local farmers in natural environments, Heritage turkeys are breeds that have been around for centuries, and differ from their commercially-bought counterparts in their rich turkey flavor.   

Stuffing.  Potatoes, barley, raisins, apples.  Stuffing is a great opportunity to get creative with a variety of recipe ideas and flavor styles.  A turkey should be stuffed right before baking, as stuffing ahead of time can create a breeding ground for germs.  Be sure not to over stuff the turkey.  Over-stuffing can cause uneven heat distribution, posing an additional health threat.  More and more families are beginning to prepare the stuffing separate from the turkey to avoid safety concerns and ensure an even baking temperature.  Popular methods of stuffing preparation include placing the stuffing in the oven in a separate dish, or using a Dutch oven or crock pot.

Cranberry Sauce.  No Thanksgiving is complete without cranberry sauce.  Cool and refreshing, cranberry sauce plays off of the baked heartiness of Turkey meat, and is a must have at any Thanksgiving dinner.  Cranberry sauce goes fast, so be sure to create a large enough batch for second, third and even fourth servings.

Delight your guests with smooth and tasty gravy fit for royalty.  Gravy makes use of the meat oils and juices that are naturally extracted during the cooking process.  Make it special by finding a recipe that will make a perfect accompaniment to your traditional mashed potatoes and turkey slices.

Crops typical of the American heartland add to the traditional feel of the dinner.  Corn on the cob, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes are Thanksgiving traditions.  Cook up a flavorful rice blend to add a filling side to the dinner entrée.  Adding onions, raisins and spices such as cinnamon add a great twist to this versatile grain.

American-style pies are a great way to serve up tradition and a healthy dessert. Pumpkin and apple pies work well to accommodate the Thanksgiving theme.  For a colorful presentation and vintage look, use a bright berry filling of your choice with a lattice-top crust.