Thanksgiving Recipes to Add to Your Almost Heaven Table

Thanksgiving means classic dishes like mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy. For a unique holiday meal, spice up your turkey and stuffing with old-fashioned flavors. This Thanksgiving, gather your family for traditional Appalachian fare from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture: 

Squash Doughnuts

Update your dessert with squash doughnuts:

2 tablespoons shortening, 2 cups sugar, ½ cup cooked mashed squash, ½ cup
sour milk, ¾ cups flour, ½ teaspoon soda, 3 tablespoons cornmeal, 4 teaspoons
baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 egg (beaten) and ½
teaspoon vanilla.

• Cream shortening. Add sugar and squash to sour milk.
• Add ⅔ cup flour and other dry ingredients; then add the beaten egg. Stir well. Add vanilla and remainder of flour.
• Cover and let stand at least 1 hour. Roll out to about ⅓ inch and cut with
  doughnut cutter. Fry in deep fat, 370°F, for 3 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

Corn Bread

Update your dinner rolls with corn bread: 

¾ cups sifted flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon
salt, 1½ cups yellow cornmeal, 2 eggs (beaten), 1¼ cups milk and ¼ cup melted
shortening.

• Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Stir in cornmeal.
• Combine eggs and milk. Add to flour mixture and blend. Stir in shortening. Pour into greased and
  floured 9-inch square pan.
• Bake at 425ºF for 25 to 30 minutes. Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet potato pie is sure to satisfy your family’s sweet tooth:

• ½ recipe plain pastry, 1½ cups hot mashed sweet potatoes, 3 eggs (slightly
  beaten), ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon,
  ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ½ cup milk, ¼ cup brandy and 2
  tablespoons butter (melted).
• Line 8-inch pie plate with pastry.
• Mix other ingredients in order given; turn into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes in 450ºF oven.
• Reduce heat to moderate 350ºF and bake 25-35 minutes longer or until knife inserted in pie comes out clean.

Fried Pumpkin Bloom

Find pumpkin or squash blossoms at your local market for a beautiful garnish or tasty side dish:

Gather fresh pumpkin bloom and remove green portion at base of bloom. Dip in
a seasoned milk and egg batter and roll in flour, cornmeal or fine bread crumbs. Fry
in a heavy skillet until light brown.

Which Thanksgiving recipe will you try?

This post was last updated on March 18, 2022

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