Community Cookbook: Thanksgiving recipes for all to share

Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating and sharing our blessings. Giving thanks and sharing with others are the cornerstones of our American Thanksgiving tradition.

With delayed SNAP food benefit payments, rising costs and shrinking community support funds, millions of Americans will face hunger and cold this Thanksgiving and throughout the winter. Most will be elderly, children, sick or disabled, or some combination of these. Many will be veterans who have served this country honorably.

If you’re able, please search your cupboards, drawers and closets for food and clothing that you may not need quite as much as others might. Take the time to contribute what you can to the food banks, shelters, and community service organizations. They need our support.

Bare Bones Roast Turkey has consistently produced some of the best roast turkey I’ve eaten, especially the white meat. White turkey meat is often overcooked and dry. Not so with this bird. The recipe works equally well with chicken by adjusting the roasting time.

Chicken Noodles makes a tasty side dish. With plenty of chicken thrown in, it’s also a delicious main dish (shredded rotisserie chicken from the grocery store works great). Garnish the noodles with minced parsley or green onion tops for a more attractive presentation. Substitute turkey for chicken to use up some of that leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Mom’s coleslaw was always a welcome sight on any holiday table. Mom’s is a unique coleslaw. It’s nothing fancy, but it is special. Her coleslaw doesn’t have added salt in it at all. It doesn’t have a long shelf life, but it never really needed one, as there was seldom any left over.

What is there to say about Cranberry-Orange Sauce? It just is. The interplay of flavors in this version is intriguing. The sauce looks festive and tastes just as good. It’s nothing like the homogeneous red glop in the can.

Bare-Bones Roast Turkey

(Originally published Nov. 20, 2024)

This recipe contains everything you need to know about roasting a delicious turkey. Check your oven’s temperature with an oven thermometer. They can be off as much as 50 degrees. Ignore pop-up thermometers; they’re unreliable. Invest in a good instant-read thermometer and use it correctly. You’ll taste the results. Forget about basting the bird; it isn’t needed.

1 fully thawed, dressed turkey

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Cooking oil

1 cup chicken broth or water

Unwrap the turkey and remove the packet of giblets from the cavity; reserve them for cooking separately. Discard any liquid from inside the turkey. Pat dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Cut away and discard the excess fat in the neck and tail areas. Let the turkey rest at room temperature for one or two hours. Liberally salt and pepper the cavity. Brush the outside of the turkey with cooking oil. Liberally salt and pepper the outside. Fold the wings behind the back. Truss the legs only for appearance or if the turkey is stuffed. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour the broth or water into the pan. Roast, uncovered, in an oven preheated to 325 degrees for the time listed below. Rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting for even cooking and browning (I like to drain any juices in the cavity into the pan at this time). Cover the breast area with aluminum foil when it starts to turn golden. When about two-thirds cooked, undo the legs, if trussed, so the thighs cook evenly. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone registers 165 degrees. To be safe, check both thighs. Check the thickest part of the breast without touching the bone. It should register 155 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven and loosely cover with foil. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing (the internal temperature will continue to rise 10 to 15 degrees during the resting phase, and the juices will redistribute through the meat).

Notes: The ideal finished temperature for white meat is 165 to 170 degrees, and 175 to 180 degrees for dark meat. For turkeys under 12 pounds, allow ¾ to 1 pound per person. For turkeys over 12 pounds, allow ½ to ¾ pound per person. A pound per person will provide plenty of leftovers. Use the pan drippings and the cooked, chopped, or shredded giblets and neck to make gravy or add to dressing.

Approximate cooking times

6 to 8 pounds 3 to 3½ hours 16 to 20 pounds 4½ to 5½ hours

8 to 12 pounds 3 to 4½ hours 20 to 24 pounds 5 to 6½ hours

12 to 16 pounds 4 to 5 hours

Yields: One roasted turkey

Chicken Noodles

My original chicken noodle recipe uses a liquid chicken flavor base, which is hard to get without special ordering. Liquid flavor bases are available at some restaurant food supply stores. I adjusted the recipe to use Knorr’s new product, Roasted Chicken Flavor Base, now available in most grocery stores. Better Than Bouillon will surely work, but the amount may need adjustment for the best balance of chicken flavor and saltiness.

¾ cup milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 tablespoon Knorr Roasted Chicken Flavor Base

1½ teaspoon Wondra flour

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon dried parsley

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon MSG (optional)

⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

9 ounces dried noodles

1½ tablespoon minced carrot

½-1 cup warm, finely shredded cooked chicken (optional)

To make the sauce, add the first nine ingredients (through black pepper) to a small saucepan. Cook the noodles in salted, boiling water until tender, adding the carrot for the last six minutes of cooking. Drain well, reserving ⅓ cup of pasta water. While the noodles are cooking, heat the sauce just to a boil over high-medium heat. Tiny bubbles will form along the side of the pan and flow inward. At the start, whisk occasionally, increasing to constant whisking as it nears a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and lightly boil, uncovered, for one minute, whisking frequently. Combine the noodles and sauce. Cover and let rest for several minutes, stirring occasionally (the pasta will absorb sauce as it sits). Stir in a slight amount of reserved pasta water for saucier noodles (don’t add too much or the noodles will be watery and less flavorful). Stir in the optional chicken, if used. Stir well before serving.

Notes: Mini farfalle, a Barilla pasta product, works well in this dish. Similar-sized pasta will do nicely.

Yields: Four main-dish servings

Mom’s Coleslaw

Mom’s coleslaw is simple, with few ingredients, but it’s unique and delicious. When properly made, it has the perfect balance between the sweetness of the sugar and the tartness of the cider vinegar. Mom always used a hand shredder to prepare her cabbage and removed those portions that didn’t happen to shred fine enough. A good food processor will also work well.

4 cups finely shredded cabbage

¼ cup regular mayonnaise

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar (go on the lighter side of 1 tablespoon)

Place the shredded cabbage in a medium serving bowl. Combine the mayonnaise and sugar in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the vinegar and stir well. Combine the cabbage and dressing about 30 minutes before serving. Mix well before serving.

Notes: The cabbage and dressing can be prepared separately in advance. The quantity can easily be doubled or halved.

Yields: 4 cups

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

I’ve never been a fan of canned cranberry sauce. The flavor, appearance, and consistency just never appealed to me. I developed this dish for the family’s Thanksgiving dinner one year. The combination of cranberries, orange, and ginger with just the right amount of sweetener works very well. I like to use a sugar substitute in place of some of the sugar to make the sauce a little lighter.

1 (12-ounce) package fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, sorted and rinsed

½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or equivalent sugar substitute

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons very finely chopped crystallized ginger

1 tablespoon orange zest

⅛ teaspoon salt

Dash of black pepper

½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon orange juice

Ground ginger (optional)

Combine the first seven ingredients (through black pepper) in a large saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the cranberries mostly disintegrate, about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice. Purée the cranberries, using a stationary or immersion blender. Add additional orange juice for a thinner sauce. Taste and add more sugar (I like to add 1 teaspoon) and/or ground ginger, if preferred. Let the sauce cool to near room temperature before serving or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Yields: About 2½ cups

Contact Dick Sellers at dickskitchencorner@outlook.com