Students share their favorite holiday recipes
This article was originally published Nov. 21, 2006.
Visions of turkey, cranberries, green beans, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies fill the heads of students preparing for Thanksgiving Day feasts. But this year, challenge yourself to stop dreaming, throw on an apron and get in the kitchen.
Three CU students share their secret recipes that your Thanksgiving Day companions, whether friends or family, are sure to enjoy.
“My favorite Thanksgiving Day recipe is the stuffing that my grandmom and mother make every year,” said Tinsley Buffington, a junior communication major. “It’s not an exact recipe, because you have to do a lot of tasting as you go.”
Buffington’s family stuffing
Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread
1 onion
1/2 pound of uncased sausage
1 green apple
3 eggs
1 can of water chestnuts
3/4 cup raisins
1 stalk celery
1 stick of butter
Salt
Pepper
Sage
Thyme
Parsley
Cube the loaf of bread and cook at 250 F for 30 minutes.
Then sauté the onion with the sausage and celery. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chopped apple, 3/4 cup raisins and can of water chestnuts to the onion, sausage and celery mixture.
Scramble the eggs and add sage, thyme and parsley to taste.
Finally, mix the sausage mixture and egg mixture with the baked bread, stuff the turkey and keep leftovers warm in the oven.
“Their stuffing is the best part of the meal, especially with all that turkey fat,” Buffington said.
Jessica Grace Bruner, a junior English major, said her favorite Thanksgiving recipe is from the South.
“It’s called Dunbar, and it’s a family recipe,” Bruner said. “It sounds a little weird, but I’m from South Carolina, and they love it down there.”
Bruner’s Dunbar
Ingredients:
1 large bag of macaroni noodles
2 chopped tomatoes
1 block of cheddar cheese
Some bacon grease
Tomato paste
Salt
Pepper
Prepare the dish by combining all the ingredients in a casserole pan, with salt and pepper to taste. Then bake it for 30 to 45 minutes at 350 F.
Cassie Croissant, a sophomore communication major, said her friends often call her Martha Stewart.
“I love family holidays. This Thanksgiving Day, all the ladies are going to be cooking in the kitchen, and I’m in charge of the pies,” Croissant said. “I’m making a pumpkin pie from the Martha Stewart Living November issue. To be honest, Stewart’s recipes are usually a little confusing and hard to follow, but I like this one because it’s easy to follow and really good.”
Martha Stuart pie
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 tbsp heavy cream
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin puree and three eggs, and beat well. Add the evaporated milk and set aside.
Prepare a 9-inch pie crust, or use a store-bought one.
Next, make the glaze by beating one egg with the heavy cream. Brush the glaze over the pie crust and fill with the pumpkin mixture.
Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 425 F, then reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 30 more minutes.
These students’ favorite recipes are bound to create a few leftovers.
“And I always have leftover pumpkin pie in the morning with some coffee and a little whipped cream in it,” Croissant said.
A popular suggestion for leftovers is the Thanksgiving Day sandwich.
“Basically, you take everything from the night before, put it between two pieces of bread and add some mayo,” Buffington said. “It’s great.”
