RECIPES: Thanksgiving traditions

Thanksgiving Stuffing

1 1/2 lbs. ground sage pork sausage

4 onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 cups crumbled cornbread

6 cups cubed soft white bread

1 cup chicken broth

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp steak sauce

1 tbsp salt

Place the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking sausage apart with a fork, until evenly brown. Set aside, reserving pan drippings.

Mix onions and celery into skillet, and cook in the pan drippings until browned. Drain remaining drippings.

In a large bowl, toss together the sausage, onions and celery, cornbread, white bread, broth, and eggs. Mix in poultry seasoning, steak sauce, and salt. Stuff turkey just before roasting.

-- Shary Minyer

Scalloped Corn

1 (15 oz.) can creamed corn

1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter

2 tbsp white sugar

1 (8.5 oz.) package corn muffin mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Mix together corn, sour cream, eggs, melted butter or margarine, and sugar. Mix in muffin mix. Pour into prepared baking dish.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted midway into pan comes out clean.

-- Carla Anderson

Holiday Dressing

1 (7.5 oz.) package dry cornbread mix

1 cup butter

2 onions, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

6 stalks celery, chopped

1 lb. pork sausage

16 slices white bread

2 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 eggs

4 cups chicken stock

Prepare corn bread as directed on package. Cool, and crumble.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, bell pepper, and celery in butter until tender, but not brown. In another pan, cook sausage over medium-high heat until evenly browned.

Place corn bread and bread slices in a food processor. Pulse until they turn into a crumbly mixture. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Season with sage, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix in chopped parsley, cooked vegetables, and sausage with drippings. Stir in eggs and chicken stock. This mixture should be a bit mushy. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

-- Louise Toma

Traditional Rice Stuffing

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cups water

2 tsp dried dill weed, or to taste

2 tsp poultry seasoning, or to taste

1 tbsp dried parsley

ground black pepper to taste

2 tbsp chicken bouillon, or more to taste

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add water, dill weed, poultry seasoning, parsley, ground black pepper, chicken bouillon, and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is just slightly undercooked, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir, taste, and adjust seasonings if desired. Cool completely before using to stuff a turkey or chicken.

-- Sheila Kampman

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white sugar

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 cup sour cream

3 (14.5 oz.) cans French style green beans, drained

1 (14.5 oz.) can cut green beans

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers

1 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.

Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

-- Lisa Welch

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. cranberries

1 cup white sugar

1 cup orange juice

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

-- Toni Constantini