Classic Family-Style Thanksgiving Recipes

food

In just a few weeks, we’ll be celebrating my favorite holiday — my favorite because of the food!

I’m rounding up some recipes from the Christofferson Family Cookbook. Let me know if you try them!

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cup sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix potatoes, sugar, vanilla and melted cool butter and eggs. Beat until fluffy. Place in a buttered casserole dish. Mix topping to crumb stage and sprinkle on top. Bake 30 minutes at 350º degrees.

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 tsp. cinnamon
½ to 1 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup butter/not melted

Mix well together with fingers until crumbly. Place on top of sweet potatoes.


Pie Crust

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2-⅔ cup flour

1 tsp. salt

7-8 Tbsp. cold water

Measure dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the whole mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spoon in the cold water, a little at a time, mixing dough together with a fork. Finish forming dough into a ball with your hands. Separate into two equally-sized bowls and roll out the crusts between two pieces of parchment paper. Refrigerate dough before rolling out if it is too soft and warm. Makes two crusts for a 10-inch pie. 

When baking the pie, brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to make the crust look shiny.


Mulled Cider

2 qts. apple juice

½ cup orange juice

¼ cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. whole cloves

1 tsp. ginger powder

3 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. nutmeg

Garnish:

Cinnamon sticks

2 oranges, sliced

2 lemons, sliced

Mix all ingredients in crock pot and heat. You can let it stay warm there for a while. Strain to serve. May be garnished with fresh orange or lemon slice, or a cinnamon stick in each mug.


Ellie’s Chex Mix

6 Tbsp. butter or margarine

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

¾ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

3 cups corn Chex 

3 cups rice Chex

3 cups wheat Chex

2 cups cheerios

1 cup mixed nuts

1 cup bite-sized pretzels

Heat oven to 250˚. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Gradually stir the cereal and nuts until evenly coated. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container. Makes 12 cups Chex Mix.

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fika

food, thoughts, words

Kinfolk Magazine. A publication from creatives across the world. Like a small book. Published 4 times a year, and chock full of good reads, spread with dreamy and gorgeous photos, and dripping with inspiration.

Fika // going out for coffee, a Scandinavian term. This article in Kinfolk Vol. 1 resonated with me, perhaps because I’m Swedish, perhaps because I love friends, and perhaps because I love sharing food with friends. Perhaps a bit of all three. Fika is about coffee being more than just a quick caffeine fix; it’s about stopping and appreciating the moment of togetherness.

source: kinfolk magazine

this year’s garden

a day in the life, food, photos

We have lots of things growing. Herbs, beans, swiss chard, radishes, red cabbage, cantaloupes, and TOMATOES. My word, do we have tomatoes. We probably pick almost a pint each day!

cherry tomatoes

one day's harvest

These homegrown tomatoes… they are the ones that I ate and enjoyed. That moment when I ate a tomato and enjoyed it… radical and life changing. (To properly understand this, you must realize that for all of my life I’ve despised eating raw tomatoes. No longer!)

morning glories

I always grow morning glories in my herb garden.

morning glory vines

Just a few days ago we cut up and ate this cantaloupe.

homegrown cantaloupe

The taste of homegrown food… there’s nothing better.

Thanksgiving Prep

a day in the life, food, photos, stories, words

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day! And  you know me, I love to bake. So there has been lots of baking going on :)

Clara made a berry pie yesterday, this morning I made an apple pie, Mom made Mema’s cranberry jello, I also made rolls, and I made a pumpkin cheesecake pie. (Graham cracker crust pies, by the way, are the very easiest to make.)

Oh, and this apron. I made it in Mom’s sewing class!

*Photo credit to my sister Clara