Simple Thanksgiving Recipes to Try this Holiday

With family members visiting your home in Nashville with the expectations of a delicious Thanksgiving meal, you want to impress. Fortunately, there are a few simple dishes you can create that will not keep you in the kitchen all day. Here are some simple recipes to try in your Nashville home:

Turkey with Molasses Butter

Ingredients:

• 10 tbsp room temperature unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp molasses
• ¼ c kosher salt
• ¼ c coarse black pepper
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 turkey, 10 to 12 lbs

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the molasses, salt, pepper, lemon juice and 8 tbsp of butter in a bowl. Stir and set aside.
3. Remove the giblets from the turkey. You can throw them away. Rinse the turkey under water before patting it dry. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and spread the butter mixture under the turkey’s skin, as far in as possible. You can also put it inside the turkey. Use the remaining butter to rub on top of the skin. Add a cup of water to the roasting pan.
4. Roast the turkey until it has browned. This should take 45 minutes.
5. Cover the turkey with foil and road for about three more hours, until the internal temperature is 180 degrees.
6. Let the turkey sit, covered for 30 minutes.

Hard Cider Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1 c hard cider
• 2 to 3 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 c flour
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Strain the drippings from the turkey and let the bowl sit for five minutes. Skim off the fat and throw it away.
2. Placing the empty pan over two burners on medium-high heat, add the hard cider and cook for just one minute. Scrape the residue off the pan and pour the pan’s contents into the bowl of drippings.
3. Add broth to the bowl until you have four cups of liquid.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and continue to whisk until it appears gold. Add the broth, bringing the contents to a boil
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Season the gravy with salt and pepper before straining.

Apple Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage (remove the casings)
• 4 medium red apples (Empire or Rome, diced and unpeeled)
• 7 oz diced mixed dried fruit
• 2 tbsp chopped sage or 2 tsp dried sage
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 20 oz frozen garlic bread, thawed (cut into cubes)
• 1 c chicken broth

Directions:

1. Cook the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. When the sausage is brown, add the apples. Stir until the apples are tender.
2. Add the dried fruit, nutmeg, sage, bread and broth.
3. Butter a 3 qt baking dish. Spoon the stuffing into the dish. Bake it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. The top should look toasted.

As you can see, putting together the perfect Thanksgiving dinner is not as difficult as it might seem. You can create a lovely meal for the entire family without stressing out for weeks ahead of time.

Find a Home Perfect for Cooking a Thanksgiving Meal