Favorite Sides for Thanksgiving

I made two of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes for our Practice Thanksgiving dinner last weekend. So I thought I would share the love and post the recipe for anyone that may be interested. These aren't secret family recipes, I'm sure they probably came out of Southern Living over the years.

For as long as I can remember, this Sweet Potato Casserole has been a staple on my family's Thanksgiving menu. I saw the exact recipe on Southern Gent's blog so it's definitely no secret! It's creamy, it's crunchy, and it's sweet. It's DELICIOUS. It's by far my favorite Thanksgiving dish.

Sweet Potato Casserole:

3 cups sweet potatoes (mashed)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/3 stick butter or margarine

1/2 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together and put in a casserole dish.

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/3 stick butter or margarine

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans)

Mix these ingredients together and put on top. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

This Cranberry Relish side is relatively new to my family's menu. My mom started making it a few years ago, and now she can't make enough. It's great on Thanksgiving Day, but even better spread on a sandwich made with mayo and leftover turkey.

Fresh Cranberry Relish:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 12 oz. package fresh cranberries, finely chopped
2 cups fresh raspberries or 1 package of frozen, drained (I use the frozen ones)
2 medium tart apples, diced (not too fine - I use granny smith apples)


Combine sugar, marmalade and lemon juice. Add cranberries and apples. Fold in raspberries very gently and chill overnight.







YUM!!! Can't wait for my second helping of these two on Thursday!

Thai Kick

I've been on a Thai kick for the last month or so. There's this cute place near my house called Urban Thai that I've either eaten at or ordered from 5 times in the last month! They have this yummy Penang Chicken dish that I'm obsessed with right now. I know it's not healthy at all since it's a creamy peanut and curry sauce...I don't even want to know the nutritional value! So I was pleased that this week on Hungry Girl's site she featured an alternative Thai dish recipe that's pretty healthy. I have been a serious bum lately about the gym and eating right and have been searching and hoping for some divine inspiration on this matter. I'm hoping that by coming out with it on the blog will help me stay accountable and actually do what I know I need to do! Since I like to cook, and since cooking for yourself is more healthy (and cheaper) than ordering from Urban Thai every other day, I'm going to try the sesame noodle recipe this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out!


I like Hungry Girl's sight because she's a regular gal that has struggled with her weight like most of us. She follows the Weight Watcher's point system, which has been the only thing to work for me when I get serious about loosing weight. I've had the link to HG's sight up on the blog, but wanted to highlight it today if you're looking for a new healthy recipe or want to hear the truth about some of your favorite foods! It's worth a look.