It’s hard not to love the recipe-swap letters that share stories about mothers, husbands, in-laws and young brides. They are so personal and show the strong connections we have with food and love and hope.
That’s what you all shared when asked to share for a Thanksgiving Recipe Swap.
I also want to acknowledge the lovely thank-yous that were sent along for suggesting the Swap. I see now that we all appreciate sharing, as well as receiving, a new recipe.
Maria Izzi Greene remembered both her late mother and late husband with her recipes.
She wrote that her mother, Helen Perrino Izzi, experimented with different versions of pumpkin pie recipes for a long time until she decided on this one.
“The evaporated milk and brown sugar really makes this delicious and far less calories than cream,” she wrote. “She placed this recipe in her own handwriting in my recipe book titled ‘Mama’s Pumpkin Pie’ and I treasure it.”
She also wrote that her husband, Thomas Greene, would make Grandma Greene’s Squash every year for all his relatives to enjoy at their Thanksgiving table.
“This was handed down to him from his mother Rosellen (Welch) Greene. It was a lot of work for him as he made at least eight dishes and delivered them all. This simple recipe was always a huge hit.
“Sadly, he passed away a few years ago but the recipe will live on. Thank you Tom.”
Pat Zacks of Providence went on a lovely trip down memory lane.
“Back in the early ’70s when I was first married, ProJo printed an entire page of readers’ favorite recipes once a week. She said they were fun to cut out, try, and collect.
“All these many years later I still occasionally refer to a now dog-eared photo album filled with recipes cut from ProJo’s weekly offerings to make an old favorite new again.”
She said the recipes ranged from the simple, such as monkey bread made from Pillsbury frozen buttermilk biscuits, to massive undertakings like genuine Russian Tea Cakes soaked with rum and pressed overnight under a 50-pound weight
“Never did get around to making that one,” she wrote.
“They were obviously treasured family recipes sent to ProJo by their proud owners.”
At my urging, she sent along the Monkey Bread recipe from a 40- or 45-year-old newspaper clipping. But she noted it has more sugar and fat than most modern moms want their kids to have.
“But they’re sure good! My daughter loved them.”
Marilyn Edwards’ recipe for Cranberry-Apple-Raspberry Sauce is something she uses not just with turkey on Thanksgiving, but with chicken and pork recipes throughout the year.
“I think it was originally a Stop & Shop recipe, and I have been making it for many years.”
Sharon Jacobson of Westerly shared Grandma Jacobson’s Cranberry Salad and made me laugh out loud.
“This was the only dish that my late mother-in-law did well,” she said.
Marcia Layden shared a recipe for Squash Souffle.
“I got this recipe from a dear friend who taught with me in West Warwick. This is so easy and delicious, I make it every Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Denise Cotnoir of Coventry wrote, “My family always loved this stuffing that my mom made for Thanksgiving. Mom is no longer with us so I carry on the tradition and follow her recipe. It is a big hit.”
Patricia Picinich said of her Pumpkin Pie contribution, “This is a family recipe which I learned from my aunt when I was 5 years old. It has been part of my Thanksgiving table for almost 60 years. It is both easy and foolproof.”
Dee Tomasso of Johnston shared a side dish and a dessert recipe.
Of the side dish, a yam recipe, she wrote, “It goes very well with either turkey or ham, so we have it for both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. These are slightly sweet, but not over-the-top sweet like marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes that make your teeth hurt! The spices round out the flavor nicely. They’re just as good warmed up for leftovers, too.”
“I wanted to share my pumpkin cheesecake recipe. It’s s-o-o-o easy.
“While I like the taste of pumpkin, I find pumpkin pie to be a little too heavy and strong. I found this recipe and modified it to include ready-to-use crusts. They taste as good as homemade and are much easier. I’m all about shortcuts when cooking and baking. Also, most people top their pumpkin pie or cheesecake with whipped cream or ice cream, but I like this cheesecake as-is. The soft, luscious creaminess is lighter on the stomach.”
MAMA’S PUMPKIN PIE
For the pie crust
2 cups flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil (keep oil refrigerated)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water (or more if dry)
For the filling
1 can of pumpkin (15 ounce can is just shy of two cups)
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Pinch of salt
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (a 12-ounce can)
To make the crust, combine all the ingredients and blend with a fork. Form a ball of dough and roll out on well floured surface
Place in 9-10-inch pie pan and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
To make the filling: Combine pumpkin, brown sugar and spices in large bowl. In separate medium size bowl, beat eggs slightly and add evaporated milk. Stir to combine. Stir in the milk and eggs into the pumpkin mixture until blended.
Pour into unbaked pie shell. Tip: Fill pie shell 3/4 full, then place in oven and add rest of the filling with a ladle. It will be easier to handle with no spillage.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then lower heat to 350 degrees for an additional 40 minutes.
Enjoy with whipped cream if desired
From Marie Izzi Greene
MONKEY BREAD
3 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (10 to a can)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
Cut biscuits into quarters. Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Toss biscuit quarters in this mixture, a few at a time, coating them well.
Then throw the biscuit quarters into a well-greased bundt or tube pan. Do NOT arrange the pieces. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top.
Melt butter over low heat. Pour on top. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from pan 2 or 3 minutes after taking out of the oven.
Then, just pick ‘n’ eat!
From Pat Zacks
CRANBERRY-APPLE-RASPBERRY SAUCE
12 ounces or about 3 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup orange marmalade
12 ounces (about 3 cups) frozen raspberries, thawed
2 Granny Smith apples (if you like tart) or a sweeter variety peeled, cored, and finely chopped
Cook cranberries, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon on a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes or until some cranberries are popped and mixture is thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
Refrigerate for a few hours and serve. Sauce will keep refrigerated for about 2 weeks.
Makes about 12 servings, 1/2 cup each
Shared by Marilyn Edwards
GRANDMA GREENE’S BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Cut a large butternut squash in half lengthwise. Clean out the seed cavity. Place flesh side down on a cookie sheet covered with foil or parchment. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until very soft, about 35-40 minutes. When cool, scoop out all the squash and place it in a food processor. Process until smooth. Place squash in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of real maple syrup and 4 tablespoons of real butter melted, mix well. Add more maple syrup if you prefer it sweeter. Place squash in a deep dish casserole, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. May be made a day ahead and then baked on Thanksgiving.
From Marie Izzi Greene
SQUASH SOUFFLE
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, divided use
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Place cut-up squash in a microwave-safe glass dish, sprinkle water over squash.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Microwave 7-10 minutes on high until very tender.
Transfer to bowl with electric mixer, beat with butter and 1/2 of the brown sugar until smooth.
Beat eggs with salt and pepper and add to mixture.
Place mixture in a souffle crock and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar.
Cover with plastic wrap. This recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated at this step. On Thanksgiving Day, let mixture come to room temperature and complete next step.
Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes or until puffed and just set.
Shared by Marcia Layden
GRANDMA JACOBSON’S CRANBERRY SALAD
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup almonds ( or any nut)
1 whole seeded orange
1 cup celery
1 small can of crushed pineapple
2 large packages raspberry Jell-O
2 cups of sugar
Chop cranberries, nuts, orange, celery and pineapple in food processor. Mix together and place into serving bowl or mold.
In separate bowl dissolve the Jell-O in 2 cups hot water.
In another bowl, dissolve 2 cups sugar in 1 cup of hot water to make a heavy syrup. Then add into the Jell-O mix and pout over cranberry mixture.
Chill in refrigerator until set.
Shared by Sharon Jacobson
HOLIDAY PORK STUFFING
2 pounds ground pork
1 onion, finely chopped
1 32-ounce carton chicken broth, or as needed
1 16-ounce package seasoned dry stuffing mix such as Bell’s Traditional Stuffing mix.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring pork, onion, and chicken broth to a simmer in a large pot; cook, stirring occasionally to break up large pieces of pork, until pork is no longer pink at the center, about 30 minutes.
Remove pot from heat. Stir in stuffing mix until evenly moistened. Pour mixture into a baking dish with a lid.
Bake in the preheated oven until stuffing is heated through and flavors are blended. About 45 minutes.
Shared by Denise Cotnoir
PUMPKIN PIE
Your favorite pie crust, homemade or purchased
8- or 9-inch pie plate.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out and place the crust in the pie plate. Line with parchment paper, add dried beans or pie weights and blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Prick pie crust with a fork and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.
1 3/4 cups solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/3 cups sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 extra large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup hot water
In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, condensed milk, egg, salt and all spices together until well mixed.
Fold in hot water and pure into prebaked pie shell.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.
Lower the oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until the center is just set. If the crust is browning too much, cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil.
Remove from the oven and cool on the rack.
Refrigerate the pie overnight and serve with whipped cream, if desired
Shared by Patricia Picinich
DEE’S SWEET POTATOES
3 (15-ounce) cans or 1 (40-ounce) can sweet potatoes or yams
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cinnamon sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain sweet potatoes or yams, reserving ¼ cup liquid.
In a medium-size bowl, mash the sweet potatoes or yams.
Add remaining ingredients, including reserved liquid. Beat with electric mixer, until smooth.
Spoon mixture into a 2 ½ quart casserole dish.
Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Notes: I use canned yams to save time, but of course you can also use fresh sweet potatoes/yams. Wash, dry, prick them with a fork and microwave until soft, then cut them in half and scoop them out into a bowl.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Shared by Dee Tomasso
EASIEST PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
2 ready-to-serve graham cracker pie crusts (save the covers)
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 can (15-ounces) pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2/3 cup (5 fluid ounce can) evaporated milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until fluffy.
Beat in eggs, pumpkin and evaporated milk.
Add cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat well.
Pour into crusts.
Bake for 40 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly.
Allow cheesecakes to cool completely.
Use the covers that came with the crusts to cover them, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Each cheesecake serves 8.
Tip:If you don’t need both cheesecakes, wrap one in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze. Allow to thaw overnight in fridge before serving.
Shared by Dee Tomasso
