December 24, 2022

Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner


  • Ham
  • Smoked turkey
  • Gravy
  • Stuffing
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Corn pudding
  • Mac n cheese
  • Green beans
  • Cranberries
  • Rolls
  • Chocolate cake w white icing
  • Pecan pie
  • Chocolate Chess Pie
  • Pina Colada Cake



Ham- How to Cook/Handle/Prepare

Remove packaging material and plastic disk over bone. Use pan at least 1 inch deep. Wrap ham in foil. For best results, heat in a 300°F oven to an internal temperature of 120°F (approximately 13-15 minutes per pound). Do not overcook, as this will dry the ham.


  • 12 - 24 lb. turkey (fresh or frozen and fully thawed)
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme, or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh*
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 4 celery ribs, chopped into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped into chunks
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces




Turkey- 

12 - 24 lb. turkey (fresh or frozen and fully thawed)

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp)

1 tsp dried thyme, or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh*

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

4 celery ribs, chopped into 2-inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces

  • Move oven rack one level below center and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a small mixing bowl stir together butter, garlic, thyme and season with a little salt and pepper.
  • Remove neck and giblets from turkey and remove any pin feathers left behind. Tuck wings under turkey. Season cavity of turkey with salt and pepper.
  • Using the back end of a wooden spoon separate turkey breast skin from breast. Rub butter underneath skin (again I just use the back end of the spoon), smooth over skin to spread butter out. You can just rub butter over skin but I feel it seasons better when rubbed underneath.
  • Season all over turkey with a fair amount of salt and pepper.
  • Add 1 Tbsp flour to the Reynolds Kitchens Turkey Size Oven Bag and shake. Place oven bag in a roasting pan, add celery, onion and carrots to oven bag. Place turkey over vegetable layer in oven bag.
  • Close oven bag with the oven safe tie included. Cut 6 slits across top of the oven bag to allow steam to escape then tuck ends of oven bag into the pan.
  • Cook unstuffed turkey according to size (the breast should register 165 degrees in center of thickest portion in several places and the thigh 175 degrees on an instant read thermometer):
    12 - 16 lb turkey: 2 - 2 1/4 hours
    16 - 20 lb turkey: 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 hours
    20 - 24 lb turkey: 2 1/2 - 3 hours
  • Let turkey rest 20 minutes. Carefully cut top of oven bag open, transfer turkey to carving board and carve.



Mac n cheese

1 can condensed milk

1 can cheddar cheese soup

2 eggs

Mix together above ingredients add salt & pepper

1 box macaroni- cook as directed

Add to cheese & milk mixture

Add regular milk to just below macaroni line

Mix in a small bag of sharp cheddar cheese

Add additional Salt and pepper

Top w another bag of sharp cheddar cheese

Refrigerate over night 

Bake 350 1 hour


Stuffing - Stoffers


Gravy-Heinz jar


Mashed potatoes 

Wash potatoes

Place in slow cooker the morning serving on low covered with water and cook all day

When ready to serve drain water and put in kitchen aid mixer with paddle attachment

Mix well to soften

Add 1-2 sticks of butter depending on the amount of potatoes

Add milk for creamy potatoes

Add salt & pepper

Serve

You do not need to remove the skins


Corn Pudding

2 cans cream style corn 

6 T flour 

6 T butter 

3 eggs 

1 c sugar 

1 c milk 

Preheat oven to 350 

Melt butter in casserole dish 

Mix eggs, flour, sugar and milk together. 

Add corn. 

Place in melted butter dish. 

Bake for 1 hour. 

Very important to stir at 30 min so it is not soupy.

You can prepare mixture ahead and refrigerate over night but it might need to cook an extra 15 min, stir about 40 minutes when doing this way.


Green beans-Margaret Holmes Seasoned Italian Green Beans


Rolls- Sister Schubert's Dinner Yeast Rolls


Cranberry sauce

1 cup water

1 cup of sugar

Place in sauce pan and bring to a boil to dissolve sugar

Add 1 bag of washed cranberries

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.

Refrigerate overnight before serving


Pecan Pie- Karo Syrup bottle recipe


Chocolate chess pie

1 T flour

1 1/2 c sugar

pinch salt

1/2 c milk

1/2 c butter melted

6 T cocoa

2 eggs, beaten

1 t vanilla

9 inch pie shell unbaked

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Bake in crust at 400 for 10 min.

Reduce heat to 300 for 35-40 min.

Pie should jiggle just slightly when removed.


Chocolate Cake with White Icing 

Devils food cake as box directed

Vanilla frosting