Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we all know how difficult it is to think of new and delicious recipes to share with family and friends. Every year I help my mom cook for our Thanksgiving Day feast. We try to choose one new dish to test out each year. The main dishes that my family makes are, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, biscuits, cranberries, cinnamon apples, and of course turkey and gravy. This past year we added Brussels sprouts to the list. After dinner we always have two pies, pumpkin and apple.

Thanksgiving is a time when family comes together to celebrate what they are thankful for in life. A great way to bring family together is by baking and preparing food. Some people like to be creative with their Thanksgiving dishes; others prefer the tried and true traditional favorites. There are many dishes along with the ones that I have already listed that my family eats. Here are a couple that are easy and tasty.

One of my favorites is pumpkin pie. You can’t go wrong with a simple pie at the end of a long day of cooking.

Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 11/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons beaten egg (about 1/2 large egg)

For the Filling:

• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• Whipped cream, for serving

Directions

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening; pulse until it disappears, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Beat 2 tablespoons ice water and the egg in a bowl, then add to the processor and pulse once or twice. (Stop before the dough gathers into a ball.) Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll the dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 pieces of floured parchment paper). Ease into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edges with your fingers. Pierce the bottom all over with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the filling: Whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, half-and-half, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves in a bowl. Pour into the crust; bake until the edges are set but the center quivers, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes. (Cover the edges of the crust with foil if they brown too quickly.) Cool completely on a rack. Serve with whipped cream

Sweet potatoes are a great way to get a dish that isn’t salty. I love putting marshmallows on top and add brown sugar to top off the sweet potatoes.

Total Time: 3 hr 45 min

Prep: 2 hr 15 min

Cook: 1 hr 30 min

Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dish
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 lemon, sliced and seeded
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 cups marshmallows

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large pot melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer while stirring until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Peel potatoes and cut lengthwise, then again making long quarters. Cut these into 1-inch pieces ending up with pie slice-shaped wedges. Place in a separate large pot of boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes. Potatoes should give a bit when poked with a fork.
• Drain the potatoes and arrange in a single layer in a buttered 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour the syrup over the potatoes; making sure it covers the potatoes. Place lemon slices on top and bake for 35 minutes, spooning syrup over potatoes twice during that time. Potatoes are done when they are tender to the fork.
• Remove from the oven, remove the lemon slices, and stir in pecans. Arrange the marshmallows evenly on top. Place back in the oven turning it up to 400 degrees F and cook until marshmallows puff up and turn brown, approximately 10 more minutes.

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 1 hr 0 min

Cranberry Sauce:

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh cranberries, approximately 4 cups
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup 100 percent cranberry juice, not cocktail
• 1 cup honey

Directions

• Wash the cranberries and discard any that are soft or wrinkled.
• Combine the orange juice, cranberry juice and honey in a tw-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens. Do not cook for more than 15 minutes as the pectin will start to break down and the sauce will not set as well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Carefully spoon the cranberry sauce into a 3 cup mold. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• To unmold and serve, immerse bottom of mold in hot water for 10 to 15 seconds and turn upside down on plate or serving dish. If necessary, carefully run a warm knife around the edge of the mold.

Total Time: 6 hr 30 min

Prep: 10 min

Inactive: 6 hr 0 min

Cook: 20 min