Thanksgiving Day Food

Do you need to bring a dish to a holiday food party? We have lots of recipe ideas and they are kid-friendly too. It's fun and nutritious. Whether you are cooking in your home or bringing food to share at a family gathering. A few recipes are below. Find more at www.chef-k.com

Plan and prepare ahead to help make things easy and fun on the party day. Have supplies and food ready before the party begins in order to remain stress-free and all energy focused on the guests. A notebook or binder paper, a folder, or can be used to make plans and lists. Keep it in a special spot that is easy to review and add information as needed. A little preparation goes a long way to simplify any gathering.

We have Thanksgiving day food recipes below.

Recipe: Baked Apple Cranberry Tart
Laurie Zerga, Chef-K
Serves 8

Ingredients
1 unbaked pie shell
4 medium apples, cored, peeled and sliced
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon peel, grated
2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed recommended)
¼ cup dried cranberries (or fresh in season is good too)
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream - optional

For crumble topping:
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ cup regular or quick-cooking oatmeal
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°
2. Mix apples, sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and cranberries in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix butter, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Place apple mixture in pie shell.
5. Crumble the topping mixture evenly over top.
6. Place pie dish on baking sheet
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes
8. Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes before slicing.
9. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

Recipe: Harvest Soup
Laurie Zerga, Chef-K
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 lb ground turkey or leftover turkey meat
1 medium zucchini, sliced
½ cup carrots, sliced
½ cup celery, sliced
½ cup squash, peeled and cubed such as acorn, butternut, or kabocha,
1 lb tomatoes, chopped, or 14 oz can tomatoes
3 14 oz cans chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup elbow macaroni
½ tsp each pepper, nutmeg, and salt
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped (optional)
Parmesan cheese - garnish

Directions
1. Bring water to boil in a 4-5 quart pot or Dutch oven.
2. Cook elbow macaroni 4-5 minutes in boiling water.
3. Drain and set aside. Macaroni will be al dente.
4. Heat a 4-5 quart pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
5. Add oil, let warm 30 seconds, add onions.
6. Sauté chopped onions until limp, 2 minutes; add garlic and sauté another 1 minute.
7. Add ground meat and sauté until cooked, 5-6 minutes. (If using leftover turkey - go ahead to next step after adding the turkey since it's already cooked)
8. Add zucchini, carrots, celery, and squash, sauté 1 minute more.
9. Add tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
10. Bring to a boil.
11. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

*Note: Soup can be prepared up to 2 days ahead to this point. - However, you may need to add 1 cup of broth if the broth is absorbed)

12. Uncover simmering pot, add macaroni, optional parsley and continue to simmer 10 minutes longer.
13. Serve immediately sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and a slice of crusty bread.