Two great recipes to tuck into your Thanksgiving feast

  • By Judyrae Kruse Herald Columnist
  • Tuesday, November 20, 2012 9:55am
  • Life

If we had some majorly important football event later this afternoon or evening, we could probably think of today as a lengthy, seemingly neverending pregame show.

But that’s today, and Thursday is the kickoff, and no fooling.

Unlike most other sports, the promotion and prep doesn’t last for weeks and weeks. No, it’s a one-off, and a very important one at that. Because, as we all know, Thanksgiving only comes around once a year.

Like most sports, though, we draw up a game plan, schedule and then prep, prep, prep for just this one very special day.

No matter how much we seem to have everything nailed down, it’s still a scramble, hustle and hurry, hurry, hurry kind of day. Then, in the thick of things, while we’re busy scratching off the hadda-do things, and the got-it-done stuff on our lists …

Gasp — horror — we suddenly notice we somehow forgot the so and so or this and that. If one of those is a salad, we have one that’s so good it could even double as a dessert. If the other might be a veggie casserole, we can cover that one, too, with a humdinger of a new, easier-than-ever, twist on an old, old classic.

Both great recipes are taken from my treasured, aging local cookbook, “Providence Hospitality.”

Diane Cruikshank shared the salad, which she calls Aunt Helen’s salad, while the “Committee” compiling the cookbook evidently all agreed on this one deliciously different how-to for a who-knows-how-old classic, creamed onions.

If we get to it right quickish, we’ll have plenty of time to plug these into Thursday’s feast:

Aunt Helen’s salad

1large (20 ounces) can crushed pineapple, undrained

1small package instant pistachio pudding mix

1cup miniature marshmallows

1/2cup chopped nuts

1/2cup chopped pecans

1carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Maraschino cherries, drained thoroughly

In a serving bowl, combine the pineapple, pudding mix, marshmallows, nuts and pecans, mixing well. Blend in the whipped topping, gently but thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or until needed.

To serve, garnish with maraschino cherries.

Scalloped onions

3tablespoons butter

8cups sliced onions (about 4 onions)

1/2teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/8teaspoon nutmeg

11/2cups whipping cream

1/2cup grated Parmesan cheese

2tablespoons seasoned dry bread crumbs

In a large saucepan, melt butter and stir in the onions. Cover and cook on medium-high heat, stirring for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Spoon mixture into a buttered 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Pour whipping cream over the onion mixture. Combine the cheese and bread crumbs and evenly sprinkle over the top of the dish. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and light brown.

Makes 6 servings.

The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics pages. Meanwhile, have the best, most wonderful ever Thanksgiving!

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.