Food Lust People Love: Thanksgiving recipes

Showing posts with label Thanksgiving recipes. Show all posts

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams

Slightly sweet yet delightfully savory, these tender maple thyme hasselback yams are a wonderful (and pretty!) side dish for your holiday table.

Everybody makes a big deal of Girl Scout cookie season, and rightfully so, of course. They are delicious and iconic, especially the Thin Mints. But I daresay fewer people are aware of a Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts) fundraiser that takes place in many councils across the United States.

I discovered the program a couple of years ago at a neighborhood holiday event where among the vendor booths there was a troop of scouts selling their branded Scout’s Own maple syrup. Apparently, if they live close to maple syrup country, scouts can attend “Sap Camp” to learn about and help with the production of the syrup.

Since I cannot say no to a young person selling something delicious, you know I had to buy a bottle. Scout’s Own maple syrup is lovely, dark, rich and just the perfect amount of sweet. I used it to make these maple thyme hasselback yams.

Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams

Growing up in the southern United States, we called these orange flesh tubers yams or occasionally, sweet potatoes. You can substitute your favorite sweet potato here.

Ingredients

3 yams

2 tablespoons olive oil

Fine sea salt

¼ cup or 56g butter

¼ cup or 60ml maple syrup

2 sprigs fresh thyme plus extra for garnish

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Scrub the yams and trim the hard ends and discard. Place a yam in a deep serving spoon and use a sharp knife to cut thin slices in it, just down to the spoon edges. Repeat with the other two yams.

Place the yams in a tight-fitting baking pan and drizzle them with the olive oil, opening the slices to get a little oil inside the yams. Sprinkle with fine sea salt, trying to get some inside the yams as well.

Bake the yams for 30 minutes in your preheated oven.

Melt the butter and mix it with the maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and the leaves from the fresh thyme sprigs.

Spoon the maple butter thyme mixture over the yams, making sure to get it in between the slices, inside the yams.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the yams are tender and cooked through. Turn off the oven when you take the yams out.

Drain the syrupy butter into a small pot and put the yams back into the turned off oven to stay warm.

Bring the syrup to a boil over a medium high heat.

Cook for about five minutes until reduced and thickened.

Leave to cool for just a couple of minutes then spoon over the yams and garnish with tender sprigs of thyme. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with maple syrup ahead of Maple Syrup Saturday on March 21st. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below!

French Toast by Mayuri's Jikoni
Karawya with a Maple Syrup Drizzle by Culinary Cam
Keto Baked Chicken Legs in Buffalo Sauce by Sneha's Recipe
Maple Bacon Candied Walnuts by Amy's Cooking Adventures
Maple Bourbon Smash by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Maple Dijon Bacon Green Beans by Making Miracles
Maple Mousse by A Messy Kitchen
Maple Pecan Glaze for Scones by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams by Food Lust People Love

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams!

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Confit Turkey Thighs

A delicious alternative to roast turkey, serving just a few people, these succulent confit turkey thighs have crispy skin and melt-in-your mouth meat.

Just a few months ago, I was looking for a roast pheasant recipe only to discover that, much like a whole turkey, if you roast a whole pheasant, you often end up overcooking the breast to get the thighs cooked. If you read my roast pheasant crown post, you know that I decided to separate the parts and cook them separately, choosing to confit the whole legs.

That’s because once you cook something with the confit method, you will want to confit all the things. Duck legs, pork belly, garlic, chicken gizzards, even tomatoes! I’ve cooked them all covered in oil or fat. I’ve even poached wild salmon in butter, which is essentially what the confit method is: Poaching something slowly in fat or oil.

So last Thanksgiving when I found myself with only three eaters to cook turkey dinner for, my thoughts, as per usual, turned to confit. I decided on turkey thighs because we do love the crispy skin and smaller joints like legs and wings don’t really have one big piece of skin to crisp up or, frankly, as much meat to share.

I already bought my turkey thighs to repeat this dish for Thanksgiving this year and I can hardly wait. It’s that good!

Confit Turkey Thighs

This recipe is easily doubled or trebled, if you have the right pot and enough duck fat. If you don't have duck fat, you can use another animal fat like goose fat, lard, or schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), or mild vegetable oils such as olive oil, canola oil or peanut oil. Keep in mind that some fats might change the flavor of the confit compared to the traditional duck fat method.

Ingredients

2 turkey thighs, bone-in, skin on – approx. weight = 1.87 lbs

Flakey sea salt – I like Maldon

Poultry seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

Duck fat to cover in tightfitting pan or Dutch oven – I used 3 3/4 cups or 887ml

Method

Generously season the turkey thighs all over with the salt, poultry seasoning and black pepper in a shallow pan or casserole that will fit in your refrigerator. Tuck the bay leaves under the thighs and cover with cling film.

Refrigerate 24 hours or as many as 48 hours.

When ready to confit the turkey thighs, preheat your oven to a slow 300°F or 150°C.

Wipe the salt off gently with a paper towel and dry the thighs. Put them into a close-fitting oven safe pan or Dutch oven.

Warm the duck fat gently if it is solidified.

Pour the duck fat over the turkey thighs to cover. They look like they are sticking out but there is a very thin layer of fat over the top.

Bake at this gentle temperature for at least 3 hours. Remove from the oven and use a slotted spoon to put the thighs in a snug storage container with a lid. Pour the duck fat from the cooking pan over the thighs to cover.

When chilled, the fat covering will protect the turkey thighs.

These confit turkey thighs can be kept, carefully covered, in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. As long as they are completely submerged in the duck fat and they are in an airtight container, they can last months. Confit is a great make-ahead dish.

To serve, bring the duck fat to room temperature and pour it off the turkey thighs. (Save it in a clean jar in the refrigerator for future use!)

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Brown the thighs skin side down in a hot pan. This just takes a few minutes.

Turn the thighs over and brown the other side.

Bake the thighs, skin side up, in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. You can do this in an empty pan but last Thanksgiving, I popped them on top of the pan of stuffing since that needed to be baked as well. It was a good decision!

Baked and just out of the oven

To serve, remove the crispy skin and cut it into strips. Pull the turkey apart into large pieces. Discard the bones. Put the turkey in a serving bowl, surrounded by the skin so people can help themselves to both.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are acknowledging that not everyone has a crowd to cook for during the holidays. So, for those folks, we are sharing some holiday main courses with fewer diners in mind. Check out the links below.

Bacon-Wrapped Sirloin Tip Roast from Palatable Pastime
Confit Turkey Thighs from Food Lust People Love
Dry Brined Roast Turkey Breast from Amy's Cooking Adventures
Milk-Braised Pork Loin with Carrot Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Nawabi Mutton Biryani with Burani Boondi Raita from Sneha's Recipe
Roasted Lemon, Herb & Lavender Spatchcocked Chicken from Culinary Cam
Stuffed Pork Loin Roast from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Stuffed Turkey Breast with Gravy from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Pin these Confit Turkey Thighs!

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Ann Criswell's Thanksgiving Dressing

Ann Criswell’s Thankgiving Dressing is fluffy and rich. The best combo of regular and cornbread dressing, it's the perfect accompaniment to turkey and gravy.

Food Lust People Love: Ann Criswell’s Thankgiving Dressing is fluffy and rich. The best combo of regular and cornbread dressing, it's the perfect accompaniment to turkey and gravy.

When I was growing up, the great city of Houston had two daily papers, the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Post. Sort of like mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, your family liked one or the other.

I have no idea why we got the Chronicle instead of the Post and now my mom isn’t here to ask. But it arrived every day, thrown by a neighborhood boy named Tommy Hannan. Remember when you actually knew your paper boy and he had to collect the money as well as deliver the paper? Tommy was a couple of years older than me but he used to stop by to chat and collect the paper money from Mom. If memory serves, she wrote a check. The real olden days, y'all.

Anyhoo, as a foodie from way back, one of the columns I enjoyed reading was Ann Criswell’s on food. Mrs. Criswell was the first editor of the Chronicle’s food section which debuted in 1966, a position she held until her retirement in 2000.

Her interactive columns encouraged readers to write in with questions about methods, ingredients, recipes, in fact, anything to do with food and its preparation. She shared copious recipes and I never failed to learn something from reading her columns.

She pioneered a format that allowed entire recipes to be neatly cut out and saved, which I’d love to see other magazines and newspaper replicate! So handy. Sadly, Mrs. Criswell was one of our casualties of COVID in 2020.

Ann Criswell’s Thanksgiving Dressing

I can’t seem to find out which year Mrs. Criswell first shared this recipe which she said was a combination of her own great-grandmother’s dressing and Lady Bird Johnson’s recipe for cornbread dressing. She avowed that it was one of the most requested recipes during her tenure as editor. The original made a much bigger casserole, calling for a quart each of biscuits, bread and cornbread, and can be found here.

Ingredients

2 day-old buttermilk biscuits - mine weighed about 110g

2 slices day-old sandwich bread– mine weighed about 90g

2 pieces day-old cornbread – mine weighed about 200g

1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 stalks celery, roughly chopped

2 green onions, roughly chopped

4 sprigs fresh parsley

1 teaspoon poultry seasonings

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 cups or 480ml (or more if needed) defatted turkey or chicken broth

1/4 cup or 57g melted butter

1 egg, slightly beaten

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and butter a casserole dish.

Crumble the biscuits and cornbread and make fresh bread crumbs out of the sandwich bread. I used my food processor. If it isn’t stale enough, you can toast the bread a little.

Mince the onion, celery and green onions in a food processor. Add in the parsley leaves and tender stems and pulse until finely chopped.

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cornbread, biscuits, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and cayenne. Toss well.

Add the onion, celery, parsley, broth, melted butter and beaten egg.

Mix well but toss lightly. Mixture should be quite moist, but not soupy.

Place in your buttered baking dish.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve warm with gravy. Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for stuffing or dressing. I know for some families those names are interchangeable - I've used this one to stuff turkey, for instance - but everyone seems to have a favorite. Check out the link list below.

Ann Criswell's Thanksgiving Dressing from Food Lust People Love
Classic French Bread Stuffing from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Gnocchi Stuffing from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Keto Homemade Stuffing from Sneha's Recipe
Mouthwatering Recipe for Thanksgiving Dressing That Will Wow Your Guests! from Our Good Life
Stove-Top Stuffing Copycat Recipe from Amy's Cooking Adventures

Pin Ann Criswell’s Thanksgiving Dressing!

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets are a fun, attractive way to serve turkey and stuffing. Each person gets an individual stuffed “turkey” wrapped in bacon. This recipe is great main dish for a low stress party. No more wondering if the turkey is perfectly done. It is!

Personally, we like stuffing all year long, not just for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I often find myself frying sausage meat and mixing it up to roast under chicken thighs, as a filling for squash or occasionally, just baking it in a pan as a side dish.

You will find the ingredient list and method below for the stuffing I make over and over again but please feel free to use your favorite recipe here as well. I know that for some families their own treasured stuffing recipe cannot be changed!

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Cutlets or escalopes of turkey can be found at most grocery stores these days. While they are more expensive per pound than a whole turkey, not a bit will go to waste. And look at how pretty they are!

Ingredients

For the sausage stuffing:

7 1/2 oz or 215g good quality fresh sausage (3-4 links)

6-7 slices stale bread, toasted and cubed

1/3 cup or 75g butter

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

2-3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 1/2 cups or 180ml turkey or chicken stock

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large egg

To assemble:

10 turkey cutlets (approx. weight 2 1/2 lbs or 1135g)

10 slices smoked bacon

toothpicks

For decoration – optional

20 fresh sage leaves

10 fresh cranberries

toothpicks

Method

Cube the bread and add it to a large bowl that all the stuffing ingredients will fit in, with room to stir.

Remove the sausage from the casings and fry until golden in a skillet, breaking it into crumbles as you go. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and remove all but a tablespoon of any rendered fat.

Add the butter to the frying pan and turn the heat on low. Sauté the onion and celery in the butter until it’s soft and translucent.

Add the poultry seasoning, a few generous grinds of black pepper, and the 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and mix well.

Add the onion mixture to the bowl with the bread.

Add the crumbled fried sausage back in and stir. Now add the broth and stir again.

Set the stuffing aside to cool.

Meanwhile, put the turkey cutlets, one at a time, between two large pieces of cling film on a cutting board and use the side of your rolling pin or a similar implement to flatten them out.

Use new pieces of cling film for each turkey cutlet and set them in a stack, still between the cling film till you’ve pounded them all flat.

Add the egg to the cooled stuffing and mix well.

Lay one turkey cutlet on your working surface. Remove the top piece of cling film and discard. Put about 1/10th of the stuffing into the middle of the turkey cutlet and fold the sides over to cover it securely.

Roll each of the stuffed turkey cutlets up in the bottom piece of cling film and line them up to chill on a plate in the refrigerator as you get them each made.

Once they are all made, preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C.

Remove the cling film from each cutlet and wrap them with one slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks and place in a large baking pan.

Roast in your preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C.

If desired, decorate each stuffed cutlet by securing two sage leaves and a fresh cranberry with a toothpick. Remove the other toothpicks to serve.

Of course, the pan drippings can used to make gravy and I recommend you do! Follow this easy instructional video from TheKitchn.

Serve the stuffed turkey cutlets with cranberry sauce and your favorite gravy.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 20th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter T. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the T recipes below: