Thanksgiving is nearly upon us again. But the past few years have been difficult on many of us as we’ve muddled our way through a pandemic.
 

This fall, most will hopefully be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family once again.

That said, COVID-19 affected our collective health and well-being as well as our wallets, and recent inflation has only served to put additional financial pressure on families.

In the spirit of helping people get through an often expensive holiday, The Citizen has curated a few celebratory recipes that are both delicious and also easy on the pocketbook.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy!

Corn Casserole

My mother-in-law says that this recipe is a hit at every event to which she brings it.

Ingredients

• 1 can creamed corn (398 ml)
• 1 can whole kernel corn (341 ml)
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup butter or margarine

Directions

Mix all four ingredients together and transfer to a greased eight-by-eight-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, until the centre is completely set.

Cranberry Applesauce

Supplementing costly cranberries with lower cost apples makes this recipe budget-friendly and makes it more palatable for kids. Since this recipe needs to be prepared beforehand, it won’t require any extra work on the big day.

Ingredients

• 5 medium apples
• 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ½ tbsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp water
• ½ tbsp orange zest

Directions
 

• Cut apples into small pieces, then pour them into a heavy bottomed pot and add the cranberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and water. Then add the zest, about half an orange.
• Cook sauce for about 10 minutes on medium high heat, then stir.
• Turn the heat down to medium low and put the lid on. Let it cook another 20 minutes, taking the lid off every five minutes or so to stir the mixture thoroughly.
• Purée the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender. If you need to, add a little bit more liquid to help you purée the applesauce, then simmer it again to cook off any excess liquid.

Sage Dressing

This delicious dressing was created by my mom, Irmie Goertzen, and our family has taste-tested it for every Thanksgiving meal in the last 50 years.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of bread
• ½ package of dry onion soup mix
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp sage
• 1 tsp parsley

Directions

• In a large bowl, mix bread (pulled apart or cut into small pieces) and onion soup.
• Melt butter, add water and spices, then drizzle over bread mixture and stir. Mixture should be moist and stick together a bit but not drenched.
• Cook for at least one hour (covered) in the oven at 350 degrees, or the same amount of time in a slow cooker.

Pumpkin Dollop Cake

This recipe has been created and tested specifically for The Citizen by Veronique Desormeaux, who operates Cuisinique. The business creates custom earth-centric and pantry-friendly recipes.

“Our home does this by trying to provide and grow our own ingredients, reusing home decor by thrifting, and foraging seasonal florals,” says Desormeaux. “This cake is versatile in its ability to host most fruits, from stone fruit to berries. The sour cream ensures a delicate and sumptuous crumb. I particularly love that the cake batter itself comes together in one bowl.”

Start by creating the topping. Combine these ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, with a hand-mixer:

Ingredients

• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup flour
• ¾ tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg (optional)
• ¼ cup softened butter or margarine

Next, prepare the cake. Start by setting aside two cups of pumpkin purée. Then combine the following ingredients in a large tall-sided bowl with a hand-mixer:

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour, sifted
• 1½ cups white sugar
• 4½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup softened butter or margarine
• 1½ cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 orange (optional)

Directions

• Mix your cake batter in one bowl.
• Mix your topping ingredients in a separate smaller bowl.
• Prepare your baking pan of choice (9-by-13 inches is recommended) with a thin layer of margarine or vegetable oil.
• Using a large soup spoon, dollop pumpkin purée throughout the baking dish, ensuring that the dollops are evenly spaced.
• Pour the cake batter into the baking dish.
• Again, using a large soup spoon, dollop pumpkin purée overtop the cake batter, ensuring that the dollops are evenly spaced.
• Using your hands, crumble the topping over the batter.
• Bake at 350 degree for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Once ready, let the cake cool in the pan. Within 20 minutes, it will be ready to serve on its own or with vanilla ice cream.

Leftover Turkey Stuffing Casserole

There aren’t many options for reducing the cost of the turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner, but here’s a delicious way to use up some of the leftovers.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked turkey, roughly chopped
• 1 cup gravy
• 1 cup cranberry sauce
• 2 cups cooked green beans (or other leftover vegetables)
• 4 cups cooked stuffing
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

• Place the turkey in the bottom of the casserole dish, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
• Pour gravy over the turkey and spread to cover evenly.
• Add cranberry sauce and vegetables evenly over the turkey mixture.
• Add stuffing, and spread evenly over other ingredients. Dot with butter, and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes covered, then 10 to 15 minutes uncovered in a well-greased pan.