Mama's Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

Looking for Thanksgiving dinner recipes? Here is a glimpse of Thanksgiving at Mama's house. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for so I like to make a wonderful bounty every year.

Below the pictures, you will find links to the recipes. I hope that you enjoy them as much as my family and friends have!

Our favorite Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

Green Bean Casserole, fried okra, Outback brown bread, Sister Shubert's Rolls (if you've never tried these, you really don't know what you are missing...they are amazing! You can find them in the freezer section of most grocery stores), corn on the cob, apple pie, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, greens, gravy, turkey (the recipe is below), the cranberry sauce was made by a dear friend so I don't have the recipe but here is my recipe for homemade cranberry sauce. Tucked back there behind the turkey are what I call Spinach artichoke wedges The link is to my Christmas Appetizer. The recipe is the same except that you don't divide the dough and you don't use any food coloring. You just roll out the dough, fill it, roll it up, cut slits in the top to vent, brush it with the egg wash and bake. When cool you cut the loaf into wedges. This is one of those Thanksgiving dinner recipes that will have your guests raving. I get a lot of request for this during the holidays.

Every year, I search for the perfect turkey recipe. Every year, the turkey is wonderfully moist and tender but never a real head turner. This year, however was different! I softened a stick of salted butter and smeared it all over the top of the turkey, both breast and legs. I place the turkey in a roasting pan on top of some chunks of celery and onions. I soaked cheesecloth (4 layers thick) in 3 cans of chicken broth and laid it over the top of the breast and legs. I poured the remaining broth in the bottom of the roaster. I put the turkey in a preheated 450° F oven for 30 minutes, basted it and then turned the heat down to 350° F. I basted the turkey every 30 minutes after that. I then removed the cheesecloth during the last hour or so of baking and continued basting. Now, the baking time will depend upon the size of the turkey. An 18 to 20 pound unstuffed turkey will take a total of about 4 hours. Use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness (is that even a word LOL). The thickest part of the thigh should read 170° to 180°. Be careful not to take the temperature next to the bone. If the temperature did not reach 170° to 180°, baste the bird again and return it to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes. I'm not real fond of those pop-up thermometers that you find in some birds but you can certainly use it if you want. The turkey baked the entire time UNCOVERED, except, of course, for the cheesecloth. It was the most moist and tender turkey that I have ever made and it certainly turned heads and got lot's of ohhhhhh's and aaawwww's. This is my now favorite of all of my turkey recipes!

Unstuffed Turkey Cooking times:
Weight in Pounds................Approx. Roasting Time (hours)
4.5-7..................................2 – 2.5
7-9.....................................2.5 - 3
9-18...................................3 - 3.5
18-22.................................3.5 - 4
24-30.................................4.5 - 5

Ham, there was mashed potatoes under the foil, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, broccoli rice casserole, deviled eggs, and roasted brussels sprouts.

This Skillet Apple Pie is a WONDERFUL addition to your dessert table!  You'll find the recipe by CLICKING HERE!

Chosen as one of the 50 Best Southern Food Blogs by

If you like my website, you're gonna love my new ecookbook Tried and True Recipes from Mama's Kitchen.

Now you can make your favorite restaurant recipes at home!