Thursday Recipe - Tapioca Fruit Salad

Yeah, it's Monday. But last week I posted two Monday posts so this week I'm posting two Thursday recipe posts.

Since it's November, the month of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share some of my Thanksgiving recipes and traditions. Growing up, my mom used to do Thanksgiving dinner as a five or six course feast. It was served all day long. As each course was ready, we'd eat it. So breakfast was the fruit salad course, mid-morning was the veggie tray/pickle course, about one pm was the turkey and hot side dishes course, mid-afternoon was the salad and stuff we forgot about course, and then my favorite, the evening dessert course which was about twelve different kinds of pie. We then spent the rest of the weekend eating whatever leftovers appealed to us because my mom cooked enough for a large army. I did have eight siblings...

So today, I'm sharing a fun fruit salad.

Tapioca Fruit Salad

1 can pineapple tidbits in juice
1 can mandarin oranges in light syrup
2 fresh kiwi, peeled and sliced
2 c. cut up fresh fruit - apples, pears, whatever you like
1/4 c. pearl tapioca

Drain juice from pineapple and mandarin oranges into a measuring cup. Add enough water to make 2 c. total liquid. Pour into small saucepan.

Add tapioca to liquid in saucepan. Let soak for 15 minutes. Cook liquid and tapioca over medium high heat until mixture thickens and boils. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, add pineapple tidbits, orange slices, kiwi, and cut up fruit to a large salad bowl. Pour cooled tapioca over. Toss gently to mix.

Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving.

*If you want it more like ambrosia, add 1/2 c. shredded coconut and 1 c. miniature marshmallows before refrigerating.

*Tapioca pudding can be made with coconut milk or regular milk instead of fruit juice if you prefer.

Thursday Recipe - Thanksgiving Favorites!

You've only got two weeks. Are you ready for the hordes of relatives? This year, I'm going to stay home and make it a very relaxed holiday. No fancy dishes or decorating, just good food, my sister and her family, and maybe a few friends. We'll hang out, watch movies, play some games, and eat good food.

I realized I've posted quite a few Thanksgiving recipes over the last year. Like roast turkey, basic homemade bread, pumpkin custard (which is the pie without a crust), ginger honey cookies, and green tomato mincemeat cookies.

What's left? Most people have their own sides they love and their traditional ways of cooking them. So, here are three more that I love.

Cranberry Sauce

1 lb fresh cranberries
1/2 c. orange juice, fresh squeezed with pulp if possible
1 T. grated orange zest, the orange part of the peel.
1/3 - 1/2 c. sugar, to taste
1 stick cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg

Put everything in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop, about 10 - 15 minutes. Cool for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. It thickens on its own. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.

Roast Yams (You can prep these several days ahead of time. Add the topping just before baking the final dish.)

2 - 3 large whole yams
1/4 c. orange juice
2 T. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Jab yams several times with a fork. Place on a foil covered baking sheet. Roast at 350° for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until liquid bubbles from the holes and yams are very soft. Let cool for 2 - 3 hours. Remove peel and chop yams into chunks.

Place yams in a greased 2 quart casserole. Pour orange juice over the top. Mix butter, brown sugar, and pecans. Sprinkle over the top of the yams. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes, until yams are hot and topping is bubbly. Serve hot.

Any extra plain baked yams can be packaged in freezer bags and frozen for up to 6 months. Or you can use the baked plain yams in place of the pumpkin in the pumpkin custard recipe.

My Favorite Stuffing

2 T. butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
1 c. celery, sliced thin
1 lb bag garlic croutons
1 lb bag onion croutons
1 carrot, grated
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1 t. dried sage
1 t. dried whole oregano
2 - 3 c. turkey drippings (see Turkey recipe) or chicken stock

Saute onion and celery in butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Put everything except drippings in a large bowl. Toss together. Add drippings, just until croutons are moistened. Scoop mixture into a large, greased casserole. Bake at 350° for 35 - 45 minutes, until hot through and lightly browned on top. OR put the mixture into a 3 - 4 quart crockpot. Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours.

Have a fun holiday!