Recipe Time! Thanksgiving Recipes

We'll admit it, we know picnics...not cooking. Therefore, we have scoured the internet for the most enticing Thanksgiving Recipes that we would like to share with you. Hopefully these tasty recipes will offer you a slight change from the monotony of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

We have put together a full course Thanksgiving dinner menu for your reading (and tasting) pleasure. Please let us know what you think!

Appetizer: Holiday Cheese Ball!
What's a holiday get together without an appearance by Cheese Balls?! We found this simple and delicious recipe on Finger-Food-Recipes.com. Remember, if some of the ingredients don't jive with you or your guests' tastes, then feel free to substitute any way you'd like!

Ingredients:
* 8 ounces cream cheese
* 4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese
* 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
* 2 tablespoons grated onion
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
* 1 (2.25 ounce) can green olives
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:
1. In a food processor, mix the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, blue cheese, onion, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Process until well blended.
2. Add olives, and pulse into small chunks.
3. Refrigerate for one hour to make stiff enough to roll into a ball.
4. Shape the mixture into a ball, and roll in the chopped pecans to coat.
5. Wrap in plastic, and chill at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
6. Serve!

Salad: Fig Salad with Grapefruit Vinagrette and Paprika Almonds
We took this gem from our good friend Amy over at www.deliciousbynature.com. She always has exciting new recipes, and this one doesn't disappoint. Your guests will be talking about this salad for Thanksgivings to come! This recipe serves 4, but you can augment as needed.

Ingredients:
* 4 cups mixed salad greens
* 10 dried figs, tough stems removed
* 3 ounces goat cheese
* 1 Tbsp paprika
* 1/2 Tbsp butter
* 1/2 cup almonds
* Pinch coarse grind celtic sea salt
* 3 Tbsp champagne grapefruit vinegar
* 1/2 Tbsp shallots, coarsly chopped
* 1 tsp mustard
* 6 Tbsp olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Remove stems from figs and cut in half if larger than bite sized.
2. Crumble goat cheese into large chunks.
3. Toss together in a large bowl with the salad greens.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Melt butter, then stir in paprika.
5. Stir in almonds and continue tossing to coat with butter and paprika until lightly browned.
6. Add large flake sea salt and stir to coat. Let cool slightly then add to salad.
7. Combine vinegar, shallots and mustard in a blender. Slowly add in oil until emulsified.
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
9. Pour over salad and toss to coat.
10. Enjoy!

Side Dish: Corn Casserole
Tired of plain old mashed potatoes every Thanksgiving? Thanks to Paula Deen, you can liven up your plate with this recipe for corn casserole.

Ingredients:
* 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
* 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
* 1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
* 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter.
3. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar.
6. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
7. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.
8. Yum!


Main Dish: Fried Turkey
We don't know if you've heard of this one before, but we insist that you try it. It's amazing! Make sure you have your trusty Masterbuilt Butterball Turkey Fryer so you can fry your turkey safely and easily. It comes with instructions, so it's a breeze! This recipe is from ABC 7 News in Chicago.

Ingredients:
* 1- 12-13 lb turkey COMPLETELY THAWED
* 1- 16 oz jar of Cajun Injector Creole Butter recipe (1 per turkey)
* 1 - 8 oz can of Cajun Injector Cajun Shake
* 3.5 gallons of Cajun Injector Cottonseed oil, Peanut Oil or high-grade Vegetable Oil

Preparation:
Inject the turkey with one 16-oz jar of CAJUN INJECTOR® CREOLE BUTTER RECIPE, mostly in the breast area. Inject 1.5 ounces per pound. Sprinkle CAJUN INJECTOR® CAJUN SHAKE spices liberally over surface of turkey and inside turkey cavity.

Lower the COMPLETELY-THAWED, injected turkey down easily into the hot oil. (Make sure it is thawed. Ice in hot oil could explode.)

Follow the specific instructions that come with your Turkey Fryer.

Sprinkle with more Cajun Shake for a spicier crust or sprinkle with "Simon & Garfunkel:" Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme for an herbal crust.

Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and then enjoy the most savory turkey you'll ever eat!

Dessert: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
This recipe is thanks to Pearl over at A Sweet Pearl blog. We saw these bars and knew exactly what they would taste like...heaven. What a perfect way to finish off your thanksgiving meal.

Ingredients:
For the bar crust:
* 1 cup flour
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 4 Tablespoons Butter
* Some finely chopped nuts, if desired.

Preparation:
1. Preheat to 350.
2. Combine flour and brown sugar.
3. Cut in the balance until mixture is crumbly. If preferred, may stir in nuts.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

For the pumpkin cheesecake filling:

Ingredients:
* 3 containers of Cream Cheese (plain)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
* 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
* 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Note: May use pumpkin pie spice instead of ingredients 6, 7, and 8.

Preparation:
1. Lower oven temp to 325 degrees.
2. Blend cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, egg replacement until smooth. Remove 1 cup of mixture and spread onto cooled bar crust.
3. Combine the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg (or pumpkin spice) in with the remaining cream cheese mixture, and mix until well combined. Spread mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture on the bar crusts.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until center is almost set (shake pan slightly to test). Let cool, then refrigerate overnight.

Good luck with your Thanksgiving Dinner preparation! Let us know what you think!