Category Archives: Thanksgiving

Green Rice

Posted in Easter, Gina Marie Original, Rice, Sides, Thanksgiving by

Green Rice has been apart of our families Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners since before I was born. It’s not the prettiest photo subject, but the way it tastes makes it a star. The name might fool you, Green Rice is basically a broccoli and cheese casserole. I remember as a kid, always fighting with my brother over who gets the biggest scoop of the Green Rice. I would rather have had a plate of Green Rice than turkey or stuffing. It’s that good!

If you are looking for side dishes for your Thanksgiving dinner that can be made ahead of time, this is the perfect one. You will make the recipe up until you have to bake it. Once you have put it in the casserole dish, cover it with foil then refrigerate till ready to bake. Anything to make your Thanksgiving day a little less stressful is a good thing.

Green Rice:

  • 1 medium onion, diced small
  • 2 stalks celery, diced small
  • 13 tbs unsalted butter plus 1tbs to butter casserole dish
  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 15oz jar of Cheez Whiz
  • 2 1/3 cup Minute Rice (I use the brown kind)
  • 2 10 oz packages of chopped broccoli, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9×13 casserole dish and set aside.
  2. In a 10 inch saute pan set over medium heat, melt butter and add the onions and celery. Cook until onions and celery are soft, about 8 minutes, take off heat.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup and Cheez Whiz. Add the butter, onions and celery, stir to combine.
  4. Add the rice and broccoli and stir till everything is combined. Pour mixture into the buttered casserole dish. At this point you can refrigerate it or bake it for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly on top. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Mousse

Posted in Dessert, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving by

I got this recipe from our friend Connie’s cookbook when we were visiting them last year in Wilmington, NC. I had forgotten about it and then as I was organizing my recipes and stumbled upon it. When I re-read the recipe I knew my 14 year old daughter could make this easily. She had a good time making it too. I was very proud to see that she has remembered techniques I’ve taught her, like folding in the cool whip. When she was done making it we tasted it and was thrilled at how good it was. What I love about it is the lack of sugar.

I’m always trying to find low sugar or no sugar desserts for my husband. You can serve the mousse several different ways. You could make it as a parfait with broken pieces of ginger snaps, dip graham crackers in the mouse, or just eat it by itself. No matter how you enjoy it, pumpkin mousse will be perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert table.

Pumpkin Mousse:

  • 1 15 oz can pumpkin
  • 2 cups skim milk ( I used 1%)
  • 1 8oz container lite cool whip
  • 2 boxes sugar free vanilla instant pudding
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  1. In a large bowl, whisk pudding and milk together. Once combined, add the canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, stir to combine.
  2. Lightly fold in the cool whip, being careful not to mix too much. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve.

Italian Style Stuffing with Sausage and Fennel

Posted in Bread, Sides, Thanksgiving by

Don’t ya love the photo? It’s taken with my Droid. Thankfully the Droid pics won’t last long, I will be borrowing a camera from my in-laws. I do apologize for the photos that will be posted this week. Now onto the food…

Welcome to Thanksgiving week! If you are looking for a new stuffing for your Thanksgiving dinner, look no further. I found this recipe last year and fell in love with it. When I was a kid I was not a stuffing fan. At the dinner table I would put some on my plate, just to be nice, but would eat around it. Then one day I tasted stuffing with sausage and that opened up my eyes. I decided to search for the best stuffing I could find. This Italian style stuffing comes pretty darn close! How can you go wrong with fresh Italian bread, sausage and fennel? If you have never tried fennel, it has a liquorice smell and flavor. It also goes great with fish. The fennel is my favorite ingredient in the stuffing.

The original recipe doesn’t mention baking the stuffing, but using it as a turkey stuffer. Personally, I don’t like stuffing the bird with stuffing. Turkey should be stuffed with herbs, onions, lemons, garlic, salt and pepper. That helps give the turkey more flavor. What I like to do is after the stuffing is all mixed up, place it into a baking dish and bake it for about 45 minutes. Comes out perfect! I did omit the red pepper due to my husband not being able to eat it. It wasn’t missed, but I’m sure it would taste just fine with it in.

Italian Style Stuffing with Sausage and Fennel:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound sweet ltalian sausage, their casings removed
  • 2 small heads fennel, cut into ½-inch dice (3 cups)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
  • 10 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 pound day-old, crusty Italian or French bread with a firm crumb, cut into 1-inch cubes (8 cups)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1½ cups Turkey Stock, as needed
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a spoon, until the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.
  3. Add the fennel and onion to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage.
  4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat. Add the bell pepper and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom juices evaporate and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage and vegetables.
  5. Add the bread cubes, Parmesan, and rosemary. Stir in enough stock to moisten the cornbread, about 1½ cups. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Place in baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown.

Source: Cookstr from Rick Rodgers