Adair's Favorite Recipes During Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving approaches, the team at Adair Homes is getting ready to enjoy some quality time with family and friends. Of course, for our food-loving group, the holiday also includes the chance to whip up some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Our team members have been making some of these dishes for years, and they’ve proven to be crowd pleasers at potlucks, parties, and family dinners alike. As you get ready to celebrate our tastiest holiday, we hope you’ll try one or two of our favorite recipes. We’re betting they’ll become your favorites, too!

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Adair Homes!

Vegetable Pot Pie Skillet Topped with a Cheddar Biscuit Topping

A quick and convenient take on a warm, comforting holiday classic, adopted from the blog Budget Bytes.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 55 minutes

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried sage
• Freshly cracked pepper
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 lb frozen mixed vegetables

CHEDDAR BISCUIT TOPPING

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 6 Tbsp cold butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 2 Tbsp chopped chives (optional)
• 1 cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 3 Tbsp butter in a deep, oven-safe skillet. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until soft and transparent. Add 3 Tbsp flour and continue to sauté for about two minutes.
2. Whisk in 1 cup milk until no lumps remain. Add the salt, thyme, sage, and some freshly cracked pepper. Allow the milk to come up to a simmer, whisking often, until it thickens.
3. Whisk in the vegetable broth and allow it to come up to a simmer again. You should now have a thick, creamy sauce. Add the frozen vegetables (no need to thaw) and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and allow the mixture to heat through, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the biscuit topping.
4. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Cut the butter into several chunks, add it to the flour mixture, then use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles damp sand. Stir in the cheddar and chives.
5. Add 1 cup milk to the biscuit mixture and stir until a dough forms. If the dough seems too wet or sticky to work with your hands, simply dust a little more flour on top.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it down into a 3/4-inch thick circle, then cut into 6 biscuits. (Gather up the scraps and reshape to cut more biscuits if needed.) Place the biscuits over the vegetable pot pie mixture in the skillet.
7. Bake the skillet for 18-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown on top and the filling is bubbly around the edges. Serve hot.

Cottage Cheese Jello Salad

This simple but delicious take on a classic jello salad will be loved by kids and adults alike.

INGREDIENTS

1 large container of Cool Whip

1 pint of regular curd cottage cheese

1 package of red jello mix (dry)

1 can of mandarin oranges, drained

1 can of pineapple bits, drained

DIRECTIONS

1. Blend the dry jello mix into the cottage cheese.
2. Add fruit and stir well.
3. Fold in the Cool Whip.
4. Chill and serve.

Glazed Pfeffernüsse

Our version of the classic German cookie is nice to have on hand throughout the holiday season. They stay fresh—and become more intense in flavor—when stored in an airtight container for weeks.

Prep time: 1.25 hours + chilling time

Bake time: 10 minutes per batch

Makes 60 servings

INGREDIENTS

Dough

• 1-1/4 cups butter, softened
• 1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp anise extract
• 6 cups cake flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 cups finely chopped nuts
  
  

GLAZE

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Additional confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in the molasses, water, and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
   2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375ºF for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
   3. For glaze, in a shallow bowl, combine the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla. Place additional confectioners sugar in another shallow bowl. Dip tops of warm cookies in glaze, then dip in confectioners sugar. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
   
   

Macadamia Nut Pie

This recipe is a delicious take on the traditional pecan pie. The combination of the macadamia nuts and maple syrup is absolutely wonderful!

INGREDIENTS

• Pastry dough
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup maple syrup or maple flavored pancake syrup
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups macadamia nut halves (1/2 pound)
• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (for serving; optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with a baking sheet on middle rack.
   2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and lightly press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Lightly prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes (or freeze 10 minutes).
   3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in maple syrup, vanilla,  and salt. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk in corn syrup mixture.
   4. Put macadamia nuts in pie shell and pour corn syrup mixture evenly over them. Wrap edges of pie crust in foil. Bake on hot baking sheet until filling is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely.

Pumpkin Pie Waffles

A Thanksgiving-style take on waffles creates the ideal breakfast recipe for a long holiday weekend. Adopted from the Williams Sonoma recipe site.

Makes about six 4 1/2-inch square Belgian waffles.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (you can use canned puree)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1-1/4 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp double-acting baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp dark rum
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Vanilla ice cream and/or maple syrup for serving

 DIRECTIONS

• Preheat a waffle iron. If you want to hold the finished waffles until serving time, preheat an oven to 200°F.
• Melt the butter; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Using a rubber spatula or handheld electric mixer, mix together well. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. The mixture will be thick and a little lumpy. Don't try to smooth it out; just mix until the ingredients are incorporated.
• In another bowl, beat together the milk, sour cream, eggs, rum, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the melted butter.
• Regardless of whether your iron grids are well-seasoned or made of a non-stick material, it is best to lightly butter or spray the grids for these waffles because the batter is quite sticky. Brush or spray the grids again only if subsequent waffles stick.
• For a Belgian waffle iron, spoon out 2/3 to 3/4 cup of batter (or the amount recommended by the manufacturer’s instructions) onto the hot iron. Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to spread the batter evenly over the grids. Close the lid and bake until golden. If the waffle is hard to remove from the iron, peel it off gently and carefully. Serve immediately or keep the waffles in a single layer on a rack in the preheated oven while you make the rest.
• Serve these warm and golden, one per diner, topped with vanilla ice cream and/or maple syrup. They are great with a cup of hot or cold cider.

Classic Waldorf Salad

This one is a tradition for a reason! At Thanksgiving, it pairs perfectly with heavy turkey and starchy sides.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 sweet apples, such as Gala, AND 4 Granny Smith apples, cut from the core and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 celery stalks, chopped thin
• ½ cup walnut pieces
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, stir together apples and lemon juice.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise and sugar.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the apples and lemon juice. Then, add the mayonnaise and blend well.
4. Chill and serve.