Host Thanksgiving Dinner Like A Pro

Cut the eggs lengthwise in half. Remove the yolks to a medium bowl. Set 24 of the white halves on a plate. Finely chop the remaining four white halves and set aside.

Mash the yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice and pepper. Mix well until smooth. Add the chopped egg whites, bacon, cheese and chives. Mix well.

Spoon the yolk mixture evenly among each egg-white half. Refrigerate, covered, to blend flavors. Sprinkle with paprika just before serving, if desired.

To Make the Rolls:

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Place pecan pieces, onion, garlic, sage, parsley, and spices in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse until it resembles a fine crumble, then place into a medium bowl. Add sausage and gently mix with a fork until combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Place puff pastry sheets on a clean surface and roll each until they are about ⅛ -inch thick. Turn pastry on its side so that you’re facing the widest edge. Divide the sausage mixture into 6 equal portions and form logs. Place three logs on each rectangle, with enough pastry on each side to wrap them completely with the seams facing down.

Divide each log into eight equal portions and cut using a serrated knife. Place on a lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash, placing chopped or a whole pecan on top.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and the meat is cooked, tenting with foil after 15 minutes to prevent the pecans from getting too dark. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Can be made ahead and cooked from frozen by adding 10 minutes to your cooking time.

To Make the Cranberry Sauce:

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer until thickened. Serve warm.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the butter and sugar until the butter melts. Add the buttermilk and blend well. In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend flour, salt, buttermilk mixture and yeast with a large rubber spatula until moistened. Using the dough hook, beat the dough at lowest speed until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Increase speed to medium and beat until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

Divide dough evenly among 18 greased muffin cups. Cover loosely with oiled or sprayed plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until tops are puffed and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

THAW TURKEY if frozen. To properly thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator, allow approximately 24 hours for every 4 pounds. Fill Butterball® Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer with oil to the MAX line; heat to 375°F. Remove giblets and neck. If present, remove and discard plastic leg holder and popup timer. Rinse turkey thoroughly with warm water or completely cover with warm water and soak for no more that 30 minutes to ensure cavities are free of ice.

PAT TURKEY completely dry on the outside and inside of cavity with paper towels. Using an injector syringe, inject ½ cup (4 ounces) Butterball® Buttery Creole Marinade in each breast. Inject ¼ cup (2 ounces) marinade into each leg and thigh. Sprinkle turkey generously with Butterball® Cajun Turkey Seasoning, completely coating the outside of the turkey and inside of the cavity. 

PLACE TURKEY breast side up in fryer basket. Slowly lower the basket into hot oil, being careful not to splatter hot oil. Fry turkey for 3 ½ to 4 minutes per pound. Lift the basket from the hot oil slowly, hooking the basket’s drain clip into drain clip mounting hole to stabilize as you check doneness. Insert a meat thermometer in the meaty part of the breast; turkey is done when it reads 165°F. If the turkey is not done, lower it carefully back into the oil for an additional 5 minutes. Once the turkey reaches the desired.

Use a cornbread mix or your favorite recipe to make a batch of cornbread. This can be done a day or two before making the dressing.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 7×11-inch baking dish. Place crumbled cornbread in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and sauté until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add sautéed onion and celery to the crumbled cornbread. Stir in chicken stock, eggs, sage, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour dressing into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until dressing just starts to turn golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the broccoli, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil. Set aside.

Preheat your fire using the instructions for the Skillet method, bringing it to a medium-high temperature, about 375°F.

Place the butter in a cast-iron skillet and place the skillet over the coals for 2 minutes before cooking.

Add the broccoli to the skillet. Cook for about 8 minutes until the broccoli is soft, bright green, and slightly charred. When done, pull the broccoli off the heat.

Top the broccoli with the cheese. Carefully cover the skillet with aluminum foil, and top the foil with enough hot coals from the fire to cover the foil (about three-fourths of the skillet should be covered).

Cook the broccoli for 2 minutes, adding more coals, as needed, to “broil” all parts of the skillet. Remove the foil and let cool for 2 minutes.

The dish will be cheesy, bubbly, and nicely caramelized. Top with bread crumbs before serving.

Place potatoes into a 5-quart stockpot and cover with 3 quarts of cold water. Add kosher salt and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain well. Let potatoes cool just until they’re safe to handle.

Transfer potatoes onto a sheet pan and continue cooling to room temperature. Make 4 or 5 shallow cuts down the sides of each potato, about every inch or so, to ensure the skin splits evenly when smashed. Refrigerate until completely chilled and ready to smash; 8 hours to overnight is best.

Combine butter, sliced garlic, rosemary, and thyme in a small pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter melts and begins to bubble, and garlic softens and starts to turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 metal baking sheets with silicone baking mats (such as Silpat®) and generously brush on some of the infused melted butter.

Remove potatoes from the fridge and gently smash each between two pieces of plastic using a flat, heavy object until 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Season generously with salt, pepper, and cayenne on both sides. Be careful not to break potatoes up into small pieces. Transfer onto a sheet pan, being careful not to overlap potatoes. Generously drizzle and brush most of the melted butter on top.

Bake potatoes in the preheated oven until well browned and crunchy around the edges, 35 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, reheat the remaining garlic and herb butter over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until garlic starts to turn a very light golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Transfer potatoes onto a serving platter and scatter over the golden brown slices of garlic. Crumble the toasted herbs on top if desired. Serve with sour cream and chives if desired.

For the brownies, line a greased 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing excess paper to hang over the sides. Grease the paper. Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions adding egg(s) and substituting milk for water and melted butter for oil. Stir in cinnamon and chili powder. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake according to package directions. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the spiced pecans, reduce oven to 300°F. Line a 15 x 10-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Grease foil. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add the cinnamon and chili powder. Remove from the heat and stir in pecans and sugar. Spread the pecans onto the prepared pan and bake for 15–20 minutes or until nuts are toasted, stirring once. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting, cream the butter, mascarpone, and 2 cups confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add remaining confectioners’ sugar, beating each addition until combined. Beat in milk and vanilla. Frost brownies. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the ganache, place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes. Stir until chocolate mixture is smooth. Stir in chili powder, and cool slightly. Spread the ganache over the frosting. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until set.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream together the peanut butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl, and then beat in the egg.

Shape the dough into 24 balls and divide them between two ungreased cookie sheets. Put a little sugar in a saucer or flat dish and dip a fork into it. Make a crisscross mark on top of each, to flatten the cookie.

Bake for eight minutes, until just golden and set. Don’t over bake! As soon as the cookies smell as if they’re done, they probably are.