Dining in DeLand: Easy Recipes to Bring Home for Thanksgiving

For this special edition of Dining in DeLand, the News & Local section of The Reporter is bringing to you a list of easy recipes to bring home to your family over Thanksgiving break. For the most part, these recipes will be an easy addition to your family’s meal that everyone will enjoy. These recipes are very special to our staff, so we hope that you enjoy them and have a magical start to the holiday season.

My Mom’s Baked Corn

Recipe from Nicole Rosen

When it comes to cooking and baking, my family doesn’t do much. We mainly go to restaurants or order food in. However, my mom does make a few really good recipes, and this is one of them! This is a simple but delicious and sweet baked corn recipe that is sure to be a hit at any family dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 1 can golden crushed corn
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar 
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup or 1/2 stick butter
• Salt & pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt)

Steps: 

• Preheat oven to 300°F
• Mix all ingredients in a buttered casserole dish (or spray with cooking spray). 
• Bake at 300°F for 1 hour or until set. The texture should be like a custard.

Grandma Barbara’s Stuffing

Recipe from Ashton Craig

This is the only dish that my family never has leftovers for. My favorite thing to do with this stuffing is to drizzle gravy all over it for that extra touch of flavor. Ask whoever is preparing the turkey if you can stuff the turkey with it, or you can prepare it in a casserole dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of white bread
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 finely chopped celery stalks
• 1 diced sweet onion
• ½ tablespoon of sage 
• 1 cup of broth (turkey or vegetable broth)
  • Use this only if you aren’t stuffing the turkey

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, if you are not preparing it stuffed into the turkey.
2. Pull apart the loaf of bread into pieces about the size of a quarter and place in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large pan at a medium heat.
4. Saute celery and onion for five to 10 minutes. Add the sage to the mixture as well. It will be ready when it is fragrant.
5. Drizzle butter and sauteed vegetables onto the bread.
6. Mix ingredients together in the mixing bowl. If baking separately, a good time to add the broth is after the ingredients are already mixed together.
7. Place into either the turkey or into a casserole dish. If in the casserole dish, bake for 25 minutes.

Apple Pie Bites 

Recipe from Naomi Johnson

I am a baker at heart. My mom introduced me to baking very early: picture a tiny toddler sitting on the counter covered in flour. Now that I’m away at Stetson without access to a full and fully stocked kitchen, I’ve had to find some easy recipes to satisfy my baking addiction, and my roommate’s appetite. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 Granny Smith apple, small
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice 
  • ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of allspice 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed light
• 1/3 cup pecans (optional) 
• 1 (8-ounce) can Pillsbury crescent rolls, Original
• 3 tablespoon of butter
• 1 container of vanilla ice cream 
• Caramel syrup 

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of brown sugar and one teaspoon of apple pie spice. Set aside.
4. Melt three tablespoons of butter and toss apple slices in butter. Set aside.
5. Arrange crescent roll triangles on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Evenly distribute brown sugar mixture onto each triangle. Sprinkle each triangle evenly with chopped pecans if you wish to do so.
6. Place an apple slice on the wide end of each triangle. Wrap crescent roll dough around each apple.
7. Brush each crescent roll with remaining butter. Sprinkle lightly with additional apple pie spice
8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for five minutes before serving
9. Serve alone or with one scoop of vanilla ice cream of choice, caramel syrup, and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. 

The Skavlem Family’s Side Dishes

Recipes from Vivianne Skavlem

I have been going over to my grandparents’ house to help prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a decade. The memories I have made are something I hold in a special place in my heart, and I look forward to passing on the tradition to my children and grandchildren. These recipes are an acquired taste, but to me, it tastes like home.

Scalloped Oysters (Oyster Dressing)

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 2 cups coarse rolled saltine crackers
• 1 pint oysters
• Salt, pepper, & nutmeg to taste
• ½ cup heavy cream

Steps:

1. Preheat an oven to 425°F.
2. Butter a deep baking dish and cover bottom with a layer of cracker crumbs.
3. Cover with an even layer of oysters, seasonings, and ⅓ of heavy cream.
4. Cover with crushed saltines, and then pads of butter.
5. Repeat this layering two more times, leaving enough crackers to generously coat the top.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.

Skyline Chili Dip

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 can of Skyline Chili
• 1-1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Spread cream cheese evenly in a circular 8 or 9-inch pan. Tip: Leave the cream cheese out for a few minutes to soften it to make spreading easier.
3. Top with Skyline Chili.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with a heavy layer of shredded cheese.
5. Let it stand for five minutes.
6. Best served with Fritos Scoops.

Antisocial Deviled Eggs

Recipe from Lauren Barney

When I was little, my parents used to throw huge Friendsgiving parties in our apartment. So many people would come over and fill our tiny space that it soon became overwhelming for a tiny toddler like me. I soon found the place that I found most comfortable was under our dining room table, hidden by the white table cloth draping over the side. By only looking at the shoes passing by, I would take any free opportunity to peak my head out and grab a deviled egg from above. The dish has soon became a favorite of both my mom and I and I look forward to making them with her every year. 

Ingredients: 

• 12 Large Eggs
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard

You’ll need:

• 1 Ziploc Bag 

Steps:

1. Hard boil approximately six eggs in a large pot.
2. Carefully deshell the eggs on a clean paper towel and set aside.
3. Cut each egg in half.
4. Carefully remove egg yolk and place in bowl.
5. Mash the egg yolks into slightly smaller pieces.
6. Incorporate both mayonnaise and mustard to the mixture continually mixing.
7. Adjust to taste.
8. Place the mixture in a Ziploc bag and cut the tip to create a makeshift piping bag.
9. Fill egg halves with mixture.
10. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve for best results.