The Menu - start times listed are for a late afternoon dinner

• turkey
• stuffing
• green bean casserole
• cranberry sauce
• salad - just get someone to bring this.
• chocolate trifle
• pie - get somebody to bring these

Turkey - in oven about noon

Rub plenty of butter all over turkey skin and put some under skin.  Put turkey in a big roasting bag, seal and stick with a meat thermometer. When turkey gets to 190 degrees, cut away bag and baste. Put back in oven to brown about 15 minutes.

Stuffing - in oven about 1:45

When turkey is in for its last 15 minutes of browning, take foil off stuffing to brown also. This recipe is from a mid 80's issue of Good Housekeeping

• 2 cans of Marie Callendar's cornbread mix
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean pork sausage
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 stalks celery - diced
• 3 large carrots - diced
• 1 large onion - diced
• 12 slices white bread
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 cups water

The recipe says to preheat oven to 400, but just use whatever temperature the turkey is in at. Grease a 13 x 9 pan.

Prepare the 2 cans of cornbread as the package directs, but only bake for 25 minutes; cool.

Brown sausage in a large pan, remove, cook celery, carrots and onion in drippings until soft.

In a huge pot, crumble the cornbread, add the sausage, vegetables, and the rest of the ingredients.  Mush together well with your hands.  Press it back into the 13 x 9 baking dish, you may need to use another little baking dish as well.

The recipe says bake an hour, I usually bake it longer. Remember to take the foil off to brown it for the last few minutes.

Green Bean Casserole - in oven about 2:00

This is the world-famous green bean casserole from the Durkee's fried onion can.  Use double the fried onions though, because people will be stealing them out of the can while you're cooking.

Cranberry Sauce

This is also from that same mid-80's issue of Good Housekeeping, with a few changes.

• 2 - 16 oz. cans whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 - 16 oz. cans pear halves
• 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup seedless raisin

Mix it all together, put it in the fridge.  I usually mix all the ingredients except the nuts, then take some out and mix the nuts with the rest in case a guest is allergic to nuts.

Chocolate Trifle

This is the world-famous Pam Trifle.  Whatever she says, just double the rum.

Make the cake according to box instruction, decreasing the amount of oil and
water used. We want a slightly dry cake. Let cake cool.

Make the pudding according to package instructions.

Take about half of the Raspberry jam mix it with between 1/4 to 1/2 cup Rum,
depending on your mood and the intended audience.

Cut cake into cubes. In large bowl, put a layer of cake, a layer of
rum/jam. A layer of pudding. Repeat. Cover top with Cool Whip and almonds
to garnish. Chill.