Holiday Recipes from the Get Online NOLA Family
Fall in New Orleans is such a beautiful time of year, and we have so much to be thankful for. Previously, Wendy shared her Leftover Turkey Gumbo recipe to rave reviews, so this year the rest of the team wanted to share their favorite contributions to the Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy the recipes and share with your family and friends during this holiday season. Did you make one of the recipes? We’d love to see it! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram and #spreadthelove.
Pecan Pie
Wendy Dolan, Founder and President
I spend a lot of time cooking and sourcing healthy food for my family, and usually, corn syrup is one of my big no-no’s. However, pecan pie just isn’t the same without it (believe me, I’ve tried.) My Gramma Gloria was one of my favorite people of ALL TIME. Before she passed away, she complied a little book for all my cousins containing some of her favorite things, and favorite recipes, including her Pecan Pie Recipe. It is a must at our Thanksgiving table, so I wanted to share it with y’all. It’s super easy and super duper delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/2 C light Caro syrup
- 1/4 C dark Caro syrup
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 C melted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1tbs flour
- 1 lb halved pecans
- 1 pie crust (store-bought is fine, or make your own pastry if you’re feeling fancy)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Put all the ingredients except the pecans into a blender and turn on and off a few times until the mixture is frothy and almost doubles in volume.
- Line the bottom of the unbaked pie crust with pecan halves, then pour the wet mixture in. The pecans will float to the top.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning the temperature down to 350° after 30 minutes. If the crust starts to become too brown, cover with foil.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 45 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.
Spoon Bread Casserole
Allison Schmidt, Marketing Manager
My Thanksgiving staple dish is pure comfort food! While I love cooking most things from scratch this recipe is adapted from one found on the back of a Jiffy mix box. Pro tip: this dish is always best on day two, so you can make it ahead of time and reheat in the oven for a few minutes while carving the turkey!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced very thin
- 1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 1 stick of room temperature butter
- 1 can whole kernel corn, drained,
- 1 can creamed corn
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- While oven preheats, caramelize the onion with the oil over medium heat. We like to use a large cast iron skillet for this, so it can be used as the casserole dish as well.
- Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl until well incorporated.
- Arrange the onion in an even layer on the bottom of the skillet, cover with the cornbread mixture.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and firm. Serve warm.
Pork & Chestnut Stuffing
Jeremy Dolan, Programmer
Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday we celebrate back in England, but I’m always up for a good excuse to eat good food with great people. In fact, Wendy’s Thanksgiving Pecan Pie (see above) is one of the main reasons I married her (only kinda joking.) Holiday meals at my house always include my Mum’s Pork & Chestnut Stuffing. As a kid, I remember always fighting with my brother over the crispy bits. Try it, and you’ll see why…
Ingredients
- 1 lb of ground pork
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 15 oz. Breadcrumbs
- 2 Tsp each of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme (see what we did there?)
- 1 Tin of Chestnut purée (approx. 15.5 oz.) *If purée is hard to find, substitute with finely chopped chestnuts
- 1 C. Chopped chestnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Sautee onions in the oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the ground pork and saute until thoroughly cooked.
- Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.
- Transfer to an oven safe baking dish and cover with foil. Remove the foil after 25 minutes, then continue baking for another 5-10 minutes or until the top is slightly crispy.
Pumpkin Bread
Lindsey Bock, Graphic Designer
For as long as I can remember my mom made pumpkin bread every fall. She usually made two or three batches of it and we’d eat it for every meal until we got sick of it. Now, I love to have it when the weather starts to get cool. Paired with an iced chai latte, it just tastes like fall! The recipe we use for the pumpkin bread is from the River Road Recipes II – A Second Helping cookbook.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups canned pumpkin
- 3 ⅓ cups flour, unsifted
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 to 3 teaspoons salt
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spices
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup chopped dates
- ½ cup pecans
- One 8-ounce pack cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Dash of salt
Instructions
Combine sugar and oil in large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together. Set aside. Add dry ingredients alternately with water. Add pumpkin. Add dates and pecans at this time. Pour into 3 well greased and floured 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven for 1 hour or until they are done. Remove from pans when warm.
For frosting, cream butter with cream cheese. Add vanilla. Add sifted sugar and salt. Frost cooled bread.
Glühwein (German Mulled Wine)
Serah Ridolfo, Executive Vice President
I’m a huge fan of wine & keeping warm. Mulled wine accomplishes both for me. This recipe is inspired by the mulled wine stands at the Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas market) in the small towns of Germany, especially in Darmstadt, where my Oma is from.
Ingredients
- 2 Lemons, zest reserved & juiced
- 2 Oranges, zest reserved & juiced
- 10 Whole cloves
- 5 Cardamom cloves
- 1-1/4 C. Granulated sugar
- 1-1/4 C. Water
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 2 Bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon (or your favorite dry red wine)
- 1/2 C. Brandy
- Cheesecloth & butcher’s twine
Instructions
- Place the cloves and cardamom in the cheesecloth and tie tightly with butcher’s twine.
- Add the lemon zest & juice, orange zest & juice, spice bundle, cinnamon sticks, water, and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 20 minutes or until reduced by one-third.
- Stir in the red wine and brandy and bring to a simmer. Don’t let it boil or the alcohol will evaporate (you don’t want that to happen). Discard the spice bundle before serving.
- Serve hot.
Collard Greens
Kristal Terrell, Marketing Assistant
For Thanksgiving, my mom and I always visit my great aunts who live in this small village with a population of less than 600. Though we don’t have cell phone service up there, we do have great food and lots of it! My favorite side dish every Thanksgiving is my great aunt’s southern-style collard greens. Though they take hours to make, they are well worth it!
Ingredients
2 small white onions, finely diced
2 smoked ham hocks or 1 smoked turkey leg
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups of chicken broth
32 oz of collard greens, washed and cut
1 teaspoon of salt & pepper (or to taste)
2 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
Combine the onions, ham hocks, and garlic in a stockpot. Then add your chicken broth. Cook the mixture over medium heat until meat is falling off the bone. Usually takes about 2 hours. If you’re substituting turkey necks for ham hocks, it will take only 45 minutes instead. Stir the collard greens, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper into the broth mixture. Cook until the greens have reached your desired tenderness (I personally like them soft rather than crunchy). This usually takes about 2 hours, also. Once finished, serve. Add a little Tony Chachere’s seasoning for extra flavor!