ST. LOUIS — Sure, a lot of us love our Thanksgiving staples, but who isn't in the mood to learn a new dish or two? We took a chance to learn some of your favorite side dishes to see how easy they are to make, how much they cost, and of course, how they taste. We're just a handful of people weighing in on a recipe that may taste a little different depending on who made it. We're just having fun sharing each others' recipes.
Eve's cornbread
This is a dish that's hard to pass up if you like cornbread. Eve promises that not only did her guests go back for seconds and thirds, but they also asked to take some home.
This cornbread dish is pretty simple:
- Cornbread mix
- Frozen corn
- Honey
- Candied jalapenos
- Cheddar cheese
When I asked her more about the ingredients, she said, "just eyeball it."
Because I followed the box directions, I also added one egg and a bit of milk to the mix. In all, the dish cost less than $5 to make and less than 5 minutes to whip up. The cook time was 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, according to the cornbread mix packaging.
Our take: Anthony said he liked it but would have added more heat to it. That is on me since I did not know everyone's heat tolerance. I also said that if I was making this dish for Thanksgiving, I would have blended up the corn and other ingredients for texture -- that is totally a preference. Overall, we liked it and went back for seconds!
The recipe that's just called 'Simply Delicious'
Our take: While Anthony, Paul, and Rene were suspect of the appearance of the Jell-o concoction, they all said they really loved it. I kind of wondered if the sweetened condensed milk made the Jell-O not set hard enough, but it tasted delicious nonetheless. Since I only had orange Jell-o, that's what I used, and I thought it ended up tasting a bit like a creamsicle or something. Paul said he wasn't sure he'd put nuts in his if he made it. Overall, the "Simply Delicious" recipe was pleasantly surprising.
The infamous White Castle Stuffing
Our viewer Kurt swears his White Castle stuffing was a home run.
Our take: This one was interesting because it's simply White Castle burgers, celery, sage, thyme, and chicken broth. This was a truly surprising dish. Anthony was the most suspect before taste testing, but he actually went back for seconds off-camera. Rene said he "actually liked it" despite not being a devoted White Castle burger fan. I liked it, too, and can see how our viewer Kurt's guests thought it might be lamb. It also taught me that you could make stuffing or dressing with just about anything -- now it's got me thinking about a Sausage McMuffin dressing! Either way, this was a twist, and I'm making it for one of the Thanksgiving dinners I'm personally going to this year.
See more from TISL: ksdk.com/tisl
Leftover dishes: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
We asked you for your favorite Thanksgiving leftover meals, and by far, this request got the biggest response.
If you want to make a great pumpkin mac and cheese using pumpkin puree, you may want to try this recipe from The Pioneer Woman. This is what I wanted to make, but I got home pretty late (for me) on Thanksgiving night from a family dinner, and I didn't have time to buy anything. This meant I had to made my meal with actual leftovers and ingredients in my fridge.
What I had:
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
3 T butter
1 cup milk,
1/4 cup onions
2 T flour
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 t sage
1/2 t pumpkin spice
3-5 cloves garlic,
1 lb. penne pasta
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
8 oz. shredded cheddar
8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
Start with melting 1-2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, add a garlic clove or two, and 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs with salt and pepper. Cook this for a couple of minutes until it's golden brown. Set aside.
In the meantime, boil your noodles. In this case, I used penne pasta because that's what I had. Cook, drain, and save some pasta water.
In the same pot, melt a little more butter, and drop a shake or two of sage, pumpkin spice, and onions. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add more garlic and cook until fragrant. Whisk in the flour, whisk in the milk until smooth, whisk in the pumpkin puree, and cook for a few minutes.
Take the pot off the heat and gradually add the shredded cheese, whisking until it's melted. Fold in the noodles, add pasta water as needed. Sprinkle with toasted panko bread crumbs.
My take: I did what I could with what I had. I think making a roux with fontina cheese and all that would have elevated this dish, but I was surprisingly pleased with the outcome. I am a real mom with a real job and a real lack of bougie ingredients, so it worked for me -- would the guys think so, too?
Our take: Anthony, Paul, and Rene said they liked it! Like, really liked it! I thought Rene was pulling my leg on TV but he said he really enjoyed it. Anthony said it looked sketchy but ended up taking seconds when no one was looking. Our producer Michelle even took a video of Anthony doing a real happy dance eating the mac and cheese. Anthony's response, "Wow!". Rene's response, "Shocked! Paul's response, "Not bad!" Would I make it again? Absolutely. Very easy and extraordinary given it cost me $0 to make.
Want more top stories delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the 5 On Your Side STL Lunch Break newsletter.