Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalm 95:2 (NKJV)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! The big day is tomorrow! I pray that God blesses you with family and friends and a feast! Here are a few more of our family’s favorite recipes for the holidays. Scroll all the way down for extra Thanksgiving links.

Party Beans

Ingredients:
(All bean cans are about 15-16 ounces)
1 can kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can butter beans
1 can black beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1- 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown coconut or monk sugar
2 bay leaves
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper

This is a great crock-pot recipe. First open your five cans of beans, empty them into a colander and rinse. Pour all the beans into your crock-pot. Next, chop your onion and peppers and add them to the beans. In a glass measuring cup, combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, bay leaves, cider vinegar, ground mustard and pepper. Pour the ketchup mixture over the beans and veggies in the crock-pot. Give it a quick stir. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 hours, or high heat for 3-4 hours. Remove bay leaves. Serve with cheese or chips for a great meal or side dish. Any combination of 5 cans of beans will work, whatever you have on hand. Sometimes I’ll use a can of corn. The more colors, the more festive for your holiday gathering!

Rice Con Queso

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups brown rice, cooked with 3 cups water, salt and pepper
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red onion, chopped
1 small can green chilies, chopped
1-1/2 cups shredded Jack cheese or Daiya cheese
8 ounces Ricotta cheese or almond milk Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Daiya cheese

Put rice, water, salt and pepper in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for 50 minutes. Or, you can cook the rice ahead in your rice cooker. Saute garlic, onions, and chilies, in a bit of olive oil. Add the sauteed veggies, along with the black beans, to the cooked rice. Lightly oil a 2 quart casserole dish with olive oil. Layer the rice mixture, Jack or Daiya cheese, and Ricotta or almond milk Ricotta in dish. Repeat layers 2 times, ending with rice mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheddar or more Daiya cheese. We make one with dairy and a dairy-free rice con queso.

To make this a festive Thanksgiving dish, instead of serving in a casserole dish, serve it in a pumpkin! You will have to pre-bake the pumpkin. Here’s how: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Choose a small to medium pumpkin and wash thoroughly. Cut off the top and scoop out the insides. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and turn the pumpkin upside down onto the paper. Bake the pumpkin for at least an hour, until the inside seems tender. Don’t bake too long, or it will collapse (that’s what happened to mine this year, so I don’t have a final photo for you 😕 ). Remove from oven and place upright on a fresh lined pan or oiled casserole dish. Layer the rice con queso ingredients and bake as described above. It’s an amazing treat for Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potatoes

Here’s another crock-pot recipe. We make this Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving and let it cook all night. The house sure smells delicious when we get up on Thanksgiving morning. Then we scoop it into a casserole dish to serve later with dinner.

Ingredients:
6 medium sweet potatoes or yams (we like the orange yams best)
1-1/2 cups applesauce
2 apples, chopped
2/3 cup brown coconut or monk sugar
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 cups water

Place all ingredients in your crock-pot. Cover and cook on high 8 hours or overnight. Enjoy!

Need more holiday recipe ideas? Check out my complete list of holiday recipes. Or my pies and jello salads.

Need an activity for your family around the dinner table, or while waiting for dinner? Check out the Thanksgiving Chain.

Need a new grace to sing with your family? Check out these favorite camp graces.

How about some Thanksgiving Bible verses to add to place cards at your Thanksgiving table?

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours. Jesus loves you! And because of Him, we all have a reason to give thanks!

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28 (NIV)

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord. Psalm 116:17 (NKJV)

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1 (NKJV)

It’s time to collect holiday recipes! This month I’ll be sharing some family favorites with you. Occasionally my grown children will ask for these when away from home for the holidays, so now they are right where we can find them.

Today I have two favorite Jello salad recipes. The first came from my husband’s Grandma Fern. Grandma Fern was a Christian prayer warrior who prayed and fasted every Friday. I claim God’s promises that He continues to hear Grandma Fern’s prayers for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Grandma Fern’s Holiday Jello Salad

Ingredients:
1 large box red (strawberry or cherry) Jello
1 large box green (lime for Christmas) OR orange (orange for Thanksgiving) Jello
1 small box yellow lemon Jello
3 oz. cream cheese or dairy free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayo or Veganaise
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup mini-marshmallows

Give yourself a day to make this salad. You will need a 9×13 pan or container.

Heat water to a boil. Measure 1-1/2 cups boiling water into a large glass measuring cup. Stir in the red Jello until dissolved. Add another 1-1/2 cups cold water and stir again. Pour into the the 9×13 pan. Cover and put in the fridge to chill.

When the red layer is firm, boil more water. Measure 1 cup hot water into a large glass measuring cup. Add the lemon Jello and 1 cup marshmallows. Stir until marshmallows melt. Allow to cool for a bit. In another bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and mayo. Add the crushed pineapple and juice. Now, carefully add the lemon jello mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Stir. Pour it all on top of the chilled red layer. Cover and chill again.

When the lemon layer is firm, heat water to a boil. Measure 1-1/2 cups boiling water into a large glass measuring cup. Stir in the green or orange jello, depending on the holiday. Add another 1-1/2 cups cold water and stir again. Pour this final layer over the lemon layer. Cover and put in the fridge to chill. Cut into squares when ready to serve. Happy celebration!

Cranberry Jello Salad

Cranberry Jello Salad is one of my favorite holiday salads, packed full of healthy ingredients like cranberries, apples, nuts and celery. So hearty and yummy!

Ingredients:
2 cups cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 large box cherry Jello
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup water
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup unpeeled apples, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped

In a medium sauce pan, cook cranberries and 1 cup water until cranberries are soft (about 15 minutes). Add sugar and bring back to a boil. Remove pan from heat to a potholder on the counter. Stir in Jello. Next, add one more cup water and the can of crushed pineapple. Allow to sit on the counter to cool a bit. Stir in the celery, apples, and nuts. Pour the salad into a Jello mold, Bundt pan, or a medium glass bowl and cover. Chill in the fridge overnight. Enjoy!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Finally, the perhaps the easiest yet most appreciated holiday side dish is homemade cranberry sauce. This recipe is usually on the cranberry package. But if you can’t find it, I share it here with you…

Ingredients:
1-12 ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Rinse the cranberries in a colander and throw away any bad ones. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the cranberries and bring to a boil again. Turn down the heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour into a glass dish, cover and chill until serving time. Be blessed!

Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:25-26 (NKJV)

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Tag Archives: holiday recipes

Party Beans, Rice Con Queso, and Sweet Potatoes

Party Beans

Rice Con Queso

Sweet Potatoes

Jello Salads and Cranberries