Thanksgiving can be a stressful time for some people because they have to make food for the whole family.

I want to help out with some of that stress and give you four easy Thanksgiving recipes that I enjoy making with my family.

Apple pie

Apple pie is a classic food to prepare on thanksgiving and it is relatively easy to make. 

Necessary Ingredients:

•   ½ cup sugar
•  ½ cup brown sugar
•  3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼  teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  6-7 cups of tart apples
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon of butter 
• Pie crust

The first step of this recipe is to combine the sugar, flour and spices into a small bowl and set it aside. Then in a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice.

Add the sugar mixture to the large bowl and toss to coat.

Next line a nine inch pie plate with bottom crust and trim the edges. Fill the pie plate with the apple mixture and roll the remaining crust to fit on top of the pie. 

After you seal the edges in the pie crust, cut small slits into the middle of the crust.

Beat the egg white until foamy and brush over the crust. Cover the edges loosely in foil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20-25 more minutes. 

Pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie is another classic Thanksgiving food many people enjoy eating.

Necessary Ingredients

• 1 can of pumpkin
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 nine inch unbaked pie crust

First you must preheat the oven to 425 degrees and then whisk the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in a medium bowl.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 35-40 minutes. Once the pie is cooled, it is ready to eat. 

Stuffing 

Stuffing is my personal favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving and it is a traditional dish most families eat. 

Necessary Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• ½ cup of chopped celery
• ½ cup of chopped onion
• 3 ⅓ cups of chicken broth
• 2 packages of chicken flavored stuffing mix

First melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the chopped vegetables. Cool and stir the vegetables until they are tender.

Add the broth and the contents from the stuffing mix and mix together. Bring this to a boil, then remove from heat. 

Place this mixture into a baking dish and cover it with foil. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. 

Candied sweet potato casserole

A yummy vegetarian dish you can make for Thanksgiving is candied sweet potato casserole.

Necessary Ingredients

• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 2 cups of miniature marshmallows

First preheat the oven to 375 degrees and mix together ¼ cup of brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla and one teaspoon pumpkin pie spices into a large bowl.

Add the sweet potatoes into the bowl and toss to coat. Put the sweet potatoes into a 13×9 inch baking dish and dot with two tablespoons of butter. Bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, mix the flour, the remaining brown sugar and the remaining pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Cut the remaining two tablespoons of butter with a fork until it is crumbly. Stir in the pecans and the marshmallows.

Remove the casserole from the oven and stir gently. Sprinkle the marshmallow-crumb topping over the casserole and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Staff reporter Janae Mosby can be reached at jmosby@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @mosbyj.

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