Thanksgiving Recipes For Your Pandemic-Friendly Gatherings

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Thanksgiving is going to look a lot different this year. The CDC’s recommendations this Thanksgiving include avoiding travel and large gatherings, but there are still many ways to celebrate without putting yourself or others at risk...and as always, Amazon’s Alexa is here to help!

Whether you’re hosting an intimate meal with family, a small Friendsgiving or keeping it low key this year, you can still create new memories and traditions. Even though you’re not cooking for as many people this holiday,  Alexa can help you in the kitchen no matter what size your Thanksgiving table is! I used Food Network Kitchen on my Amazon Echo Show 5 to find recipes (I even took a Thanksgiving cooking classes with their chefs like Giada De Laurentiis + The Barefoot Contessa to make the perfect Pecan Pie and Gluten Free, Vegan Chocolate cake).

Pro Tip: Adding rainbow sprinkles to any dinner party is sure to add some much needed joy!

Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving Recipes that are available to you when you cook with your Amazon Echo Show 5. Simply ask Alexa to pull up the recipe you’re looking for and you’ll be ready to whip up a feast for your socially responsible holiday gatherings.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Pecans

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and chopped

• 1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and chopped

• Kosher salt

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk, warmed

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

• 1 to 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar

Directions:

1. Put all the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Season generously with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until very tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Drain the potatoes; return to the saucepan over low heat. Cook until any remaining water evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add the cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt and all but 2 tablespoons butter; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Gradually mash in the milk until creamy. Season with black pepper; transfer to a serving dish.

3. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat until just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the pecans; cook until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the brown sugar; pour over the mashed potatoes.

So, this next recipe is by one of my very favorite Food Network Chefs, Giada. I made this pie by taking a cooking class with her on my Amazon Echo Show 5. You can get cooking with your favorite Food Network stars, award-winning chefs and cookbook authors — all from the comfort of your own kitchen! Try "Alexa, open Food Network Kitchen" to stream full episodes of Food Network cooking shows. Or, try "Alexa, show cooking classes" to choose from live and on-demand classes taught by your favorite chefs.

Save any recipe you see to try later — simply say, "Alexa, save recipe" while watching a Food Network Kitchen show. Then get the ingredients sent to your door when it’s time to cook by adding your ingredients your grocery list. By enabling the Food Network Kitchen skill on Echo Show, you'll be able to access your saved recipes and sync up your progress in classes and shows.

Try it out:

• “Alexa, open Food Network Kitchen.”

• “Alexa, show me cooking classes.”

• “Alexa, show me recipes from Food Network.”

• “Alexa, show me my saved recipes from Food Network.”

• “Alexa, watch an episode of Barefoot Contessa.”

• “Alexa, show cooking classes from Bobby Flay”

You can access Food Network Kitchen recipes on your Echo Show without a Food Network account, but you’ll need to sign in to access your saves on all devices where you have Food Network Kitchen. Cooking classes and our full library of shows require a Food Network Kitchen subscription.

Persimmon Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 1 store-bought pie crust  

• 2 tablespoons apricot preserves  

• 1 cup ripe Fuyu persimmon puree  

• 1 cup pure canned pumpkin  

• 1/2 cup sugar 

• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese 

• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream  

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 

• 3 large eggs  

• Whipped mascarpone cream, for serving, optional  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish with nonstick spray to coat lightly.

2. Unroll the pie crust and press it gently into the pie pan creating a high standing edge on the rim of the dish. Crimp the edge decoratively. Pierce the crust evenly with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing while baking.

3. Bake the crust until the edge is browned and the center of the crust is pale golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer the crust to a work surface. Brush the sides and bottom (but not the crimped edge) with the apricot preserves to coat.

4. In a food processor, combine the persimmon puree, pumpkin, sugar, mascarpone, cream, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt and blend well. Add the eggs and blend for 5 seconds. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Place the pie into the oven and, if the edge will over-brown, stand a foil collar directly on the oven rack and wrap it around the dish to protect the crust.

5. Bake the pie until slits or cracks appear around the edge and the center is set, about 35 minutes. Cool the pie on a rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then tent loosely with foil.)

6. Cut the pie into wedges and serve with whipped mascarpone if desired.

Tyler Florence’s Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds spinach

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed

• 3/4 cup heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the spinach in several changes of water to get rid of any grit. Drain the spinach but keep some of the water clinging to the leaves. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the spinach and garlic. Cook, turning frequently, until the spinach has wilted down evenly. Remove the garlic and put the spinach into a colander and let it drain well. Press out as much liquid as you can from the leaves and chop them coarsely.

2. Heat the skillet again over medium-high heat and add the cream and nutmeg; cook until it reduces a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the spinach is hot, about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Roasted Spiced Chicken and Apples

I personally love swapping Turkey for Chicken on Thanksgiving. It’s more flavorful and it’s so much easier to prepare for a smaller group to ensure nothing goes to waste.

Ingredients:

• One 3- to 4-pound chicken, patted dry

• Kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons Baharat, recipe follows

• 1 small yellow onion, quartered

• 8 sprigs fresh thyme

• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 4 Gala apples, cored and quartered 

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Splash of apple cider vinegar

Baharat:

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• 1 tablespoon black pepper seeds

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon whole cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds

• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large onion, small dice

• 3 ribs celery, small dice

• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (I like to go to portobello to make it extra savory)

• Kosher salt

• 1 pound spicy sausage, casing removed, broken into bite-size chunks (You can sub this for a vegetarian sausage, like sundried tomato/mushroom or a pesto one. I personally love adding Chicken Apple Sausage)

• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely diced

• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

• 10 sage leaves, finely chopped

• 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped

• 10 cups stale cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes (You can use a Cornbread mix if you wanna save some time)

• 3 to 4 cups chicken stock

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and celery and saute over to medium heat. Season with salt and cook until the vegetables start to become soft and are very aromatic. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage begins to brown. Stir in the garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the walnuts, sage and rosemary and cook for another minute, then remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl mix together the cornbread, cranberries, and the sausage mixture. Add chicken stock and knead with your hands until the bread is very moist, actually wet. Taste to check for seasoning and season with salt, if needed and transfer to an ovenproof dish.

4. Bake the stuffing until it is hot all the way through and is crusty on top, about 30 to 35 minutes. MMMMM...stuffing!