Last Update: 11/04/06

ONA Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Oakridge Neighborhood Association! Here are some tips and recipes to help you make this Thanksgiving your best ever! Don't take a chance -- send your friends and family to the ONA Thanksgiving section of the ONA Web site!

Tips for a Healthier Thanksgiving

• Turkey and Gravy Tips - tips for a better, healthier bird and gravy

• "All the Trimmings" Tips - tips for better, healthier "trimmings"

• Thanksgiving Dinner Schedule - what to do, when; your strategy to reduce the stress of the big day

• Balance Calories at Thanksgiving - check out this health tip

The Recipes

Here are some recipes from the ONA Recipe Box that are perfect for a happy Thanksgiving!

• Apple 'n Spice Cake with Caramel Glaze - the holiday pie contest (whose gets eaten first?); one year Aunt Cleo brought a cake instead which was amazingly eaten before any of the pies; nobody trusts Aunt Cleo anymore

• Apple Sweet Potatoes - a variation of the traditional favorite

• Apples in Maple Syrup - a simple and wonderful side dish

• Baked Fruit - your fruit pie lovers will enjoy this dessert

• Baked Pumpkin and Onions - a wonderful, simple vegetable side dish; one that would have appeared on our forefathers' Thanksgiving table

• Boston Brown Bread - a must for fall; start saving your coffee cans now

• Bran Muffins - best-ever recipe; great for Thanksgiving breakfast

• Broccoli, Cheese and Rice Casserole - a side dish staple in Texas

• Brownies - these vanish quickly when there are kids around

• Cinnamon Raisin Biscotti - a low-fat version of the Italian cookie

• Cranberry Orange Biscotti - same low-fat recipe; these are truly beautiful

• Cream of Peanut Soup - assure your kids that this soup also regularly appeared on George Washington's table

• Creamed-Spinach Gratin - Olive Oyl serves this dish often

• Ginger Peach Crumble - your fruit pie lovers will enjoy this dessert

• Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie - the gingersnap crust complements the spicy pumpkin filling, and it's easy if you're timid about making pastry

• Green Beans Amandine - well, you have to have a green vegetable, and this light makeover of the original version is very tasty

• Hoppin' John - a staple in the South; why not start piling up your good luck at Thanksgiving?

• Hot Apple Cider - just try to keep a pot full of this going; the kids love this unique version

• Mexican-Style Corn - a true favorite of all diners; so easy, you'll be embarrassed to take credit for this one

• Orange-Sage Roasted Turkey - a fresh new version of the classic roast turkey

• Pear Raisin Crisp - your fruit pie lovers will enjoy this dessert

• Potato Salad - terrific low-fat version; perfect with leftovers

• Pumpkin Cake - with cream cheese frosting; this cake will be gone long before the pumpkin pie

• Pumpkin Soup - a wonderful light meal for Thanksgiving Eve

• Roasted-Garlic Mashed Potatoes - roasting the garlic makes it mellow and rich

• Seasoned Turkey - a wonderful, savory turkey recipe that an Oakridge resident shared with us

• Sour Cream Apple Cake - the holiday pie contest (whose gets eaten first?); one year Aunt Cleo brought a cake instead which was amazingly eaten before any of the pies; nobody trusts Aunt Cleo anymore

• Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole - Suzi's favorite sweet potato recipe; a must for a Thanksgiving table

• Trifle - what a beautiful fruit dessert this makes

• Waldorf Salad - this is a beautiful, low-fat, healthy fruit salad

• Wassail - going a'wassailing?; find out what you've been singing about all these years

• Water Chestnut Rice Dressing - straight from Louisiana; very easy, and very popular as a side dish

• Whole Wheat Bread - let your bread machine do the work with this tried-and-true recipe