2014 NFL Thanksgiving football food recipe survival guide
Looking for some new ideas for your Thanksgiving Day NFL feast? Try out these recipes, and see what several NFL players enjoy the most about their own Thanksgiving eats.
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9 min read
Thanksgiving is all about family, football and food. It is about spending time with the ones you love, gathered around the TV watching football all day long while consuming as much food as possible -- well, at least that's what it is like in my house.
This year on our Thursday Night Live pregame shows here on CBSSports.com, we have had weekly food debates compliments of our chef, Richard Ingraham and with three games on the Thanksgiving schedule, there are a number of ways to satisfy your appetite throughout the day.
Our goal is to help you achieve the best possible Thanksgiving from both an eating and football perspective. You don't want to consume too much too soon and end up napping through one of the later games in the day, yet you don't want to go too long without eating either.
Our plan will ease your appetite for Bears and Lions at 12:30 p.m. ET, help you hit your stride as the Eagles and Cowboys kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET and finish strong during the nightcap while enjoying the hard-hitting battle between the Seahawks and 49ers.
Below are the recipes we suggest -- both traditional and non-traditional -- for each game, as well as some of the favorite Thanksgiving dishes from some of the stars playing in this Thursday's games.
12:30 p.m. ET -- Bears at Lions
Players' thoughts:
Brandon Marshall: “The cool thing about Thanksgiving is that the family is together, you know, you got your food and the environment is just super cool. And to be honest with you, as a football fan, I'd rather be sitting at home eating turkey and watching the game than playing. I think it's (more fun) that way. It's great to be with your family and friends and watch a few games. I love my mother's yams and chitlins.”
Kyle Long: “My mom is a spectacular cook, like a lot of people will say about their mom. But she is the best. So I like to eat a lot on Thanksgiving. Turkey, potatoes, different kinds of stuffing.”
Calvin Johnson: “Gotta have dressing, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie. I could live off that!”
Matthew Stafford: “I don't care about anything else as long as I can have pecan pie a la mode. It's so good!”
Reggie Bush: “Cornbread. My mom makes the best.”
Golden Tate: “I've gotta have dressing, cranberry sauce, turkey and ham and macaroni and cheese, too. I really like lemon meringue pie and chess pie. It's really good!”
Coach Jim Caldwell: “It's been about 14 years since I've sat down to Thanksgiving dinner, but I've always loved my mom's chitlins.”
Food to eat: Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 10-ounce package ready-to-use fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup grated smoked Gouda
• 1/2 cup grated white American cheese
• 1/2 cup grated jalapeño jack cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• Baguette slices, toasted
Method:
1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and the garlic; sauté until the onions are tender.
3. Add the creole, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and balsamic. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Gradually whisk in the cream; bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
5. Lower the heat to medium low and add the cheeses and the spinach.
6. While it's cooking, continue to stir until mixture thickens.
7. Remove from the heat and adjust seasonings to taste.
8. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl.
Serve warm with toasted baguette slices.
4:30 p.m. ET -- Eagles at Cowboys
Players' thoughts:
Mark Sanchez: “My favorite Thanksgiving food is my cousin Kelly's pineapple cheesecake. It is awesome!”
LeSean McCoy: “You're going to laugh, but my favorite Thanksgiving food is cranberry sauce. You can mix it with anything.”
Nick Foles: “My favorite Thanksgiving food is definitely sweet potato casserole. I look forward to it every year.”
Dez Bryant: “My favorite Thanksgiving food is the broccoli casserole. My mom does a great job with that.”
Jason Garrett: “There's nothing like my mom's Turkey dinner!”
Tony Romo: “Just turkey and playing football outside. Cold weather and getting the whole family together. I just enjoy going out throwing the football around, making it a football day.”
Food to eat: Cheddar cornbread muffins, candied yams, kale greens, Creole-fried Cornish hens
Cheddar Corn Bread Muffins
Ingredients:
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fresh corn (cut from the cobb)
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Special equipment:
Paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, corn, baking powder, sugar, cheese, and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until mixed.
4. Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin.
5. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.
Candied yams
Ingredients:
• 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 jumbo marshmallows
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, flour, zest, and flour in a medium bowl.
3. Place a layer of potatoes in a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
4. Generously sprinkle the sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes and add 2 tablespoons of butter over the mixture. Continue the process until 4-5 layers have been achieved.
5. Cover dish well with foil. Bake 50 minutes.
6. Uncover and continue to bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens a bit (basting occasionally), about 20 minutes.
7. Remove and add marshmallows, then return pan to the oven and cook until marshmallows are toasted.
Kale greens
Ingredients:
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion; roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves; minced
• 1/4 cup smoked sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• Salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 2 smoked turkey wings with skin and bones, roughly chopped
• 4 lbs. fresh kale greens; rinsed and and cleaned, leaves torn into large or small pieces
• 32 oz. Swanson low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Method:
1. In a large pot, warm olive oil over medium heat.
2. In the same pot, sauté onions until soft for about 10 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir for another 30 seconds.
3. Add the smoked turkey wings and stir until the meat is warm. Add a little chicken stock if the ingredients are dry.
4. Mix in a few handfuls of the kale greens until the pot is full.
5. Continue adding more kale until the pot is about 1/3 full.
6. Add the remainder of the chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and dried chili pepper.
7. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring the kale greens to a boil.
8. Reduce the heat until the greens are simmering. Cook until the greens are tender.
9. Midway through cooking the greens, taste to adjust the seasonings and add vinegar. Allow it to simmer for 5 more minutes and remove from the stove.
Creole-fried Cornish hens
Ingredients:
• 6 Cornish hens
• 1/3 cup Creole seasoning
• Garlic salt
• Chili powder
• Lemon pepper
• Red pepper
• Seasoning salt
• Curry powder
• Smoked paprika
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 bottles Crystal hot sauce
• 1 bottle Italian dressing (all solids strained out and reserved)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 gallons peanut oil
Special equipment:
Butterball electric fryer
1 injector
Method:
1. Clean bird and pat dry.
2. Place butter in a medium-sized saucepan.
3. Using a strainer, strain the dressing into the pan and warm the pan until the butter has melted. Reserve the solids.
4. Rub hens with vegetable oil (front, back, inside and out).
5. Rub hens (front, back, inside and out) with hot sauce.
6. Remove butter mixture from the stove and allow it to cool.
7. Rub hens with spices and the reserved solids (front, back, inside and out).
8. Inject the breast, thighs, and legs with the butter mixture. Don't inject the wings with the mixture; they will explode when frying. Inject at an angle, not straight down.
9. Place the hens and the juices in a thick bag and store in the refrigerator for three days.
10. After day three, remove the hens from the bag and heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees.
11. Fry each hen for 13 minutes
12. Remove hens from the fryer and drain.
(Serves 6)
8:30 p.m. ET -- Seahawks at 49ers
Players' thoughts:
Russell Wilson: “My mom's mac-and-cheese is magic in your mouth,” said Russell Wilson. “I don't know what she does to make it so good. It's not an exotic recipe, but it's the best I've ever had.”
Richard Sherman: “The ham we had on Thanksgivings can't be beat,” said Richard Sherman. “There were all of these little pineapple pieces all over it and I would just want to fill my plate with ham and nothing else.”
Frank Gore: “For me, it's having all of my family here together and just enjoying them -- us laughing, talking about the old days and playing music.”
Vernon Davis: “My favorite part is just being with family, spending time with them, and being thankful, having fun and taking part in discipleship.”
Colin Kaepernick: “My favorite part about Thanksgiving is spending time with my family. During football season, you don't get too much time to hang out and be around them. That's one of the few times out of the year where you can hang out, relax and have a good time with your family.”
Food to eat: Brûlée pumpkin pie
Ingredients:
• 15 oz. of pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup condensed milk
• 1 pie shell
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Blend the pumpkin, sugars, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a mixer using the paddle attachment.
3. Remove the paddle, discarding any strings left on the attachment from the pumpkin.
4. Switch the mixer to the whip attachment and add the evaporated and condensed milk.
5. Continue to whip on medium speed until the mixture has blended well.
6. Remove attachment and again discard any visible strings.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust and bake in a 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until firm.
8. Just before serving, sprinkle pie with sugar.
9. Use a kitchen torch to brûlée the pie until the sugar melts and turns dark brown.
