The Thanksgiving meal is the highlight of the holiday and wouldn't be complete without turkey as the main course.

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Photo Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

Flavors of the Past

By Natalia Daniels
Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

Preservation of the North American hunting tradition is an integral part of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s mission. Thanksgiving Day celebrates American traditions, as well. Many spend the holiday with family, hunting or watching sports, but the highlight of the day is the Thanksgiving meal.

Though wild turkey and other wild fowl were part of the 1621 pilgrim’s menu, many traditional American dishes like sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce were not. Most modern tables are graced with turkey, dressing and potatoes, but methods of preparation are as varied as our multicultural society. And though the turkey takes center stage, the full production feast includes special side dishes and memorable desserts.

Each part of the country offers regional flavors and recipe variations passed down through generations. For some, no matter how far away from home they settle, preparing those special dishes brings back fond Thanksgiving memories.

Northeastern Beginnings

As home to the gateways for American immigrants, the Northeastern region offers fare influenced from rich German, English, Irish and Italian ancestry.
Ron Fretts, member of the NWTF Board of Directors, spends Thanksgiving morning hunting for wild turkeys, rabbits and pheasants. He then joins the whole family back home for good food and good company. These recipes (taken from Wild About Turkey) are a part of his family’s typical Pennsylvania Dutch Thanksgiving.

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Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

Candied Sweet Potatoes

½ cup packed brown sugar
½ stick margarine
1 (29-ounce) can sweet potatoes, liquid reserved
2 cups marshmallows
½ cup chopped nuts, optional

Boil the reserved liquid with brown sugar and margarine until thickened. Add sweet potatoes, cover and bake at 350 F for 1 hour. In the last 10 minutes, add marshmallows and nuts.

Cranberry Salad

½ pound cranberries, washed
2 oranges, washed, stemmed, seeded, quartered
3 apples, cored, pared, and finely chopped
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 ½ cups sugar
1 (3-ounce) package cherry or strawberry gelatin
1 cup hot water
1 cup cold water

Grind cranberries and oranges in food processor. Mix in apples, nuts and sugar. Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add cold water. When gelatin moisture cools, add fruit, pour into mold; refrigerate to set.

Southern Charm

Southerners will deep-fry just about anything and wash it down with sweetened iced tea. The mild Southern climate, even in November, welcomes families outside where entire turkeys are deep-fried.

Tasha McLain, NWTF member from Alabama, loves to cook for a large group and see them enjoy every bite. Two dishes that are a must for her family are Southern deviled eggs, a unique recipe passed down by her great grandmother, and corn casserole.

Try these recipes to add Southern charm to a Thanksgiving meal and don’t forget the sweet tea.

An important step in deep-frying a turkey is to determine how much oil to use. First, fill the pot with water and lower the turkey into it (water should cover the turkey without spilling over; adjust water level accordingly). Remove turkey and note how much water is in pot or measure it. Discard water and fill pot with oil. Heat oil 300 to 310 F before adding turkey. Cook turkey with skin 3.5 minutes per pound.

Always practice safety when operating a deep-fryer. Refer to manufacturer's guidelines or for a complete list logon to www.cpsc.gov.

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Photo Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

Fried Wild Turkey

1 (24-ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing
1 (10- to 15-pound) wild turkey
5 gallons peanut oil

Strain salad dressing to remove solids. With a large syringe, inject salad dressing into turkey. Refrigerate turkey 24 hours. Heat oil to 300 F in the outdoor frier. Insert a heavy wire coat hanger inside the carcass, and hang it over a metal rod to suspend it in the hot oil. Cook 3.5 minutes per pound. Let turkey sit for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Southern Deviled Eggs

12 hard boiled eggs
2 dill pickles, chopped
12 strips bacon, fried and crumbled
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Pepper to taste
Paprika, as garnish

Peel hard-boiled eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Carefully remove egg yolks. Mash yolks. Add crumbled bacon, chopped pickles, mayo, and pepper. Mix well. Stuff eggs with mixture and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika. Note: mayonnaise and pickles may be adjusted to taste.

Corn Casserole

3/4 stick margarine
2 cans whole kernel corn
½ pint whipping cream
2 heaping teaspoons flour
¾ stick margarine, melted
1 package Ritz crackers, crushed

Melt ¾ stick margarine in casserole dish. Add flour and mix well. Drain corn and add to dish. Pour whipping cream over corn and stir. Melt second ¾ stick of margarine and pour over crushed crackers. Sprinkle over corn. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.

Southwestward Bound

Who says Thanksgiving dinner has to be served at home in the dining room? Luann Waters, active member of the NWTF’s Garvin County Longbeard Chapter in Oklahoma and Women in the Outdoors event instructor, cooked Thanksgiving dinner in Dutch ovens while on a deer hunt a few years ago. More recently, she prepared Thanksgiving dinner à la Dutch ovens in front of her family’s motel room while duck hunting in Arkansas. Luann shared two of her recipes including a South-of-the-border influenced corn bread.

Southwestern Corn Bread

1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup salad oil
1 cup milk or buttermilk
3 chopped jalapeno peppers or 3 tablespoons picante sauce
1 16-ounce can cream style corn
1 cup grated cheese

Mix ingredients in order listed in bowl. Pour into greased and mealed 9 by 13 baking dish or Dutch oven (if well-seasoned Dutch oven, will not need to add additional oil or shortening). Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes.

Sweet Potato Hash

1 3-ounce jar pre-cooked bacon pieces
2 teaspoon dry minced onion (or more to taste)
1 large or 2 small red bell pepper, cut into strips (substitute small jar of pimentos, if preferred)
1 1/2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), washed and lightly peeled, sliced then cut into strips
2 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté bell pepper with onion in 1 tablespoon oil. Remove from skillet, set aside. Sauté potato strips in same oil, adding a little extra if needed. Stir to coat strips lightly in oil, until they begin to soften.
Pour potatoes into baking dish and add onion and peppers. Sprinkle bacon over potatoes. Bake in pre-heated oven at 400 F for 30 min.

Northwestern Resources

When pioneers blazed a trail West, their cooking held a close relationship to the land and the indigenous ingredients along the way. The Pacific Ocean offered a bounty of seafood that influenced mealtime. JoLee Liepman grew up in Warrenton, Oregon, where her father is a commercial fisherman. Thanksgiving Day meals with her family include fresh seafood, especially shrimp dip, along with traditional favorites. Another ocean inspired dish, Oyster Stuffing, is from the Wild About Turkey cookbook.

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Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

Shrimp Dip

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 8-ounce jar cocktail sauce
¼ to 1/2 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and chopped

Evenly spread cream cheese on a serving platter, creating about a 1/4 inch thick base layer. Spread cocktail sauce on top of the cream cheese as a second layer. Evenly distribute the shrimp as the final layer. Serve with crackers or wheat thins.

Oyster Stuffing

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
8 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 eggs
2 cups milk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 pint oysters, lightly sautéed in 1 tablespoon butter

Sift flour with next 4 ingredients. Beat eggs; them add milk, oil, and oysters. Add this mixture to dry ingredients, and mix until moistened. Stuff turkey with mixture or place oyster stuffing in two buttered 9 by 9 by 2-inch square pans. Bake at 425 F for 30 to 40 minutes.

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Chapters Donate Turkeys

Through Turkey Hunters Care, NWTF chapters partner with schools, churches, food banks and shelters to provide frozen domestic turkeys to less fortunate families during the holidays. Many chapters also include stuffing mix, potatoes, bread and dessert to complete the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Since the program’s inception in 2001, 71,431 turkeys have been given out—that’s a whopping 428,586 meals. From all of us at the NWTF family, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!