Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. Time with friends and family should be cherished in this fast paced world and nothing slows it down like a good home cooked meal. These recipes are a great addition to any Thanksgiving dinner and they would also be perfect for a small family gathering or as a leftover meal once all your guests have gone home. I hope you will try some of these delicious recipes and share them with friends and family. Remember to look for the Goodness Grows in North Carolina tags when you are shopping because NC can help you create a delicious meal for any occasion. When you want the freshest ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal, It’s got to be NC Agriculture.

• 1 (8 oz.) package fat free cream cheese
  
• 1 cup of sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
  
• 1 (8 oz.) carton of Cool Whip
  
• 1 cup chopped pecans or English walnuts
  
• 1 can of "whole berry" cranberry sauce
  

In mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and pineapple. Stir in Cool Whip and nuts. Add cranberry sauce. Stir until pink and well blended. Pour into an 8 X 8 container and freeze. This will keep in the freezer covered for at lest two months. Enjoy!

Beat cream cheese spread and sour cream in medium bowl until will blended. Add apples, blue cheese, onions and pecans; mix well. Cover. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with Wheat thins or your favorite cracker.

Steam the broccoli in 6 Tablespoons of water for 5 minutes in the microwave. Drain the broccoli and place it in a 9 X 13 casserole dish. Mix the soup, mayonnaise and lemon juice together and spread over the broccoli. Sprinkle the cheese and breadcrumbs over the soup mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

• 1-cup evaporated milk
  
• 1-cup sugar
  
• 15 ounce can pumpkin
  
• 1-teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 package butter-flavored, yellow cake mix (18.25 ounce)
  
• 1 cup chopped pecans
  
• 1 cup melted butter
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the first five ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over butter mixture. Evenly sprinkle pecans over cake mix. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil after 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
  
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 1 cup chopped yellow onions
  
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 4 ounces mushrooms, stemmed, wiped clean, and diced
  
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 4 Turkey Cutlets, diced in bite size pieces
  
• 1 1/4 cups canned chicken broth
  
• 1 cup frozen green peas
  
• 4 cups Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows
  
• 1 cup grated cheese, Monterey Jack and Colby Blend
  
• Whole Cranberry Sauce, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 4 oven-safe individual serving dishes or a 9-inch square baking dish with the butter and set aside.

In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season your turkey with salt and pepper. Cook until turkey is cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Remove the turkey. To sauté pan, add the onions, carrots, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Add the butter, mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until thick, about 1 minute. Return the meat and stir well to combine. Gradually add the stock and then the peas, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture is thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Carefully transfer to the prepared dish and spoon the potatoes over the meat mixture, spreading to the edges. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the potatoes are crisp around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes.

Let the Shepherd's Pie sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped cranberry sauce and serve.

Mashed Potatoes:

• 5 medium baking potatoes, peeled, quartered, cut into 1-inch wedges
  
• 1/2-teaspoon salt
  
• ½ tsp. black pepper
  
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
  
• ½ cup half and half
  

Place the potatoes in a medium, heavy saucepan with enough salted water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to the boil; reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan. Over medium-low heat, cook the potatoes for 1 minute to dry. Add the butter, half and half, salt and pepper and mash until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4 to 6 people