Thanksgiving is a special occasion in the home of Sally and Rusty Sheehan, where family traditions are passed on every year. Sally took out her mother's fine porcelain and crystals and her grandmother's sheets to create a lovely table setting. Choose your favorite family recipe to prepare a holiday meal.

When Sally grew up in the small town of Goodwater, her family always went to her grandparents’ house for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone arrived on Sunday in their best condition. Sally still remembers how wonderful the smell of food was when she walked into her grandmother's kitchen, and how lovely the dining table looked with her grandmother's beautiful porcelain, crystal, silver and floral centerpiece.

Their Thanksgiving dinner is always a formal southern dinner. Her grandmother serves turkey, condiments, cranberry sauce, green beans, corn, pumpkin and homemade bread rolls, as well as delicious desserts and pound cakes. Both her mother and grandmother are excellent cooks. Sally cherishes their handwritten recipes.

After Sally and Rusty got married, they visited each family in turn. Rusty's parents live in Montgomery. When going there, the men go hunting in the morning and serve Thanksgiving dinner in the evening. Years later, when their parents retired and moved to a house by the lake, Thanksgiving meals became more casual. 

Sally remembers an interesting Thanksgiving Day, when she and Rusty decided to entertain her parents in the hut on Lake Eufaula so that the men could enjoy fishing. Sally did not bring the prepared dishes, but packed all the ingredients to cook. When they arrived at the cabin, she was surprised by the size of the kitchen and the small oven. It took a whole day to prepare this meal because you can only make one dish at a time. As a result, they ate the Thanksgiving dinner very late that night. 

Sheehans also had fond memories of their holiday in New England, where they visited Plymouth Rock and the rebuilt Jamestown village. In the village, the food they ate could have been served on the first Thanksgiving. Although it was much simpler, they were still impressed with the traditional meal that started the tradition we celebrate today.

As their parents grew older, Sally and Rusty took over hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at their home in Opelika. Sally went back to her grandmother's tradition of setting up formal dining tables. 

She said: "I hope my children can experience Thanksgiving like when I grew up." "This is such a special day and it deserves our best preparation."

Sally prepared the dressing day in advance, so as to take the lead in the Thanksgiving dinner. Like her mother, Sally cooked the seasoning before freezing. Her favorite roast turkey recipe wraps the turkey in slices of bacon to keep the meat moist. She will also make ham recipes with cranberries for her mother to eat on Thanksgiving or weekends.

Sally made the sweet potato casserole the day before, but waited for the toppings to be added before roasting on Thanksgiving. She alternately added praline toppings and miniature marshmallows in the diagonal to satisfy different tastes. Most other dishes are also prepared in advance. Cook simple vegetables for children.

For dessert, Sally prepared her grandmother's delicacies and pound cake recipes. She will also prepare pecan and pumpkin pie, fudge and chocolate cakes for the family throughout the weekend. "I come from an excellent family of chefs," Sally said. "When I can prepare my mom and grandmother's recipes, my heart will be filled with joy."

Sally and Rusty are happy to host their children and grandchildren in their new home overlooking Saugahatchee Golf Course this Thanksgiving. Sheehans’ daughter Amy lives in Birmingham with her husband Charles Moore and has two children, 12-year-old Sally Elizabeth and 11-year-old Davis. Davis is named after Sally’s father. 

Their son Tim and his wife Sarah live in Black Mountain, North Carolina. They have a son, Hank, who is only six months old. 

On Thanksgiving morning, Sally will prepare a simple breakfast. Sometimes the quiche in advance can be easily reheated and eaten with fresh fruit.

Although Sally has a large oven and microwave, cooking Thanksgiving dinner is still challenging. In order to keep everything hot until dinner time, she often puts some dishes in an insulating carrier. Sally will serve the food on silver plates and place them on the dining table and sideboard for easy serving. Rusty said yes, thank every family member, thank our country and the blessing of a good meal.

 When their family is at home on weekends, a hearty breakfast is served every morning. Some grandchildren’s favorites are cinnamon rolls, pancakes, sausages, biscuits and fresh fruit. "Because childhood memories are too precious for me," Sally said, "I want to leave good memories for my grandchildren. I hope they will remember the joy of coming to Opelika on Thanksgiving." Saturday , Amy and her family will participate in the Auburn-Alabama game, while other family members like to watch the game at home.

Sally and Rusty met and married while studying at Auburn University. When Rusty finished school, Sally taught first grade at Scott Preparatory. They moved to Columbus, Georgia, where Rusty started his career at State Farm Insurance. In 1974, Sheehans moved to Opelika, and Rusty opened his office as a state farm agent. Although he retired in December 2017, Rusty has been active in the community. 

"We thank God for giving us many blessings, and thank God for the privilege of inheriting the beautiful traditions of Thanksgiving," Sally said. "We are very grateful to our family, our beautiful country, and those who paved the way for the freedom we enjoy today."

Ann Cipperly can be reached at recipes@cipperly.com.

Kitchen twine (tying turkey)

1 onion, cut into large wedges

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the viscera and neck from the turkey. Rinse the turkey with running cold water and drain the water. Soak dry with paper towels. Fill the cavity with onions, garlic cloves, and fresh herbs. Tie up the legs and tuck the wings in. In a medium bowl, whisk together the softened butter, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Rub the butter mixture under the turkey skin and on the turkey skin.

Place the turkey in the roasting pan. Starting from one end, lay the bacon strips horizontally on the turkey until they are completely covered. Then pass the bacon strips vertically through the horizontal strips, leaving no gaps in between. Continue until the entire turkey is covered.

Add onion and garlic cloves around the turkey as needed. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours, or until an instant-reading thermometer inserted in the thigh shows 165 degrees. Check after 2 hours. If the bacon is too dark, cover it with foil.

6 tablespoons. Melted butter or bacon drips

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish or frying pan. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. In a separate bowl, mix together corn flour, flour, sugar, baking powder, soda water, and salt. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together. (The batter will still clump.) Pour into the baking pan.

Bake until the top is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least ten minutes or until cool enough to crumble.

Bake a tin of five biscuits according to the package instructions. When baking biscuits, simmer on a simmer: 1 cup chopped celery and 1 cup chopped onion, add 1 ½ cup chicken broth, until the vegetables are tender. Melt ½ stick of margarine in the onion and celery mixture. After the bread is done, put the cornbread and 2 to 3 crackers in a large bowl. Pour the onion and celery mixture on the bread. Add to this mixture:

Salt and pepper to taste

Enough milk to make a thin batter

1 can cream chicken soup

Pour this mixture into a greased (9 x 13) pan and 2 (8 x 8) pans and bake at 375 degrees until the top is light brown and the texture is fairly firm. For a 9×13 pan, bake for 45 to 60 minutes. If necessary, continue to bake, checking every 10 minutes until the seasoning is complete. If it starts to brown too much, cover it gently. If pre-cooked, store in the refrigerator and reheat (350 degrees) for 30 to 45 minutes. The recipe freezes well.

2 slices (½ to ¾ inch thick) center-cut ham

Combine honey, mustard, and canned cranberry sauce in a saucepan. Add fresh cranberries and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens and the cranberries begin to burst, 15 to 20 minutes. The original recipe suggested placing a slice of ham in a foil-lined baking dish and covering it with ½ of the prepared cranberry sauce mixture, then placing a second slice of ham on top and covering it with the remaining cranberry sauce mixture . Cover with foil.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. For a faster recipe, I also bake slices of ham side by side in a large baking pan, add ½ of the cranberry sauce mixture to each slice, cover with foil, and bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Amy's English Pea Casserole

2 cups canned English peas, drained

1 can creamy mushroom soup

1 small canned mushroom slices

I am a small jar, diced bell pepper into dices

3 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced ​​(choice)

Gently mix the peas, mushroom soup, grated cheese, mushrooms and bell peppers. Pour ½ of the mixture into the greased casserole. Put a layer of egg slices on top. Pour the remaining mixture on the eggs.

Melt 2 tablespoons. Add margarine in a saucepan, add flour, and stir until smooth. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly to get a creamy white sauce. Cook over medium heat until thick.

Salt and pepper to taste

Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the prepared white sauce. Pour on the pea mixture.

Stir the melted margarine with cookie crumbs. Sprinkle on the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until frothy. Yield 6-8 servings.

1 large orange, cut into quarters

8 ounces. You can crush the pineapple and drain it

Chop the oranges in a food processor. Put the cranberries and sugar in a large saucepan. (Add a little water to the cranberries to help the sugar melt.) Cook and stir over medium heat until the cranberries start to burst, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the cranberries to the bowl. Add the apricot preserves and stir until melted. Add pineapple, lemon juice and chopped oranges. Cool to eat.

Garnish: Shredded cheddar cheese, shredded bacon or chives

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Bring potatoes, 1 teaspoon. Boil salt and cold water in a medium-sized Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 16 to 20 minutes or until the fork is soft; drain. Return the potatoes to the Dutch oven. Cook until the water evaporates and the potatoes look very dry.

Pile potatoes on one side; add butter, the next 3 ingredients, and the remaining 1 teaspoon. Sprinkle salt on the other side of the Dutch oven. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the butter is melted and the mixture is boiling.

Remove from the heat, use a hand-held electric mixer to mix at medium speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute or to achieve the desired smoothness. (Don't overplay.) Serve immediately. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, shredded bacon, or chives.

2 pounds. Green beans, trimmed and broken into pieces

2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped, or halved grape tomatoes

¼ teaspoon. Each dried basil, salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put green beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and mushrooms in a bowl and mix well. Scoop into a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and tomato juice. Sprinkle with oregano basil, salt and pepper, and stir gently. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the beans are soft.

Spinach Salad with Honey Dressing and Honey Pecans

½ cup thinly sliced ​​red onion

3 to 4 cooked bacon slices, crushed

Mix the first four ingredients and 1/3 cup of seasoning together. Sprinkle with bacon, cheese and pecans.

Stir together 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons. Honey, 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard and ½ teaspoon. Each salt and black pepper. Slowly and steadily add 2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, stirring constantly until smooth. Makes about 1 cup.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat ¼ cup of honey in a bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds. Stir 1 cup and a half pecans. Coat the parchment-lined jelly roll pan with cooking spray; spread the pecans in a single layer on the pan. Combine 1 tablespoon. Sugar, ¼ teaspoon. Coarse salt and a pinch of red chili powder; sprinkle on the pecans. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through, stirring after 8 minutes. Cool.

9 oranges, peeled, seeded and sliced

2 (20 ounces) cans or crushed pineapple, drained

1 small jar of well-drained cherries or halved red seedless grapes

Mix orange, pineapple, coconut, cherry, almond extract and honey. Pour orange juice on the mixture. Put it in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Halved red seedless grapes can replace cherries. Make 5 to 8 servings. Serve with your favorite pound cake!

1 teaspoon. Vanilla, almond, coconut or walnut flavoring

Grease a heavy tube or pan, sprinkle with sugar, dust with flour, and set aside. Cream margarine until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, adding eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and salt together, gradually add in and mix, alternating with light cream. Add seasonings. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.

Put it on the middle shelf of the cold oven. Set the temperature to 325 degrees. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Do not open the oven. After baking, take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Turn it upside down on the wire rack to complete cooling.

Place half a pecan on the bottom of the unbaked pastry shell. Beat eggs lightly; add corn syrup, sugar, margarine, vanilla and salt. Gently pour into the unbaked crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, then bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. (The padding should be slightly less than the edges.)

35 butter biscuits (Ritz), crushed

Black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the squash and onions in a large saucepan and heat them over medium heat. Add a small amount of water. Cover and cook until the pumpkin is soft, about 5 minutes. Drain the water and place in a large bowl.

In the second bowl, mix the cracker crumbs and cheese. Stir half of the biscuit mixture into the cooked pumpkin and onions.

In a small bowl, mix the eggs and milk, then add the pumpkin mixture. Add ¼ cup of melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining biscuit mixture, then order 2 tablespoons. butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until slightly brown.

Sally Chocolate Frosted Brownie

1 (4 ounce) unsweetened chocolate baking bar, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the pecans in a shallow pan in a single layer for 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly toasted and fragrant.

Place the chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 to 1.5 minutes, or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Add sugar and eggs and mix well. Stir in the flour. Spread the batter in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center has some moist crumbs.

Cook the first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly for 4 to 5 minutes or until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, use an electric mixer to add powdered sugar and vanilla extract at medium speed and mix until smooth.

Pour the prepared frosting on the hot chocolate cake; spread to the edges. Sprinkle with roasted pecans. Cool on a metal rack for one hour. Cut into cubes.

*The favorite option is to sprinkle 3 cups of miniature marshmallows on the warm brownie, instead of toasted pecans or in addition to toasted pecans, and then frosted.

3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

Mix the above ingredients together and place in a greased baking pan. Add the following praline mixture on top:

Stir well and sprinkle on the sweet potatoes. In order to meet the needs of marshmallow lovers, I alternately arrange diagonal marshmallow and praline mixtures. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Double servings in a large casserole. This can be prepared the day before.

2/3 cup (or 5 ounce can) evaporated milk

12 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine sugar, margarine, and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Continue to boil for five minutes (or 234 degrees on the candy thermometer). Continue to stir to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips and marshmallow cream (slightly heating the marshmallow cream in the microwave will help remove it from the jar).

Stir well until the chocolate chips and marshmallow cream are completely combined. Add vanilla and nuts. Pour into a lightly greased pan (7 x 11 or 9 x 9). Cool to room temperature and cut into cubes. Earned three pounds.

(I usually cook a little less time, because my family likes fudge softer and creamier.)

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