Cakes and easy side dishes enhance holiday table

The cook's countdown has begun; only 24 hours until Thanksgiving dinner.

For some, cooking the November feast is a breeze; they have planned and made dishes ahead. Others are busily preparing desserts, side dishes, dressing (yes, it's the South) and even the turkey.

Turkey still frozen? Cooks can look to the microwave for help, but check out the manufacturer's thawing guide. A turkey thawed in the microwave needs to be cooked immediately; some parts of the bird have started cooking. A partially cooked bird needs to be put in the oven, not the refrigerator, to cook later.

Today, I cook my sides and desserts. Yes, I could do them in advance, but I don't. It's sort of "a do as I say, not as I do" thing. Of course, I am not entertaining at my home but preparing the foods to take to my father-in-law's, which takes off some pressure.

If home cooks are still fretting about the menu, readers, professional chefs and I have some suggestions for side dishes and desserts. Some of these recipes are ones that readers requested that can be prepared with time to spare for Thanksgiving.

There's even famous caramel frosting for the caramel cake that many Mississippi Coast residents enjoyed at the old 4-H market in downtown Gulfport. Genevieve Benevidias ran the market. Mrs. Lee made the caramel cakes. Rosie Marie Grace-Lewis of Biloxi wanted an old-fashioned caramel cake recipe.

Sylvia McNeill, Benevidias' daughter, shared this recipe with me about four years ago. She gave me two icing recipes because she prefers her recipe to the

original.

Reader Pat Storey of Bradenton also suggested that Grace-Lewis check out the "A Taste of Georgia" cookbook for both the buttermilk pie and caramel cake recipes that she requested. That book is published by Newman Junior Service League in Newman, Ga. Readers also shared the buttermilk pie recipes in the Nov. 19 column.

CARAMEL CAKE

3 cups cake flour, sifted

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2- 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

6 egg yolks

1-1/4 cup whole milk

3 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans and cover bottom with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter and vegetable oil for 5 to 7 minutes. Add sugar to butter and mix well for several minutes. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool on racks until ready to frost.

CARAMEL ICING

2 cups sugar

1/2 can evaporated milk

2 egg yolks, beaten well

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix white sugar, milk and yolks. Bring to a boil. Add brown sugar and bring back to a boil. Cook until it reaches the soft ball stage. Add vanilla, butter and chopped nuts. Use as icing or drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper for candy.

-- Submitted by Sylvia McNeill

SYLVIA'S CARAMEL ICING

Melt 1 stick of butter or margarine in a saucepan.

Add 1 cup dark brown sugar. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil and sugar is melted, about 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add1/4 cup milk. Stir until completely mixed.

Sift 2- 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar into your mixer. Add liquid mixture to it and beat until you think you can spread with it. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. May need to add more milk if too thick or more powdered sugar if too thin.

-- Submitted by Sylvia McNeill

Coastian Judy Smith emailed me for a quick response for a Thanksgiving menu item.

"I am looking for a recipe that you had posted in September or October this year. The recipe was for a pumpkin cake with cream cheese as an ingredient," Smith said. "I wish I could remember the name of it; I believe it was similar to a dump cake."

This was an easy request because I use this basic gooey butter cake recipe often during the year. I simply change the flavorings and ingredients. The original recipe came from Food Network.

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Cake:

1 (181/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, not pie mix

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix, egg and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Makes sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

-- Recipe from Food Network

Here are two easy-does-it side dishes, one for a different type of mashed potatoes using canned french fried onions and the other that makes use of fresh fall vegetables. Normally, french fried onions top green bean casserole; this is just a different twist from the chefs at French's. Preparation time is only 10 minutes.

The turnip, sweet potato and apple dish just says harvest time with its use of fall vegetables that are readily available even at the last minute. American Farmland Trust shares this recipe from author Susie Middleton's "Fresh From the Farm: A Year of Recipes and Stories" published by Taunton Press.

CRUNCHY ONION BACON POTATOES

6 cups prepared mashed potatoes

12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cups canned french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer half of the potatoes in an 8-inch square baking dish, sprinkle with half the bacon, 1 cup cheese and 1 cup french fried onions. Top with remaining potatoes.

Bake 20 minutes or until hot. Top with remaining bacon, cheese and onions. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 12.

-- Recipe from the chefs at French's

TURNIP, SWEET POTATO AND APPLE SAUTE

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 ounces purple-topped turnips (about 4 small), ends trimmed but unpeeled, cut into medium ( 1/2-inch) dice (about 2-1/3 cups)

12 ounces sweet potatoes (about 2 small), ends trimmed but unpeeled, cut into medium ( 1/2-inch) dice (about 2-3/4 cups)

Kosher salt

1honey crisp (or other crisp-firm) apple, peeled, cored, and cut into medium dice (about 1- 1/2 cups)

1 large or 2 small onions, cut into medium dice (about 1- 1/2 cups)

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans (optional)

Combine the honey and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk well and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and is bubbling, add the turnips, sweet potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt. Toss and stir well.

Reduce the heat to medium, cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes. Uncover, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the apples, onions, and1/4 teaspoon salt, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.

Turn the heat down slightly if necessary, and cook until turnips and sweet potatoes are nicely browned and tender and the onions are translucent, another 12 to 14 minutes.

Fold in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat, taste and season with more salt and freshly ground pepper if desired. Sprinkle the honey/vinegar mixture over the top, add the parsley and stir.

Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates and garnish with the toasted pecans, if desired.

-- Recipe from Susie Middleton's "Fresh From the Farm: A Year of Recipes and Stories"

Friendship and fruit cakes

If you are making friendship cakes with starter or stirring up a candied fruit cake, the time is now to get started. If you need recipes, please send your requests to me.

Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net and takes requests at Cook's Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567.

This story was originally published November 26, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cakes and easy side dishes enhance holiday table."