Put a fresh spin on this year’s Thanksgiving feast with HiLite reporters’ favorite recipes. Your guide to making mouth-watering, unforgettable dishes

For the main course…

Turkey Stock

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 large chopped carrot
• 1 chopped celery stalk with leaves
• 1 carcass with skin from a 12 to 15-pound turkey, meat removed and reserved, carcass broken into pieces
• 4 quarts cold water
• 4 fresh parsley sprigs
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot and celery.  Cover and cook until veggies soften, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.
2. Place the turkey carcass pieces into the pot and add water.
3. Bring mixture to boil and skim any foam from the surface.
4. Add parsley, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf.  Reduce heat to low, cover loosely with lid. Simmer for three hours.
5. Strain stock into large bowl. Discard solids.  Let stock stand for 10 minutes, and then skim off the fat.  Boil to reduce to 10 cups or add water to measure 10 cups.  Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds potatoes (Russet works best)
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drizzle peeled garlic with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for about an hour.
3. Cut potatoes in same-sized cubes. Add to large pot of salted, boiling water. Cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain. Stir in milk, butter, salt and pepper.
4. Remove garlic from oven; cut in fourths. Squeeze cloves into potatoes. Blend or mash potatoes until desired consistency.

For dessert…

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Ingredients:

• 30 small gingersnap cookies (about 7 ½ ounces)
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 pints frozen low fat vanilla ice cream softened
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray.
2. To prepare crust, combine gingersnaps and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil and pulse until blended. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.
3. Bake the crust until set (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. To prepare filling: Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well. Add ice cream and stir until blended. Spoon the mixture into the cooled pie crust. Freeze until firm, at least two hours.
5. Let the pie soften slightly in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole

Ingredients:

• 5 medium sweet potatoes
• 3 Granny Smith apples
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 T cold, unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Cook potatoes (can do three days ahead).
2. Remove skins and slice 3/8 inches thick.
3. Peel, halve and core the apples. Slice 3/8-inch thick and toss with lemon juice.
4. Grease three quart casserole.
5. In microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, honey, spice and salt.
6. Heat for one minute in the microwave. Stir and cover the bottom of the casserole dish with half of the potatoes and the top of the dish with half of the apples. Drizzle with the honey mixture. Repeat.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Broil two to three minutes to brown the top.
8. Can assemble one day ahead and keep in the refrigerator.

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup cubed butter
• 2 tbsp castor sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup golden syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cup pecan nuts, halved
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• Baking beans

Directions:

1. To make the pie base, crumb together the flour and butter with your fingers. Then add the eggs, sugar and about one tablespoon of cold water and knead to smooth dough.
2. Roll out the dough and use it to line an 8-inch pie tin. Prick the base and then fill it with baking beans.
3. Refrigerate for about half an hour.
4. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Then bake the pastry base for about 10 minutes.
5. Heat the syrup, sugar and butter until the sugar dissolves completely. Cool slightly and then add the eggs and vanilla essence to the mix.
6. Lastly, stir the pecan nuts in the mix.
7. Pour the mix into the pastry case and bake for 40 minutes.