Union Made

Union-made Thanksgiving: Turkey, sides, pie and more!

Union Plus Content Team

November 14, 2023

Did you know that you could make an entire Thanksgiving dinner using only union-made or harvested ingredients? It's true! Make Thanksgiving extra special and filled with big union-made flavor! Happy Thanksgiving from our union family to yours!

Union turkey? Yes, it's a thing!

Did you know that Butterball and Foster Farms are unionized? Suddenly, your turkey just got more delicious! 

Classic Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

It’s not a holiday feast without that delicious bird we all love at the center of the table. Ina Garten's Perfect Roasted Turkey recipe will be the star of the show on this festive day.

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter (Dairy Fresh, Hiland Dairy, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Land O’ Lakes Butter, Prairie Farms)
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 fresh turkey
• Kosher salt (Colonial, Diamond Crystal, Monarch, Morton, Nifda, Red & White, Sterling, Sysco)
• Freshly ground black pepper (Colonial, Diamond Crystal, Monarch, Morton, Nifda, Red & White, Sterling, Sysco)
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme
• 1 whole lemon
• 1 Spanish onion
• 1 head garlic

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside. Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic.

Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey. Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.

The fixin's: Union harvested, made and/or packaged  

Vegetables

Andy Boy	Eurofresh
Betty Crocker specialty potatoes	Mann's
Birds Eye	Muranaka Farm
Dole fresh potatoes	Sunripe

 

Stuffing and bread

Aunt Millie's bread products	Pillsbury rolls
Manischewitz	Stroehmann bakery products

 

Cranberry sauce

Dole	Ocean Spray

 

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are an all-time favorite Thanksgiving fixin! Alton Brown’s Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe is a delicious spin on traditional mashed potatoes and is perfect with turkey!

• 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt (Colonial, Diamond Crystal, Monarch, Morton, Nifda, Red & White, Sterling, Sysco)
• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half (Dairy Fresh, Hiland Dairy, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Land O’ Lakes Butter, Prairie Farms)
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan (Dairy Fresh, Hiland Dairy, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Land O’ Lakes Butter, Prairie Farms)

Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.

Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.

Your pies and fillings will taste even better with these union-made ingredients

Banquet fruit pies	Kroger pumpkin pie
Del Monte fresh apples	Marie Callender's
Entenmann's	Pillsbury pie crust
Food Club canned pumpkin	Sara Lee

 

Pumpkin Cream Pie
There are many different pies to choose from for Thanksgiving Day, but pumpkin pie reigns supreme on this special day in most households. Sandra Lee’s Pumpkin Cream Pie recipe is an extra decadent take on traditional pumpkin pie and it’s easy to whip up.

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (Dairy Fresh, Hiland Dairy, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Land O’ Lakes Butter, Prairie Farms)
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree 
• 1 and 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (Dairy Fresh, Hiland Dairy, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Land O’ Lakes Butter, Prairie Farms)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (Domino’s, Imperial)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (Watkins)
• 3 large eggs 1 (9-inch) frozen pie crust shell
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (Domino’s, Imperial)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and arrange a rack in the bottom third of the oven. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, cream, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Using electric hand mixer, add the eggs, 1 at a time incorporating completely between each addition. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake on a sheet tray until the filling is mostly set and the crust has browned, about 50 to 60 minutes. The center will still look slightly loose. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

For whipped cream: In a chilled bowl, beat 1 cup heavy cream with a hand mixer until beginning to thicken. Add 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie and serve immediately or hold in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours before serving.

Set the table with union-made products!

Anchor Hocking	Fiestaware
Bennington Potters	Homer Laughlin china
Clauss knives	Libbey glassware
Corning-Ware	Pyrex