Our first Thanksgiving with the Frappier Family was in 2003 with the Dallas Fraps, as we refer to them, and our family. Beginning in 2005 and continuing to today, the Frappier Family gathers at the farm to celebrate this special holiday.

We started when our children were young and now they are grown, and some have children of their own, so it is especially wonderful to have all these generations together to celebrate this holiday. We have many wonderful traditions when we gather. We ride horses, fish, skeet shoot, have ghost rides, campfires, crafts, arrowhead hunting, stargazing and most importantly, we visit.

We started The Thanksgiving Tree several years ago and have been adding names as we welcome more members to the family. We currently celebrate with three generations of Frappier’s.

We value family above most everything and are so grateful we have this place called StarHill Farms to bring our families together and allow us to love and enjoy ourselves, our families, our surroundings.

Besides the turkey and ham we have some traditional recipes we have been making all these years – our Macaroni and Cheese and Corn Casserole. If you have interest scroll down and make a copy for yourself and add them to your Thanksgiving tradition!

Recipes

The Best Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 4 to 6

5 ½ tablespoons butter, divided

¾ cup panko bread crumbs 

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

3 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces finely shredded Gruyere cheese

¼ cup mascarpone cheese

½ pond (8 ounces) cavatappi or other hollow pasta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt 2 ½ tablespoons of the butter over low heat.  Add the panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, toss well and set aside.  Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add the flour and stir frequently for 5 minutes, not letting the flour brown.  Gradually whisk in the milk and cook for 5 minutes, whisking constantly.  Add the salt, pepper, Gruyere and mascarpone, and continue to whisk until the cheese melts; remove from heat (mixture may be thin).  Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.  Drain the pasta and return to the pot; pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well.  Pour the pasta mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the panko mixture.  Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30-45 minutes.

*adapted from the Junior League of Houston’s Peace Meals Cookbook

Bourbon—Jalapeno Creamed Corn

This delicious recipe has been adapted to our Thanksgiving meal from the Texas Food Bible Cookbook.  It is best made with fresh corn, but thawed, frozen corn can be used.

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups fresh corn kernels (or thawed frozen)

2 tablespoons Jim Beam bourbon

Salt

1 shallot, minced

1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, minced

1 cup heavy cream

Freshly cracked pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, or just until the shallot has sweat its liquid.

Add the corn and chile and cood, stirring, for 4 minutes.

Carefully add the bourbon and, tipping the pan slightly all the alcohol to catch fire.  Lift the pan from the heat and let the flame die down.  Lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced slightly.

Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and cook at a gentle simmer for 6 minutes, or until very thick.

Remove from the heat and add lime juice as desired. 

Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve hot