Tday over and out........

Well the day is over....rather early I think. But people were leaving and my bf wanted to go too.I think it was all the little kids running amok that was getting to him. Honestly they were starting to get on my nerves too. Damn when did we get so old?

I went yesterday to my SIL to drop off the coffee pot and tablecloths, pickles and cranberry sauce and asst. stuff on my list. This way they could set up the garage early. I came back home and baked my Pumpkin Cheesecake and screwed it up. I'm supposed to mix the spices, pumpkin and sugar and eggs then mix the cream cheese and other ingredients, then put both mixes together. I didn't....I just made dinner and was doing stuff all day so I was tired and just put it all in the mixer. Sigh. The cream cheese refused to totally break down so I had a polka dot cheese cake.

I mixed it in the kitchen aid at high speed....didn't help.
I mixed it with my immersion blender......didn't help much.
I mixed it on high with my hand held mixer and didn't help much. I got most mixed but there were still small dots of cheese. When it baked and cooled it looked like oatmeal on top. :( Now I know the batter tasted good so I figure the cheesecake will too. ( too full to have any yet) But I covered that all up with whipped cream :)

I was going to make a cream cheese spread topped with my Della Robbia Jam.......and topped with Cowboy Candy. YUCK. Somehow that jam just didn't work. A week or so ago I tried to make cranberry sauce to can and it didn't jell it was a sauce. I canned it anyway and used it in my yogurt. So this time I decided to try the cran/blackberry sauce over the cream cheese which I spiced with a bit of the syrup from the Cowboy Candy. I made two layers...and topped each with the sauce and Cowboy Candy and served it with crackers..........now THAT  was good!

And finally I made these rolls. These are tradition in my family. Me and the kids love these. They are made with cornmeal and are tasty even the next day. I always have some the day after Tday with my morning coffee, spread with a little butter. YUM! The picture you see is all I have left, I brought the rest home. I forgot to take pics of the process lol  but here's the recipe. 

Stone Ground Corn Rolls Makes 32-36

2c. milk
3/4 c. stone ground cornmeal
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. solid shortening (I normally use butter but I will use margarine if I have it around)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 pkg. dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 c. warm water
6 c. unbleached all purpose flour (more or less depending on the weather)

Grease baking sheets, 3 round cake pans or even a big cake pan, whatever will hold the amt. I have a quarter sheet cake pan which works perfect but I have made these in 3 9in. cake pans too.

Combine milk and cornmeal in a lg. saucepan and cook over low heat stirring often till really thick. Add sugar, shortening and salt and stir well.  Put in a lg. bowl and let cool to lukewarm.

Blend in eggs and yeast. Slowly mix in about 3-4 c. of flour till it begins to form a dough. It will be quite sticky. I put the last two cups of flour on the surface your going to be kneading on. Then dump the doughy mess from the bowl onto the flour. Slowly work as much of the flour in as you can till the dough is no longer sticky. Depending on the weather you may end up using it all or not. When it seems like a nice smooth dough that doesn't stick much, its ready to be shaped. (about 12 min.)

Pinch off 1 1/2-2 in. pieces and form into balls. Arrange on your prepared pans. Let rise in a warm draft free place till doubled in size about 1 1/2-2 hrs.

Meanwhile preheat over to 375 degrees. Bake rolls 15min or till golden brown. Serve while warm.

A Day of Thanksgiving...

Today I'm thankful for dishes. ...dirty dishes. Seems I always have lots of them. And I have a dishwasher and I hate doing dishes. There's always lots of big pots and pans that don't fit in the dishwasher too.

But having all this mess just means we are lucky to have enough to eat. Some days I wish someone else would do the cooking and dishes. And sometimes I get lucky to have that,,,usually if we eat out or have pizza lol.

And Ive been cooking my whole life so its getting a lil old to have to still do dishes. The joy of my work tho was in a restaurant, we had dishwashers and anything I wanted cleaned to use again,,,,,,I just gave to them :)

Sigh, I miss that. Maybe I wouldn't mind cooking so much if that was all I had to do. Meanwhile...my freezers are full . The fridge is too. Ive got lots of things here I canned this season and I'm still not done. And I have lots of shelves with backups of things I use alot. We eat well, I am rich in that and very thankful too. 


Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Dear Friends and Family,

Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:

- Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries.

- After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

- Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make.

- Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.

- The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.

- Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.

- We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline.

- Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 am upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

- As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

- We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method.

- We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door.

- Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed.

- It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.

- I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance.

- Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it.

As I said, Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won't come next year either.

I am thankful.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

This year for Thanksgiving I tried a new pie. We just love pumpkin pie but I found out my bf love pecan pie too. So I stumbled across this recipe and mentioned it to him. He thought it would be awesome.........and it was!

Its a Pumpkin Pecan Pie and OMG IT WAS HEAVENLY. It is my new favorite pie and one Ill be making every yr. from now on. Its so good it didn't even need whipped cream. I think that would have just dulled down the flavors.

Pumpkin-Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Layer:
* 3/4 c canned pumpkin
* 1/2 c granulated sugar
* 1 egg
* 2 tb sour cream
* 2 tb egg nog
* 1/4 ts ground ginger
* 1/2 ts ground cinnamon
* 1/8 ts ground cloves
* 1/8 ts ground nutmeg
* 1/4 ts salt

Pecan Layer
* 1/2 c dark brown sugar packed
* 3/4 c dark corn syrup
* 2 eggs
* 1 tb butter melted
* 1 ts vanilla
* 1 c pecans halves or pieces

For Pumpkin Layer: In med. bowl, whisk together pumpkin, granulated sugar, egg, egg nog, sour cream, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

For Pecan Layer: In separate bowl combine brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Stir in pecans.

To Assemble: Spoon pumpkin mixture into unbaked pie shell, smoothing top. Then very carefully spoon pecan layer over top, being careful to keep layers separate.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350 and bake pie 25 to 30 minutes longer or until filling is slightly puffy and pecan layer is just set. Cool on wire rack.

***This year I found something called Pumpkin Spice eggnog. I found out I like it in coffee. Its not a bad substitute for the Starbucks latte. This pie calls for a bit of eggnog too and I thought why not use that also. Its not alot but I figured it could only add to the pie flavors with the spices of its own.

Italian Turkey Stuffing

This is my Mother in laws recipe for Italian Turkey Stuffing. This is what is tradition in my family. Depending on the size of the bird depends on how much bread is used. But there's always more than the bird needs. So I bake the extra in a big crockery bowl that I spread some soft butter in so it doesn't stick. I also baste it with some of the broth that I make for my gravy to keep it moist while baking. Sometimes when I don't have a lot leftover, Ill make Stuffing Muffins. I put the stuffing in lg. muffin cups and bake it that way so there are individual servings. Then I can freeze these for another time.

Italian Turkey Stuffing

1/2 stick of butter
2c. celery and the leaves, chopped
1-2 onions, chopped
fresh parsley
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. sausage meat (I buy the tube of Jimmy Deans reg. sausage)
1-2 loaves of Italian bread or sourdough ( I add an extra loaf if the bird is huge)
2-3 eggs
turkey giblets (except the liver) and neck, cooked with celery leaves in water or chicken stock (save stock)
1/2 tsp. oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

First cook the giblets in the water so its all ready for making the stuffing. I like to start this early and just let it simmer to tenderize the giblets and get as much flavor as possible. You may have to add more water or stock as it cooks. Once its done, continue with recipe.

Fry the sausage meat till brown, drain fat and put in a lg. bowl. Slice mushrooms if not bought sliced and saute in the butter. Add to sausage in the bowl.

I use a food processor for the next part. Cut veggies up in lg. chunks to fit processor. Grind celery and leaves, onion and parsley till in small pieces. Grind giblets but not neck.Dump into lg. bowl with sausage and mushrooms.

Soak bread in water. ( I cut mine up and let it dry a day or so. This helps it from becoming mush) Squeeze excess water out from bread and add to lg. bowl.

Add eggs, oregano, salt and pepper to lg. bowl and mix some. Then add some stock to it, mixing well. What I look for is a sloppy wet stuffing. It does dry out some as it bakes. But we like a very moist dressing so add enough stock to make it sloppy before baking.

To taste to correct seasoning: Melt some butter in a frying pan and take a sm. scoop of the stuffing and cook it like a patty in the butter. I like to brown it on both sides and then let cool to taste. This gives the cook ( me ) a chance for a snack cuz by now I'm starving since I start this before breakfast. It also gives you a chance to see if the flavor is balanced and if there's enough spices. If not add more and test again.

When stuffing tastes right....take the rest and stuff it lightly into the bird both the back end and the neck end. Bake as usual.

Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

I saw this on tv the other day and it just looked so yummy I had to find the recipe. Im gonna make this with my leftovers. I used my holiday leftovers to make my own version and it was awesome. This is definitely a keeper.




Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey or chopped leftover turkey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, cut into 1-inch dice
2 carrots, peeled and grated
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups turkey or chicken stock (recommended: Kitchen Basics brand)
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas
1 very ripe banana
A few dashes hot sauce
2 cups shredded sharp yellow CheddarPreheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a deep skillet or a Dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Add meat and break up with a wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper and poultry seasoning.

Place sweet potatoes in a pot, cover with water, cover pot, bring to a boil, salt and cook 15 minutes until tender.

Grate onions and carrots into the turkey. Add the celery and stir, cook 5 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and whisk 1 minute then whisk in stock and season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Thicken a few minutes.

Stir peas into meat and turn heat off.

Drain potatoes and return pot to heat. Add remaining butter and melt over medium

heat. Peel and slice banana and add potatoes to the pot. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and a few dashes hot sauce. Mash potatoes and banana to combine, adjust seasoning. Top the meat with the potatoes. Cover potatoes with cheese and set in oven. Bake to melt cheese, 5 minutes.

*** My version: I used the turkey left from the bird and just chopped it into bite size pieces. I used S & P and a tsp of thyme because I didnt have poultry seasoning. I chopped the onion and sauteed it with the turkey. I grated the carrot and celery. I misread the recipe and it should have been chopped and I will next time but it still was yummy.

I used leftover homemade gravy instead of making the recipe one here. I added the Worchestershire to it tho and a touch more once all was mixed in the pan since I felt it needed a bit more zing. I tossed the peas in with everything I put in the casserole dish since it was all very hot. I even added about a cup of leftover stuffing. Then I topped with homemade mashed potatoes made with sour cream that was left from the holiday too. My bf and son dont like sweet potatoes so I substituted that. Finally I topped it all with the cheese and baked it a bit longer than what it says here to be sure its heated thru well and hot. Everyone loved it and said make it again!

Herbal Turkeys

I thought since Thanksgiving is coming Id give you some herbal turkey ideas. The Thanksgiving turkey in our house has to be made the same most times, but I am able to tweak it here and there without the family knowing it. For instance, I now regularly brine my bird overnight after a particularly wonderful deep fried one a friend made here one yr. You can do that to your baked bird too. It comes out tender and juicy and stays that way even when cold for sandwiches the next day. I was amazed! No more dry bird.

Roasted Heritage Turkey with Herbs

Start with a fresh or completely thawed turkey. (Thaw in

the refrigerator, one to three days before cooking, depending on the size of the turkey.) If you choose to stuff the

turkey, do it just before roasting to avoid the risk of contamination. Serve with gravy made from the vegetable- and herb-flavored broth left in the roasting pan.

8- to 12-pound turkey
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
5 or 6 whole sage leaves
3 or 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth, if available)
4 ounces soft butter

Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme and sage
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove giblets from turkey, then rinse and pat it dry. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Carefully slide your hand between the skin and the breast and leg meat, then tuck thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic under the skin.

Stuff the bird loosely. Before placing the turkey in the roasting pan, add the diced carrots, onions, celery and sprigs of fresh herbs. Place turkey in pan on top of vegetables, then add broth. Rub turkey breast and legs with butter. Roast uncovered, basting occasionally, for approximat

ely 2½ to 3 hours (a stuffed turkey takes longer to cook), or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Allow turkey to rest 20 minutes before carving.

For gravy, remove herb sprigs from broth. Allow broth to cool slightly, then skim off some of the excess fat. In a medium saucepan, heat remaining broth and pan scrapings. Meanwhile, dissolve cornstarch in cold water; add mixture to hot broth, stirring until broth thickens. Use a handheld blender to puree the vegetables and finish the gravy.

Makes 6 to 8 servings plus leftovers

HERB RUBBED TURKEY WITH ROASTED GARLIC GRAVY

Turkey:
1 Cup Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley Leaves
1/2 Cup Fresh Sage Leaves
1/2 Cup Fresh Rosemary Leaves

1/2 Cup Fresh Thyme Leaves
22 Medium Garlic Cloves, about 3 heads
1 10 Pound Turkey, preferably organic or free-range (10 to 12)
1 Large Or 2 Medium Onions, sliced into thin rings
2 Tablespoons Plus 1 Teaspoon Grapeseed Oil
Roasted-garlic gravy:
1 Head Garlic, end cut off, brushed with olive oil and wrapped in aluminum foil
3 1/2 Cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth, preferably organic
1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour

One day ahead: Process herbs and garlic in food processor until finely minced. Set aside.
Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat. Place turkey in large nonreactive bowl. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by gently inserting fingers between skin and meat. Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper under and over skin. Then spread garlic-herb rub under skin and gently press skin to adhere. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck into turkey. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

To roast: Let turkey stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving. Set oven rack at lowest position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread sliced onions on bottom of heavy-bottomed roasting pan and place fitted rack over top. (Or place the turkey directly on bed of onions. T

hey will prevent sticking and flavor drippings.) Brush turkey with grapeseed oil and carefully transfer to rack.

Brush one side of double-folded sheet of aluminum foil with grapeseed oil and tent, greased side down, over turkey breast. Place turkey in oven so legs face back of oven and bird, breast side up, faces door. Place wrapped garlic on oven rack. Roast 45 minutes, Remove garlic from oven. Remove foil from turkey and turn pan around. Roast until thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 170 degrees and juices run clear when thigh is pierced with fork (see note below), about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer turkey to platter and reserve pan drippings.
Let turkey stand 20 minutes before carving.

Prepare gravy while turkey rests: Pour drippings into 4-cup glass measure, and skim off fat that rises to surface, reserving 1 tablespoon fat (see tip below). Add enough broth to drippings to measure 3 cups. Separate roasted garlic cloves. Squeeze pulp into small bowl and mash well with fork. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat reserved fat. Add garlic and flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in broth mixture. Bring to boil over high heat, whisking constantly, and remove from heat. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

I brine my bird overnite. A friend made a deep fried one , one yr for me and we brined it then. It came out awesome and so tender. So since this brine I found online was for a baked bird , I tried it that way the yr. after. It came out tender, juicy and made tons of gravy. And the leftovers stayed tender and juicy too.

TURKEY BRINE FOR ROASTED OR DEEP FRIED TURKEYS

1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary

To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary.
Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

I also slice the lemons and oranges and squeeze them before I throw them in the brine to release all the juices into the brine. I have put this in a lg pot and left it rm temp over nite as long as the bird is totally covered. The salt should keep it overnite. Ive had huge birds tho and when I do I use a sm . cooler to brine it in over nite. Rinse the bird off to get all the loose herbs and extra salt off then pat dry with paper towels before continuing with your recipe. * Last year I had a 22lb bird and had nothing to brine it in. Then I remembered my camping cooler. It was perfect! I could leave it out so it didnt take up room in my refrigerator. I just tossed some ice in with the water so it stayed cold all nite and kept it covered.

WHAT DO YOU EAT FOR THANKSGIVING?

Every year we have almost the same things for Thanksgiving but many of my recipes were here, there and everywhere and when I needed them I couldn't find them all. Long ago I found this bound blank book and I started to put in all the family recipes. It works great, they cant fall out, and they are all in one place. I could throw away all those scraps of paper stuffed in the drawer or other books. The only ones I kept were ones written by family members who are no longer with us. Those are heirlooms, their handwriting and sometimes a story of how you got the recipe are worth keeping in a scrapbook or album.

Eventually I found some in other cookbooks too and when the holidays came I would go nuts trying to find them. So one crazy holiday I decided to leave those books out on my counter till the holiday was over. Then I took some time to go thru each one , writing that recipe in my family book. Now they were all in one place. I went one step farther too. There were some blank pages in the bound book at the back. I wrote my menu for each holiday on those so when the time came I could remember all that I needed to make and also make my shopping list. Now that I'm getting old here and CRS is kicking in its helped alot!

So this is what is written in that book for my Thanksgiving day dinner......

Turkey
Stuffing
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Soup
Sweet Potatoes
Mom's Mushrooms
Cranberry Sauce
Caramelized onions
Peas
Brussels Sprouts
Cornmeal Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie

Over time of course things might change a bit. I now brine my turkey overnight and that's a new recipe Ive forgotten to add . I also now make that Apple Cider Pie I posted awhile back instead of a plain pie. Ive taken to making my own flavored cranberry sauces now....last yr I made cran/orange and cran/raspberry. I'm thinking about changing the soup this year and I might roast the brussels sprouts with garlic cuz they are so yummy that way. But this at least shows me what we always had and what the family will look for.

So what are your family Thanksgiving menu traditions?

THANKSGIVING SOUPS

We have a soup before our Thanksgiving day dinner each yr. The one I usually make is called Curried Corn Soup. Many yrs ago when my children were small , a bunch of my friends and I got together to from a daytime ladies gourmet group. Once a month we would create a menu and cook it for the others. We got to try out many new recipes we might not have tried otherwise. One of my friends made this soup and it was sooooooooooo yummy! I never would have put these ingredients together and yet they blend beautifully. I love the fact that its easy to make too using canned corn. If you love creamed corn this soup is for you. It is the only time of year I make it and my kids always look for it.









CURRIED CORN SOUP Makes 8c.

2 tb. butter
2 tb. chopped shallots or green onions
2 cans (1lb. each) creamed corn
1 can (1 lb.) whole corn, drained
2 c. half and half 1/2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1 tsp. curry powder

Saute shallots. Add rest of ingredients. Stir while heating thru. Watch heat , it can scorch.

I have used 4 (1lb.) cans or creamed corn too and regular milk and its still very good. I now have found I can use fat free half and half in this type of soup and it tastes just as good without the fat.

Last year I decided to try a new recipe. At first my family said "what no corn soup?" and were disappointed till they tasted this. Now they are asking are you making Crab Bisque this year? They are tough critics so I figure its really good. And this is also another one of those easy soups to make.









CRAB BISQUE Serves 8

2 tb. butter
1 tsp. onion, finely chopped ( I have found I just grate a bit)
1 tb. parsley finely chopped
1 1/2c. crab meat, chopped
2 tb. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. light cream
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt

In saucepan melt the butter. Add the onion and cook slowly till golden. Add the crabmeat and parsley and cook over low heat stirring constantly. (about 4min.) Add the flour, stir to blend and cook for 3min. more. Stir in the chicken broth and simmer gently for 20 min. Keep pan partially covered. Add the cream and cayenne pepper. Heat and add salt to taste.


We can get Dungeness crabs around here so if I find a sale on them I will buy a big one, clean it the day before and put the meat in the freezer till I make the soup. Ive also used the lg. king crab legs too when they are on sale. If you want to stretch it tho you could add some shrimp too.