Turkey
Rub:
1/3 cup salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
Butter:
2 sticks butter
5 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon rosemary
2 teaspoons fennel seed
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pepper
The day before, rub the defrosted turkey in and out with the rub. Let sit for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Mix together the ingredients for the butter, then spread all over the turkey inside and out. Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes per pound, or your thermometer reads
Stuffing
16 cups bread (cubed)
1 stick butter
2 cups onions
2 cups celery
1 tablespoon thyme
3 cups chicken broth
Package of sausage
1 Sweet potato
2 eggs (beaten)
1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, celery and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth; simmer and remove from heat.
Meanwhile, cook the sausage and cube the sweet potato.
Mix the chicken broth in with the cubed bread, add the beaten eggs and parsley. Last, stir in the cooked sausage and the sweet potato.
Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes covered, and another 20 minutes uncovered.
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
3 heads garlic, split in 1/2
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1 stick butter, cubed
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the garlic on a pie pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and
pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender
and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool. Squeeze or remove the garlic cloves from the head and place in a
small bowl. Using a fork, mash the garlic until smooth. Place the
potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until fork
tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and drain.
Place the potatoes back in the pot and return to the heat. Stir the potatoes,
constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes to dehydrate the potatoes. Remove the potatoes from
the heat. Add the garlic and butter.
Using a hand-held masher, mash the butter and garlic into the potatoes. Add
enough cream until
desired texture is achieved. The potatoes should still be sort of lumpy. Season
the potatoes with salt and pepper.
Green Beans and Bacon (recipe from Food Network Magazine)
2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
Salt
1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
Juice of 1/2 lemon
pepper
Toss the green beans into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until bright green in color and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and shock in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the beans and pat dry.
Cook the bacon in a large, heady saute pan until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Spoon off the excess bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onion and saute until soft and very tender, 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle in the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until just fragrant, about 1 more minute. Add the reserved green beans and the pecans and cool until heated through, 5-6 minutes more. Return the bacon to the pan, pour in the lemon juice and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from
14 crackers)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter,
melted
Filling
1 .25 ounce envelope unflavored
gelatin
1 8 ounce bar cream cheese, at room
temp
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crust:
Heat oven to 400. In
medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Transfer to
a 9 inch spring
form pan. Using a straight-sided dry measuring cup, press the mixture in to the
bottom and 2 inches
up the sides of the pan. Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Let cool.
Filling:
Sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup boiling water. Let stand, stirring occasionally,
until dissolves, about 5 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese until
smooth. Mix in the pumpkin, sour cream, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla.
Mix in the gelatin mixture until incorporated. Pour the mixture into the crust
and refrigerate, covered, until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Apple- Pear- Ginger Pie (recipe from Food Network Magazine)
Crust (Paula Dean's Perfect Pie Crust):
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 tablespoons granulated white
sugar
1/4 cup vegetable
shortening, cold
12 tablespoons butter, cold and
cubed
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar.
Add the shortening and break it up with your hands as you start to coat it all
up with the flour. Add the cold butter cubes and work it into the flour with your
hands or a pastry cutter. Work it quickly, so the butter
doesn't get too soft, until the mixture is crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal.
Add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together forming
a dough. Bring the dough together into a ball.
When it comes together stop working it otherwise the
dough will get over-worked and tough. Divide the dough in half and flatten it slightly to
form a disk shape. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for
about 30 minutes. On a floured surface roll each disk out into a 10 to 11-inch
circle to make a 9-inch pie.
Filling:
1 1/2 pounds mixed apples
1 1/2 pounds pears
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Peel and core the apples and pears; slice 1/4 inch thick. Toss with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and pears and cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, ginger and salt; cook until thickened, 1 more minutes. Let cool.
Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch pie plate. Add the apples and pears, mounding them slightly in the center, and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into decorative shapes; arrange on top of the filling. Brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Place the pie on a hot baking sheet, and bake at 375 F until golden; about 1 hour. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly. Cool on a rack.
