Roast Turkey With Chestnut Stuffing
Ingredients:
10-12 lb. whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
2 Pounds chestnuts
2 Cups butter
2 Cups minced onion
10 Cups dried bread crumbs
2 Cups minced celery
1 tsp Thyme, dried
1 tsp Savory, dried
1 tsp Rosemary, dried
1 tsp Marjoram, dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
Cut a cross on the flat side of each chestnut, with a sharp knife.
Cover it with water and simmer, in a saucepan for about 5 minutes.
Drain and remove the shells and inner brown skins.
Cover it with fresh water and boil it for about 20 to 30 minutes till tender.
Drain and chop coarsely.
To prepare the stuffing, melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium flame.
Add onions and celery to it, and cook till tender and mix in bread crumbs and chestnuts.
Season it with, marjoram, thyme, savory, and rosemary.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the turkey under cold running water, and pat dry.
Massage salt and pepper into the body cavities and loosely spoon stuffing into body cavities.
Seal the skin with skewers or kitchen twine, and tie the drumsticks together.
Put the turkey on a rack in a medium roasting pan.
Roast the turkey 3-1/2 to 4- 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, till internal temperature of thigh reaches 180 degrees F and stuffing reaches 165 degrees F.
Place a foil tent over the turkey during the last half of roasting time to avoid the over browning.
Remove it from the oven and place on the platter and allow the turkey to stand for about 20 minutes before carving.
Crumb Topped Green Bean Mushroom Bake
Ingredients ~
1-1/2 lbs fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation ~
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the green beans in the boiling water until softened, but not fully cooked, about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until they start to turn golden. Add in the sliced mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms are cooked but still firm and not overly brown.
Add in the green beans, tossing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a large baking dish coated with nonstick spray. Cover and place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the green beans reach a desired tenderness.
This dish can be made ahead up to this point and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
To make the crumb topping, melt 1 tablespoon butter, add the panko crumbs and toss to coat. Remove from the heat and mix in the grated parmesan cheese.
Remove the green beans from the oven, uncover and top with the panko-parmesan mixture. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the panko crumbs toast slightly. Remove from the oven, grind a bit of black pepper over the top, squeeze on some fresh lemon juice and serve.
Baked Spiced Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
2 small butternut squash
melted butter
cinnamon sugar
Preparation:
Brush a jelly-roll pan with butter and heat oven to 350°.
Carefully cut each squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and soft fibers with a spoon. Brush the inside of each squash with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Place squash halves, seasoned cut side down, in the prepared pan. Add about 1/2 cup water to the pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Serve halves immediately or scoop the squash out into a serving dish and discard the skin.
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 large sweet potatoes (4-5 lbs.)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 2 Tbsp. orange juice
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 10.5 oz. package miniature marshmallows
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 1-1/2 to 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Wash and prick potatoes with a fork several times. Place on a baking sheet and bake 1 hour. Alternatively, place on a paper towel in the microwave, and heat on high 6-12 minutes until soft.
Let potatoes cool. Peel and place sweet potato pulp in a food processor.*
Add remaining ingredients except marshmallows. Puree until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread marshmallows over top of casserole. Bake another 5-10 minutes on the top rack, until the marshmallows brown.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
- zest of one orange
Preparation:
Place orange juice and sugar in a medium or large saucepan. If you know you like foods sweet, use the whole cup of sugar. If you prefer a tart cranberry sauce, start with 1/2 cup of sugar. You can always add more sugar to the cranberry sauce later. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add cranberries, stir, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and sauce thickens. Taste, and add more sugar if necessary. Stir in orange zest.
Cool and serve. This cranberry sauce can be prepared up to a week in advance. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup butter
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1-1/2 cups milk or cream
Preparation:
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Place the potatoes in a large, heavy saucepan. Cover with water by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Uncover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the potatoes simmer 20-30 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes in a colander.
Return the potatoes to pot. Add the salt, pepper, butter and cream cheese. Mash with a potato masher. Add the cream - you want to add a bit more cream than you normally would if you were eating the mashed potatoes right away. It will get absorbed in the reheating.
Taste the mashed potatoes, and adjust the seasonings.
Let the potatoes cool, spread in the prepared baking dish, and refrigerate. When ready to serve the mashed potatoes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees, bake the mashed potatoes 30-40 minutes until hot all the way through, or reheat in a slow cooker on low for 1-3 hours.
PUMPKIN ROLL
Ingredients:
For the cake:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
Two third cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Three fourth cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
half teaspoon salt
half teaspoon nutmeg
1 half teaspoon cinnamon
half cup chopped pecans
Preparation:
For the filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons margarine
half teaspon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until well blended. Line a 10 half" by 15" cookie sheet with parchment paper, trimming excess. Pour the batter onto the cookie sheet, spread evenly. Sprinke with pecans. Bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Prepare a linen towel heavily sprinkled with powdered sugar. After baking, turn the cookie sheet onto the towel, parchment paper side up. The cake should slide out onto the towel. Remove paper and roll up the cake into the towel. Cool 30-40 minutes. For the filling, stir together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, margarine and vanilla. Mix well. After the roll has cooled, unroll it and spread the filling evenly. Re-roll and slice for serving.