Apple Yam Casserole

Recipe courtesy of CLord

• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of raisins, or fresh cranberry sauce*
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 slices lemon, thinly sliced

 

1. Parboil sweet potatoes until slightly tender. 
2. Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish, or spray with cooking spray.
3. In the casserole dish, alternately layer the sweet potatoes and apples.
4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together brown sugar, 2/3 cup water, raisins (if using) cinnamon, butter and salt. Cook 5 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, stir together remaining water and flour. Combine with the brown sugar mixture; heat until thickened. Add cranberries, if using, to mixture.   Pour over the sweet potatoes and apples. Place the lemon slices on top.
6. Bake covered in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and apples are tender.

* For fresh cranberry sauce, combine one package of cranberries with one cup of water and one cup of sugar.   Simmer until cranberries pop.   Drain most of liquid before adding to brown sugar mixture.

Brined Turkey

Recipe courtesy of Mrs.Carlybella
I have never had a juicier turkey!!! (also the aromatics are optional... I like to cook my stuffing in a casserole dish and pour a little stock over it as well as squirt it as a I baste)

I always use a cooler that is big and needs a lot of liquid to fill up the space when I brine my turkey. For the water I use half water and half ice. This keeps the thing cold overnight and therefore the turkey doesn't spoil.

Ingredients: 1 turkey!!!

For the brine:
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
2 gallons vegetable stock (Kitchen Basics in the green container is great)
2 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon allspice berries
1 tablespoon candied ginger
2 gallons iced water

For the aromatics:
2 red apple, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 cinnamon stick
2 cup water
8 sprigs rosemary
12 leaves sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 160 degrees. (it will cook itself while you let it rest tented) A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Quick Winter Squash Soup With Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe courtesy of Jessearl

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 (12-ounce) packages frozen winter squash purée, thawed
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 

In large saucepan over moderately high heat, melt butter. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in squash and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until soup thickens, about 30 minutes. While soup simmers, make pumpkin seeds: In small skillet over moderately high heat, heat oil. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until seeds begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cumin and cayenne pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl and season with generous pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt.

When soup has thickened, remove from heat and stir in lime zest and juice. Season with kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle into bowls, garnish with pumpkin seeds, and serve. Tip: 1 medium lime should provide about 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice. Be sure to zest the lime before halving and juicing it.

Roll-Ups

Recipe courtesy of Cathy&John

1 8-oz. tub onion & chive cream cheese spread

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

4 spinach-flavored flour tortillas (10 inch)

6 oz. smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1 cup baby spinach leaves

Mix cream cheese spread and feta cheese until well blended. Spread evenly onto tortillas within approx. 1 inch of tortilla edge; top evenly with salmon and spinach.

Roll up tortillas tightly; wrap individually in plastic wrap, seam side down. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Remove plastic wrap just before serving. Cut each roll-up crosswise into 12 pieces. Throwaway (or eat!) the ends. Arrange on serving plate.

Other variations: Virginia Ham (8 slices) & 8 oz. olive cream cheese spread with 4 sun dried tomato tortillas; Roast Beef (8 slices) & 8 oz. plain cream cheese mixed with a little bbq sauce on 4 herbed tortillas. All VERY yummy!

Cream of Turkey Soup

Recipe courtesy of Meenbobby

Set up your turkey with 3-4 carrots 2-3 celery stalks (peeled),1 medium-large onion and 1 peeled turnip (all veggies should be cut into large pieces)

Season with Salt, Pepper, Adobo and Garlic Powder, add about 1 cup of water, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degree oven.  The last 1/2 hour to 45 min uncover the turkey and let everything brown.

 Put a large pot of water (they use a 12 quart pot) about 3 quarters filled, add the turkey wings, legs and (VERY IMPORTANT) the neck!!!, cover and bring to a boil, then add 4 or 5 cubes of Chicken Boulion. (If you can find Turkey Base, which would be ideal) cook about 45 min.

 Then add the veggies and any loose skin in a blender and add some of the liquid from the roasting pan and puree.

 Then take out the neck and bones out of the large pot (if you want some turkey in the soup, break it off and add it now), then add 2 quarts of heavy cream and 8-10 oz of Uncle Ben's rice, bring to a boil on medium flame, then lower to a simmer for about 20 mins.

Cornucopia

Recipe courtesy of njmandy

Use as a centerpiece, or the center of a veggie platter

It was originally from my sister in law, but I also found it on allrecipes.com

It looks very impressive, but it’s very easy to do.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 (11 ounce) containers refrigerated soft bread stick dough
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray a 17x14 inch (or lager) cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Tear off a 30x18 inch sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold it in half to 18x15 inch. Roll diagonally to form a hollow cone, about 18 inches long with a diameter of 5 inches at the widest end (Cornucopia opening). Fasten end with clear tape. Stuff cone with crumpled regular foil until form is rigid. Bend tail of cone up then down at end. Spray outside of cone with non-stick cooking spray. Place on cookie sheet.
3. Beat the egg with the water to make a glaze. Open and unroll the first can of breadstick dough on work surface. Separate breadsticks. Begin by wrapping one breadstick around tip of cone. Brush end of next breadstick with Glaze and press to attach to end of first breadstick. Continue spiral-wrapping cone, slightly overlapping dough until there are 3 breadsticks left.
4. Pinch one end of the 3 breadsticks together, then braid. Brush bread around opening of cornucopia with glaze. Gently press on braid. Brush entire cornucopia with glaze.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until bread is a rich brown. (If parts start to darken too much, cover them with pieces of foil.)
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet on a wire rack. Carefully remove foil when cool. (If freezing, leave foil in bread for support. Remove when thawed.) 

Chips and Dip

Recipe courtesy of biochemgirl

1 package Knorr Leek Soup and Recipe Mix

1 16 ounce container sour cream

Mix leek soup with sour cream.  Store in a covered bowl/Tupperware in fridge for 2 hours before serving.  Serve with chips and/or vegetables.