Great Holiday Recipe!

Brined, Herb Roasted Turkey

1 cup salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 oranges, quartered

6 sprigs rosemary

1 (10-12 lb turkey)

4 T. unsalted butter at room temperature

Salt and Pepper

1 lg orange, cut into 1/8ths

1 stalk celery, cut into 1 in. pieces

1 large carrot, cut into 1 in. pieces

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

1/2 bunch sage

3-4 sprigs parsley

1-1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock for basting

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, food grade plastic storage bag).  Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, rosemary.  Note:  If you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 C. salt and 1/2 C. brown sugar for every gallon of water.
Remove the neck, giblets and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for the gravy.  Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels, both inside and out.  Place turkey breast side up in a large, heavy roasting pan.  Rub the breast with orange segments and rub on all sides with butter, stuffing some underneath the skin.  Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper.  Stuff the turkey with onion, remaining orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley.  Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.  Roast the turkey for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, turn and baste with 1/2 C. stock.  Continue roasting with the breast side up until and instant-read thermometer register 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time.  Bast the turkey every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 C. of chicken or turkey stock.

Great Holiday Recipe!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t allspice

1/4 t nutmeg

2 slightly beaten egg yolks

2 egg whites

1/2 C. whipping cream (whipped), or 1 C. Cool Whip

1/2 C. sugar

1/t cinnamon

1/4 t ginger

3/4 C. milk

1-1 1/4 C. pumpkin

1/4 C. sugar

Combine gelatin, 1/2 C. sugar, salt, and spices in a sauce pan (I use a double boiler).  Stir in milk, egg yolks and pumpkin.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and gelatin dissolves.  Remove from heat and chill until partially set.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and gradually add 1/4 C. sugar and beat to stiff peaks.  Fold in pumpkin mixture.   Fold in whipped cream or cool whip to the pumpkin mixture.  Pour into cooked and cooled pie shell.

Lion House Pie Dough

1/4 C. softened butter

1/4 C. margarine

1 T. granulated sugar

1 t. salt

1 1/2 C. pastry flour

1/2 C. plus 1 T. cold water

1/3 C. lard

1/3 C. shortening

1/2 t. baking flour

1 T. nonfat dry milk

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour or bread flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, lard, margarine and shortening.  You may use a mixer to cream shortening mixtures.  In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, baking powder, salt and dry milk powder.  Add to creamed butter mixture and mix briefly.  Add pastry flour and mix until blended.  Add all-purpose flour and mix slightly.  Pour in water and mix again just until water is blended.

Divide dough into three balls.  Roll out each ball on a floured board or pastry cloth.  Line pie pan with dough and cut off excess dough.  Flute edges.

For recipes that call for baked pie crust, prick holes in bottom with fork.  Bake empty pie shell at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Otherwise, fill unbaked pie shell and bake according to recipe.  Makes 2-3 nine inch pie shells.

Note:  Your pie dough does not shrink as much if you chill the pie crusts before baking.  You may substitute all-purpose flour for the pastry flour called for in the recipe.  Also, this dough may be used by hand-cutting the fats into the dry ingredients.

Great Holiday Recipe!

Justin Kimball's Turkey Dressing

1 C. Finely chopped celery

1 C. Chopped Onion

1 C. Shredded carrot

1/2 C. Butter

10 C. Dry bread crumbs

2 C. Chicken broth

1 lb. Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage

1 tsp. Sage

1/4 C. Snipped parsley

1/2 tsp. Crushed thyme

1/4 tsp. Dried marjoram

1/4 tsp. Black pepper

It is important to have all the ingredients prepared and measured before beginning.

Start by browning the sausage in a pan large enough to hold all the vegetables comfortably.  Then add the onions, celery and carrot at one time.  When the onions just start to clear and the celery tender, add one half of the butter.  Allow the butter to melt, then stir in the seasonings.  The mixture is done when the vegetables are somewhat tender and just a little pink is left in the sausage.  Remember that you want the sausage and vegetables to finish cooking in the bird so they can share flavors and nothing gets overcooked.  Also, when browning the sausage, try to keep the pieces as small as possible.

Combine sausage mixture with the bread crumbs.  Cube the remaining butter and add to the mixture.  Moisten stuffing with chicken broth.  Stuffing is moist enough when you can just crush a piece of bread between two fingers.  After stuffing the bird, put the extra chicken broth in a pan the pan or cooking bag with the bird.  Wrap the extra stuffing in aluminum foil (very tightly sealed and double layered) and bake for the last 30-45 minutes of cooking time for the bird.

Stuffs an 8-10 lb. bird, serves 6-8 people.

Great  Holiday recipe!

Sweet Potato Souffle

From the Herrera household-traditional and family favorite!

Souffle

1/2 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

3 C. Mashed sweet potatoes, (not yams)

1 T. Vanilla

1/3 C. Butter

Topping

1 C. Brown sugar

1/3 C. Butter

1/3 C Flour

1/4 C. Chopped pecans (optional)

Beat the souffle ingredients together until fluffy and smooth.  Place in greased casserole dish or 8x8'' pan.  Mix the topping ingretients and spread over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

(This recipe is also found in the Glenmoor cookbook-Lisa Crandall's recipe minus the pecans)

Great holiday recipe!

Marlene's Family's Must Have Holiday Egg Breakfast

Grease 9x11 baking dish and line with bread slices (remove crusts)

(Hint: Marlene says to use a glass pan for easier clean up)

Blend:

7 Beaten eggs

3/4 C. Milk

1/2 tsp. Dry mustard

1 Chopped green onion

Pour this mixture over the the bread

Next, sprinkle 1 C. grated cheddar cheese (Marlene uses a little more) over the soaked bread

Mix 1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup with 1/2 C. evaporated milk.  Spread over the cheese.

Crumble 1lb. cooked bacon over the top of the casserole.

At this point, you can freeze or refrigerate overnight.

Cook 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Great Holiday Recipe!

Vicki's Spinach Souffle

This is a MUST at our holiday table.  Don't let the "spinach" in the souffle title scare you away.  It is delicious...Lila.

2 pkg (boxed) Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed

1 lb. Grated Cheddar Cheese (good quality)

1/4 lb. Melted Margarine or Butter

6 Well Beaten Eggs

1 container Small Curd Cottage Cheese

6 T. Flour

Mix all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hr. to 1 1/2 hr.

Great Holiday Recipe!

Water Punch

1 Tbsp. Citric Acid

1 Tbsp. Lemon Extract

2 Cups Sugar

5 Quarts Water

Mix and refrigerate.

Serve with ice.

Lemon/lime slices add color.