Thanksgiving dinner

As the Holidays is just around the corner, I thought it would be nice to put together my favorites for the Holidays. I'll start with the Turkey and add my side dishes.  These recipes have been tweaked by me, with the exception of the Turkey recipe which I dare not and do not want to tweak.  The Pies are the ones I want to try this year!!

THE MOISTEST TURKEY

Ingredients
* 1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs.*
* Juice of a lemon
* Salt and pepper
* Olive oil or melted butter
* 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
* Tops and bottoms of a bunch of celery
* 2 carrots
* Parsley
* Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme

For precise cooking directions, go to:
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000037moms_roast_turkey.php

Otherwise here is the shorten version. 7 simple steps:
BRINE the turkey! Or in other words soak it in salt water

1. Remove the neck and giblets (heart, gizzard, liver). Use the heart and gizzard for making stock for the stuffing.
2. For flavor, put in inside the turkey a half a yellow onion, peeled and quartered, a bunch of parsley, a couple of carrots, and some tops and bottoms of celery.
3. Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey.
4. Add several sprigs of fresh (if possible) thyme and rosemary to the outside of the turkey.
5. Place turkey BREAST DOWN on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings
6. Start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350 F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half.
7. Check to see if it's done. The dark meat in the thigh should be about 175°F. The white meat in the breast should be 160°F to 165°F

                                                                    Green Beans Casserole

Ingredients

1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup diced onions or dry onions
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups cut green beans
1 can cream of chicken 
A handful of dry chow mein noodles

 1 cup grated Cheddar 

 Onion dip seasoning for taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in skillet. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Boil green beans for 10 minutes and drain. Mix all ingredients. Stir well. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.  Top with chow mein noodles after removing it from oven.

Mashed Potatoes

3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt 

1 cube of butter

4 slices of bacon, cooked to crispy and crushed up
 1/2 cup of half-and-half
6 cloves garlic, crushed
6 ounces grated Parmesan
  

                                                    Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallow

 Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt and garlic and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Drain and add the rest of the ingredients

• 4 potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or round slices
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups mini marshmallows or chopped regular marshmallows 
• Pinch of salt

1.  Cook potatoes in saucepan with cold water with salt Bring to a boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, and return to pan.
2. Remove pan from heat; add milk, butter, and nutmeg.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake until marshmallows are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

                                             Broccoli Avocado Spinach Salad 

 2 cups baby spinach
1 cup broccoli florets

 1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red cabbage, diced
1/2 large avocado, diced

1/4 cup of sliced almonds

1/4 cup of diced purple onions

Dressing:

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup of olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper
Small drizzle of maple syrup

  

PIES

Ingredients

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
4 to 7 tablespoons ice water or more, if needed

 

Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie

• All-purpose flour, for surface
• 1/2 recipe Basic Pie Dough
• 2 c. pecans
• 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1 c. light corn syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll 1/2 recipe to a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, fold edges under to align with the rim of the plate; crimp.
2. Scatter pecans, chips, and coconut over bottom of pie shell; place on a baking sheet. Whisk together sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter, and salt; pour into shell.
3. Bake until filling is set, 50 to 60 minutes (tent with foil if coconut becomes too dark). Cool, on a rack, at least 4 hours.

Nutella Swirl Pumpkin pie

For the Crust:

• 1 and 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the Filling:

• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 15 ounce can pure pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar, I prefer dark)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger¹
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves¹
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg¹
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Nutella, warmed (or 4 oz melted high quality chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)  Spray 9 or 8 inch pie dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. Grind up gingersnap cookies into a fine crumb. Mix with melted butter, and sugar. Press into prepared pie dish. Do not press the crust far up the sides of the dish, or the cookies will end up burning. About halfway up the sides. Bake crust for 10 minutes and allow to slightly cool.
2. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the Nutella) and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into pie crust. Drop spoonfuls of warmed Nutella (I usually kust stick in the microwave for 30 seconds) onto pie, swirling gently with a knife. Do not swirl too much, just lightly.
3. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is set. The center will still look wet but will not "jiggle" too much. Allow to cool completely and serve at room temperature. Pie is good up to 4 days covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. Pie freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.