Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Bacon

Ingredients

• 10 cups water
• Salt
• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 5 or 6 pieces bacon, minced
• 1 red onion, medium dice
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot, over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Generously salt the water and add the cleaned Brussels sprouts. Cook the sprouts until medium tenderness has been reached, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, in a large saucepan over medium heat fry the bacon until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from the pan to a plate lined with a paper towel. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add the red onions and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the red wine vinegar and brown sugar and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

Drain  the Brussel sprouts from water and add to pan with the onions. Stir to coat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in the reserved bacon and cranberries. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl to serve. 

Sarah's Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce
• 6 strips of bacon
• 1/2 of a 10 oz pkg. frozen peas
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (or 2 1/2 oz. cut into strips)
• 2/3 cups diced green onion
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip

Directions

1. Wash and drain lettuce. Dry thoroughly.
2. Dice and cook bacon until crisp; drain and cool on paper towel.
3.  Put frozen peas in a colander. Run hot water over peas to thaw. Drain peas.
4. Tear lettuce into bit sized pieces and place in salad bowl.
5. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and pepper over top of lettuce.
6. Add peas, cheese, green onion, mayo and salad dressing.  If making salad ahead of time, layer ingredients in order listed finishing with mayo and salad dressing. Do not mix the mayo and salad dressing in, just drop them on top of the salad, cover tightly and refrigerate.  Toss salad when ready to serve.
7.  Garnish with bacon. makes 8 servings.

Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Shallots

Ingredients

6 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes - peeled and quartered
4 peeled garlic cloves
2 Tcanola oil
6 large shallots thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
Kosher salt

Directions

In a large pot, cover the quartered potatoes and garlic cloves with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the canola oil until shimmering. Add the shallots in a single layer and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until they are golden, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to paper towels to drain.

Drain the potatoes and garlic in a colander, shaking out the excess water. Add the half-and-half and butter to the pot and heat until melted. Remove from the heat. Press the potatoes and garlic through a ricer into the pot and season with salt. Stir and cook over moderate heat until very hot. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a bowl. Just before serving, sprinkle the shallots with salt and garnish the potatoes with the shallots.

Brined Maple Turkey with Cream Gravy

Ingredients

Brine:

• 8 quarts water
• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  

Turkey:

• 1 (12-pound) fresh or thawed frozen turkey (I found you don't need to double anything even if you do a larger turkey)
• 1 cup cola
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 onions, quartered
• Cooking spray

Gravy:

• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

• To prepare brine, combine first 6 ingredients in a large stockpot, stirring until salt dissolves.
• To prepare turkey, remove and reserve giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Add turkey to pot, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Bring cola and 1/2 cup syrup to a boil in a small saucepan; cook 1 minute.
• Combine thyme, sage, seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove turkey from brine, discarding brine; pat dry. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub thyme mixture under loosened skin; sprinkle inside body cavity. Place 4 garlic cloves and onions in body cavity. Tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey.
• Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Insert a meat thermometer into meaty part of a thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Pour cola mixture over turkey; cover with foil. Bake an additional 1 hour and 45 minutes or until thermometer registers 180°. Remove turkey from pan, reserving drippings for gravy. Place turkey on a platter. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Remove twine. Discard skin.
• To prepare gravy, while turkey bakes, combine reserved giblet and neck and the broth in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Strain mixture through a colander into a bowl, discarding solids.
• Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour pan drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top).
• Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into broiler pan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Add broth mixture. Place broiler pan on stovetop over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine milk and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Strain gravy through a sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 cups sweet potato, cubed (about 1 large potato)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x9 inch baking dish.
3. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

compliments of the Noble Pig

Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

For the Glaze:
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons apple cider
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions
Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated. The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.
Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 X 2 pan. This is the small, rectangular-sized pan from your Pyrex set. You know, the set you had to have when you got married and rarely ever used all the pieces. Finally, you have a use for it.
Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.
Make the glaze while you're waiting.
Combine powdered sugar, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed. Pour over the cake while still warm. Reserve some to pour over each slice when served. Serve warm or room temperature.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
3 c. chicken stock
3/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. pureed fresh pumpklin
1/2 c. onion
1/4 tsp. fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
3 whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. fresh parsley

Directions
Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion, thyme, garlic and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Cool the soup before processing. Puree in small batches using a food processor or blender. Return to pan and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. Stir in heavy cream. Pour into bowls and garnish.

Broccoli Barf

Ingredients
2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped broccoli
½ pint sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water sliced water chestnuts
2 cups canned French fries
1 cup grated cheese

Directions
Cook and drain broccoli. Mix all ingredients except cheese. Top with cheese. Bake 350º for 30 min. (I mix the cheese in, too.)

Sausage Stuffing

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Ingredients

1 pkg Jimmy Dean sausage (sage flavor is good)

1 lb bread cubes or old bread torn up. For best results, buy a loaf of Grandma Sycamore's white bread, one week in advance. Cut into cubes and let it air dry.

1 tsp Poultry seasoning

½  to 1 C chicken broth (½ C will be very dry)

2 eggs

1 C onion, chopped

½ C celery, chopped

1 cube salted butter

½ T sage

Directions

Make in a VERY deep oven-safe pot.  

Brown sausage. Add onions, celery, seasoning and butter. Cook until onions are translucent. Add bread and broth until it is the right moisture for you. Some like wet stuffing, some dry. Cook over medium-low heat until bread is moistened and has started to lightly brown  Stir in eggs. Spoon in a casserole or bake in oven-proof pan, 325º for about 1 hour.

Sausage-Bacon Version:

Cook as above but make these substitutions and exchanges:

• Add half a package of cooked and diced bacon, cook with the sausage.  Retain the grease, which will give the bread a more deep-fried flavor.
• It is easier if you cook the sausage on one half of the pan and the bacon on the other half, trying not to mix until they are both fully cooked.
• Replace broth with the same amount of liquid but add all these:
• 1 t roasted garlic bullion
• 1 t sauteed onion bullion
• 1 t turkey bullion
• Replace the salted butter with unsalted butter
• Adding ½ C of additional butter will make the stuffing VERY rich but give it an even more deep-fried flavor. 

Chocolate Cream Pie Filling

Ingredients
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Cups milk
3 eggs
2 oz semi sweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In medium saucepan mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk. Add eggs and chocolate and cook over low until thick and smooth beating all the time. Remove and stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into baked 8 inch pie shell and serve with whip cream.

Fabulous crescent rolls

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/4 Cup water
1 Cup milk
1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt ( use less salt if using all butter) Butter is for richness, shortening is for fluff. That is why we divide it.
3/4 Cup butter or shortening ( we use half and half)
2 eggs
4 Cups flour

Directions
Dissolve yeast in water. Melt shortening in milk with sugar and salt by heating in mivrowave. don't get your milk too hot. Make sure it is cooled before adding to yeast. Add eggs and flour. It may take a little more flour but it is a very soft dough. You can stick your finger in it and it is ready when it doesn't stick to your finger. Because there is so much shortening in the dough it is less sticky. Cover in bowl and let rise until double. Divide into four parts. Roll each part into a circle about 12-14 inches in diameter. Spread with butter and cut into 8 wedges. Roll each up and place on baking sheet. Let rise again about 1 and 1/2 hours. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes.