Thanksgiving Highlights

Thanksgiving day was wonderful. The night before we made pumpkin pies. I rolled out the crusts while my husband mixed up the filling.

The pies turned out beautifully and tasted delicious!

The morning of Thanksgiving I set the table and got things ready. Some of the side dishes I set out ahead of time. I love these dishes we inherited when my mother-in-law passed away. The just look and feel like Thanksgiving.

I brined my turkey overnight in a solution of 4 quarts pineapple juice, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 1/2 cups kosher salt; 6 garlic cloves cut in half, and 4-6 whole bay leaves. I soaked it for 12 hours for a 12 pound bird. I trussed the turkey according to  Alton Brown's you-tube video. I cooked it for 30 minutes in a 500 degree oven (unfortunately I had the rack too high so the skin got a little dark; I'm not supposed to eat the skin anyways); then lowered the heat to 350 and placed an aluminum foil skin over the white meat and cooked until the thermometer in the breast was 161 degrees (about another 1 1/2 hours). I'm making detailed notes here so I can repeat process in 2012. This way I don't have to rack my brain trying to remember how I made it so good this year....and let me tell you, it was delicious!!!!!! The white meat was sooooo juicy, and I'm not usually a white meat lover.

We started the meal with Harvest Squash and Mushroom soup garnished with yogurt and slivered almonds. Note to self: the children HATE this. We followed it with a spinach salad which the kids did consume.

Two of my side dishes were sweet potato casserole (there are sweet potatoes under all that brown sugar and pecan crust) and green bean casserole which I doctored up with sour cream and cheddar cheese....yummy!

Even the animals seemed to enjoy the day. Jake, the Brittany, and Pepper, the black cat, are resting here on the back of the couch.

The cows came up to the fence and ate some leaves and grass before moving off. I love my adirondack chairs! Don't you?

Carolyn "Care Bear" King

Thanksgiving Day Dinner Menu

Thanksgiving Day 2011 Menu

Spinach Salad with Soy Sesame Dressing

Harvest Squash and Mushroom Soup

Hawaiian Brined Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Turkey Gravy

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Pillsbury Big & Buttery Crescent Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Spinach Salad
Fresh Spinach
Bean Sprouts
Sliced Mushrooms
Chopped Hard-cooked Egg
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Green onion, sliced

Soy Sesame Dressing
4 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seed
2 tsp honey
1 clove garlic
dash cayenne
salt & pepper to taste

Harvest Squash and Mushroom Soup
3 c cooked butternut squash
2 T butter melted
1/2 c diced onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp dry mustard
pinch cayenne
8 oz diced mushroom
2 1/2 c chicken stock
yogurt
toasted almonds

Heat squash in a saucepan. In separate pan saute onions, garlic, salt and spice in melted butter until very soft, adding water if it sticks. Add mushrooms and cook another 10 min. Puree together with squash adding chicken stock if too thick. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and toasted almonds sprinkled on top.

Hawaiian Brine
4 qt pineapple juice
2 c brown sugar
1 1/3 c soy sauce
1 c salt (1 1/2 c kosher or coarse)
6 cloves garlic cut into halves
4-6 whole bay leaves

Heat all to dissolve sugar and salt. Let completely cool. Soak turkey 1 hour per pound in refrigerator. Rinse and cook 30 min at 500 degrees, then turn down oven to 350, cover breast with aluminum foil,  and cook until breast is 161 degrees in temperature.

Sweet Potato Casserole
6 c mashed yams
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c melted butter
1 T vanilla
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 c coconut and/or 1/2 c raisins (optional)

Combine above and pour into buttered dish. Top with topping below.

Topping
1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
1 c pecans (chopped)
marshmallows (optional)

Mix sugar and flour, cut in butter. Stir in pecans and crumble over top of potato mixutre. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. Scatter marshmallows over top and brown the last minute.

Carolyn "Care Bear" King

Zucchini!

It's zucchini season, and I've already gotten more than I can probably eat. I think it's donation time now.

My daughter and I made two loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread.

We also made a chocolate zucchini cake, and we didn't even use one whole zucchini yet. My recipes both called for cinnamon, but I don't think cinnamon goes very well with chocolate. I think I'll omit it next time.

Carolyn "Care Bear" King

Fresh Baked Bread

I can't eat much of it on my current diet, but it sure smells wonderful. (I did take a small bite). I found this recipe on another blog I follow and just had to try it. Delicious. Feel free to try it out.

Dough in the pan before cooking.

Just taken out of the oven and a small pat of butter rubbed on the top crust.

Cooling on the rack...Can hardly wait.

And here is a yummy slice ready for butter and jam. My house smells wonderful!!!!!!

To make the bread you will need:

1 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place all the ingredients in a bread machine and use a basic bread setting.

I don't care for how my bread tastes when it's baked in the bread machine itself, so I set mine on the dough setting. After the dough is done, I place it in a greased bread pan, let it rise in the pan until the dough is about an inch over the sides of the pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

{I actually started my yeast in a bowl of warm water and sugar and let it get foamy, then I kneaded the dough in my food processor. I let it rise until double its size, punched it down and placed in a loaf pan, let it rise a second time and baked according to the about directions}

Carolyn "Care Bear" King

Pasta Salad in the Wintertime

I love to eat seasonal foods. I like berries in the springtime, salads and ice cream in the summer, apple recipes and harvest veggie dishes in the fall, and soups, stews, and chili in the winter months. But sometimes I crave the memories of the foods I eat at a different time of the year than I'm in. Today I yearned pasta salad. I'm going to a potluck dinner and needed to bring a dish to pass, so I picked up some tri-colored spiral pasta, red onions, broccoli, pepperoni, and cheese. I had Italian dressing and marinated artichokes in the fridge. I also found some carrots to add to the mix. I like to soak my veggies in the dressing before I toss with the pasta, so they each get a good taste of flavor. Here's a picture of my creation, ready for the main event.

Carolyn "Care Bear" King