oh man. my mouth is DEFINITELY watering!

I cant believe we are talking about Thanksgiving already! Where did the year go?

I have Mrs.B's salad year round minus the turkey and I use a strong crumbled blue cheese- its one of my favs!

We do wraps in my family- large flavored wraps stuffed with any leftovers you can fit! Everyone is still here so we just reheat everything and set up a wrap bar. We usually dont have any left overs left after that!

Ohh I want to make a turkey dinner just to make the left over turkey pot pies... cept ive never made a turkey....

Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Don't throw away those seeds after Jack O Lanterns! I don't use exact amounts for most of the spices, just "to taste"

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Boil the seeds in water for 10 minutes. I add salt, a cinnamon stick, whole cloves, whole allspice, and some ground ginger to the water, but this is optional.

Drain, and toss with butter and spices (ground cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, nutmeg, white sugar, brown sugar, and a shake of cayenne pepper, and vanilla or almond extract). Spread in an even layer on baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Do a taste test for doneness and spices; alter spices and cook time as needed.

Enjoy!

This is for my israilie/irish posters-cornedbeef & cabbage...I usually soak my corned beef about 30 minutes in warm water, this usually leaches some of the salt away from the meat. Prep the pressure cooker by small spray of canola oil to bottom of cooker. Place the beef @1-1.5 lbs. in the cooker with 2-3 cups of water. Bring cooker to usual temp-slight steam sound-for @ 30 minutes. Bring cooker to stop using cold water, when safe, open cooker & add quartered cabbage & cut potatoes-usually halves-close cooker & continue cooking for 45 minutes and then cool down cooker, open & serve. The meat is always tender but should be cut along the grain of the meat for easy serving. The cabbage & potatoes pick up the flavor of the meat & literally melt in ur mouth. very tender. A real treat to the pallet & actually pretty quick using the cooker-steve...

Some of my fav big dinner/holiday recipes:

Lazy Cabbage Rolls(even people who don't like cabbage end up liking this one):

EVOO, enough to soften onions and brown meat
1 small white onion, diced
1lb lean ground beef
2 or 3T Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 package bacon, chopped (NOT flavoured, e.g. maple/smoked/etc)
1 medium green cabbage, shredded or sliced thin and core removed (I slice it into bite size pieces)
3-4 carrots, shredded or sliced thin (I shred them)
1 can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cans Campbell's Tomato Soup
3T white sugar
3T white vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Serves 8-12ish

-In large pot, sauté onions in oil until translucent. Add ground beef and Steak Seasoning on Medium-High to brown (not cook through) meat. Add bacon and turn down to Medium. Let bacon almost cook through (you DON'T want crispy bacon), then add all other ingredients.
-It will seems like A LOT because of the cabbage, but the cabbage will cook down (this is why you need a BIG pot). Let all ingredients come to a boil, then turn down to Medium-Low, cover, and let simmer until cabbage and carrots have reached desired tenderness (let it cook until the cabbage is almost as soft as noodles). Add salt and pepper to taste. The cabbage and carrot will release their juices so it will almost look like you are making a soup, this is ok! Place all ingredients in a 9x13 casserole dish and keep warm in the oven, uncovered, until needed, or let cool and prepare for transport or freeze!
-You can always adjust the amount of seasonings, but try to keep the sugar and vinegar in equal amounts as this gives it the sweet and sour taste to compliment the savoury and makes it an eastern european flavouring.

Best Easy Cranberry Sauce - I always get compliments on this one!
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1 can apple pie filling
1 can pears, drained
1T Poultry Seasoning
1-2 dashes Chinese 5 Spice
Salt and Pepper to taste

-Put all in a blender and blend. DONE! Please adjust the seasonings to your taste and feel free to use your own mix of poultry seasoning, but the Chinese 5 Spice just gives it a little extra something (I also put it on my Turkey!) but be careful not to put too much.

-This will make A LOT, but it freezes well and I just go to my freezer and scoop it out like ice cream when I need some!

Best Smoky Sweet Glazed Ham -guaranteed compliments!

~8lb bone in but UNCOOKED ham butt half, can be smoked.

Glaze:
1/2c Honey
1/2c Brown Sugar
2T liquid smoke
2T Worcestershire Sauce
1 pinch ground Cloves

1 can pop (ex. Coke)
Apple Juice as needed
2-3 bay leaves

cooking thermometer
large roasting pan and rack

-Preheat oven to 275'F. You will be cooking the ham over a long time and a low temperature, this is essential to a soft fall apart ham.
-Place Ham cut side down on rack in roasting pan (for those who haven't cooked a ham before, please ensure there is no plastic insert that sometimes is stuck into the bone on the cut side of the ham).
-Mix first 5 ingredients into a sticky liquid. Pour slowly over ham and rub into ham with bottom of spoon. Work in sections so all of the glaze doesn't end up on only one side of the ham!
-Pour in pop in bottom of roaster, the add apple juice to depth of 1" or so. Add bay leaves to liquid.
-Put meat thermometer probe into thickest part of ham, being careful not to touch bone. Cover in foil so that no steam can escape, "tenting" the top of the foil so air can circulate over the ham.
-Put in oven and let cook until internal temperature reaches 185'F. At this temp, the butt half's collagen will "melt" and you will get the most tender ham. This will take about 3 hours, give or take. Once temp is reached, remove ham from oven and set aside for 30 mins, leaving the foil on. Then transfer to cutting board for carving. The meat should fall off the bone at this point. Save the bone for split pea soup if desired!


Hope you guys enjoy these recipes, they are my faves and get the best compliments! Please let me know how they turn out if you use them, and if you changed anything!


Cooking history: I love cooking, and I cook not only for family and friends, but I work in a group home and cook for 8-12 people a few times a week.

Thanksgiving is at our house thise year, and its my first turkey!
I used to just make the potatoes, a dessert, and bring rolls, and I'm super anxious and in need of dish ideas, so..
*bump

Fresh Cranberry relish

1 bag of fresh cranberries washed
1/2 orange seeds removed
1/3 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of walnuts

Put all ingredients except nuts in food processor, process until finely chopped. Add walnuts and pulse 2 or 3 times.

Turkey tip (since it's your first, avila)

Take a stick of butter and cut it up into the 8Tbsp, use one or two slices to rub on the skin of the turkey (it will help spices stick and also make it nice and crispy) then take the rest and put them under the skin. It takes a little work sometimes to separate it from the meat, but it will guarantee fall off the bone tender turkey! I usually do two slices on each side of the breast - one on each side toward the top and one on each side toward the bottom - and one on each drumstick. Never get anything but rave reviews on my turkey

Also, I made this last year Cinnamon Honey Sweet Potatoes But I did it without the grated lemon peel

KTR that sounds good (the turkey) but since my rental house oven caught fire two days before Thanksgiving(many, many moons ago) I have been doing my Turkey in an electric roaster. Super easy and moist but not nearly as pretty

This one is an oldie and was my favorite as a kid...

Oven Caramel Corn

1lb Brown Sugar
2 sticks Butter~8oz.
1/2c. Dark Karo Syrup
6qts Popped Corn
1tea. Salt
1tea. Baking Soda
1tea. Butter Flavoring
*optional~nutmeats (walnut or pecan are my favorites)

Boil Brown Sugar, Butter, Karo Syrup, and Salt for 5 minutes in a large pan. Remove from heat and add Baking Soda and Butter Flavoring (this will rise when the Baking Soda is added)mix. Place Popped Corn in a large roasting pan pour Brown Sugar Mixture over the Popped Corn and stir well. Place in 200* oven for one hour and stir at 15 minute intervals. Remove from oven and let cool stirring occasionally to break into smaller pieces. Store in airtight container to keep crisp.

Enjoy ~Red