TASTY THANKSGIVING RECIPES
Celebrate Thanksgiving  
Kids Holiday "Hand" Decorations

Green Bean Casserole      
Cherry Pie
Roast Turkey with Pecan Corn-Bread Stuffing Recipe
Traditional Bread Stuffing       Leftover Stir Fry
Congealed Cranberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Turkey Breast & Apple Sandwich /Long Star Mayonnaise

Roast Turkey with Pecan Corn-Bread Stuffing Recipe

1 12-15 lbs turkey
2-1/2 Cup pecan halves
1/3 Cup butter
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 Cup Bourbon, Tennessee whisky or rye
1 1/2 tsp sage
3/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
8 cups Corn Bread
1/2 Cup chopped celery leaves or fresh parsley
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/3 Cup all-purpose flour
3 Cup Giblet Stock for Gravy or chicken stock

Clean turkey by washing and remove neck and giblets from the cavity--keep them for making Giblet Stock. Chop up the liver, very finely and reserve for the stuffing. Remove loose fat from cavity. Toast pecans on a baking sheet in 425°F. oven for 4-5 minutes; let cool.
Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; sauté celery, onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper until lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes.
Stir in 2 Tbsp. of the bourbon, reserved chopped liver, sage, thyme and 1/4 tsp. each of the salt and pepper; sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer this mixture to large bowl and let it cool. Crumble corn bread into bowl and add pecans and celery leaves; mix well. Mix in egg and refrigerate until ready to stuff bird.
Holding bird with breast side down, sprinkle body cavity with 2 tbsp of bourbon and neck cavity with the 1 tsp. or so bourbon. Stuff both cavities loosely with some of the stuffing and skewer cavities shut. Tie legs together and tuck wings under back. Place turkey, (breast side up) on greased rack in roasting pan. Place remaining stuffing in greased 11-x7-inch glass baking dish; cover with foil and refrigerate.
Melt remaining butter and stir in 12 tsp. bourbon and brush over turkey. Sprinkle with the 1/2  salt and pepper. Roast in 325°F oven for 1 hour without disturbing the bird. Then roast, basting often, for 2-1/2 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 180°F.
For the last 60 minutes of cooking, add the covered dish of stuffing to oven and cook for 45 minutes, then uncover and cook for 15 minutes longer. Lift turkey onto warmed platter and cover top with foil. Let stand for at least 15-30 minutes to firm.
Save 2 Tbsp. fat from pan drippings and place pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle flour over drippings and stirr scrape up any brown bits from bottom of pan while cooking. Gradually whisk in stock and remaining bourbon, salt and pepper to taste and bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in giblets and pour into warmed gravy boat. Makes 10 to 12 servings

Traditional Bread Stuffing - Serves 16

When making your own stuffing, drying the bread is important for texture and flavor. Either leave the bread cubes out for a few days or spread them out on baking sheets and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 60 minutes. Let the bread cool before using in the stuffing.

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
4 celery stalks, chopped fine
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
3 pounds bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and dried
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the celery and onions for about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, sage, thyme, and marjoram and cook for about 1 minute. Transfer to a very large bowl. Add the bread, broth, eggs, salt, and pepper to the mixture and toss. Put the mixture into a buttered 15 by 10-inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes and then remove the foil and bake until golden, about 30 minutes longer. Cool before serving.

Leftover Stir Fry

2. tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup of chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 finely chopped clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. thyme
3 cps water
1 1/2 cup uncooked rice
1-2 cups of leftover diced turkey, chicken and/or ham
1 small can of mushrooms

Heat oil in a large skillet and add peppers, onions, garlic and sauté until tender. Add the water and seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the uncooked rice and the meat. Cover the skillet and cook over a very low heat for 25 minutes or until rice is done. If you run out of water, add boiling water a bit at a time. Once rice is done, add the can of mushrooms with the liquid and heat through. Serve hot.

Congealed Cranberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing by Teresa Johnson
As you begin the prepare for Thanksgiving, I want to share more than a recipe with you.  This recipe and quote is in the Naomi’s Home Companion Cookbook.  The quote is by Dr. Rachel Remen.  I hope you enjoy the quote and the salad.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone - enjoy!
“We give thanks for places of simplicity and peace.
May we find such places in ourselves
We give thanks for places of refuge and beauty.
May we find such places in ourselves.

We give thanks for places of acceptance and belonging.
May we find such places in ourselves.
May we begin to mend the outer world
According to the truth in our inner life. “

Congealed Cranberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
1 large can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, packed in juice
1 box (6 oz) strawberry gelatin
1 cup water
1 can (16 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce or prepare fresh
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Poppy Seed Dressing (recipe below)

Drain the pineapple well, reserving all the juice
In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the pineapple juice, gelatin, and water.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the gelatin.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the cranberry sauce until well blended.  Stir in the lemon juice.
Transfer the gelatin mixture to a large metal bowl.  Half-fill a larger bowl with ice cubes and cold water.  Set the bowl with the gelatin in the ice bath.  Stir the gelatin occasionally with a rubber spatula until the mixture is as thick as unbeaten egg whites, about 10 minutes.  Remove the bowl of gelatin from the ice bath.  Fold in the pineapple.
Rinse out a 2-quart decorative mold with cold water.  Pour in the gelatin mixture.  Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.
To unmold, dip the mold up to the rim in warm (not hot) water for about 10 seconds.  Invert a serving plate over the mold, then invert the plate and mold together, shaking both gently from side to side to relax the gelatin.  Remove the mold.  Serve with the Poppy Seed Dressing on the side.
Poppy Seed Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise or mayonnaise-style creamy salad dressing
1 to 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Blend together and chill.  Makes 1 cup.  Or, just buy a good brand of Poppy Seed Dressing in the grocery store.

Turkey Breast and Apple Sandwich with Long Star Mayonnaise
Use up those leftovers in a very tasty sandwich.  Enjoy! by Teresa Johnson
Lone Star Mayonnaise:
1 cup nonfat mayonnaise or regular
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 drops liquid smoke
juice, pulp, and zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon chipotle chili peppers, canned in adobo sauce,
plus 1 tablespoon sauce
Blend mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, lime, and chipotles in a food processor.  Cover and refrigerate.  Yields 1 ½ cups.  Lone Star mayonnaise is also great with fresh vegetables or as a dip for cold shrimp.
Sandwich:
12 slices whole wheat bread (our wheat or squaw bread would be great)
2 green apples, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
6 to 8 slices smoked or leftover turkey breast
6 to 8 slices Muenster cheese
Spread Lone Star Mayonnaise on bread and assemble sandwiches using apples, turkey, and cheese.

Green Bean Casserole by Teresa Johnson
This green bean casserole is a traditional dish at our house for the holidays.  It is easy to make and very good.  You can use fresh greens beans that are pre-cooked or canned green beans.  If canned green beans are too salty, rinse them first.
1 - 8 oz jar cheese whiz
1 - 2 oz jar pimentos
1 - 10½ oz can cream of mushroom soup
2 or 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon garlic salt (or fresh garlic)
2 cans long green beans or fresh pre-cooked green beans
1 package Pepperidge Farms Dressing Mix
Use a buttered 9x9x3 casserole dish.  Remember to decrease cooking temperature when using glass by 25 degrees.  Mix first four ingredients, pour mixture over green beans, sprinkle the Pepperidge Farms Dressing Mix over the top and bake 350 degrees for thirty minutes  until the dressing mix is brown and the casserole is bubbling.

Cherry Pie by Teresa Johnson
Cherry pie is a favorite dessert, especially during the Holidays.  I especially like this recipe because it uses cornstarch for thickening instead of flour. The butter adds a nice rich flavor.  I like to baste my crust with melted butter, except for the crimped edges, and sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking.  Enjoy!
Cherry Pie
Pie Crust – for a double crust 9-inch pie.  Make yourself or purchase ready made.
Pie Filling:
2 cans (16ounces each) cherries packed in water
(purchase a good quality canned fruit)
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
red food coloring (optional)
Prepare a 9-inch piecrust for a double crust pie or make the top crust a lattice top.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drain 1 cup of liquid from the cherries and pour into a saucepan.  In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together, then stir into the liquid. Add the butter.  Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Then cook, stirring, until thickened, 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cherries and enough food coloring for desired color (optional).  Baste the inside top edges of the piecrust with butter or egg wash and your top crust will crimp together and hold better.  Pour the cooled pie filling into the crust, if the pie filling is hot the pie will not cook properly.  Prepare the top crust, if using a lattice top, baste with butter before putting on top of the pie filling.  After placing top crust on pie filling, crimp edges.  If using a double crust, make five slits in the crust to allow the steam to escape. 
Bake in the 350 degree oven until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 60 minutes.  If the crust begins to brown too quickly around the edges, cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Remove to a wire rack.  Serve warm or chilled.  Ice cream or freshly whipped whipping cream is delicious on warm cherry pie!