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Hello!
I am enjoying a cup of coffee and watching my cousin's two dogs look out the front screened door on a beautiful, crisp morning. I'm thinking, "my Thanksgiving menu is going to be all about comfort and the foods that make you smile".
So I will be preparing all of our family favorites with the exception of the desserts. I made a Cream Cheese Poundcake for my family while visiting them in Miami and they loved it. So I will use that recipe and the other one was a spur of the moment Strawberry Cream Trifle that they dubbed "Divino" because that's all everyone said as they enjoyed it. It disappeared quite fast too! I am sure the grandchildren will love squirting the whipped cream on!!
This year I have decided to roast an entire turkey breast because everybody loves the white meat. I won't have to deal with the carcass! And there will be plenty of white meat for yummy panini sandwiches with cranberry sauce for the weekend.
This was my Mom's favorite time of year, she would have loved making that stuffing again!!
Enjoy your holiday meal with your loved ones and be thankful for your life!
MENU:
Apple Cider Roast Turkey Breast with Savory Herb Gravy*
Mom's Pecan, Apple & Sausage Stuffing*
Garlic Mashed Potatoes*
Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Tarragon & Parmesan*
Sweet Potato Crunch*
Sweet Corn Kernels
Rolls & Butter
Cranberry Sauce
Cream Cheese Poundcake*
Strawberry Divino*
*Recipe follows
APPLE CIDER ROAST WHOLE TURKEY BREAST
serves 6-8
1 whole fresh turkey breast
My Mom's Sausage, Apple and Pecan Stuffing (recipe follows)
1/2 cup melted butter
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup apple cider
1 cup chicken broth
Rinse the turkey breast and pat it dry. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place turkey breast side up, on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush butter mixture on top and all over turkey. Cover loosely with foil. Pour apple juice and chicken broth in bottom of pan.
Roast turkey in a 325 degrees F oven for about 2 hours. Baste every 1/2 hour.
Remove turkey from pan, reserving pan drippings. Place turkey on a platter and tent with foil while making gravy.
SAVORY HERB GRAVY
Pan drippings
2 tablespoons flour
Pour pan drippings into a fat strainer; let stand until fat rises to top. Pour turkey broth into a liquid measuring cup; reserve 2 tablespoons fat from drippings. Heat reserved fat in bottom of heavy-duty roasting pan. Whisk in flour, and cook 5 minutes, whisking to loosen particles from bottom of pan. Gradually whisk in reserved turkey broth, and cook, whisking constantly, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve immediately with turkey.
MY MOM'S SAUSAGE, APPLE AND PECAN STUFFING
Old family recipe of Gina Perez McClenning
This is our family favorite and it's incredible!
1 lb. Jimmy Dean Pork mild sausage
3 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery, including leaves
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 (14 oz.) bag plus 1 small bag Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing
3 red apples, washed, cored, and chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped almonds or pecans or walnuts
2 packets G Washington's Seasonings
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Cook sausage in skillet till browned. Drain and set aside.
Saute onions and celery in butter till onions begin to golden.
In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry stuffing, the onions and celery, sausage, chopped apple, raisins, nuts, seasoning packets, and cinnamon; begin blending, with your hands, add 1 cup of broth at a time till you get to the desired stuffing consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon stuffing onto a baking pan, cover with foil and heat the last hour of roasting the turkey. Half an hour before taking out of oven, spoon some turkey pan drippings onto stuffing and let it soak in for additional flavor.
SWEET POTATO CRUNCH
serves 8
Old family recipe and always requested. It's the crunch topping that makes it a winner.
3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
Bake sweet potatoes about 1 hour til tender. Scoop out insides and place in large mixing bowl. Add sugar, 1/2 cup butter, beaten egg and vanilla. Blend well and spoon into a buttered 2 quart baking casserole dish.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour and cinnamon, brown sugar, nuts and 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix til crumbly and spread over sweet potatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
MASHED RED POTATOES WITH GARLIC
3 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, washed & cut into chunks
3/4 cup half-and-half
salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1 stick (1/2 cup) garlic butter
Place potatoes in a pot with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until tender. Drain potatoes; mash, add garlic butter and half-and-half, season with salt and white pepper. Beat til fluffy. Just before serving, taste and adjust seasonings.
GREEN BEANS WITH GARLIC, TARRAGON AND PARMESAN CURLS
Source: Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Entertaining
Makes 10-12 servings
salt
2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed
4 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
freshly ground black pepper
3 oz. piece Parmesan or grana padano cheese, cut into shavings with a vegetable peeler
Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the green beans and cook until crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain the beans, transfer immediately to the ice water and let cool for 1 minute. Drain again and pat dry.
In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook stirring, just until pale gold, 2-3 minutes.
Add the beans and tarragon and toss to coat with the garlic butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally until beans are heated trough, 3-4 minutes.
Top with Parmesan shavings just before serving. Serve hot.
STRAWBERRY DIVINO
serves 8
recipe source: Gina McClenning
1 angel food cake
1 large bowl or trifle glass dish
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 Tbsp. or more sweetened condensed milk
1 quart fresh, hulled and sliced strawberries
1 quart frozen in their juice strawberries
whipped cream
favorite crushed nuts
In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy, add the lemon juice, condensed milk, yogurt and vanilla and beat til nice and creamy.
In another bowl, mix the fresh berries with the frozen berries and set aside.
Tear angel food cake into bite size pieces, arrange a layer in bottom of serving dish. Layer some cream cheese sauce on and some berries. Repeat layers, top layer should be berries. Refrigerate until serving time. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped nuts!
MY FAVORITE CREAM CHEESE POUNDCAKE
source: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) butter, at room temperature
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted and then measured
1 tsp. baking powder
Rack in middle of oven, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 2 loaf pans (or bake in a Bundt pan like I did).
Beat butter and cream cheese together in large bowl til smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, then beat in salt and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time.
Sift in the flour with the baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and beat til smooth. Spoon into prepared pan(s).
Bake 60-75 minutes. Cool for 10 and invert onto serving dish to cool completely. I like to turn mine over again, to the crackled side, and dust with confectioner's sugar using a sifter.
This is a very moist, dense poundcake.
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