Homemade Apple Sauce

February 24, 2010 by

Apple sauce can be made at anytime of the year because apples are always available. But I wait until the temperature drops into the 50’s or very low 60’s; to me that’s the perfect time and around here that happens in early October. Give it a try. Ask the kids to join in.

16 large apples – a mixture is great
1 cup apple cider
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/8 tsp. (or a pinch) Ground black pepper

Peel, core, and cut the apples into chunks. Put them in a large dutch oven or saucepan that you have a lid for. Add the cider, cinnamon, cloves, salt & pepper.

Cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Remove the cover and stir well. Continue to cook this uncovered, but stirring occasionally, until the apples have become a thickened sauce – this takes about another 30 – 45 minutes. Serve hot or cold, as is, or if you’d prefer it smoother then by all means push through a sieve.

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Holidays & Special Occasions Tagged With: , , , ,

Party Sausages

February 6, 2010 by

These should be called “The Disappearing Party Sausage” because that’s just what will happen once you bring these out!

2 lbs. fully cooked mini smoked sausages (Perhaps Hillshire Farms)
1 8oz. bottle French or Catalina dressing
1 8oz. bottle Russian or Thousand Island dressing
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice

In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausages – this will take about 15 minutes; drain and set sausages aside in a bowl or something.

In same skillet, place all other ingredients and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves – this will take about 2 minutes. Add the sausages back to pan, cover, and keep heat on low (not simmer or boil) and cook for 1 hour.

Filed Under: Appetizers / Snacks, Frontpage, Holidays & Special Occasions Tagged With: , , ,

My Thanksgiving Meal – 2009

November 22, 2009 by

Here’s what we’ll be having for our Thanksgiving meal. No soup this year, and the desserts will be simple. But what never changes is the turkey recipe, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in the DVD player and the Christmas music – gotta have it. Good cheer to all!

Divorce Court Turkey – (See Poultry Category)
Gravy
Mashed potatoes- (See Vegetables Category)
All American Bread Stuffing – (See Holidays & Special Occasions Category)
Corn and broccoli
Cranberry Sauce – (See Sauce Category or use the canned)
Rolls – (Fresh from the bakery section of our local grocer)

Desserts
Taste of Heaven – (See Desserts Category)
Best Apple Pie – (See Pies Category)

Filed Under: A Few Tid Bits, Frontpage, Holidays & Special Occasions, Turkey Tagged With: , , , , , ,

My Thanksgiving Meal – 2008

November 24, 2008 by

Here’s what I’m fixing for Thanksgiving 2008. This year I’m serving soup which is new for me. I begin my kitchen preparations the day before (I take off from work) and crank up some groovy holiday music such as Dean Martin or Steve Tyrell, it really sets the mood. Good Cheer to all!

Divorce Court Turkey – (See Poultry Category)
Gravy
Mashed potatoes- (See Veggies Category)
All-American Bread Stuffing – (See Holidays & Special Occasions Category)
Porcini Mushroom Soup – (See Soup Category)
Creamed Spinach – (See Veggies Category)
Corn – from the can
Cranberry Sauce – (See Sauce Category)
Rolls – (I’m going with Pillsbury Grands! this year)

Desserts & Extras
Creamy Chocolate Pie (See Pies Category)
Apple Crisp (See Desserts Category)
Pumpkin Bread (See Quick Breads Category)
White Bean Dip served with raw veggies & crackers (Emeril’s recipe)

Filed Under: Holidays & Special Occasions

All-American Bread Stuffing

November 22, 2008 by

A basic recipe with no frills, and I just can’t seem to tweak this one. It’s so perfect as is. See what you think.

1 stick butter
1 large white onion, diced
4 stalks celery stalks with leaves, chopped
1 bag (about 15 oz.) cubed seasoned stuffing (I use red bag Pepperidge Farms)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley OR 2 Tbsp. dry
3+ cups turkey or chicken stock (canned is fine)
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
Salt & ground pepper to your tastes & liking

In a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat, melt the butter then add onion & celery. Cook this covered for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Scrape this into a large bowl then add the stuffing and parsley. Stir in just enough of the stock to make the stuffing moist – that’s about 2 1/2 cups. Sprinkle on the poultry seasoning and salt & epper. Either stuff your turkey with this or place it in a buttered oven-safe dish and pour 1/2 cup more of the stock on, cover and place in the oven for about 30 minutes to heat through after the turkey comes out.

Note:  I always make this early in the day, let it cool, then cover and place in the fridge and then heat as a side. I just never stuff a turkey.

Filed Under: Holidays & Special Occasions

Herb Slathered & Sprinkled Roast Turkey

September 24, 2008 by

It’s taken me a while to try this method of gently lifting up the turkey skin on the breast meat and spreading the herbs underneath.  Do try this, you’ll be quite happy with the outcome. A turkey cooks at about 20-30 minutes per pound but please consult a turkey timetable for exact specifications. 

Turkey Pan Ingredients:
10-14 lb. turkey, innards removed & used however you wish
2-3 Carrots, cut into large chunks
2-3 Celery ribs, cut into large chunks (use tops too)
1 Lemon or orange , zested then cut into 6-8 chunks – set aside the zest
1 cup chicken stock or water (you may need more stock later, during cooking)
1  onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 whole garlic bulbs or heaping Tbsp. of minced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse turkey in cool water and pat dry; place in roasting pan on a rack if possible. Add all the pan ingredients. Now begin the herbed slathering.

Herbed Slathering:
1 cup fresh parsley (please don’t use dried)
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp. fresh sage
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1  onion, peeled and cut into chunks
The left over lemon or orange zest from above pan ingredients
1 heaping Tbsp. of minced garlic
3 Tbsp. extra virgin (or just regular) olive oil + more for brushing
A pair of latex or latex-free gloves if you wish – this gets messy!

Place all these ingredients in a food processor or blender then give it a blitz. Put on the gloves if using. Gently lift up the skin of the bird (you may need to separate the skin from the bird with a small, sharp knife) and spread blobs of the slather in. You will probably have some left over, if so then place in and on bird and spread around. Remove the gloves then pour a little bit (maybe 1/4 cup or less) of oil into a small bowl and brush all over the bird.  Now you’re ready for the sprinklings.

Seasoning Sprinklings:
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black or white pepper
Sprinklings of poultry seasoning
Sprinklings of garlic powder
Sprinklings of paprika

Now, cover loosely with aluminum foil and place on the lowest rack of your oven for about an hour before you open the oven door for the first peek. Keep checking the bird at 30 minute intervals because you want to make sure the liquid in the bottom of the pan has not all cooked away – add 1 cup of chicken broth or water at a time into the bottom of the pan to replenish and don’t forget to baste, baste, baste – every 30 minutes or so! If you don’t, you may have a sawdust turkey.

Take the foil off at about 1 hour until estimated done time – it’ll crisp up nicely. Discard/strain all the veggies in the pan if you will be using the drippings for gravy. Once you take the bird out of the oven you can let it sit for a good 30-45 minutes on a cutting board on your counter during which you make the gravy, heat the stuffing, etc. Don’t panic, a turkey can mellow on the counter for a little while awaiting you. Just enjoy the day!

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Holidays & Special Occasions, Turkey

Sausage and/or Mushroom Stuffing by Roger

November 16, 2007 by

Roger, a friend from work, gave me this recipe. It’s so good, why wait until the holidays? This delicious recipe requires drying out the bread for 3 days. Sounds like too much work? No way! Once you taste it, you’ll be hooked.

1 Giant Loaf Wonder Bread
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh, minced parsley
1/2 tsp. sage
1 packet dried chicken broth
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt

2 sticks butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced – (I dice the leaves, too)
1 lb. portabello mushrooms OR
1 lb. uncooked crumbled sweet Italian sausage

3 days prior to making stuffing, take 3/4 of a Giant Loaf of Wonder Bread and put in a large paper bag. Add the spices. Fold the top over to close, and shake bag to mix. Place in a closet, or cupboard, or just out of the way for 3 full days – minimum.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Add onion, celery and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes. If you are using mushrooms, add them now, mix to warm and remove from heat. If you are adding crumbled sausages, add them now and cook for about 15 minutes – or until browned.

Place paper bag on counter next to a large bowl. Take bread out of bag and break into small pieces into large bowl. Gently add pan ingredients to the bread and add 3-4 cups water, a cup at a time, and mix gently, but well. Let stand covered for 5 minutes, then stuff your bird. OR place into prepared baking dish and cook for about 30 minutes.

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Holidays & Special Occasions, Pork

Cranberry Sauce

October 23, 2007 by

Why homemade? Because it’s so much better than the canned stuff. The canned stuff is good enough but why not give it a whirl? You’ll dazzle your holiday guests when you present this.

4 12-oz. bags cranberries
3 cups white sugar
3+ cups cold water
2 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin (Knox brand is good)

In a 4 – 5 quart heavy pan, place the cranberries, sugar and 3 cups of cold water to a boil, stirring this until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pan until all the berries have burst, stirring occasionally. This takes anywhere from 10 – 15 minutes.

Into a fine-mesh sieve, which you have placed over a larger glass bowl, pour the pot contents in and let stand until all the juices have strained through – this takes about 30 minutes. You may have to press on the solid berries until more juice gets extracted.

Stir the gelatin with 1/3 cup cold water and let stand 1 minute to soften. In a small pan, bring 1 cup of the strained/drained cranberry juice to a simmer then add the gelatin mixture and stir it until just dissolved. Add this mixture to the rest of the cranberry liquid and stir well. Pour this sauce into a lightly oiled or greased decorative bowl or mold – I even used a glass loaf pan one time and it worked fine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 12 hours.

When ready to unmold, run the top of a think knife between the edge of the bowl/mold and sauce. Tilt the bowl/mold and invert a plate over the mold then invert onto plate. Serve.

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Holidays & Special Occasions, Sauces
« Previous Page