Thanksgiving Recipes

As Thanksgiving approaches I think back on the first Thanksgiving dinner I ever fixed. I was living out in the country with my husband and we invited my parents and little brother out for dinner. I had worked hard for a couple days to make sure the meal turned out perfectly. Every sat down to eat. I placed everything on the table except the turkey, which I then placed in front of my father so he could do the honors of carving. We had a large old oak table that you could pull out to accommodate more people. When we pulled it apart we didn’t check to make sure the base stayed in the middle - so when I placed the turkey in front of my father, the table tipped and it ended up in his lap.... along with some of the other food. I no longer have that table.
This year my sister and brother-in-law are planning on coming for Thanksgiving and some of the things I plan on cooking follow:

Roasted Turkey Breast

For the Brine—
Dissolve:
1/2 c. kosher salt
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 c. hot water
Stir in:
2 c. apple juice
4 c. ice
For the Turkey—
Trim; Submerge in Brine:
1 (6–8 lb.) turkey breast - bone in
Roast; Baste with:
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. butter - melted
Dissolve salt and brown sugar in hot water in a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag.
Stir in apple juice and ice.
Trim excess rib and wing sections from the breast (save for making turkey stock). Submerge the breast in the brine and refrigerate until ready to roast, about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375°.
Roast turkey breast side up on a rack over a shallow roasting pan. After one hour, baste breast with the maple-butter mixture. Baste every 15 minutes until the temperature of the breast reaches 165°. Remove the breast from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest 15–20 minutes before slicing.

Crockpot Dressing

1 c. Margarine
2 c. Onion - chopped
2 c. Celery - chopped
1/4 c. Parsley sprigs
2 c. Mushrooms, 8 oz. - drained
12 c. Bread cubes - slightly dry
1 t. Poultry seasoning
2 Eggs - well beaten
1 1/2 t. Salt
1 1/2 t. Sage
1 t. Thyme
1/2 t. Pepper
1/2 t. Marjoram - optional
3 1/2 c. Chicken broth or turkey broth
Melt butter in a skillet and saute onion, celery, parsley, and mushrooms. Pour over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Add all seasonings and toss well. Pour in enough broth to moisten. Add eggs and mix well. Pack lightly into Crockpot. Cover and set to high for 45 minutes then reduce to low to cook for 4 to 8 hours.
Using this recipe, I’ll bet you can modify your own to work perfectly in the crockpot. Sure saves oven space at Thanksgiving!

Every Year Rolls

Source: Macheesmo.com
2 heaping Tablespoons active dry yeast - (or instant)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. honey
3 Cups warm water
3 large eggs
3/4 c. unsalted butter - melted and cooled
6 c. all-purpose flour - (plus extra)
2 c. whole wheat flour
4 t. kosher salt
Unsalted butter - softened for shaping rolls and melted butter for brushing rolls
Add water, yeast, sugar, and honey to a mixing bowl and stir together. Let sit for a few minutes until yeast starts to foam.
 Whisk in eggs, melted butter and salt and stir to combine. Make sure everything is dissolved.
Add all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour in two-cup batches, stirring between each batch.
If you’re using a stand mixer, use a dough hook to mix for 5 minutes on medium speed. If dough is really sticky, add more all-purpose flour in 1/4-cup increments. The dough might stick to the sides of the bowl a bit, which is fine.
If you’re using hands, add flour until dough is together, then heavily dust the dough with flour and use your hands to work in the bowl. It should be a soft and slightly sticky dough so it will be important to keep it floured well so you can knead it. Knead it for 4-5 minutes until the dough is a smooth consistency.
Transfer dough to a lightly buttered bowl and cover loosely. Let the dough rise until it doubles, about 2 hours.
When you’re ready to make the rolls, rub some softened butter on your hands and shape rolls into 2 1/2 inch balls (about 4 ounces). Add rolls to a half sheet pan. Grease or butter the sheet pan so the rolls don’t stick while baking.
Cover the shaped rolls with a warm damp cloth and let rise a second time for 30 minutes.
Bake rolls at 350 degrees F. until they are golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Make sure the rolls in the middle are cooked through.
Let cool for a minute and then brush rolls with melted butter.

Triple Berry Sauce

Source: Cuisine At Home
1 c. 100% cranberry juice
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2 t. minced lemon zest
1(12 oz.) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves
1 cinnamon stick - (3-inch)
3/4 c. frozen raspberries
3/4 c. blueberries
Boil cranberry juice, brown sugar, and zest in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Add cranberries, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat to medium. Cook mixture until cranberries burst and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, lightly crushing cranberries with a potato masher. Discard cinnamon stick.
Stir in raspberries and blueberries and simmer to heat through, 2 minutes more. Chill sauce at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Print this post