Cranberry Jell-O Salad

20 oz. crushed pineapple, drained & juice reserved

2 pkg.  (4-serving size each) or 1 pkg. (8-serving size) raspberry flavor Jell-O

16 oz. whole berry cranberry sauce

1 medium apple, chopped (you can do it with the skin off or on. I leave it on.)

1 C. chopped pecans, optional

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 C. sugar

4 oz. whipped topping

Place pineapple juice in a 4 C. measuring cup.  Add enough water to reserved juice to measure 3 cups. Place in a large microwave-safe bowl & microwave on high until it comes to boil. Add gelatin; stir at least 2 min. until completely dissolved.

Add cranberry sauce; stir until well blended and gelatin part of cranberry sauce is mostly dissolved.

Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until slightly thickened 

Stir in remaining drained pineapple, chopped apple, and pecans; stir gently until well blended.

Pour into a 9 X 13 in. dish or Bundt pan.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. 

To prepare frosting, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping and mix well. Spread over Salad prior to serving. If using a Bundt pan, you can pipe dollops around mold or spread it around the top of the ring. 

Broccoli Souffle

1/2 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. sour cream
1 C. sharp grated cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 large bundle of broccoli, cut into florettes, cooked, drained and chopped
1 can cream of broccoli soup
4 eggs, beaten
1 small onion, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Sit casserole dish in a pan of water. Bake 45 min. or until a knife inserted at center comes out clean.

Corn Pudding

6 eggs
2/3 C. all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
2/3 C. sugar
4 C. sweet corn kernels (fresh; frozen, thawede; or canned, drained)
2 tsp. salt
4 C. milk
pepper, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk all ingredients except milk, corn, and pepper in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add milk and mix well. Stir in corn. Pour into greased 9 X 13 in. baking dish. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, if desired. Bake 1 hr.

Squash Casserole

4 C. yellow summer squash, thinly sliced and cooked
1 C. finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. sour cream
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 C. grated Swiss cheese

Topping:
1 C. crushed butter crackers
1 stick butter, melted
1 C. chopped pecans

Saute onion in 2 Tbsp. butter. Mix all ingredients  and pour into a greased  9 X 9 in. casserole dish. Stir together cracker crumbs and butter and spread over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F 30 min. Sprinkle nuts over top and cook 5-10 more min. or until nuts are toasted.

Sweet Potato Casserole

6 C. cooked, peeled, and mashed sweet potatoes or yams
2 C. sugar
2/3 C. butter, melted
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream or half-and-half

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except for cream. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cream and mix well. Pour into a greased 9 X 13 in. or large casserole dish. Add topping and bake 30-40 min. or until topping is golden and it is bubbling around the edges.

Topping:
2 C. brown sugar
2 C. chopped pecans or walnuts
2/3 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. butter, melted

Mix together with a fork; sprinkle over casserole prior to baking.

Homemade Stuffing

1 small onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 of a 14oz. bag Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing crumbs
1/2 of a 14 oz. bag Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing crumbs
drippings from roasted turkey, strained (may use all chicken broth if drippings not available)
about  2 qt. chicken broth or stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute onion and celery in a large saute pan over medium heat with butter, salt, sugar, pepper and water until all water is evaporated and vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.
In a 9 X 13 in. pan, greased with cooking spray, combine all bread crumbs with onions and celery. Mix well and level in pan.
Add drippings and chicken broth over crumbs until very soupy.
Bake 30-40 min. or until edges begin to brown.

Helpful Tip: Failing to add enough broth will result in dry stuffing. I always check 1/2 way through cooking and if it appears that all of the moisture has been absorbed, I pour a little more over the top.

Thanksgiving Turkey

14 - 16 lb frozen young turkey

For Brine:

1 C. kosher salt

1/2 C. light brown sugar

1 gal. vegetable stock

1 Tbsp. black peppercorns

1 1/2 tsp. allspice berries

1 1/2 tsp. chopped candied ginger

1 gal. heavily iced water

Aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1 C. water

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

Canola oil

2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in a 5-gallon bucket (or other container that will allow you to submerge the turkey, such as a canning pot.) Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.