Turkey Brine

November days

Ingredients

12-20 lb thawed or fresh turkey (remove neck and livers,etc)

1 gallon sweet cider

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup kosher or sea salt

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 lemon, quartered
1 orange, quartered
10 cloves
4 cloves garlic, smashed
6 bay leaves
1 tablespoon thyme
2 sticks cinnamon
1 quart ice water

Preparation

Put all ingredients EXCEPT ice water in a large (8 quart pot).  Simmer until all sugar and salt dissolve (about 5 minutes).  Add ice water.  When the brine is room temperature, place the turkey in breast side down. Cover and refrigerate turkey and brine.  Ideally, brine turkey on each side for 12 hours.

Drain brine and discard.  Pat turkey dry, rub with sage butter, inside and outside of turkey.  Make several small slits in turkey breast skin and rub some sage butter in between the skin and the meat. Add chicken broth to roasting pan (according to the size of the turkey) I use about 6-8 cups of chicken broth.  Roast with lid on pan according to weight of turkey.   Remove the lid of the pan for the last 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Bisque



Fall in Maine


Ingredients

2 stalks celery, chopped very fine
2 carrots, chopped very fine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
6 cups chicken broth
( I use organic free-range chicken broth)
2 15 oz cans pumpkin
2 bay leaves
1 cup light cream or half and half
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Chop celery, carrots, and onion and add to large soup pot.  Add six cups chicken broth, bay leaves, sugar, nutmeg and salt and pepper.  Add pumpkin to soup pot.  Heat to a rolling boil and reduce to simmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Just before serving,while simmering, add light cream and stir with whisk until well blended and heated through (about 4-5 minutes).  Do not boil.

Serves 6

Haricots Verts with Feta

Ingredients


Salad
1 1/2 pounds Haricots Verts (green beans-buy the very thin beans)
1 small red onion, minced
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled (1 cup)

Summer is here!

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Lemon Vinaigrette
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
3 TBS white wine vinegar
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper


Preparation


Lemon Vinaigrette:  Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and sugar until combined.  Add olive oil in a thin stream, whisking continuously until blended.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Boil 3 quarts water.  Plunge green beans into boiling salted water.  Cook 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse with ice water.  Pat dry.  Cover and chill thoroughly.

Transfer beans to a shallow serving bowl, add onion, and toss with 1/2 cup vinaigrette, adding more if desired.  Sprinkle with feta and almonds on top  Serve chilled.

Avocado and Roasted Corn Guacamole

Ingredients


1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels

A Recipe for Matthew's Graduation Party

1/4 cup plus 3 TBS olive oil
2 large avocados cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 large tomato cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 TBS minced red onion
1 tsp chopped fresh or pickled Jalapeno
1 tsp minced garlic
2 TBS fresh lime juice
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1//4 tsp cumin

Preparation


1.   Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  On a baking sheet, toss the corn with 1TBS of the oil.  Roast corn, tossing often for 7-8 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool, then transfer to a medium bowl.

2.   Fold in the avocado, tomato, cilantro, onion, Jalapeno and garlic.  Stir in the lime juice, vinegar, coarse slat, and cumin.  Add 2 more TBS of the olive oil.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips and cold guacamole.

Beef Stroganoff Soup

Savery Avenue, Carver, MA: First Divided Highway in US

Ingredients

1 lb beef chuck steak
1 lb mushrooms
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 TBS Olive Oil
3 TBS Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 TBS Flour
3 TBS Ketchup
1 quart Chicken Stock
1 quart Beef Stock
3 cups egg noodles

Sour cream

Preparation


Slice steak thin, cut into thin strips about 2 inches long.  Remove stems, slice mushrooms into thin slices.
Chop onions into small pieces (you can use an electric food chopper). Heat oil and butter.  First brown onions in oil and butter. Add steak and brown over low heat, add chopped garlic. Stir in sliced mushrooms and continue to cook over low heat.  Sprinkle flour over mixture.  Add ketchup.  Stir mixture until mixed well.  Add Chicken and Beef Stock.  Cook over medium heat until soup is boiling.  Add egg noodles and cook over medium heat until noodles are done (10 minutes).  Serve hot with a topping of sour cream.

Notes from Liz

This is a rich and filling dinner soup.  It serves 6-8 people.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 pie crusts ( I use the Pillsbury rolled crust in
the refrigerator section)
1 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs

The Cape & Islands Orchid Show is a welcome visitor in January

5 cups of water
 2 cups vegetables of your choice:  Beans, Peas, Carrots, Water Chestnuts, Onions)You can use frozen mixed vegetables of your choice or you can use left over cooked vegetables.
1 stick butter
4 TBS flour
2 cups milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Put 5 cups of water into a soup pan and bring to a boil.  Chop boneless, skinless chicken into bite size pieces.  Add to boiling water.  Cook until done (15 minutes).  Drain chicken and reserve the broth for future use.  You can cool and freeze it in ziplock bags or plastic containers.  Unroll crust onto a pie plate.
In a skillet, heat one stick butter until melted, add flour and whisk.  Add milk slowly to butter and flour mixture while whisking until a smooth white sauce is formed.  Add salt and pepper and heat while whisking until thickened.  Stir chicken and vegetables into white sauce.  Add this mixture to pie crust.
Unroll top crust on top of pot pie.  Crimp pie crust edge between thumb and fore finger or use fork to seal crust edge.  Cut four slits into center of pie.  Put into the oven and cook for 45 minutes to one hour, until crust is browned.

Notes from Liz

The vegetables are easy to vary.  I have tried the frozen packages of "stew vegetables", "oriental vegetables", "mixed vegetables"  and my own left over cooked peas, carrots, beans, potatoes, onions, etc.  This makes an easy packed lunch.  Pack a slice in a plastic container and microwave at work or school.  A complete meal in a slice.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients

Plenty of snow this winter

8 cups yellow onions (6-8 medium onions)
3 TBS olive oil
3 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 quart (32 ounces) Beef Stock
1 quart (32 ounces) Chicken Stock
Grated Cheese (I use mozzarella or gruyere)
French Bread, sliced and toasted

Preparation

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add olive oil and butter.  Melt butter over low heat.  Slice onions into thin rings.  Add onions to pot and stir until coated with the olive oil and butter mixture.  Over low heat, stir until heated through.  Put a lid on the pot.  Stir frequently.  When onions are translucent, add salt and sugar.  This will increase browning.  Stir to brown all onions.  Add flour.  Heat Beef Stock in a separate pan.  Add hot beef stock to onions and stir.  Add Chicken Stock.  Cook on medium heat for about 1 hour.

Slice French Bread into 1/2 inch rounds.  Toast on both sides.  Grate Cheese.

Serve hot soup with a slice of toasted French Bread and plenty of grated cheese.

Serves 6-8

Notes from Liz
This hearty soup is a great meal with more french bread and cheese with fruit salad for dessert

Southern Pecan Pie

This pie will "eclipse" all other pecan pies!

Ingredients

1 cup dark Karo Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups pecan meats

1 pie crust (I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust)

Preparation

Unroll pie crust and place in pie pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a bowl, lightly beat 3 eggs.  Add Karo Syrup, granulated sugar, and vanilla.  Stir until mixed well.  Add pecans and stir.  Pour mixture into pie crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes (until filling has a nearly firm texture)

Notes from Liz

This is a very easy and delicious pie.  You can make the whole pie in 10 minutes plus cooking time

Scalloped Potatoes

When the snow is deep, you need comfort food.

Ingredients

6-8 large Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 stick butter

3 cups milk

4 TBS flour

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Peel and slice potatoes (about 1/8-1/4 inch thick)

Make a white sauce

Melt one stick of butter in a stock pot. Turn off heat.  Put 3/4 cup milk in a small bowl.  Add four TBS flour ON TOP of milk.  Whisk until flour is dissolved in milk.  Slowly add milk and flour into melted butter while whisking.  Heat butter, milk, and flour mixture on medium heat.  Whisk and add the remaining milk.  Heat until thickened.

Grease a 9x11 inch baking dish.  Arrange the potatoes in the dish.  Cover with hot white sauce.  Stir sauce and potatoes until the potatoes are coated with sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Stir several times during baking.  Lower the heat to 300 degrees and cook 15 minutes more or until potatoes are tender and flaking with a fork.

You may add thinly sliced ham and stir into potatoe mixture before baking.

Serves 6

Notes from Liz
I know butter is high in fat and calories but if you save it for where it makes a taste difference...it is worth it!
Margarine doesn't taste the same.  Go for the butter!