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Showing posts from November, 2009

My Mom's Recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini

Wondering about good ways to use up leftover turkey? (Or leftover roast chicken?) Here's one recipe idea, an old favorite from my mother. It's home-cooking good and will be on the table in no time. And for anyone feeling less than svelte after the holiday? In Weight Watchers points, it's just six PointsPlus for a main dish serving, about as good it gets! My home ec-teacher mom was my personal cooking help line, as much as it pained her to answer my some times clueless questions. You see, I’d been allowed to pass out of Foods I, the beginning high school cooking class she taught, straight into Foods II taught by another home ec teacher. “Hello, Mom? How do I make … ” From the other end of the phone came the audible sigh I’d come to expect. With each gap in my knowledge, she’d berate, “If you’d only taken Foods I.” Luckily, it became our little joke, a private moment of shared history. Today’s young cooks have no idea what it’s like to face a mother like th

Recipe for Fresh Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Apple

Recipe for jellied cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries and softly gelled with the natural pectin in apples. A perfect recipe substitute for cylinders of canned cranberry sauce all jiggly-wobbly with high-fructose corn syrup. Quick and easy and nothing – nothing – like canned cranberry sauce. No gelatin so naturally vegan. The sad news that the pages of Gourmet shall go blank this month hit hard, like the loss of a family elder who seemed ready to live forever. Looking back, it was Gourmet’s 1986 or 1987 Thanksgiving issue that first revealed to me the concept of simple food cooked well, and in season, that expresses the food sensibility I call my own today. Who needs a can of mushroom soup when it’s so easy to slice mushrooms for Homemade Mushroom Soup ? Who wants a fridgeful of salad dressing when it’s so fast to mix a quick vinaigrette right in the salad bowl? Twelve boxes (one for each month) of back issues are testament to a long affair with food magazines, Go

Apple-Butter Pumpkin Pie

Here's a special two-for-one pie, half pumpkin and half naturally sweetened apple butter tucked into a graham cracker crust and dolloped with homemade whipped cream. I like to think of it as a "kissin' cousin" to Thanksgiving's apple and pumpkin pies, the best of both worlds. The recipe comes from my family's cookbook and my sister says that people who don't like pumpkin pie like this! (Wait! There are people who don't like pumpkin pie?! Poor souls!) A Stellar Pie, At Once Traditional & Inventive. A Long-Time Family Favorite. Budget Friendly. Potluck & Party Friendly.

Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread

for Mini Buns, Dinner Rolls and Loaves My new go-to recipe for homemade whole-grain bread, formed into loaves for slicing and buns for sandwiches or dinner rolls. The dough is made with healthy whole-grain wheat flours and still achieves that soft and fluffy texture so many people like and is typically accomplished only with refined white flour. If you're looking for a whole-grain roll recipe, this one belongs on your to-try list, especially for tender and delicious whole-wheat dinner rolls. Homemade Bread, Made from Scratch with Healthy Whole-Wheat Flours. A Forgiving & Flexible Dough. Pretty Color with a Touch of Pumpkin. Budget Friendly. Potluck & Holiday & Party Friendly.

Sausage Stuffing (Turkey Dressing)

How to make a bread and sausage stuffing for Thanksgiving, either for baking inside a holiday turkey or baking separately in the oven any time of year. This is my grandmother's and my mother's recipe for sausage stuffing and now it's mine too. It's good stuff! Best of all, it couldn't be simpler to make! Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for Thanksgiving. Make It Ahead of Time or At the Last Minute. Budget Friendly. How to Feed a Crowd. Potluck & Party Friendly.

How to Dry-Brine and Roast a Whole Turkey

How to roast a turkey with the "dry brine" method that calls for no more than air, seasoning and time. A dry-brined turkey is simple and uncomplicated – best of all, it turns out a whole turkey with moist, succulent meat and a dark, crispy skin. (Did I mention that there's no grappling with a cooler full of brining liquid?) Occasionally I test out a different method for cooking a whole turkey and find myself, well, disappointed. And then I return to the dry-brine technique for simplicity and good results and find myself, well, re-impressed at just how easy it can be to cook a whole turkey. Simple Technique, Superior Results. More Than a Recipe, Many Practical Tips for Cooking a Whole Turkey. Weight Watchers Friendly. Whole30 Friendly. Low Carb. High Protein. Great for Meal Prep.