Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Well because my husband has to work every Thanksgiving, I rarely cook.  All of our family is out of town and can't always make it also, so I often go to a friends house or we have something small.  Well my family was able to come this year! I was so happy to be able to do some of the dishes I grew up with as well as some new ones.  My mom hates turkey; we always have chickens instead.  I made two chickens but unlike her I don't stuff them.  I love, love, love stuffing but cook it outside the bird.  It is true that the inside the bird stuffing does get all those lovely drippings, but I think with a little chicken stock or bullion granules (skipping some or all of the salt if you use the granules) you get some chicken flavor and gravy adds the drippings anyways.  This is the first time making this roasted chicken recipe, but I enjoyed it.  I used sage in place of the parsley since I didn't have much parsley in the herb garden and I had some cut sage I needed to use.  Besides, sage is such a thanksgiving herb.  The stuffing is the stuffing I have had all my life.  It is great!  It really is more of a bread pudding so it is quite dense.  I craved it with my first pregnancy. (I was also miserably nauseous)  My darling husband went out while I was napping and bought the ingredients for a huge batch.  I am awakened to the smell of bacon cooking. (normally great right) well I ran from the bedroom saying as I am gaging, "what is that horrible smell?!" opening windows.  Long story short I didn't eat a bite of it.  (sorry honey)  The squash casserole is my mothers too.  The green beans I got in an email right before thanksgiving.  Standard mashed potato recipe, but you must use a ricer, and since I am no baker, a bought coconut cream pie.  Oh and of course gravy made from pan drippings and a slurry on the stove:)  There was little drama over the meal except that when I was pulling the birds out of the beer fridge in the garage, they had frozen in there.  (that fridge is kept really cold, but I didn't think 24 hours in there would freeze them solid, it did)  So I ran them under cold water in a large pan until I could remove the giblet packets, then ran water inside a bit, then back to the pans for some more water running over them.  I think it took about an hour in all.  Thankfully (hehe) we were eating early so an hour delay didn't make too big of difference.

Lemon And Herb Roasted Chicken With Baby Potatoes
1    (4 to 5 pound) free-range chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1    lemon,halved
1    head garlic,halved
1/4 bn each fresh rosemary,thyme, and parsley
1/4 c  olive oil
11/2 lb red new potatoes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out, then pat it dry with
paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and pepper, and then stuff
the lemon, garlic, and herbs inside. Place the chicken, breast-side up,
in a roasting pan. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen
twine to help hold its shape. Toss the potatoes around the chicken.
Season the whole thing with a fair amount of salt and pepper and
drizzle with olive oil. Roast the chicken and potatoes for 1 to 1 1/2
hours. Don't forget to baste the chicken with the drippings and rotate
the pan every 20 minutes or so to insure a golden crispy skin. The
chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer says 165 degrees F
when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs of the
chicken should wiggle easily from the sockets too.) Remove the chicken
to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes, so the juices settle back
into the meat before carving. Serve with the roasted potatoes on the
side

Green Beans With Shallots
8 Servings
Kosher salt
1 1/2 lb green beans,cleaned and trimmed
3 T  unsalted butter
3 T  olive oil
3    medium shallots,minced
Freshly ground black pepper
[Note: Game plan: If you blanch the beans in advance, you just bring them to room temp before sauteing
Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Fill a medium saucepan with heavily salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain the beans and place in the ice water bath or in a colander under cold running water. Once the beans are cool, drain again, shaking the colander to remove any excess water.
Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, add the shallots and saute until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the blanched green beans, toss to coat in the butter and oil, and cook, stirring rarely, until they begin to color on the edges. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Mary's Famous Stuffing
1 bn of celery chopped
1 lb of bacon chopped (raw)
1    large onion chopped
1 1/2 lb of bread cubed
6    eggs
1 1/2 T  sage
2 1/2 t  salt
2 t  pepper
2 1/2 c  of milk (or more if needed)
1.Saute the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered
2.add the onion and celery and cook until soft
3.In a large bowl beat the eggs and add the seasonings and milk.
4.Mix in the bread and then the sauteed veggies

6.Stuff in a bird or bake in a pan @ 350  30 to 40 minutes or until
done (it will swell and get brown on top)


Mary's Yellow Squash Casserole
1/4 c  of melted butter
1 qt of thinly sliced yellow squash
1/2 t  salt
1/4 t  pepper
1    egg beaten
1/4 c  chopped green pepper
1/4    chopped onion
1 t  sugar
1/2 c  mayonnaise
1/2 c  shredded mild cheddar cheese
1.Lightly butter a 1 ½ quart casserole dish and add squash season
with salt and pepper
2.Pour melted butter over squash and coat evenly
3.Mix together the egg, mayonnaise, green pepper, onion and sugar
4.Pour mixture over squash and top with cheese
5.Bake at 350 about 40 minutes or until cheese is nice and brown on top