Thanksgiving!!! Happy Thanksgiving!! My favorite thanksgiving recipes for a traditional thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!


What I have on my cooking list....

Turkey in an Oven Bag
Cranberries...not canned.
Yammies!! Yams.
Green Bean Casserole


Turkey Oven Bag Method

This is the self-basting method of roasting turkey. The turkey cooks up tender and juicy in a Oven Bag with no messy cleanup.

Bags can be found in the Reynolds Wrap aisle at any grocery store.

Appearance—light golden brown with some variation in color. Skin is not as "crisp" as traditional foil tent roasted turkey.

Advantage—often preferred for the most juicy turkey.
How To:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shake 1 tablespoon flour in turkey-size (19" x 23-1/2") Oven Bag. Use large-size oven bag (14" x 20") for 8 to 12-pound turkeys or for turkey breast. Use small size (10" x 16") for boneless turkey breast. Leave flour in oven bag. This helps blend the fats and juices and protects against bursting. Place bag in roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. The pan should be large enough that the oven bag does not hang over sides and does not touch oven walls or oven racks.

Remove neck and giblets from both cavities of defrosted turkey. Rinse turkey, pat dry and brush with vegetable oil. Slice 1 onion and 2 stalks celery; place in oven bag. Place turkey, breast side up, in oven bag on top of veget
Close bag with nylon tie; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top of oven bag. Insert meat thermometer through slit in oven bag into inner thigh for whole turkey or into thickest part of breast for turkey breast.

Roast until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees to 185 degrees F for whole turkey or 170 degrees to 175 degrees F for turkey breast. For stuffed turkey, add 30 minutes to roasting time. The approximate roasting times are: 1-1/2 to 2 hours for 8 to 12 lb. turkey; 2-1/2 to 3 hours for a 16 to 20 lb. turkey; 3 to 3-1/2 hours for a 20 to 24 lb. turkey.

For easy slicing, let stand in oven bag 15 minutes after removing from oven. To open, carefully cut or slit top of oven bag. If turkey sticks to oven bag, gently loosen oven bag from turkey before opening oven bag.

Cranberries...Not Canned.

The good thing about cranberry sauce is that once you have the base down, you can dress it up a bit.
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 cup (255 mL) water
4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries

Optional Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.

1 Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.

2 At this point you can add all number of optional ingredients. We typically mix in a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel. You can add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.

3 Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Cranberry sauce base makes 2 1/4 cups.

Yammies!!! Yams! And Sorghum Syrup....

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
9 tablespoons sorghum syrup* or 1/2 cup clover honey plus
1 tablespoon robust-flavored (dark) molasses
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
8 10- to 11-ounce yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes)

PreparationBeat butter, sorghum syrup, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne in medium bowl to blend; season with salt. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring mixture to room temperature before using.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse potatoes; pat dry. Pierce each several times with fork; place on baking sheet. Bake potatoes until tender, about 1 hour.

Cut top of each potato lengthwise; press in ends to open top. Spoon some sorghum butter into opening of each potato and serve.


GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE!!
A Recipe Most People are Familiar With BUT is super easy!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
4 cups cooked green beans
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 1/3 cups French fried onions

PREPARATION:
Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup of the fried onions. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Top with the remaining 2/3 cup fried onions and bake about 5 more minutes, until onions are lightly browned.Serves 6.

Do you like acorn squash?

Never cooked acorn squash? Know nothing about it....ITS GOOD FOR YOUR HEART!!!
Lindsey's random acorn blog....

ACORN SQUASH
The winter squash is a relative of the cucumber and the melon. The inner sweet fiber of the winter squash has seeds in the center. The trick to cooking this veggie is to soften the outside layer, so you are able to get to the sweet fiber. This fiber in "Ancient Times" was once a routine aspect of all diets, and for the most part has been driven out by processing and modern taste preferences. It is essential for digestion and has been found a preventive for various forms of cancer, lung disease and all around good health.The Vitamin A component is good for men's health as well as smokers. It's super good for your heart!! Acorn Squash is abundant in the nutrient beta-carotene. Huh? What does that mean? Oh....Beta-carotene prevents the oxidation of cholesterol in the vessels. Huh? OH!! No plaque developes in the vessels around your heart so that there is no restriction on the blood flow leading to the heart.


Baked Acorn Squash with Mustard and Honey
Recipe courtesy Sara Moulton

There are only 4 ingredients in this recipe (well, 6, if you count the salt and pepper), but it is a hit whenever I make it, an easy, tasty addition to a weeknight meal. Just remember to turn on the oven first thing when you get home. And be very careful when you cut the squash. If you don't really steady it, it's going to start rolling around on the counter, and the next thing you know you'll have cut yourself.

3 acorn squash, about 1 1/2 pounds each, stems cut off
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Set the squash on its side and, with a large knife, cut in half vertically. Trim a piece off the bottom of each squash half so they will lie flat in the pan. Scrape out the seeds and stringy membranes with a large spoon. Place cavity side up in a large roasting pan. Mix the butter, mustard, and honey in a small bowl until blended. Fill each squash cavity with 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until the squash is very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Note: Sandra Colling from Rochester, New York, called in one night on the show when I was making a dish with winter squash. She pointed out that anytime you have leftover cooked squash you can freeze it for future use. She suggested freezing it in muffin tins for easy single portions. I suggest that you could also turn the cooked squash puree into a soup by adding vegetable or chicken stock to thin, then topping it off with some homemade rye, pita, or Parmesan croutons.

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours Yield: 6 servings

Artificial Sweeteners!!!

You might be wondering what the difference between Natural Sweeteners or Artificial Sweetners....well...let's look at a few!!


Natural Sweeteners
Honey consists of several components: fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose. It is 25 to 50% sweeter than sugar, and has a distinctive flavor. The flavors and colors of honey can vary depending upon the bees' diet--buckwheat honey, for example, is darker and stronger than clover honey. Baked goods made with honey are moist and dense, and tend to brown faster than those made with granulated sugar. Use ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey in place of 1 cup sugar, and reduce the other liquid ingredients by 2 tablespoons. Unless the recipe includes sour cream or buttermilk, add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acidity.

Maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple trees, and is a combination of sucrose and glucose. The sap is boiled down into a sweet, delectable syrup. Grade A maple syrup is golden brown and has a delicate flavor. Grade B is thicker, darker, and is better for baking because it has a stronger flavor--and it costs less. Although maple syrup is only 60% as sweet as sugar, use ¾ cup for every cup of white sugar and decrease the amount of liquid by 3 tablespoons to compensate for its liquid state. Molasses is a byproduct of refined sugar production. It is made up of sucrose, glucose and fructose, and also contains small amounts of B vitamins, calcium and iron. Molasses imparts a dark color and strong flavor to baked foods, but is not as sweet as sugar. When substituting molasses for sugar, use 1 1/3 cups molasses for 1 cup sugar, and reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 5 tablespoons. Molasses is also more acidic than sugar; add ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of molasses used. Replace no more than half the sugar called for in a recipe with molasses.

Corn syrup is known as an "invert sugar;" it is useful in cooking and candy-making because, unlike other sugars, it does not crystallize. Corn is treated with enzymes to break down starch into glucose and maltose. Corn syrup is less sweet than sugar, and does not add flavor like molasses or honey. "Golden Syrup," common in the United Kingdom, is a refinery syrup made from sugar. It is used in place of corn syrup. Some cooks believe sugar syrups have a livelier flavor than corn syrups and add more character to dishes such as pecan pie.


Artificial Sweeteners
These sweeteners have been approved by the FDA and are available for home use. While they provide a sweet taste, artificial sweeteners lack the browning, tenderizing and moisture-retaining properties of granulated sugar. Sucralose is the one sweetener than can be substituted cup-for-cup for granulated sugar in baking.

Saccharine is 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. It can be used in baked goods. However, the manufacturer recommends substituting it for only half of the sugar in a recipe. Substitute 6 (1-gram) packets for each ¼ cup sugar. It is sold under the name Sweet and Low®.
Aspartame is 160 to 220 times sweeter than granulated sugar. This sweetener is heat-sensitive: it loses its sweetening power when heated, and cannot be used for cookies or cakes. The manufacturer does recommend trying it in no-bake pies and in puddings after they have been removed from the heat. Substitute 6 (1-gram) packets for each ¼ cup of sugar. It is sold under the names Equal® and NutraSweet®.

Acesulfame potassium is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is heat-stable, so it can be used in baking and cooking. Use acesulfame K in combination with granulated sugar when baking. Substitute 6 (1-gram) packets for each ¼ cup sugar. It is sold under the brand names Sunette® and Sweet One®.

Sucralose is made from sugar, but is not metabolized by the body like sugar. It is 600 times sweeter than granulated sugar. Granular sucralose is the form used when baking. Substitute 1 cup granular sucralose for each cup of sugar called for in the recipe. Recipes made with this product tend to bake faster than usual, so check for doneness sooner than the recipe specifies. It is sold under the Splenda® brand name.

Remember, these substitution guidelines are just that: guidelines. Just like seasoning with salt, sweeten recipes to your tastes.

Unfortunately though...sugar is sugar and will always be...oh, SUGAR!!!

All refined sugars--brown sugar, white sugar, "raw" sugars such as demerara or turbinado--are equal from a nutritive standpoint. Brown sugars simply contain a higher molasses content. Refined sugar is 99 percent pure sucrose, a simple carbohydrate.

Other sugars, such as honey, taste sweeter on the tongue than granulated sugar. You can therefore use less honey to sweeten a batch of muffins than you would sugar. Maple syrup tastes less sweet than sugar, but its unique flavor is prized in baked goods and desserts.


So this is definately NOT healthy....however, it's yummy....
Tiramisu Cheesecake
Follow Master Recipe for Rich and Creamy Cheesecake, brushing 1 3-ounce package (or 24 in a package) soft ladyfingers with a mixture of 6 Tbs. strong coffee and 2 Tbs. rum. Line pan sides with ladyfingers (trimmed to fit). Stir 3 Tbs. espresso powder into the batter. When ready to serve, shave a 4-ounce bar of semi- or bittersweet chocolate with a vegetable peeler onto the cheesecake.

Serves 12 per serving: 396 calories, 8g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 28g fat (17g saturated), 152mg cholesterol, 0.7g fiber, 207mg sodium.

Food Network

Television and Food...a crime of passion. Is our nation getting fat because they watch too much television? Who cares? There's a great network that's like free food!!! It's food and television!!! FOOD NETWORK. I am sure by now in life, you are familiar with their lime-green logo, their incredibly expensive cookery and what-nots that they sell and you will likely never buy but instead receive as a gift you will never use...and likely give to another....YEAH!!! Them!! You know what I'm talking about....but, all kidding aside, Food Network has an incredibly great website when it comes to good and healthy cooking.

Foodnetwork dot com holds TONS upon TONS of recipes that include everything from sugar free to low calorie and anything you can imagine!!! You know that seven-layer dip at parties....even it's there!!!

My tip today is to go and check it out....
Oh, and here's the recipe for the seven-layer dip....


Six Layers and a Chip Dip
From Food Network Kitchens

2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1(15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups lowfat shredded Cheddar
2 ripe avocados, preferably Hass
1 jalapeno, stemmed, finely chopped, (with seeds for more heat)
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups nonfat yogurt, preferably Greek
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, leaves and some stems, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
3 ripe medium tomatoes, diced
5 scallions (white and green), thinly sliced.

Baked tortilla chips, for dipping

On a cutting board, smash the garlic cloves, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. Put the garlic, beans, chili powder, water, and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Spread in the bottom of a 2 quart casserole or gratin dish, or in individual sized dishes, as desired.
Scatter the cheese over the beans. Halve and seed the avocados, then mash with the jalapeno and another teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Spread a layer of the avocado over the cheese, and then scatter the lettuce on top.

Mix the yogurt with the cilantro and then spread over the lettuce. Add a layer of tomatoes and finally scatter the scallions on top. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish with a few cilantro sprigs and serve with baked chips.

Nutrition Information
Calories 252
Total fat 11 grams
Saturated fat 2.4 grams
Carbohydrates 27 grams
Protein 15 grams
Fiber 9.5 grams
Sodium 873 mg

Sugar-Free Recipe (Did that just Rhyme?)

If you are human, and I am guessing you are, you like to eat sugar. Period. Don't Lie. I know you do. Everyone does! Chocolate? It is a must for any dessert.

But did you know....
Sugar is added to whole wheat bread and muffins and even cigarettes. GROSS!! Yes you read that right! Sugar is added to whole wheat items traditionally deemed as “healthy” as well as unhealthy items such as cigarettes for its addictive properties. This just proves how much every must adore sugar. Another piece of information that will not surprise you is that sugar is extremely unhealthy. Sugar has been traced back to many common health aliments since its widespread introduction in the 17 & 1800’s including acne, yeast infections, mood swings, mental health diseases and even Cancer.

All of these health problems were introduced to the public when we went from consuming approximately 10 pounds of sugar a year to 157 pounds a year. Here is a simple list to help you cut the sugar out of your life the healthy way and put your body back to nature.
1. Read labels Look for sugar in the ingredients and not just the nutrition facts. Sugar occurs naturally in many foods and is healthy for the body. The goal of reading the label is to make sure sugar is not an added ingredient. If it is not added then do not worry about the natural sugar on the fact list.

2. Leave the sugar on the table Resist the urge to add sugar to your coffee or tea. Many of our favorite beverages are already full of unnatural sugar. By not adding extra sugar in your drink you have cut sugar, which leads me to my next tip…

3. Go sugar free!! Hard, I know but... Surprisingly, many beverages we have taste just as great sugar free. With the growing popularity of flavored drinks at your local coffee house, companies have started catering to those who desire a sugar free lifestyle by making sugar free flavoring. Next time you order that latte you love so much, try ordering it sugar free. Chances are that you will not notice much difference and you will have done something healthy for your body.


A Sugar Free Recipe....I have no idea who Pauline is, but this is really yummy!!!

Pauline's Apricot-Almond No Sugar Cheesecake
What you need:
For the crust, press into springform pan:
2 cups of finely ground almonds,
1/4 cup of "light olive oil"
1/2 tsp. salt,
and 2 large, rounded tablespoons of flour.
For the filling, cream together in food processor:
Three 8 oz. packages of "reduced fat" soft cream cheese
3 eggs
1 large rounded tablespoon of flour
pinch of salt
4 whole-fresh apricots (with seeds removed)or use 6 halves of canned apricots(packed in it's own juice-no sugar added)
1/2 cup sour cream
16 of the small -individual packets of "Splenda."

What you do:
Pour into pan on top of crust:
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes than reduce heat to 350
and bake another 25-30 minutes, till top is lightly golden and middle section is does not move when pan it tilted.
COOL for 30-60 minutes.

Topping:
Puree 6 fresh apricots (pits removed of course)
along with 1/3 cup of "Simply Fruit" apricot jam.(this- has no added sugar, but only fructose sugar-natural.)
Spread this over top of cheesecake.
Sprinkle over topping:
1 cup of slivered raw almonds and place them in a non-stick fry pan along with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
Keep heat on medium and stir consistently till almonds are golden brown
Then place on a paper towel to cool.(browning time for about 1-2 minutes)

Mucus...and yeah, a recipe. Still hungry?

"Diets consisting of cooked processed foods force the production of excessive amounts of mucus as a form of protection. Because of the Modern Diet, we are swimming in a mucus fog causing a sluggish, tired mental state that demands a shot of coffee to kick start the body in the morning. With a mucusless diet, the intercellular fluid around the cells will be free of mucus, resulting in better memory and clear, sharp thinking. Instead of waking up in the morning, feeling worse than when you went to bed, you will spring out of bed, sleepy-dirt free, enthusiastically prepared to pounce on a new day's challenge. Eating more naturally will result in the intensifying of the five senses. You will breathe more easily and be far less susceptible to colds and flues. Antibodies from the immune system will not be forced to battle their way through thick, sticky mucus in the blood. Antibodies will be free to travel quickly and efficiently to the areas of need, resulting in a powerful resistance against sickness and disease."

UH..........GROSS!!! Heeeeeeeeeello? I had no idea. So, now that there's proof of why you can feel crappy in the morning after having a unhealthy dinner....let's jumpstart our morning with a healthy breakfast....Well, at least a completely breakfast. Sausage isn't SUPER healthy...but yum!!!

So...I don't really have a recipe for this, but we (meaning my incredibly English Family) call in Toad in a Hole. I figured it fit with the whole mucus thing, gross again...I know.
So...Toad in a Hole.

Toad in the Hole (the hard version)
Ingredients:
4oz Plain Flour
1/2 level teasp Salt
1 Egg
9fl.oz Milk
8oz Pork Sausages (You can use Turkey Sausage to be healthier)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F, and grease a shallow ovenproof dish or Yorkshire pudding tin.
2. Place the flour, egg, milk and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and lump free.
3. Place the sausages in the greased dish in a single layer then pour over the batter. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until well risen and golden. ry not to open the oven door during cooking or the pudding may not rise. Serve immediately with an onion gravy and chopped cabbage or other greenvegetable.

Serves 4.

Toad in a Hole (the simple version)
You will need....
1 egg
salt and pepper optional
1 slice of bread
a drinking glass
butter

Instructions
1. Take a big slice of break and cut a hole in it with your drinking cup. Butter both remaining sides of the bread with butter and feel free to eat the round piece you cut out.
2. Put the slice in a warmed frying pan and break your egg in the middle of break slice (aka in the hole). Flip bread and egg together just as if you were doing a regular egg, salt and pepper as you want and WHAM. simple, amazing, healthy... "Toad in a Hole"

Any Questions?

Eating Out...the horror, the horror!!!

I stole these tips for the National Restaurant Association Magazine...
So, if you happen to go to Poudre Hospial and you see this magazine and there is a page missing...these tips are what are missing!!! haha!!

So, eating out, everyone does it and honestly we're not very good at it!!! Sodium, calories...all kinds of intense stuff are in the foods found at a restaurant that do not exist when we eat at home, so it'd be good to attempt to follow some of these tips....

Want to Watch Calories When Dining Out? Tips for Eating Smart

Watching calories while eating out? The good news is in today's restaurants you have plenty of options! Here are a few tips from the National Restaurant Association on how to make the most of your dining-out experience.By Sheila Weiss, R.D.
• Order salad dressings and other sauces on the side.This way, you have control over how much or how little you add.
• When ordering grilled fish or vegetables, ask that the food either be grilled without butter or oil, or prepared "light," with little oil or butter.
• When ordering pasta dishes, look for tomato-based sauces rather than cream-based sauces. Tomato-based sauces are much lower in fat and calories. In addition, the tomato sauce (or marinara sauce) can count as a vegetable!
• Drink water, diet soda, or unsweetened tea or coffee instead of regular soda or alcoholic beverages. This will save a lot of calories each day.
• Share a dessert with a friend. Half the dessert equals half the calories.
• Share an appetizer. Same rule as above applies.
• When choosing a soup, keep in mind that cream-based soups are higher in fat and calories than most other soups. Soup can serve as a great appetizer to a meal, or as an entree. Most soups are low in calories and will fill you up, so you eat less.
Restaurant Trends

Catering to What YOU WantResearch shows that more restaurants are satisfying the ever-changing tastes and preferences of their customers by providing flexibility in food preparation methods, portion sizes and expanded menu offerings.

• Three out of four consumers report they have more restaurants to choose from today than they did two years ago.
• Six out of 10 adults say tableservice restaurants make it easy for them to choose the portion size they want.• 70 percent of customers say they often order larger portions to turn tonight's dinner into tomorrow's lunch.
• Roughly eight out of 10 restaurants offer vegetarian entrees.

Source: National Restaurant Association

THE TIPS
• Order steamed vegetables as a side dish instead of starch.
• Ask for salsa with a baked potato instead of sour cream, butter, cheese, or bacon. Salsa is very low in calories and a healthy alternative with a lot of spice.
• Stop eating when you are full — listen to the cues your body gives you.
• Order sandwiches with mustard rather than mayonnaise or "special sauce." Mustard adds flavor with virtually no calories.
• Take half of your meal home. The second half can serve as a second meal! (Two meals for the price of one: What a deal!)
• If you want to eat less, order two appetizers, or an appetizer and a salad, as your meal.
• If you have a choice of side dishes, opt for baked potato or steamed vegetables rather than french fries. Even if choices are not listed, ask your server to substitute vegetables or a baked potato for french fries.
• Look for items on the menu that are baked, grilled, dry-sauteed, broiled, poached, or steamed. These cooking techniques use less fat in the food preparation and are generally lower in calories.
• Don't be afraid to ask for special low-calorie or low-fat preparation of a menu item. The restaurant industry is one of hospitality and customer choice. We aim to please.
• Plain bread or yeast rolls are relatively low in fat and calories. It's the butter and oil you add that increases the fat and calories.
• Choose entrees with fruits and vegetables as key ingredients. Enjoy the flavors they offer. Fruits and vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber as well as of many vitamins and minerals.
• Choose foods made with whole grains. Examples include whole-wheat bread and dishes made with brown rice.
• Enjoy foods that are flavored with fresh herbs rather than fats such as oil and butter. Herbs add a unique flavor to any dish!
• If you are craving dessert, opt for something low-fat, like sorbet, fresh berries or fruit.
• Remember not to deprive yourself of the foods you love. All foods can fit into a well-balanced diet.

Good Luck Eating Out!!!