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