Sunday, November 25, 2012

Peach or Raspberry Bellinis





Each canister of Iced Tea contains 6 (1.6 oz.) tubs of iced tea mix.
This recipe makes two jugs of Bellinis, peach in one and raspberry in the other.

Serves: 16
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
1 (1.6 oz.) tub Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea Mix
6 cups (48 oz.) water
2 cups (16 oz.) sugar-free Sierra Mist

(1.6 oz.) tub Crystal Light Raspberry Iced Tea Mix
6 cups (48 oz.) water
2 cups (16 oz.) sugar-free Sierra Mist


Directions:
  1. In a jug, dissolve iced tea mix in water.
  2. Refrigerate for two hours.
  3. Add Sierra Mist and stir well.
  4. Serve on the rocks.


Thanksgiving 2012 Menu

Thanksgiving Dinner, clockwise from top:
Quick & Easy Chicken Gravy
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Onion, Carrot & Celery Stuffing 
Broasted Cauliflower & Potatoes 
Green Bean Casserole
Creamy Mashed Potatoes 
Butterball Boneless Breasts of Turkey
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Thanksgiving Desserts, clockwise from top left:
Grandma Peggy's Jello
Cold Stone Creamery Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
Fruit Tray
Thanksgiving Menu
Saturday, November 24, 2012

Appetizer

Fruit Tray

Entrée


Side Dishes

Sliced Jellied Cranberry Sauce
  
Dessert

Cold Stone Creamery Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Beverages

Choice of


Grandma Peggy's Jello

Grandma Peggy's Jello
Thanksgiving Desserts, Clockwise from top left:
Grandma Peggy's Jello
Cold Stone Creamery Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
Fruit Tray

Serves: 16
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: Overnight

Ingredients:
1 small pkg. Strawberry Jello
1 small pkg. sugar-free Strawberry Jello
1 can crushed pineapple
1 can whole cranberry sauce (Ocean Spray)
1 tub sweetened sliced frozen strawberries
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water

Directions:
1.      Dissolve both pkgs. of jello in boiling water.
2.      Add cold water and stir well.
3.      Stir in remaining ingredients, including pineapple juice.
4.      Refrigerate overnight or until set.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving Dinner, clockwise from top:
Easy Chicken Gravy

Jellied Cranberry Sauce
 Onion, Carrot & Celery Stuffing
Broasted Cauliflower & Potatoes 

Green Bean Casserole
Creamy Mashed Potatoes 

Butterball Boneless Breasts of Turkey 
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Servings: 16
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

5 large potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet)                                                          
2 cups hot milk or 1 pint Fat-Free Half & Half 
½ stick butter or margarine
Salt to taste
Generous dash of pepper 

Method:
  1. Peel, cut potatoes into 1” pieces and place in a large pan.
  2. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
  3. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender and drain. 
  4. Mash potatoes with hot milk, butter, salt and pepper.
  5. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  6. Serve hot as a side dish.  

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls




Servings: 16
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 13 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls for small rolls (4 tubes for large rolls)
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Remove dough from tubes and roll out by hand.
  3. For large rolls, separate two triangles of dough, place long sides perpendicular to work surface, overlap sides and seal. For small rolls, use one triangle.
  4. Starting at bottom edge, roll up towards the point.
  5. Form a circle by gently pulling the two ends down.
  6. Tuck one point under and the other under and through the center.
  7. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
  8. Form the remaining rolls as described above.
  9. Brush rolls with beaten egg and bake at 325°F for 11-13 minutes until golden.

Onion, Carrot and Celery Stuffing

 
Serves: 16
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. Stove Top chicken stuffing
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
1 (8 oz.) cup button mushrooms, sliced
3 cups chicken broth
1 stick unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Bring onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, broth and butter to a boil.
2. Stir in stuffing, remove from heat, cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Fluff with fork and serve.

Broasted Cauliflower & Potatoes


Cauliflower and potatoes are blanched and then roasted. The ranch dressing can be replaced with 2 Tbsp. tandoori masala and 1/4 cup plain yogurt for an Indian touch.

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower
3 russet potatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pkt. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (powder)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Combine olive oil with dressing and set aside.
  3. Remove leafy base from cauliflower, leaving top intact.
  4. Peel potatoes and cut each half into 6 pieces.
  5. Boil water, add potatoes, boil for 10 minutes, remove & set aside.
  6. Boil cauliflower, stem down, in same boiling water for 10 minutes.
  7. Turn cauliflower over, boil for another 5 minutes and drain.
  8. Stir dressing and brush half over top and bottom of cauliflower.
  9. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
  10. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
  11. Toss potatoes with remaining dressing.
  12. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes until brown.
  13. Place cauliflower in center of serving platter with potatoes around edges. 

Green Beans Casserole


Servings: 10
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup        
Dash of pepper
½ cup cream or milk                                                 
4 cups cooked cut green beans
4 Tbsp. soy sauce                                                                               
2 containers French’s Fried Onions
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil.

Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9"x13" glass baking dish with oil.  
  2. Mix soup, cream, soy sauce, pepper, beans and 1 container fried onions.  
  3. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until bubbling.  Stir. 
  4. Garnish edges of dish with 2nd container of onions. 
  5. Bake 5 minutes more.   


Quick & Easy Chicken Gravy


Serves:                         16
Prep Time:                      3 minutes
Stovetop Cooking Time:   5 minutes
Crockpot Cooking Time:    2 hours

Ingredients:
2 jars (8 oz.) Heinz Chicken Gravy 
2 cups Chicken Broth

Directions:
  1. Combine the two ingredients in a saucepan and stir until smooth.
  2. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes on the stove top.
  3. Pour into pre-heated crock pot to keep warm.
  4. Alternatively, cook in a crock pot for 2 hours.

Butterball Boneless Breasts of Turkey


I've lived in the US for 31 years and served Thanksgiving Dinner to our family and friends for 27 of those years.  Preparing this dinner became much less intimidating when my husband and I discovered these boneless breasts of turkey.  Prior to that, roasted chicken was the entree of choice in our home, instead of turkey, at Thanksgiving. Each de-boned turkey breast is rolled around the dark meat of the rest of the turkey, with the skin covering the top of the roast and the entire roast is then trussed, tied and frozen, ready for baking, after thawing. With each slice of the cooked roast, each guest gets a sampling of white and dark meat.  This boneless breast of turkey is seasoned and marinated the same way as the Big Bird and is a success with very little effort!  

My fear of the Big Bird developed the very first year we immigrated to Canada  in 1977.  My first job was at a car parts supplier in Toronto where, at Thanksgiving & Christmas, the President and CEO of the company personally handed a frozen turkey (mine was 14 lbs.) to each of his employees.  We lined up in the cafeteria to receive this great honor.  

Toronto has a robust public transportation system and having just arrived in the country, I took the bus to and from work the first couple of years.  Well, that evening, armed with my handbag and this clumsy and heavy bird, I got on the bus and put the turkey down to get out the bus fare.  Meanwhile, the bus driver started driving and to my horror, the bird rolled all the way down the center aisle and landed at the feet of the passenger way down at the end of the bus!  Everyone laughed until they cried, but I was very embarrassed.  

When I got home, I had no idea what to do with the horrible bird.  Thankfully, my Canadian sister-in-law came to the rescue and made Thanksgiving Dinner for us that year.  When the bird was again presented at Christmas and for the remainder of my employment at that company, I gifted the Big Bird to any colleague who would have it.  Yes, there were a lot of takers who were surprised by my generosity.

Butterball Boneless Breasts of Turkey

Serves:          16
Prep Time:     2 nights + 2 hours thawing time
Baking Time:  1 hour 45 minutes
Resting Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 (3-lbs. each) frozen Butterball Boneless Breasts of Turkey 
4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:
  1. Thaw frozen turkey breasts in refrigerator for 2 nights.
  2. Bring to room temperature 2 hours before baking.
  3. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  4. Remove netting and plastic wrapping from thawed turkey.
  5. Discard wrappings and packets of gravy.
  6. Loosen string netting to make removal easy later on.
  7. Rub olive oil all over turkey.
  8. Place on a rack in roasting pan, skin side up, in the middle of the oven.
  9. Bake at 325°F for 1 hour, cover with foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
  10. Remove foil and bake at 325°F for 15 minutes until top is golden brown.
  11. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let them sit for 15 minutes.
  12. Slice and serve with all the fixin's.  
See Thanksgiving 2013 or 2012 for side dishes.