For those of you who like to serve turkey for Christmas dinner, here’s an easy way to cook a savory turkey by roasting with herbs.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Dinner’s Ready In: 4 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 (12 pound) turkey
¾ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Clean turkey (discard giblets and organs), and place in a roasting pan with a lid.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic powder, dried basil, ground sage, salt, and black pepper.
- Using a basting brush, apply the mixture to the outside of the uncooked turkey. Pour water into the bottom of the roasting pan and cover.
- Bake for 3 to 3 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh measures 180°.
- Remove bird from oven, and allow to stand for about 30 minutes before carving.
December 8th, 2008
Use this creamy, chocolate frosting to top your Bonnie Butter Cake for a dessert that will leave them asking for seconds!
Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 sticks soft butter
2 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate (cool)
3/4 tsp vanilla
2 TBLS milk
Directions:
- In small mixer bowl, blend sugar, butter, chocolate and vanilla on low speed
- Slowly add milk; beat until smooth
Add to cake when cake is completely cooled. Makes plenty for a 9×13 sheet cake, also to cover (and layer between) 2 round layers.
December 7th, 2008
This is my mom’s signature birthday cake - a much-requested family favorite!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking poweder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
frosting
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350°
- Grease and flour baking 9×13 pan, or 2 round layer pans
- In large mixer bowl, mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy
- Beat 5 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally
- On low speed, mix in flour, baking powder and salt alternately with milk; pour batter into pan(s)
- Bake 9×13 45 to 50 minutes; layers 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
- Cool cake before applying frosting
For a truly sensational cake, top with homemade French Silk Frosting.
December 7th, 2008
Aptly named for its ease of serving to a party of people, this chicken-in-cream-sauce dish will be a favorite!
Ingredients:
9 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1 package dried beef
9 strips of bacon
1 large sour cream
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
sherry
Directions:
- Lay dried beef in the bottom of lasagna pan (there will be a lot of sauce)
- Wrap chicken in bacon, place on top of beef
- Mix together sour cream, soups, and some sherry and pour over chicken
- Cover VERY TIGHTLY and bake for 3 hours at 275°
My mother serves this dish with wild rice - the creamy sauce is a wonderful complement!
December 7th, 2008
Anyone for a Bruschetta? Try this tasty Italian treat before a meal or even as a light lunch!
Ingredients:
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Balsamic Vinegar, or Balsamic Vinaigrette
6-8 ripe but firm Roma tomatoes, halved, seeded and finely diced
2 cloves finely minced garlic
8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Ground black Pepper to taste
8-12 (½” thick) slices Italian hard crusted or Baguette Bread
Optional: 1 finely diced medium onion
Directions:
- In a bowl, combine the olive oil, vinaigrette, tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, sea salt, and pepper (also onion if you opt to add it). Set aside for at least 60 minutes to marinate.
- Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium heat.
- Grill the bread until it is browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. While still warm, rub each side with the cut garlic. Divide the tomato mixture on top of each bread slice. Arrange on a platter and serve.
*Hint: You can also “cheat” and toast the bread slices in the toaster*
December 4th, 2008
Not to demean “normal” bars, but I have to say, for me there is something infinitely more fun about hanging out in an Irish pub. They all have their special quirks or reasons why you like them, just like any other hangout.
The Dubliner Pub is no different - and its calling is definitely the music. I first stepped foot in this pub a few months ago on a whim. It was a Saturday night, and we decided to head out to listen to some live Irish music. As I looked around, I remember feeling somewhat disappointed…it didn’t have the ambience I’d expected.
However, once the music started (unfortunately, I forget the name of the performing group) it didn’t matter if we’d have been sitting in a cave. Honestly, what’s better than drinking your favorite drink to the sound of an Irish jig???
I recently headed back - with a group of friends - and the ‘band’ playing that night was excellent, too. Good music, good camaraderie, and good drinks. My friend was incredibly pleased they serve Pimm’s - she got a Pimm’s Cup - which evidently is hard to come by if you’re NOT overseas.
Located at University & Vandalia in St. Paul, Minnesota, this Irish pub is a great place to relax and listen to some good Irish tunes.
There is a parking lot for the pub, but it’s small and the place fills up quickly - especially on weekends - so it’s best to get there before the music starts to get a parking spot (~8-8:30 should be fine). The only other recommendation if you’re there solely for the music is to snare a table instead of sitting at the bar. Like I said, the place gets packed so people stand in front of the bar and you can’t see the musicians.
All in all, we’ll be returning to the Dubliner for fine Irish music!
December 4th, 2008
This dish is aptly named for its use of Swiss cheese, however, the recipe is equally good when using Pepperjack cheese.
Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts
6 slicees swiss cheese (or pepperjack)
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
¼ cup milk (or white wine)
2 cups herb seasoned stuffing mix (not cubes)
¼ cup butter, melted (Mom uses the entire stick!)
garlic powder
pepper
Directions:
- Place chicken in greased dish, add garlic powder & pepper “to taste”
- Top each breast with a slice of cheese
- Combine soup & milk (or wine), stir until smooth and pour over chicken
- Sprinkle stuffing on top
- Drizzle with melted butter
- Bake at 350° for 50 minutes
Add a tossed salad or steamed vegetables and you’ve got yourself a VERY tasty meal!
December 2nd, 2008
Mom calls this one “Chicken Elegante”…most likely ’cause it’s a throw-it-together-in-one-pan type of dish, which is the farthest thing from “elegant!” Chicken, stuffing, broccoli - all in 30 minutes - what’s not to like?
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 package (6 oz) Stovetop chicken flavor stuffing mix
1 2/3 c hot water
1/4 c butter/margarine (melted
6 boneless chicken breasts
1 1/3 c broccoli cuts
1 jar (12 oz) Heinz chicken gravy
1 jar (2.5 oz) mushrooms, drained
1-2 TBLS white wine or apple juice
Directions:
- Place contents of seasoning packet & 2 TBLS margarine (or butter) in large bowl.
- Add hot water, stir to partially melt butter/marg.
- Add stuffing crumbs, stir to moisten. Let stand until water’s absorbed.
- Cook chicken in remaining butter/margarine until lightly browned, ~5 minutes.
- Place chicken in baking pan, top each piece with stuffing & broccoli.
- Mix gravy, mushrooms & wine (or apple juice), pour over broccoli/stuffing.
- Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
Meat, carbs & veggies in half an hour!
December 2nd, 2008
No more dry beef with this killer meat loaf recipe!
Ingredients: Meat Loaf
1 lb. ground beef
1½ pieces of bread (broken into bits)
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1 small onion (finely chopped) OR 1 TBLS onion (minced)
Garlic salt, marjorum, salt & pepper to taste
Ingredients: Meat Loaf Topping #1 (My favorite!)
1 can tomato soup
“Some” chili sauce or ketchup
“Shake” of Worcestershire sauce
“Some” sweet basil
Parsley flakes
Ingredients: Meat Loaf Topping #2
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can of mushrooms (drained)
“A little” dry sherry
Lipton onion soup mix
Directions: Meat Loaf Topping #1
- Mix tomato soup, a little chili sauce (or ketchup), shake of Worcestershire sauce and a little sweet basil
- Pour mixture over meat loaf (before baking) and sprinkle parsley flakes on top
Directions: Meat Loaf Topping #2
- Pour cream of mushroom soup over meat loaf
- Put drained mushrooms on top of that, and add a little sherry
- Sprinkle a little Lipton onion soup mix on top
Directions: Meat Loaf
- Mix all ingredients together and put in loaf pan (or smaller casserole dish)
- Bake at 350° about 1½ hours
November 28th, 2008
This recipe hails from the days when my parents and their friends called the Commodore home…
Ingredients:
2 lbs. stew meat
6-7 carrots & celery stalks
5 onions
3 TBLS tapioca pudding
3 TBLS sugar
1 tsp. salt
¾-1½ cups V8 juice
Directions:
- Put meat & vegetables into 9×13 in pan
- Stir together dry ingredients and sprinkle over meat & vegetables
- Add V8 juice and cover tightly with foil
- Bake at 250° for at least 4 hours
- Add more V8 juice as needed to thicken gravy
November 28th, 2008
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