Thanksgiving | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: Thanksgiving
- CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH ORANGES AND GRAND MARNIER
  
  Posted at 9:31 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 19th
  Massachusetts, abundant in cranberries bogs, produces glorious fresh cranberries which are harvested in the fall coming to market just in time for Thanksgiving. You can get frozen cranberries all year long a wonderful alternative when fresh are out of season. I just love fresh cranberries and I buy copious quantities for making naturally fresh cranberry sauce along with breads, cakes, stuffing and with roasted vegetables. You could say I go cranberry crazy this time of year. And you have to be quick since fresh cranberries are gone from market right after the new year. As you might have guessed homemade cranberry sauce is a must, a favorite accompaniment to our Thanksgiving dinner. Each year I tweak the ingriendants for a different sauce; sometimes I add pecans for a crunch texture or lemons for a tangy sauce, this year I made cranberry sauce with chopped oranges. I like my cranberry sauce spirited adding a little liqueur; to this recipe I added Grand Marnier; a french orange liqueur. If your interested in reading more about cranberries and blogs their natural growing habitat click on this link. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/cranberry-bogs1.htm
  
  CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH ORANGES AND GRAND MARNIER
  
  INGRIEDIENTS
  
  1 medium navel orange, seeds removed, chopped
  
  1 lb. fresh (or frozen) cranberries
  
  1/2 cup sugar
  
  2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  
  1 3″-long cinnamon stick
  
  ½ tsp. ground allspice
  
  Pinch of kosher salt
  
  2 tablespoon Grand Marnier
  
  RECIPE PREPARATION
  
  Place orange in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to come 1″ up sides of pan. Bring to a boil, then remove immediately from heat and drain orange in a mesh sieve or colander. Rinse under cold water; return to saucepan. Add cranberries, sugar, butter, cinnamon, allspice, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat cook stirring often until cranberries burst, juices are syrupy, for about 9-12 minutes. Stir in Grand Marnier simmer for another two minuets. Remove cinnamon stick. and discard.
  
  DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Side dish, Thanksgiving, vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged cranberry sauce, easy, Grand Marnier, Make ahead, oranges, Thanksgiving
- Savory Fruit and Nut Stuffing for Thanksgiving turkey
  
  Posted at 7:42 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 26th
  I love to add fall fruits to my holiday stuffing to capture the smells and flavor of the season. My Savory Fruit and Nut stuffing combines apples, pears, and cranberries with toasty pecans. A wonderful addition to my stuffing favorites. You can either stuff the turkey or bake to serve.
  
  Savory Fruit and Nut Stuffing
  
  1/4 cup butter
  
  2 cups chopped onions
  
  1/4 cup celery
  
  2 apples
  
  2 pears
  
  1cup fresh cranberries
  
  12 cups dried bread cubes
  
  4 eggs
  
  2/3 cup chicken broth
  
  1 teaspoon salt
  
  2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh snipped thyme
  
  2 teaspoon dried sage or 2 teaspoons fresh snipped sage
  
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
  2/3 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
  
  In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook about 5 minutes until tender but not browned. Add apples, pears and cranberries; cook for 5 minutes more until apples are tender. Remove from heat.
  
  In an extra large bowl toss together onion mixture and bread cubes. Let stand 10 minutes.
  
  In a small bowl stir together eggs, broth, salt, thyme sage and pepper. Drizzle egg mixture over bread, tossing lightly to combine. Fold in pecans.
  
  Use to stuff turkey or you can bake uncovered at 375 for 20 minutes.
  
  To make ahead: Prepare as directed and can be refrigerated for 1 day. Let stand a room temperature then bake as directed.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Thanksgiving | Tagged nuts, Stuffing, Thanksgiving
- A Simple Perfect Roast Turkey
  
  Posted at 3:27 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 22nd
  I learned at a young age how to handle and prepare poultry from my mother, an outstanding cook – her turkey is far superior to any that I have tasted. My mother taught me to soak turkey over night in a bath of salt to tender and remove harmful bacteria. First my mother would freeze a fresh turkey, she believes it seals in the flavor. Then time to soak the frozen turkey over night. Next through rinsing, draining and patting dry of the bird. I love rituals so my mothers holds a special pace in my turkey preparation. I’ve bought fresh turkey from the farm, from high end and frozen from lower end grocery store. My only hard fast rule is all natural. How you dress and cook the turkey plays an import part in how good your turkey taste.
  
  A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey
  - 1 (18 pound) whole turkey
  - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  - salt and pepper to taste
  - 1 1/2 quarts turkey stock
  - 8 cups prepared homemade stuffing
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
  2. Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
  3. Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
  4. Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
  Turkey Gravy
  
  Ingredients
  
  For the broth:
  
  2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
  1 medium onion or leek, or 2 shallots, sliced
  
  Neck and giblets from your turkey (discard the liver)
  
  8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  
  3 sprigs thyme, parsley, rosemary and/or sage
  
  1 bay leaf
  
  For the gravy:
  
  Turkey drippings from your roasting pan
  
  1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
  Dash of Worcestershire sauce
  
  Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  
  Directions
  When your turkey goes into the oven, start the broth: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and turkey neck and giblets; cook, stirring, until the giblets are browned, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, herb sprigs and bay leaf; cover and simmer while the turkey roasts, about 2 hours. Strain the broth and keep warm; reserve the neck and giblets, if desired.
  
  When your turkey is done, transfer it to a cutting board and pour all the pan drippings into a degreasing cup. Add 1/2 cup of the prepared broth to the roasting pan and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. (If the bits are stuck, put the pan over a low burner to loosen them.) Add the bits and liquid to the degreasing cup.
  
  Let the fat rise to the top of the degreasing cup, then spoon off 1/2 cup fat and transfer to a large saucepan over medium heat. Make a roux: Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the flour browns slightly, about 4 minutes.
  
  Gradually add the hot broth to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Pour the dark roasting juices from the degreasing cup into the gravy, discarding any remaining fat. If desired, chop the giblets and shred the neck meat; add to the gravy. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in entertaining, family meals, Main Dish, Main Meal, Thanksgiving | Tagged Thanksgiving, turkey
- Sweet Potato Cranberry Pound Cake
  
  Posted at 9:01 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 18th
  Fall is a wonderful baking season filling with all the fruits and veggies that give your bake goods that fall crisp flavor and aroma. I just love this new take on pound cake adding cooked sweet potatoes and cranberries. Cream cheese make the cake very moist while the pumpkin spice adds the fall flavor.
  
  Sweet Potato Cranberry Pound Cake
  
  1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  
  1/2 cup butter, softened
  
  2 cups sugar
  
  4 large eggs
  
  2 1/2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (I baked, peeled then mashed)
  
  3 cups all-purpose flour
  
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  2 cups fresh cranberries, washed and picked over
  
  1. Preheat oven to 350º. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Add sweet potatoes, and beat well.
  
  2. Stir together flour, next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add cranberries folding over until cranberries are evenly distributed in batter. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan.
  
  3. Bake at 350º for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
  
  or try:
  
  Sweet Potato Pound Cake Loaves: Prepare batter as directed; pour into 2 greased and floured 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Bake and cool as directed.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Cake, Dessert, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Thanksgiving | Tagged cranberry, easy baking, pound cake, Sweet Potato
- Deliciously Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Pineapples and Pecans
  
  Posted at 9:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 13th
  Living in New England with cranberry bogs covering large areas means we have the fresh cranberries in the market just in time for Thanksgiving. Fresh cooked Cranberry Sauce is the best. I’ve embellished the cooked cranberries with crushed pineapple to bring out the sweetness of the berries. The pecans in this recipe give the fresh sauce a crunch that I love. Save the left over cranberry sauce as nothing taste better the next day on a Turkey sandwich than fresh cranberry sauce and stuffing.
  
  Deliciously Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Pineapples and Pecans
  
  1 (20 ounce) cans crushed pineapple in juice
  
  2 (12 ounce) packages cranberries ( fresh or frozen, preferably fresh)
  
  1 1/4 cups sugar ( can use more)
  
  1 1/4 cups pecans, chopped
  
  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  
  1 tablespoon lemon rind
  
  1 teaspoon allspice
  
  1 teaspoon orange liquor (optional)
  
  Drain the pineapple thoroughly in a fine sieve set over a large measuring cup (push the pineapple against the sieve to drain out any extra juice). Add enough water to make 2 cups. Place the liquid in a sauce pan adding in cranberries and sugar. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil. Add cranberries. Continue to boil until most of the berries pop and the mixture is thick, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Use either a splatter screen or lid over the berries to keep them from exploding on your cook top. Remove from heat. Add drained pineapples, pecans, lemon juice, lemon rind, allspice and liquor mixing well. Transfer to glass serving bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate over night. Can be made two days ahead.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  www.gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
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  Posted in Thanksgiving | Tagged cranberry sauce, pecans, pineapples
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