Thanksgiving Turkey

The final bird lacks that picture perfect evenly browned skin, but since we don't eat the skin and carve it before bringing it to the table anyway, we don't mind. It tastes juicy and delicious.

1 bottle Tony Chachere's Injectables, Creole Style Butter Marinade (syringe included)
1 Reynolds Oven Bag, turkey size
1 tbsp. flour
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion,chopped
1 12-24 pound turkey

Inject marinade into bird following directions on bottle. Put flour in bag and shake. Add vegetables then turkey. Secure end with included tie. Put in roasting tin. Remember to pierce holes in top of turkey bag, following instructions that came with the bag. Bake according to size chart, also included with the turkey bag instructions.

Pretzel Dessert

A good salty, sweet recipe.

Layer #1
2 cups pretzels, crushed
2 tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup butter
Combine ingredients and put in baking dish.Bake for 7 minutes at 400. Let cool.

Layer #2
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8oz. cool whip
Blend cream cheese and sugar. Fold in cool whip. Add to layer #1.

Layer #3
1 large strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
2 10oz. pkg, frozen strawberried
Mix together and let it begin to set before pouring over layers. Cool.

Layer #4
1 8oz. cool whip
Cover.

Cookie Crunch Salad

For when you want to tell yourself you are eating a salad, and get a cookie too!

1 cup buttermilk
1-3 oz. instant vanilla pudding
1-8 oz. cool whip
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
1 small can pineapple, drained
1 pkg. crushed up fudge stripped cookies

Mix the buttermilk and pudding. Fold in the cool whip and fruit. Add the cookies right before serving.

Emily's Stuffing

My favorite Mother-in-Law's delicious and simple recipe.

1 day old french bread, cut into cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped
2 cups celery, diced
2 tbsp. sage (or more)
2 eggs, beaten
1 pkg onion soup mix with 2 cups water
salt and pepper
2/3 cups butter, melted

Combine all together. Stuff the turkey or bake till steaming and lightly brown on top.

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is an authentic Southern recipe from a friend in Alabama. Since tasting it ten years ago this is the one I have made each year since for Thanksgiving.

4 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional, but I use it)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
1 cup chopped nuts

Combine the sweet potoatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, orange rind, coconut and 1/2 cup butter. Beat until smooth. Spoon into a greased 2 quart shallow casserole. Combine brown sugar, flour, 1/3 cup butter and pecans; sprinkle over the top of casserole and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Yields 10-12 servings.

Candied Yams

Recipe from the back of the can. Sometimes they are the best.

1-29 oz. can yams, drained and mashed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup cream
16 regular sized marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Blend yams with sugar, salt, spices, butter and cream. Cut 6 marshmallows in half and mix with yams. Turn into greased baking dish. Top with remaining marshmallows. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until mixture is puffy and lightly browned on top. Serves 6.

French Bread (machine)

Follow bread machine instructions. For mine I add the ingredients in the order listed.

We use this recipe for pizza dough, stromboli dough, even rolls. It is such a simple favorite that it is the one we make the most.

With all that yeast you have to watch out because it rises really fast. If you let it rise too long it can have a strong yeasty taste, not a bad thing.

1 3/4 cups water, 110 degrees

3 TBS oil

1 1/2 TBS sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 1/3 cups bread flour

6 tsp yeast

After the dough is mixed and has risen I roll it out into long rectangles then roll the rectangles up into loaves. Place on a greased cookie sheet and cover with plastic. Let rise for up to 4 hours in a cool place (I do this on Sunday when we are at church) or a shorter time in a warmer place, until more than doubled. Slash the top of the loaves diagonally. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes till golden brown.