Sadly the antique tiered dishes are gone with the tea room and this was not as beautiful as she deserved.  But they were delicious and special enough for a birthday.

The smoked turkey combines with a spread that is made from dried cranberries, pecans, and cream cheese for  delicious, and delicate tea sandwiches.  If it had been for me I would have added a bit of bleu cheese but Erin is not a fan…yet.   If you are going to make your own bread for these then try an orange flavored quick bread loaf for a really elegant flavor pairing.

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• pinch of salt
• pinch of chipotle if you have it
• tablespoon of grated orange zest
• 1/2 lb good quality deli smoked turkey, sliced on a “1″
• Bread with crusts removed

In a food processor, or by hand, mix the cream cheese, cranberries, pecans, orange zest, chipotle, and salt together until well blended.  You may need to add a little milk or cream to get a good spreading consistency.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the mixture on one slice of bread.

Roll three turkey slices up and lay them over the top of the spread.

Spread the other piece of bread with 1 tablespoon of the mixture and lay spread side down over the turkey.

Cut diagonally in fourths.

That’s it…Easy and delicious!

image:(c) marye audet

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Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!

I tried a new technique for roasting the turkey that I am really happy with… I will be sharing later this week.  The turkey came out very tender, juicy..and yet the skin was well browned and crispy…perfect! Glazed it with maple.

Have a great day!

Image:Marye Audet 

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I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is a mere two weeks away. It is going to be fun this year because Erin and Jon (my daughter and son in law) and their kids will be here this year…but sad too, because Chris will be in Iraq still.  You  gotta feel sorry for the boy, here I am writing a food blog, publishing a cookbook…and the only thing I have sent him is colloidal silver, echinacea, and other herbs and natural medicines…LOL!

What is that quote about the cobbler’s kids not having shoes?

Anyway I did several Thanksgiving posts last year that you might find helpful.

1. Pictorial guide on preparing a turkey
2. Sage Stuffing
3. Anise and Vanilla Carrots
4. Make Ahead Sweet Potatoes
5. Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios
6. Roast Beets Turnips and Onions
7. Make-ahead Dinner Rolls
8. 25 Best Thanksgiving Pie Recipes, Ever
9. Pumpkin Crisp (kids can make this one)
10. Thanksgiving Foods Kids can Make

Here are several Thanksgiving Menus (including a vegetarian one) that I put together.

image:maryeaudet

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I looked at the calendar and I was amazed.

Oh my gosh! It will be Thanksgiving  in about a month!  I am usually so prepared but this year has absolutely been insane!

So, have you begun to plan your Thanksgiving menu yet? If not we better get started!

Just wanted to remind you about some Thanksgiving-friendly posts from last year that may help…

Step By StepGuide to Preparing a Turkey has pictures for every step! I worked with the bird with one hand and took pictures with the other!

25 Best Pies for Thanksgiving need I say more?

Cooking with Kids-Cranberry Sauce

10 Easy Thanksgiving Recipes that Kids can Make

Make Ahead Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

Make Ahead Bourbon Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Sauteed Lemon Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios

There are others on site…but these are some of the best, I think, for a tradtional Thanksgiving with a gourmet twist.

image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Step 1- after the bird is thawed take the neck and bag of giblets out of the abdominal cavity and the chest cavity. Set aside. Rinse bird thoroughly in warm water. Dry with paper towels.

Step 2-Gather your ingredients together. Salt, pepper, herbs, the turkey, turkey bags, oil, etc.

Step 2 1/2 Use the peelings from the vegetables you used int he stuffing, a couple of pieces of celery, celery leaves, the neck and gizzard an heart (I don’t use the liver but some people do) and put in a pan covered with water. simmer until neck is done, a couple of hours, adding water as necessary. Once the neck is done, simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain and remove the vegetables and meat, and set broth aside.

Step 3- Make a mixture of salt, pepper, and seasoning in your hand and rub the inside cavity of the turkey.

Step 4 – Stuff the abdominal cavity of the turkey loosely with stuffing of choice. For my sage stuffing recipe click here

Step 6- Some people use twine to truss the turkey. I don’t bother. Just fold the flap of skin over and pull the legs in place.

Step 7- Turn the pan around and pull the flap of skin up to reveal the chest cavity. Stuff it loosely. You can even use a different stuffing if your family like 2 kinds.

Step 8- Now, very gently begin to loosen the skin from the meat on the breast.

Step 9- Make a mixture of the seasonings you plan to use (or cranberry sauce) and rub it over the meat. I sometimes will lay thin slices of garlic in here, or fresh herb leaves.

Step 10-Now, oil the skin lightly. I used olive oil, but anything will do.

Step 11-Prepare the roasting bag by adding a tablespoon or so of flour and shaking it well.

Step 12- carefully put turkey in roasting bag and tie up. Lay in a sturdy pan.

Step 13 – Cut 6 slits in roasting bag for steam to escape. Put turkey in the oven.

Now…here is where you have to make some decisions. The recommended way to roast a turkey is at 350 for about 4 hours for a 20 lbs stuffed turkey. Personally I roast mine at 325 for 8 hours, or about 20 minutes a pound. This was a 23 lb turkey and I put it in the oven at 12:00 noon.

at 3:00 p.m. it was starting to brown and smell good but no where near done.

At 8:00p.m. it was perfect. Meat falling from the bone, drumstick moved easily.Remove from oven at this point and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Open the bag (watch for steam). Pour the broth carefully into a bowl, adding the broth you made earlier.. Remove stuffing and put in a bowl and carve turkey.

Now, I have to admit that once I was ready to carve the turkey I totally forgot about taking pictures. Trust me, it looks wonderful.

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  I am telling you, blogging at the library is getting old and I dislike not being able to post pictures  because I like to look at pictures on blogs, myself. Plus, I am getting jealous of all Aisa’a yummy pictures sitting there on her posts tempting me to break my diet.    Ijust am trying to decide,I am leaning toward a laptop but I have 6 kids remaining at home that are homeschooled and use the computer routinely as well..What I need is for a couple of thousand to be dropped in my lap and get both.

   O.k..these are really good and not hard to make..you can use chicken or turkey instead of the ground beef if you like. The recipe makes 12 enchiladas. According to most theories this will feed 6 people. In our house that will take care of the 2 teenage boys…I usually double or triple the recipe.

  I used to do Once a Month Cooking…I really like the idea altho I do get tired of so many casserole type meals. This recipe is from when I was doing that and therefore freezes very, very well.  If you are freezing then freeze the grated cheese in a small ziploc and attach the ziploc to the casserole dish so you can add the cheese seperately when you cook it. Freeze for up to 3 months.

  These are child friendly..meaning they are no too spicy. If you like more spice add about 1/2 c of salsa verde to the sauce with the chilis.

 1 1/2 lb ground beef  (chicken breast, or turkey )

1 1/4 c chopped onion

1 Tbs chili powder

12 corn tortillas

3 c grated monterey jack cheese

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

            *OR if you are NOT freezing this make a white sauce with 2 c half and half, 1/4 c flour, 2 tsp chicken bullion paste and salt and pepper to taste. I dislike using commercila products because of everything they seem to like to add to it but it does freeze better when you use the commercial product.

  1 1/2 c sour cream

4 oz can diced chilis

  Brown beef.If you are using cooked chicken breast or turkey leftovers then just go ahead to the sauteeing. . Saute onion. Combine with chili powder, salt and pepper.

  Reserve 1 c cheese (this is what you would put in freezer bag if freezing). Mix remaining cheese in with meat mixture.

  Warm tortillas until flexible.

  lay a tortilla flat and spoon about 2 tbs meat mixture down center.  roll up and place, seam side down, in a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray or greased with olive oil. Repeat until all the tortillas have been used.

 Combine soup, sour cream and green chilis to make a sauce. Pour over enchiladas.

 Freeze at this point…

 OR

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle reserved 1 cup cheese over top and continue baking for 10 more minutes or until heated through.

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