Outrageously Easy Canapes

Cheesy Pecans

Ingredients:

Pecan halves

Cheese in a can (Nabisco Easy Cheese)

Spray each pecan half with cheese.  

Cranberry Orange Relish

The key to this delicious relish or side dish is superfine sugar.  For those unfamiliar with superfine sugar, it is used to make cocktails (also referred to as bar sugar) but you can buy it in your market.  If it is not with the regular sugar, make a point to ask for it.  This is my first choice for baking and cooking because it dissolves quickly.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries

1 large fresh orange, quartered

1/2 to 1 cup of superfine sugar

1 nip of Chambord 

1 nip of orange liquer

Put everything in a saucepan.  Leave the berries alone, don't squash them.  Simmer for about one half hour.  Allow to cool and refrigerate.  Remove orange quarters before serving.  (Reserving orange peels and cutting them into cute shapes makes for pretty presentation.)

Turkey Gravy

Turkey Gravy made without Drippings

If you don't use an oven to cook a turkey, it frees up your oven space for all other things.  This leaves many cooks wondering how to make home-made gravy separately.  My grandmother, Lucy, owned a turkey farm.  It was her belief that the tastiest part of the turkey was the neck.  I decided to use turkey necks for the base of my Thanksgiving gravy to make ahead and freeze (one less thing to do on Thanksgiving Day).  Here is the recipe.  

Turkey Gravy

Butter and butter flavored spray

Three turkey necks*

Salt, pepper and garlic powder

3 cups of chicken or turkey stock

1 bottle of Heinz turkey gravy

Sauté the turkey necks in the butter over low heat.  Sprinkle  spices over the necks, then spray with the butter spray.  Turn over after about 30 minutes and continue cooking over low heat until the turkey necks are golden brown on both sides.  Lower heat to simmer and pour in the chicken or turkey stock and the Heinz gravy.  Simmer for several hours.  Turn heat off, leave on stovetop overnight.  In the morning, simmer again for several hours. 

Take off heat.  Remove turkey necks and discard them.

*Note that I went to my local turkey farm for fresh turkey necks.   You can also freeze the necks from commercially sold turkeys, allow them to thaw and work the gravy with them.  I also added heavy cream and a tablespoon of butter when finishing the gravy.  

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

My nephew, Dan Sturtevant, made the best mashed potatoes.  He patiently peeled the potatoes, quartering them so they would cook evenly.  Nobody took such care to handle potatoes and he never left his post when making them.  He planned on one large potato for two people so he used twelve or more large Yukon gold potatoes for a crowd.  He brought the potatoes to a boil, then lowered the temperature to a simmer, covering them when he could avoid boiling over...  this recipe serves 12 or more folks.

10 to 12 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

An eight quart pan filled with water and one teaspoon of sea salt, boiling

Allow the potatoes to boil, lower temperature to simmer and cover to cook tenderly for 30 minutes or until a fork inserted in potato goes in and comes out clean.

Strain out the water but leave potatoes in the pan.  (Some of the remaining water is good while mashing).  Using a hand mixer, on the lowest speed, start beating the potatoes.  Add one stick of butter at room temperature and either sour cream or cream cheese for extra flavor.  Add a little half and half to mix.  Place in a casserole dish with a cover and put in warming oven until serving time.

Thanksgiving Turkey

My grandmother raised turkeys.  She always insisted on a fresh turkey for holiday celebrations.  This righteous rule makes a big difference in taste.  Order a fresh turkey for your feast.  Refrigerate it until time to cook it.  Please use a spatterware turkey roaster (vintage ones are hard to find...I inherited my grandmother's).  If you can't find one, follow the directions for using aluminum foil.

Preheat oven to 400F

1 turkey

Bell's seasoning

clarified butter

salt

pepper

1 large spatterware turkey roaster with cover

Allowing the turkey to be the star of the dinner table means nothing fancy...no fresh herbs, no fancy ingredients and very simple spices.  My mother always started her turkey before midnight, allowing it to cook all night at 200 degrees.  We would awaken on holidays and the house smelled like a holiday.  She later turned the heat up to brown the turkey.  Either way is fine.  

Put one stick of butter in a measuring cup and nuke for 1 minute.  Brush the turkey with the butter (not the foamy stuff).  Sprinkle the Bell's seasoning generously on the bird.  Sprinkle salt and pepper.  Put the roaster uncovered in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes.  Cover after the turkey has browned somewhat.  Turn the oven temperature to 350F.  Roast for another 2 to 3 hours (follow the directions that came with the turkey).  If you have no cover, use heavy duty aluminum foil.  You don't need to baste over and over again if you have spatterware.  Use an instant meat thermometer to follow the progress of the cooking.  Use the drippings to make a fantastic gravy.

EASY YEAST ROLLS

My grandmother didn't bake much.  When she died, we found almost no baking pans.  She did, however, make awesome bread and rolls.  Here's the basic recipe:

Preheat oven to 350F

1 package of dry yeast

1 cup of water (110F)

1 tbl. of sugar

2 tbl. of melted butter crisco

dash of salt

2 cups of all-purpose flour

Put active yeast in tepid water.  Allow to set for five minutes (I use a measuring cup with a pour spout).  In your food processor, put your dough blade.  Put flour in processor.   Add sugar and salt (if you like very sweet rolls, double the sugar).  Add cooled melted shortening and yeast.  Process for about a minute or so.  Pour the dough into a buttered bowl.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise (25 to 30 minutes).  Use a buttered  muffin pan and put a good amount of dough in each.  Bake for 15 or 20 minutes or until golden brown.