Turkey pot pie

I didn't measure anything, this is just for my reference for next year.

1 box of puff pastry (it should have two sheets in it)
Leftover turkey, chopped
Six mushrooms
1 small onion
frozen peas
flour
fat from the turkey drippings
leftover turkey drippings
chicken broth
heavy whipping cream
salt
pepper


Preheat the oven to the temp recommended on the puff pastry box. For mine that was 450F. Finely chop onions. Saute with the mushrooms in a couple tablespoons of the dripping fat. Once the onion is translucent, take off the heat and mix in the turkey and peas.
In a sauce pot, make a roux using a tablespoon of turkey fat and a heaping tablespoon of flour. Heat and stir until pasty, then mix in at least a cup of turkey drippings. Add in chicken broth and whipping cream until the sauce reaches the right consistency for pot pie. Mix in with the turkey and vegetables.
Butter a pie pan and line with the first pastry sheet. Bake at 450F until the pastry starts to brown but isn't completely cooked. Fill with the turkey and vegetables, then top with the second sheet and do your best to seal the pie. Brush with egg or milk, then bake until the top of the pie turns golden brown. Let cool before serving.

My mom has perfected the pecan pie

3/4 cup white karo
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecan pieces or halves
4 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.
Beat together: eggs, sugar, karo, butter vanilla, and pecans. Pour into pre-made crust (we used store bought and it worked just fine). Bake at least 1 hour. Let sit two hours before slicing.

Turkey Brine and Recipe

To brine:

any size turkey

a container just big enough to hold the turkey

1 cup salt

1 container juice concentrate

Place the turkey, thawed or unthawed, in the container and fill with water until the turkey is just covered. Mix in the cup of salt and juice concentrate and let sit at least overnight.

To cook:

1 container rosemary

1/2 stick butter

1 small onion

1-2 stalks celery

Melt/soften butter. Pull off the rosemary "leaves" and mix into the butter, reserving the stems. Coat the turkey completely in the butter and rosemary. Sprinkle with pepper. Chop the onion and celery stalks in half, put them and the rosemary stalks into the cavity of the turkey. I foil the wings after about an hour of cooking, and then tent the whole turkey in foil about an hour before it's done cooking. Cook turkey according to this handy guide (this year my turkey reached 180 and was perfectly juicy):

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/seasonal/how-long-to-cook-a-turkey

Pull the turkey out and let sit to cool. Pull the drippings out of the pan; a turkey baster works just fine. 

Gravy:

1 tablespoon butter

1 heaping tablespoon flour

1 cup turkey drippings

low sodium chicken broth (trust me, you'll need low sodium)

Let drippings cool and separate, then skim the fat off the top and discard.

In a small sauce pot, melt one tablespoon of butter and mix in one heaping tablespoon of flour. Cook until brown and like a thick paste. Pour in one cup of drippings, mixing and stirring constantly. Make sure all the roux is dissolved into the drippings and isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook about five minutes, or until thick (thicker than gravy consistency). Add chicken broth until desired gravy consistency is reached. It's important to cut the drippings down with the chicken broth because the drippings will be very salty from the brining process.

This recipe makes just enough gravy for 4 people. Double for a large group. You will have plenty of drippings to make lots of gravy.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes

shredded monterey jack cheese

heavy whipping cream

butter

smoked paprika

salt

Peel sweet potatoes and chop thin. 1/4 inch max. Place potatoes in a pot of boiling water and boil for about 5 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl; mix with 1/4th stick of butter and a couple shakes of salt and smoked paprika. Stir to coat completely.

Arrange sweet potatoes in a 9x9 pan and put in the oven at 350F. Bake for 30 minutes or until fork tender. While the potatoes are baking, lightly heat about a half a cup of heavy cream and melt in a couple handfuls of monterey jack and a couple more shakes of smoked paprika.

When the potatoes are done baking, pull them out and pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes, making sure the sauce gets in between all the slices. Put back in the oven and bake until bubbly.

Shrimp Fried Rice

4 cups cooked rice
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen carrots
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped (= a little over a cup)
1 bag frozen salad shrimp (= about a cup and a half)
3 eggs
4 green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
white pepper
black pepper
sesame oil
butter
1 tablespoon mayonnaise


The rice should be cooked the day before, but I always forget. If you can, cook the rice before you're ready to cook the meal then let sit, stirring occasionally to get rid of the moisture.

Heat a large, deep pan. Add a tablespoon of butter and the carrots. While the carrots are cooking chop the onion.

Add the onion to the pan and stir into the carrots. While those are cooking, dump the shrimp into a colander and run under cold water to thaw. When the onion starts to turn translucent add the peas, corn, and a dash of sesame oil to the pan and stir.

Once the peas and corn are cooked (it takes just a couple minutes), add the shrimp to the pan. Cook until the shrimp starts to curl (again, just a couple of minutes).

Add the rice, soy sauce, mayo, a couple shakes of white pepper and a generous helping of black pepper. Stir constantly or the rice will burn to the bottom of the pan. Once the rice is heated through turn off the heat.

In a small pan, scramble the eggs and cut into tiny pieces. Stir into the rice. Taste test and add extra soy sauce and pepper as desired. Chop the green parts of the green onions and stir into the rice.

Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes

Savories:

Turkey with rosemary
Ham
Gravy
Stuffing with sage, apples, and pecans
Croissants
Mashed potatoes
Scalloped sweet potatoes
Green bean casserole
Cranberry relish
Mac 'n Cheese
Creamed onions and peas
Sweet potato casserole
Spinach souffle
Fluff salad
Corn pudding
Maple craisin carrots
Wine soaked mushrooms
Sauteed apples
Creamed corn
Asparagus with blue cheese, bacon, and onions
Mushroom soup
Creamy onion bake

Desserts:

Chocolate pie
Pumpkin pie
Cherry pudding
Grandma's sugar cookies
Peanut butter scotcheroos

Creamy vegan mushroom soup

This was the best recipe to come out of last night. It's so good I would make it even if I wasn't serving vegetarians with cream and gluten allergies. I would make it just to eat it myself. I wish I'd taken a picture...

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
2 box containers of veggie broth (I prefer Nature's Own)
1 small sweet onion
minced garlic
1 package mushroom mix (baby bellas, crimini, oyster, shiitakes)
1 cup frozen peas
olive oil
salt
black pepper

Special equipment:
Immersion blender (a regular blender would work fine too, it just takes longer and makes more of a mess).

Finely dice the onion. In a soup pot, add 1/2 of the diced onion, two teaspoons of minced garlic, and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Sautee until the onion gets brown, then add one of the containers of veggie broth.
While you bring the broth to a boil, pull the cauliflower into golf-ball sized chunks. Add the cauliflower to the broth and let boil until the cauliflower is very soft (15 minutes?).
Add salt and pepper liberally. Once the cauliflower is soft, use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break the cauliflower into small pieces.
Take the soup off the heat and let cool for a couple minutes, just so you don't burn yourself when the blending makes a mess (I make a mess EVERY time).
Add some of the second box of veggie broth a little at a time to make blending easier. Add no more than half the box though. Blend the soup until very fine and creamy looking. **It's worth noting at this point that what you have now would make a really excellent vegan gravy. It can be boiled down easily enough if you want it thicker
Once blended put the soup back on low heat, add more pepper and the second half of the diced onion and bring to a simmer.
While the soup simmers, coarsely chop your mixed mushrooms until they're about bite sized pieces. Add them and the frozen peas to the soup.
Let boil on low until all the vegetables are soft.

I didn't add parsley this time around, but I think it would make a really good addition. This soup would be phenomenal in a bread bowl, if you have the time and energy.