These blondies are very gooey! To have enough structure to hold all their caramel and candy goodness these bars are twice the thickness of a typical bar. I think you’ll agree… they are very decadent! Gooey Caramel Blondies 3 cups … Continue reading
Using carrots with the greenery intact improves your chances of getting great carrot flavor. If you want a foolproof method with superb results, cook and glaze the carrots in carrot juice. The added bonus, increased nutritional value! Carrot Juice Glazed … Continue reading
My cousin, Whitney, and her son, Patrick, were making their annual Christmas list this week. She’s an innovative mother and takes pictures of the toys Patrick wants with her cell phone then emails them to the North Pole! Patrick loves LEGOs and wants sets that cost between $50.00 and $100.00. She was taking pictures of numerous LEGO sets as they were going down the toy aisle. This was their conversation.
Whitney: “Patrick, I need you to tell me what your favorite LEGOs sets are because Santa won’t bring all of them.”
Patrick gives her a puzzled look and says, “Why Not? He’s Santa!”
Whitney: “I give Santa a budget every year. He can only spend the budgeted amount of money.”
Patrick: “Wow mom, you have Santa on a tight leash!”
Here’s hoping Santa isn’t on too tight a leash at your house this year! Merry Christmas!
It has been my pleasure to create recipes for you this year. Thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts. I am grateful for all the kind words and encouragement.
Published in The News and Neighbor on December 24, 2014
Turkey Brine Recipe
1 cup Kosher Salt
½ cup Brown Sugar
2 Oranges, quartered
1/8 cup peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
4 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
6 sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 gallon water plus 1 gallon of ice water
The day before you roast the turkey make the brine. Bring 1 gallon (16 cups) water, Kosher Salt and Brown Sugar to a boil. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Get out 2 tall kitchen unscented trash bags. (Note the unscented part- turkey that tastes like dryer sheets isn’t what we are trying to achieve!) Put one bag inside the other. Add cooled 1 gallon of brine (the salt, sugar, water mixture), 1 gallon ice water, squeezed orange quarters and rind, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, rosemary, thyme and turkey. Press air out of both trash bags. Secure with twist tie or knot bags.
Line cooler with a large 30 gallon black trash bag, (the kind you use for yard work). Place Ice in bottom of cooler inside trash bag. Put turkey and brine sealed kitchen trash bags on top of ice in cooler and add more ice on top. Soak turkey in brine for at least 8 hours, but no more than 24, turning the turkey once, half way through brining adding more ice if needed.
Pumpkin Pie Praline Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing and Caramel Glaze Praline Layer 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1/3 cup unsalted butter 3 tablespoons whipping cream 3/4 cup chopped pecans toasted in a 350 F oven for 3 … Continue reading
Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Refrigerate mixing bowls and beaters until cold. Add heavy cream and powdered sugar to cold bowl. Beat on high speed until peaks form. Refrigerate. Tip: When serving, gently spoon whipped cream from bowl. Do not stir whipped cream or it will deflate! Can be made 24 hours in advance.
I like a little variation of flavors in my roasted sweet potatoes. Instead of the typical butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on a baked sweet potato I prefer the savory flavors of olive oil and red onion. A sprinkling of … Continue reading
This is an impressive dish for a dinner party with friends or game day fare. Marinate chicken overnight in the refrigerator then grill the chicken the day of the event. For a dinner party serve the chicken skewers with black … Continue reading
It’s starting to feel like Doc and I live in the woods with Goldilocks and the 3 bears but in this story it’s Doc, the three snakes, and me. About 3 weeks ago “Papa” snake shed his skin on our … Continue reading
Every year when I go to Jamaica I try to make it home with a bottle of Jamaican vanilla. This year I purchased two 16-ounce bottles but didn’t make it home with either one! For some reason I never consider … Continue reading
Volunteerism. Home town. Johnson City. Good books. Random thoughts.
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