MEAL OF THE WEEK

Entree

One onion, diced
One green pepper, diced
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup chopped celery (or 2 tsp. Celery Seed)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chicken bouillon (2 cups water with 7 chicken bouillon cubes, boiled)

(*Sounds like a lot of bouillon, but this is where your flavor comes from)

1 16 oz. Bag Pepperidge Farm Herbed Seasoned Stuffing (is crumbs, not cubes or croutons and usually is sold in a blue & white bag)
1 large bag soft bread cubes (16-20 oz.)
Garlic Powder
Poultry Seasoning
Dried Parsley
Dried Oregano
1 very large baking bag (Reynolds makes these)

In large bowl, combine the bag of bread cubes with Pepperidge Farm herbed seasoned stuffing.

In fry pan:

Melt butter over a medium high heat. Sautee onions, green pepper and celery (or celery seed) until all is softened and translucent.

Pour melted butter and vegetables over all bread cubes and crumbs. Mix in the two eggs, beaten. Toss.

Add:

1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Poultry Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
1 Tsp. Oregano

Toss again.

Now pour bouillon over all of mixture, making sure that stuffing is ALMOST wet, (you want it to be more than damp) so that stuffing doesn’t dry out while inside turkey baking. (You can judge if stuffing is becoming too wet, just reserve the rest of the bouillon if not needed). (Many people like to use milk, but I find that it causes it to have a bland flavor. The chicken bouillon is the SECRET to excellent flavor, here) Toss once again, making sure all bread is well coated with all ingredients.

Stuff the turkey, packing tightly, but not too tightly, at both ends. (If you have any left over, you can put it in a casserole dish, and refrigerate until 45 minutes before turkey is done, then put in oven with turkey for extra stuffing)

Use softened butter, and using fingers, rub butter all over turkey until coated, and then shake a little paprika over top of entire turkey.

Put about 2 tablespoons flour inside baking bag before putting the turkey inside. Push turkey into bag, close bag tightly, make three slits across the top of the bag for ventilation, and put into roaster pan. Put lid on roaster, and then bake, following instructions for the size turkey you have. (**Note: the baking bag will probably cut baking time by at least 3/4 hr. to one hour, but really holds in the juices and turkey stays very moist and juicy.)

*Check on turkey about every hour. If you wish, you can baste one or two times during baking, but when using bag, it’s not really necessary.

(I always have many side dishes at my table for a wide variety, and my hungry crowd always loves them!)

(About 45 minutes before turkey is done)

Estimate how many potatoes you will need for your crowd.

1 large tub sour cream
Dash of milk

Cream Cheese Corn

1 large bag frozen corn (no need to thaw)
1- 8 oz. Container whipped cream cheese with chives
Salt and Pepper
Paprika

Swiss Vegetable Medley

1- 16 oz. Bag frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination, thawed and drained.
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup (4 oz.) Shredded Swiss Cheese
1/3 cup Sour cream (regular or low fat)
1/4 tsp. Black pepper
1 can Dried French Fried Onions (Durkee makes great)

2 1-lb. Bags frozen cut green beans
3/4 cup milk
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1 can Dried French Fried Onions

Cook frozen beans in lightly salted water. Drain. Combine milk, soup, pepper and pour over beans.

Add � can french fried onions.

Pour all into a 1-1/2 qt. Casserole dish.

2 large size cans of sweet potatoes (or peel, cut into large chunks and boil fresh yams, until tender)
1-2 sticks butter
Approximately 1 cup brown sugar

If using canned sweet potatoes or yams, reserve just about 1/3 cup of liquid and pour the rest away.

In skillet, melt butter.

Add at least one cup brown sugar and stir until well mixed up. (You may need more brown sugar later if it does not thicken up to make a nice glaze.)

(I always used to make gravy with flour, until my mother-in-law showed me this no fail way to make gravy using cornstarch. The consistency is wonderful, and you’ll never have problems with it becoming lumpy.)

3 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 cup milk.

Mix corn starch in a cup with milk until smooth.

Gather as much juice from the bottom of the turkey roaster as you can. And you’ll need to boil approximately 1-1/2 cups of water with about 6 chicken bouillon cubes.

Add juices from turkey to boiled bouillon.

In a saucepan, bring bouillon and turkey juices to a medium boil, and begin adding corn starch mixture to it, slowly, stirring constantly, until you reach desired consistency. (You may not need all of the corn starch mixture).

If you have any Kitchen Bouquet Gravy Maker, add about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon to darken it up a little, and adds a little more flavor. Serve in your nicest gravy boat.

  Desserts

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 16 oz. Can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
� tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
� tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. Ground cloves
1-2/3 cups evaporated milk or light cream

1 9" unbaked pie shell with high fluted edge (either make your own crust or cheat a little to save time by purchasing pre-made unbaked pie crust in refrigerated section of grocery store)

Mix filling ingredients in the order given. Pour into your pie shell.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center of pie filling comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with cool whip, if desired.

(*Tip: to keep edges of pie shell from burning, take a long piece of aluminum foil and fold until it’s about 3 inches wide. Fold around edges of pie, and it will keep your edges from darkening and burning while baking)

(This dessert is definitely a crowd pleaser. Always a favorite of my guests. It takes some time, but definitely well worth the work)

Blend:

2 sticks softened butter
2 Tablespoons sugar

Add:

2 cups flour. Cut into butter and sugar mixture using two knives. Spread out into a large sprayed cookie sheet with fingers. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees, taking care to not let it get too dark.

(*Hint: it’s easier to SLOWLY add the 2 cups flour into the butter and sugar mixture than to pour in all at once)

Now mix together in a bowl:

1- 6 oz. Package Cream cheese
1 cup 10X (powdered) sugar

Add to the cream cheese mixture:

1 packet of dry Dream Whip

Add:

1 tsp. Vanilla
� cup milk.

Whip these ingredients together. Place on the cooled base. Refrigerate for one hour.

Later, spread two cans of cherry pie filling on top (or other pie filling if you don’t prefer cherry - strawberry, blueberry, peach, etc.)

This meal truly is everything that I serve at my holiday tables, both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I confess to you that it’s very time consuming, though you can make the desserts ahead, and not a non-fattening meal, however, both holidays come once a year, so don’t feel guilty about  SPLURGING!!!! Your friends and family will love you for it. (And let them wash the dishes since you went to all the trouble of preparing such a great meal for them!!)

I am currently in search of great truffle recipes, especially truffles made with cream cheese. If you happen to have a recipe for truffles and wouldn’t mind sharing it with me, please e-mail it to me at: [email protected]