Sweet & Sour Pork

This is a hit!

From Betty Crocker

Sweet and Sour Pork

Enjoy this take out restaurant of fried pork, sliced carrots, green bell peppers and pineapple at home.

Prep Time 25 Minutes

Total Time 55 Minutes

Makes 8 servings

2 

pounds pork boneless top loin

Vegetable oil

1/2 

cup all-purpose flour

1/4 

cup cornstarch

1/2

  cup cold water

1/2 

teaspoon salt

1 

egg

1 

can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in syrup, drained and syrup reserved

1/2 

cup packed brown sugar

1/2 

cup white vinegar

1/2 

teaspoon salt

2 

teaspoons soy sauce

2 

medium carrots, cut into thin diagonal slices

1 

garlic clove, finely chopped

2 

tablespoons cornstarch

2 

tablespoons cold water

1

  medium green bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

3 to 4 

cups hot cooked rice

1. Trim excess fat from pork. Cut pork into 3/4-inch pieces.
2. Heat 1 inch oil deep fryer or Dutch oven to 360ºF.
3. Beat flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup cold water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the egg in large bowl with hand beater until smooth. Stir pork into batter until well coated.
4. Add pork pieces, one at a time, to oil. Fry about 20 pieces at a time about 5 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; keep warm.
5. Add enough water to reserved pineapple syrup to measure 1 cup. Heat syrup mixture, brown sugar, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the soy sauce, carrots and garlic to boiling in Dutch oven; reduce heat to low.
6. Cover and simmer about 6 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into sauce.
7. Add pork, pineapple and bell pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings

PRINT option now available!

I'm not the best with computer or blog tech, so my apologies for not figuring this out sooner.

You now have the option to print each recipe/blog entry on this blog!  There's a green "print" button  at the top of the right sidebar.  Careful, because if you don't click on a specific post and print from there then you'll end up printing a thousand pages or so of the whole site!  So, click on the specific entry that you want to print, and hit the green Print button when just that entry is loaded on your screen.

Print away!

"Instant Pot" BBQ Shredded Beef

My intent last week was to use the crock pot to slow roast a beef roast before shredding and adding other ingredients to make shredded beef for sandwiches, but I forgot to take a roast out of the freezer before leaving for work.  Ah, the dilemma.  But HEY!  I can cook a roast from frozen in the electric pressure cooker!

I had a 3 lb. sirloin tip roast, nice and meaty with no bone and little fat.  I got out my best kitchen knife, cut the frozen roast into chunks and sprinkled with my favorite rub. 

Directions:  Saute some onion in olive oil using the SAUTE function on the pressure cooker, add 1/2 c. beef broth and 1 cup BBQ sauce.  Add meat chunks and gently move them so they are covered with the sauce.  Cover with the lid and seal.  Set timer for 50 minutes and let it cook!

When done, let it release pressure naturally for 15 minutes, then release pressure quickly.  Carefully remove the lid.  Remove meat chunks to a plate to cool slightly, then shred the meat and add back to the pot.  You may want to add more BBQ sauce to taste.

Enjoy!

NOTE:  the liquid in the pot after cooking is watery, but still holds a lot of flavor.  You may choose to drain some of the liquid before adding more BBQ sauce.

Christmas Cookie Baking 2018: Christmas Cookie Sticks

These looked festive yet easy, so they were chosen for this year's baking.

Link:  Easy Christmas Cookie Sticks

Christmas Cookie Baking 2018: Raspberry Linzers

These take a bit of work but are well worth it!  A simple sugar cookie dough makes up into an elegant cookie!  I make star shapes because I have a small star cookie cutter that works perfectly with my larger star cookie cutter.  Any shape will do!

Raspberry Linzers
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
seedless raspberry jam/preserves
powdered sugar

Cream together butter and sugar for 4 - 5 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the mixture.  Mix well.  Separate into three portions on pieces of plastic wrap.  Wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease several cookie sheets. On a floured surface, roll out one third of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough with larg star shaped cookie cutter. Using small star shaped cookie cutter, cut out centers of half of the larger stars. Place on a greased cookie sheet, spaced about 1 inch apart. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Dust top cookie with powdered sugar as soon as it comes out of the oven. Transfer to racks to cool completely.

Spread about 1 teaspoon of preserves in center of a star without a cutout. Place star with cutout on top, press lightly to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies; pack in a sealed container to preserve freshness.  Separate layers with waxed or parchment paper.

Christmas Cookie Baking 2018: Peppermint Mocha Cookies

This is an amazing cookie!  I've never made them before, but these are definitely going to be repeated in the future.

I found a recipe on Pinterest and tried it with enthusiasm.  As with all new recipes, I followed it to the letter.  The result was a disappointing mess.  The cookies spread all over the pan and had (to me) an overwhelming peppermint taste.  I walked away in frustration.  I thought about it.

Then I came back.  With a few changes, I could fix this!  This time I didn't melt the butter, I added 1/4 c. more flour, added baking powder, and added an egg.  I changed the baking instructions, too.  Here's the result.

Peppermint Mocha Cookies
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, at room temp
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. instant espresso powder, dissolved in 3 Tbsp. water
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. (1 pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. not-quite-crushed (small pieces) of peppermint candies or candy canes (2 boxes needed).  Important to discard the peppermint powder created by crushing the candies and use only the small chunks

Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs, vanilla, and espresso.  Mix well.  Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add to mixture and mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips and peppermint candy pieces.

Form 1 Tbsp. of mixture into ball and place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet or line the pan with parchment.  Bake in 350°F oven for 9 minutes.  Let cool for 1 minute on pan before carefully removing with a sharp spatula.  The peppermint candy is soft and can stick to the pan, so be patient.



Better yet, use peppermint chips (like chocolate chips but peppermint flavored) instead of the peppermint candies.

Christmas cookie baking 2018: Chocolate Crinkles

We are baking Christmas cookies today!  I'm going to share the recipes we're using.

Chocolate Crinkles are popular, and I previously shared a recipe for them using a cake mix.  Well, we didn't have a cake mix today.  I remember making them from scratch when I was a teen, so I searched my cookbooks until I found the recipe in a Betty Crocker Cooky Book.  Here it is!

Chocolate Crinkles
1/2 c. oil (use melted coconut oil if you don't want vegetable oil)
4 oz. baking chocolate, melted
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. powdered sugar

Mix together oil, baking chocolate, and sugar until well mixed.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix again.  Sift dry ingredients together and add; mix well.  Chill dough until firm, several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Roll 1 Tbsp. of dough into a ball and drop into powdered sugar; roll the ball around until well covered with powdered sugar.  Place balls about 2" apart on a GREASED cookie sheet. 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.  Cookies may look moist and soft, but do not overbake.  Cool on a rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Note:  recipe is easily halved if you don't want 6 dozen.

Betty Crocker's 24 Days of Cookies - Day 1

Gumdrop Cookies <------link p="">

Chicken and Veggie Soup

We have a sick little one in the house today, so the old standby of chicken and veggie soup sounds like a great idea!

I don't really have a recipe for this, not one with definite measurements.

First, I clean a whole chicken and put it in a large stockpot or 6 - 7 quart slow cooker.  Add 1 chopped onion, a peeled and sliced carrot, a stalk of washed, sliced celery with leaves, a clove of minced garlic, and 1 to 2 tsp. of salt.  Barely cover all with water.  Cover and simmer for an hour or two, until chicken is cooked.  If using a slow cooker, you'll get great nutrition (minerals) from the bones if allowed to cook on low for 24 hours.

Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.  Strain the veggies from the broth and discard the veggies. Return the broth to the pot that has been wiped clean. Remove meat from bones.

Cut up 2 to 3 more carrots (more if desired), 2 to 3 stalks of celery including leaves, and another onion.  You may also add fresh or frozen peas or green beans, perhaps even corn if you like.  Bring to a simmer and cook until veggies are tender.  Add as desired:  salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, a bit of sage, maybe thyme, or chicken bouillon/soup base granules to taste.  Add as much of the deboned cut up chicken as desired.  You may also add noodles, small pasta, or rice at this point if you desire and cook until tender.

Let cool a bit before serving; it'll be hot after all that simmering.

Note:  This freezes well!  I like to freeze in individual size portions for lunches.  I have another recipe that cans up, back in the blog from August 2009.  Do not vary from those directions or ingredients when canning as that is considered to be a recipe safe for canning.

Autumn Brittle (link)

I can't try this personally due to health issues, but it is tempting to add to a holiday table!

Autumn Brittle <<<< link

Oatmeal Scotchies

An oldie and a goodie!

Oatmeal Scotchies
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
3 c. quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked
1 11-oz. pkg. butterscotch flavored chips

Heat oven to 375°F.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour mixture and mix well. Add oats and butterscotch morsels; mix well. Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake 7 to 8 minutes for a chewy cookie or 9 to 10 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. 

Store tightly covered.

Recipe from Quaker Oats.

Corn pudding

This is one of my kids' favorites!

Corn Pudding

• 2 c. sweet corn kernels, cooked (cooked fresh, frozen, or drained canned)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1/4 c. sugar
• Dash of salt
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 c. crushed saltine or Ritz cracker crumbs

Combine all ingredients.  Place in a casserole dish that is at least 1 quart size and sprinkle more cracker crumbs on top if desired.  Dot with small pats of butter and bake at 325°F for 50 minutes until set in middle.

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

I'm not sure what these are....

let's call them

MINI PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKES

You’ll need Ritz crackers, peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, vanilla flavouring and two eggs.

First, make peanut butter sandwiches with Ritz crackers and peanut butter, then place one in each cup of a muffin tin.

Next, beat together 16 oz of cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs, and beat again.

Pour the mixture over each peanut butter sandwich until each cup is 3/4 full. Top with crushed Ritz crackers.

Bake for 22 minutes at 275°F. Let cool and refrigerate for two hours before serving. Enjoy!

NOTE:  I made 20 mini cheesecakes from this recipe.  They did NOT last long!  I think putting a drizzle of chocolate glaze on top would be good, too!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (more like a treat!)

Serves 2

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice for a bit of snap
• dash of salt
• about 1/2 cup of crushed iuce
• real whipped cream and extra crushed gingersnaps for garnish, if desired

Combine all ingredients other than garnishes in blender.
Blend until well processed and smooth.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed gingersnaps, if desired

A Paleo Thanksgiving table

Trying to accommodate several taste buds and dietary needs seems like a daunting task.  For my household, we need to avoid gluten and dairy, and I personally need to limit my sugar intake.  I heard the mumble of  "There goes Thanksgiving dinner" as a challenge, though!

Following paleo diet guidelines will serve us perfectly.

appetizers:  deviled eggs, veggie & pickle tray

dry-brined herb roasted turkey
mashed potatoes (the ONLY non-paleo item on our menu, but we'll use almond milk when mashing the potatoes) & turkey gravy
paleo cornbread & sausage dressing using this paleo cornbread recipe  (I will not use whole sage leaves, just a scant 1 tsp. of ground sage)
green beans sauteed with bacon, mushrooms, and red onion
roasted broccoli, cauliflower & carrots seasoned with garlic salt, topped with sesame seeds
pear cranberry salad w/poppyseed dressing

paleo French cranberry apple pie (recipe below)
paleo pumpkin pie with whipped coconut cream

French cranberry apple pie

Ingredients:

For Crust-

• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 Tbsp. of coconut oil plus some to grease pie pan
• 1 egg
• Cinnamon powder (1/4-1/2 tsp or to taste)

For Filling-

• 4 cups sliced peeled apples
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup slightly packed coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping -

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup slightly packed coconut sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 dash nutmeg
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 °. Grease pie pan with coconut oil and mix crust ingredients by hand in a medium sized bowl. Press crust into bottom and sides of pie pan and put in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Mix filling ingredients and spread in pie crust. Mix topping ingredients and spread evenly over filling. 

Increase oven temp to 375°. Bake pie for 45 to 55 minutes, until filling bubbles and top is brown.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Cappuccino Muffins

These are a special treat!

Cappuccino Muffins

ESPRESSO SPREAD:

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

MUFFINS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a food processor or with a mixer, combine the spread ingredients until well blended. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine milk and coffee granules until coffee is dissolved. Add the butter, egg and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375°F for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm with espresso spread. 

Yield: about 14 muffins (3/4 cup spread).

Tammy's Famous Banana Bread

I know there are MANY banana bread recipes, and here is ours.  I don't even remember who "Tammy" is, but her recipe is great!  Our favorite version is with chocolate chips.

Tammy's Famous Banana Bread

3 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
5 ripe medium bananas
3 eggs
1/2 c. oil or melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. nuts or chocolate chips (optional, white chocolate chips are another choice)

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  

In another bowl mash bananas well.  Add eggs, oil, and vanilla.  

Add banana mixture to flour mixture.  

Add nuts or chocolate chips if desired.  

Stir (mix) just until mixed evenly.  

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 325°F for 50 - 55 minutes (or a little longer if needed) until a cake pick inserted in middle comes out clean (not doughy).

Quick Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots

I put a beef roast in the slow cooker the other day to have for dinner, with instructions to family members to add potatoes and carrots to it about 1 p.m.

They forgot, and I didn't find out until I got home from work.

Rather than getting upset or rushing around for the next 30 minutes, I pulled out the electric pressure cooker.  A few minutes of prep and a few minutes to cook, and the beef roast was happily accompanied by the planned potatoes and carrots in a little under 30 minutes!


Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots
2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced (1 to 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic)
4 to 6 long carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
4 large or 6 medium potatoes, cubed (peeled if desired)
1 cup beef broth (I also used drippings from a beef roast)
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in the pressure cooker, then saute onion until almost transparent.  Add garlic and carrots and saute 5 more minutes.  Add potatoes and beef broth; cover and set vent to "Seal".  Set timer to cook on high for 10 minutes, then give it 10 minutes to naturally release pressure before setting the vent to release.

Season and serve!

Family Favorite Chili

I adapted recipes through the years to achieve our family's favorite chili recipe.  Having some fairly tasteless chili at a community function last night reminded me that I should post our recipe for sharing.  This is not a spicy hot chili, but it has plenty of flavor.  Enjoy!

Chili
1 lb. ground beef or venison
1 large onion, chopped
1 46 oz. (approximate size) bottle of tomato juice. A large can will work, but the juice tastes better from the bottle.
2 15 oz. or 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 cans condensed tomato soup
2 cans of your choice of beans (kidney, black, pinto, white), rinsed well (optional)
2 Tbsp. instant onion flakes (yes, even with the onion above)
1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. instant minced garlic (sometimes hard to find, but it's not optional)
1/2 tsp. sugar

Brown the meat with the onion.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes, or longer in a slow cooker.

Let cool a bit before serving.

Serving suggestion:  corn chips, sour cream and shredded cheddar to top each bowl

Weekly menu October 28 - November 3

Our diet has been trending more toward a typical Western diet, and a recent medical visit caught some issues--issues that were previously resolved by following paleo diet guidelines.  So, back to paleo!  Miss Dairy-Free complained a little until I reminded her that she already cut out dairy and gluten, two major no-no's in paleo guidelines.  Here we go!

Breakfasts will include flaxseed pancakes, coconut flour waffles, eggs/veggie scramble, bacon or sausage, and fruit.  Lunches are typically leftovers, but salads using leftovers are also an option.  My husband is worried about snacks, so I have hard-boiled eggs and dill pickles, carrot sticks, and ham slices for roll-ups.

Here's the dinner menu:
Sunday - bacon mushroom spinach frittata
Monday - slow cooker full chicken dinner or chicken Parmesan w/zoodles
Tuesday - shredded beef tacos (salad for me)
Wednesday - slow cooker cranberry apple pork chops
Thursday - chicken bacon ranch spaghetti squash casserole
Friday - slow cooker beef roast dinner
Saturday - bunless chicken BLTs

24 Days of Cookies!

Most of my Christmas cookie recipes came from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book, and I look forward to seeing their 24 Days of Cookies recipes every year!  Be sure to use the "Get Ready" link below to sign up!  I know that I am! (below info shared from an email I received)

Pull out your baking sheets and dust off your rolling pins because Betty’s 24 Days of Cookies is coming! You'll receive a freshly baked recipe to your inbox every day from Nov. 23–Dec. 17.

Butternut Squash Sausage Soup (link)

I made this tonight to use up a cooked butternut squash before it went bad.  I had to add 2 more cups of water to get it beyond mashed potato consistency, and I may or may not have burned up my blender because I didn't do add the water before pureeing.  The taste is something I've never had before, but I like it!

Link:  Butternut Squash Sausage Soup

(pic is not mine)



Note:  I ran a nutritional data analysis based on the squash, carrots, and sausage.  Using a 3 lb. squash and making 8 servings (not adding butter), this has approximately 282 calories, 21g carbs, 16g of fat, 9g protein per serving.

How I am feeding my family of 7 for $80 this week

I see many posts online of "How I Feed My Family of  # for $#".  When I look at these posts, they're often full of cheap fillers like pasta, oatmeal, rice, and dry beans.  Hey, whatever works for them.  I'm not a fan of pasta or rice or dry beans for the main part of meals, and I don't eat oatmeal. However, circumstances limited my grocery budget for next week so I had to compromise.  After taking a quick inventory of my freezers and pantry, here's what I came up with:

Dinners (note that most are dairy-free):

• Slow cooker chicken taco soup (no beer, I'll sub chicken broth instead) and corn chips.  Miss Dairy-Free will take her serving before we add cheese and the leftover sour cream that I found in the refrigerator.  Need canned tomatoes/chilies, can of black beans, can of chili beans, and corn chips.
• Pressure cooker meatloaf, baked potatoes, green beans, tossed salad.  I had all of these ingredients on hand before shopping.
• Pressure cooker hamburger goulash with steamed green peas, the only pasta meal for the week.  I needed canned tomatoes and frozen peas.
• Baked chicken and gravy with mashed potatoes and peas/carrots mix or broccoli/carrots mix.  Use the chicken thighs purchased, need frozen peas if we go that route.  Everything else on hand.
• Chicken pot pie made with leftover chicken from the freezer, homemade crust and gravy, homemade biscuit dough topping (made with almond milk instead of dairy milk), and a bag of frozen mixed veggies.  All ingredients on hand before shopping.
• Pressure cooker beef stew.  All ingredients on hand before shopping.
• Frozen meatballs in a homemade beef/mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes, mixed veggie salad.  Meatballs were made several weeks ago in a freezer-meal-making frenzy, and I had everything else on hand.

Food shopping receipts came to $42.01 at Aldi and $33.62 at Meijer.  That total of $75.63 includes a family pack of 10 chicken thighs @ 69¢/lb. (sale) and 2 family packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.69/lb. (sale).  Those 2 packs of breasts repackaged into 7 quart bags of 2 breasts each, enough for a 7 meals.   It also includes items for lunches, 3 lbs. butter, 2 doz eggs, 1 pkg. bacon, 1 lb. cheese, 1 gallon milk, 1/2 gallon almond milk, coffee and coffee creamer.  Breakfasts are typically eggs,bacon, or pancakes made from scratch with canned fruit or syrup.  Coffee is a must.

I already have the beef needed for the menu, but that was only $3/lb.  Add in $19.50 for the beef (2 lb each for meatloaf and meatballs, 1 lb. for the hamburger goulash, 1 1/2 lb. stew meat) but then take off $15.29 for the chicken breast that I won't be using, and that's just under $80 for hearty, healthy, filling meals for 6 adults and an almost-1-year-old,without a lot of typical fillers.  I feel that this is a pretty economical amount.

Also note that I work outside the home a full 6 days a week, so these are all dinners that can be prepped ahead of time, made in the crock pot, made in the pressure cooker, or are quick to fix.

Dry Brined-Herb Roasted Turkey

Tired of plain ol' turkey, holiday after holiday?  This is a favorite, and well worth the effort.

Dry Brined-Herb Roasted Turkey

3 Tbsp. salt

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. rubbed sage or 1/2 tsp ground sage

2 tsp. dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

12 to 14 lb. turkey

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened

Stir together the first 6 ingredients.

Remove giblets and neck from turkey; pat turkey dry. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. brine into cavity; rub into cavity. Reserve 1 Tbsp. brine, and sprinkle outside of turkey with remaining brine; rub into skin. Chill turkey 10 to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together butter and reserved 1 Tbsp. brine. Loosen skin from turkey breast without totally detaching skin; spread butter mixture under skin. Replace skin, securing with wooden picks.

Tie ends of legs together with string; tuck wing tips under. Place turkey, breast side up, on a lightly greased (with cooking spray) rack in a large roasting pan.

Bake at 350°F for 2 hours and 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of turkey thigh registers 165°F. Remove from oven; let stand 30 minutes before carving.

Pumpkin cake roll

Bringing back a good one!  This is a favorite in my house at holiday gatherings.


Pumpkin cake roll

cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CAKE: Preheat oven to 350°F Butter 15x10-inch baking pan. Line pan with wax paper; butter paper. In a large bowl, mix (I used a wisk) the sugar, flour, baking powder, 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir in eggs and pumpkin until well blended and smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.Place clean kitchen towel on work surface; dust with 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. Loosen cake around sides of pan with small knife. Turn out onto sugared towel, wax paper-side up. Fold 1 side of towel over short side of cake, then roll up cake jelly-roll style. Cool cake completely (I did it in the fridge).
FILLING: In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, butter, and vanilla until well blended and smooth. 
ASSEMBLY: Unroll cake onto towel. Peel off wax paper. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cake. Using towel, roll up cake and place seam-side down on serving platter. Trim ends of cake. Enjoy right away or refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle cake with additional confectioners' sugar just before serving.