Pennsylvania Dutch Beets

1 can small whole beets
1 can (6 ozs) fresh orange juice, thawed
1 can water (use orange juice can to measure)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar,  packed tight
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter

Make paste of cornstarch and one-half can of the water.  Mix the thawed orange juice, the rest of the water, vinegar and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring gently to keep smooth.  Cook until clean and thickened,  about 6 to 7 minutes.  Add the butter, then the beets and heat until the beets are thouroughly hot.  Serve at once.  This makes a delicious and attractive side dish for any meal. 

Cranberry Salad

2 cups cranberries
1 1/2 cup of water
1 pkg cherry jello
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 flat can 8oz crushed pineapple
1 cup of nut meats (pecans)
2 or 3 apples chopped

Cook cranberries in water until almost done,  add sugar and cook until done.  Add jello. Let dissolve while preparing apples and nutmeats. Apples chopped and nutmeats roughly chopped. Drain and add pineapple. Put in clear rectangular glass pyrex baking pan.  Let jell in fridge.

Stuffing and Gravy

Stuffing and Gravy

STUFFING: (in the bird)

8-10 cups dry bread cubes (I use french bread)
1 cup chopped celery
1 large chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup butter
1/2- 1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sage

GRAVY:

pan drippings from roast turkey
2-3 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp sage
salt & fresh ground pepper
1/3 flour 1/2 cup chicken broth (gravy thickener)
Directions
Clean sink thoroughly. Remove giblets, and neck of turkey. Wash inside with cold water. Pat dry. Season inside with salt and pepper.

Stuffing preparation:

There are so many varieties of stuffing and this recipe can be easily adapted by adding your family favourites such as cranberries, dried fruits or nuts, ground giblets, sausage. My mom always ground up the giblets and added that to the stuffing, sometimes she even added hamburger.  Our family's traditional stuffing and favourite is just plain stuffing as outlined in the recipe below.

Cube day old bread and toast on cookie sheet until lightly browned. Transfer to large bowl.
Cook onion and celery in the butter until softened.
Mix onion and celery into the bread cubes.

Season with poultry seasoning, sage, salt and fresh ground pepper. Keep tossing as you season to ensure all the bread gets a bit of seasoning.
Toss with enough chicken broth to moisten. Don't add too much or you will have soggy stuffing.
Stuff cavity of turkey and upper breast top. When putting stuffing into bird don't compact too tightly, just firm enough to fill.
Pull neck skin over stuffed breast cavity. Secure with skewer. Pull bottom skin together and skewer tightly. Tie or skewer legs together and secure wings to sides.
Turkey Roasting:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put turkey into large roasting pan (with rack) breast side up. Rub butter over turkey. Season with salt and pepper. Add a bit of chicken broth to bottom of pan.
Cover with foil for about an hour and then remove foil, baste with dripping, and continue to cook uncovered until done. (loosely foil legs if they start to brown too much).
Baste about every 1/2 hour. 
Done when meat thermometer reads 180 degrees inserted between leg and breast.
Transfer to cookie sheet. Cover with foil while you prepare gravy.

Gravy:

Transfer drippings from roasting pan to a gravy separating measuring cup, or skim off extra fat. Be sure to scrape all the extra bits off the bottom of pan (I sometimes add the neck to the pan while roasting turkey to get even more flavourful drippings). Transfer to cooking pot.
Add about 2 cups of chicken broth (depends how much drippings you have).
Heat over medium high.
In a jar mix together flour and 1/2 cup broth, shake very vigorously to ensure no lumps.
Gradually whisk flour mixture into drippings a bit at a time, bring to slow boil, then reduce heat to simmering. Add more flour mix if until desired consistency. 
Season with sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Only add a bit at a time, and tasting before adding more. You can always add more to get to your preference.
Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Baked Turkey

Baked Turkey

Ingredients:

21 pound fresh, whole turkey
2 onions
10 bay leaves
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground celery seed
3 strips lemon zest
32 ounces chicken broth

Directions:

Remove the turkey’s legs from the plastic clip. Don’t ruin the plastic clip and you don’t have to completely separate it from the bird. Just take the legs out of it. Now inside the cavity of the turkey, you will find a bag of innards such as the liver and heart.

Take the bag out of the turkey cavity. You will also find the turkey neck. Be sure to pull it out too. Do not discard all this stuff!

Now turn the cold water on high and rinse the turkey. Fill the cavity full of water and rinse the innards too. Let the water drain from the turkey while you prepare the pan.

In a large roasting pan, line the bottom with a large sliced onion.

Now comes the really fun part…It’s the artistic part of cooking a turkey. Use the prettiest bay leaves you have in the container. Add bay leaves under the skin

Carefully separate the turkey skin from the breast meat using your fingertips to avoid ripping the skin. Softly and gently separate. That’s the key to prevent the ripping of the skin.

Very carefully arrange the bay leaves between the skin and breast meat. You can make a design or just lay them under the skin. Now put a bay leaf inside the cavity on one end and a couple bay leaves in the other end.

Cut an onion in quarters and put it inside the turkey cavity.

In a separate bowl combine pepper, salt, dried parsley, basil, thyme, garlic, cumin, and ground celery seed. Pat most of the mixture all over the outside of the turkey.

I took the onion out of the cavity and sprinkled the rest of the spice mixture inside the turkey.

Now add the chicken broth to the pan around the turkey. Peel off three medium size pieces of lemon zest. Put one in the broth at one end of the turkey and put the other two in the cavity at the other end or in the broth.

Seal the roasting pan base tightly with aluminum foil. Put the lid on tightly. Bake in a preheated 450 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and cook until done – approximately 4 hours for a 21 pound turkey. Do not peek or open the aluminum foil. Just trust me and bake it 12 minutes per pound. .

Porcupine Meat Balls

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked regular rice
2/3 cup milk
1 medium onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can condensed tomato soup
3/4 cup water

Combine beef, rice, milk, onion, salt and pepper.  Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of mixture into shallow
baking pan (13 x 9 x 2 inch.) Combine soup and water.  Pour over meat.  Cover pan tightly with foil.  Bake 1 hour at 350°. Serves 6 to 8.

Baked Chicken

1 chicken cut-up
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
Lightly toasted bread crumbs or corn flakes
Poultry seasoning
Salt

Beat eggs and milk together.   Dip pieces of chicken in egg and milk mixture.  Roll in crumbs.  Place in well greased pan, using butter or margerine.  Sprinkle salt to your likening.  Sprinkle with poultry seasoning or mix in the crumbs to taste.  Bake at 325° until meat loosens from bones.

Dressing for Tossed Salad or Sandwiches

1 c canola oil or veg. oil
1 c sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 c vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Ingredients may be varied to taste.  Wisk till combined and bottle.  Shake well before using on sandwiches or tossed salad. 

Cranberry Sauce

1 pound cranberries 16 oz. Bag
8 apples
4 oranges peeled
Juice of one lemon
Rind of half orange
4 c sugar.

Directions

Grind all ingredients then add sugar. Mix well.