How much Turkey?

When buying a turkey, purchase one pound of turkey per person to be served. This formula allows for the holiday meal plus a little left over for the prized turkey sandwich.

Natural Egg Dyes

If you don't want to purchase dyes for coloring your Easter eggs, here are some natural substitutes... Orange: Paprika; 4 Tbsp per quart of water Blue: red cabbage; 4 cups, sliced, per quart of water Red: Pomegranate juice in place of water Pink: Cranberry juice in place of water Green: Spinach; 4 cups per quart of water Ocher: Onion skins; 4 cups of the dry outer skins Mocha: One quart of strongly brewed coffee in place of water To use: Combine dye materials, 2 Tbsp vinegar and water, in a large pot. Simmer 20-30 minutes, then strain and cool. Dip hard-boiled eggs in cold dye until desired color is achieved, soaking anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours in the refrigerator. Turn eggs occasionally to ensure even dyeing. Dry on paper towels or in egg cartons.

Creamed Onions

3 cups pearl onions
4 cups water
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
3 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Peel onions, and drop into boiling water. Cook until tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Combine cooking water and milk, and add slowly to the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add onions and cook until onions are heated through. Serve.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and sorted

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries and boil until the cranberry skins burst, about 2-3 minutes. Continue adding cranberries, 1/2 cup at a time, until all the berries have been used and their skins have burst. Remove from heat and cool. Chill sauce before serving. You can add some grated orange rind or a Tbsp of brandy for a different flavor. This recipe makes 2-1/2 cups.

Snowball Cookies

1 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
additional powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar; add vanilla and flour and mix well. Fold in chopped nuts. Shape into small balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Roll in additional powdered sugar while warm. Makes about 3 dozen.

Storing Leftover Turkey

To safely store your leftover turkey, remove the stuffing and carve the meat off the bones within 2 hours of roasting. Store turkey and stuffing separately in the refrigerator, or wrap in heavy foil to store in the freezer.

Decorating Cookies

Get the kids involved! Here's some fun holiday cooking tips: When frosting and decorating the holiday sugar cookies, make stations for your kids. One can frost, one decorates, etc. After a little while, switch places.

Chocolate Snowballs

3/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1 (6 ounce) package chocolate chips
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar, mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly, then roll in powdered sugar. Let cool, and store in an airtight container.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Topping...
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine ingredients and set aside.

Casserole...
6 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
4 Tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

After mashing sweet potatoes, add butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Transfer to a well buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over sweet potato mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Stuffing a turkey

Stuffing needs room to expand during cooking, do not over-stuff. Extra stuffing can be placed in a casserole dish and cooked separately.

Don`t stuff the turkey in advance to save time, stuff it right before cooking.

Cook stuffing to a minimum temperature of 165°F. Stuffing should be removed from the turkey to a separate dish before carving.

Sweet Potato Pie

3 large sweet potatoes; peeled, sliced, & boiled
2 sticks butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 homemade or pre-made pie crusts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In large bowl mash potatoes while still hot. Add butter and mix well. Stir in sugar and eggs. Add milk and vanilla, stir to combine. Pour into pie crusts and bake for 1 hour. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Snickerdoodles

2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup vegetable shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar in a medium bowl; set aside.

With electric mixer, cream shortening; gradually add 1-1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir in flour mixture, mixing well.

Shape dough into 1" balls. Roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2-inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Cherry & Nut Easter Eggs

1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
2 (3 ounce) packages vanilla pudding and pie filling
1 (9 ounce) jar maraschino cherries
1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 to 2 pounds powdered sugar
1 pound milk chocolate

Cut cherries in half, and drain well on paper towels. Cook milk, butter and pudding in a medium saucepan on low heat until well blended and thick. Remove from stove and add cherries, nuts and enough powdered sugar to make a thick consistency. Form the mixture into 8 to 10 egg shapes with hands coated in butter. Place on cookie sheet that has been covered with waxed paper. Chill several hours until firm. Melt chocolate, being careful not to scorch it. Frost egg with melted chocolate. Decorate with icing or small candies.

Seven Layer Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1-1/3 cups shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place butter in 13x9" pan and melt in oven. Swirl to coat bottom and sides with butter.

Spread graham cracker crumbs evenly over bottom of pan. Layer chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts over crumbs. Pour condensed milk over nuts. Sprinkle coconut over condensed milk.

Bake until edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool, and then cut into bite sized squares.

Choosing a pumpkin for recipes

When selecting a pumpkin for a recipe, choose a small, deep orange-colored pumpkin, that`s not too soft or discolored. The smaller pumpkins have a sweeter flavor, and are much better for cooking than the big "jack-o-lantern" pumpkins.

Oyster Stuffing

1 cup butter
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
5 cups prepared cubed stuffing mix
salt and pepper to taste
1 pint oysters, liquor reserved
1 cup half and half

Melt butter and saute celery and onions until tender.
Combine stuffing mix, salt, pepper and oysters in a bowl and mix well. Add the oyster liquor then slowly add enough half and half to make the stuffing moist. Place in turkey cavity and roast turkey as usual.

Precooking Turkey

To save time, prepare your turkey ahead of time, slice the roasted turkey and place it in a foil-lined pan. Spoon chicken broth over the turkey to prevent drying. Cover with foil and refrigerate. Reheat in foil covered pan in 350°F oven until hot.

Cranberry Raisin Bread

2 cups sifted flour
1 cup white sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp orange zest
3/4 cup orange juice
1-1/2 cups golden raisins
1-1/2 cups cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x5x3" loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange peel, and orange juice; stir to mix and fold in raisins and cranberries.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

Corn Souffle

2 (15.25 ounce) cans whole kernel corn
2 (15 ounce) cans creamed corn
4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp milk
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients, and pour the mixture into a souffle dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1-1/4 hours.