Anytime Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing

Dave's fave meal is turkey and stuffing. (Just turkey and stuffing - he doesn't care about the potatoes or gravy or green bean casserole which is the parts that I like!). I only make a turkey on Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas if he gets his way...it isn't hard to make but there's just so much turkey if you make a whole one! I've suggested a turkey breast in the past but that idea was always shot down - he was under the opinion that it would be dry, and he likes the texture of stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey. Anyway - short story made long - the point of this post is that I bought a half turkey breast (which is still huge by the way) and roasted it on top of a pan of stuffing and it was delicious! If I can find half-breasts in the future he can definitely have roast turkey more often :)

I treated the breast like I would a whole turkey - mix herbs and poultry seasoning with softened butter and spread it on the meat under the skin (make a pocket between the skin and meat by gently putting your hand or a spoon or spatula under the skin, leaving as much of the skin attached as you can). Then I rub a little olive oil all over the skin, season with a little poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.

For the stuffing I just went old school using a pre-packaged stuffing mix following their directions. I added a little more broth so it wouldn't be too dry (since he likes how moist it is when cooked inside the bird), spooned it into a buttered 13x9 pan, and placed the turkey on top. Bake at 400' until the turkey is done (165') about an hour. Check to make sure it isn't over-browning; if it is, just tent a piece of foil over the turkey to keep it from browning even more.

The downside of doing it this way is that you don't have any pan drippings to make gravy (boo). I bought some already made at the store which isn't my favorite, but hey - it's gravy. Any gravy is good gravy ;).

Candy Cane Danish

My sister made this candy cane danish and sent pics, but no recipe...so I googled and found what looks exactly like hers at pillsbury.com. This looks so pretty and festive, quite impressive (especially from my not-quite-susie-homemaker sister!) and I had to share. What a fun idea! Way to go Sissy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons raspberry preserves
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted

glaze:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375'. Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper; spray generously with cooking spray. Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise. On cookie sheet, place crescent triangles lengthwise in long row, point in the same direction, with edges overlapping slightly on the cookie sheet. Press overlapping edges together to help seal, but leave triangle points free.

1. Beat cream cheese and 2 Tablespoons of sugar with a spoon until well blended. Spread cream cheese mixture in 2 1/2" wide strip lengthwise on widest part of dough, leaving 1/2" edge. Place the preserves on top of cream cheese layer.

1. Fold over tips of dough to enclose filling; pinch ends of the dough on the edge to attach. Gently picking up top end of dough, curve one end of strip to form the top of the cane. Brush dough with melted butter; sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon sugar over the top.

1. Bake 16-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Use spatula to carefully help slide the Danish from cookie sheet to a serving platter, loosening the edges first with a spatula if needed. In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of milk until well blended. If too thick to drizzle add a few drops of milk to get the right consistency. Drizzle with a fork over the top. Serve warm. 

• 
  

  
  
  
  
  

Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

As promised, here's another of Natalie's favorite Christmas cookies - and they look amazing! I cannot wait to make them, Dave loves coconut and is going to flip out :). Just like with the pecan pie and sugar cookies, she was nice enough to write the whole post for me and demonstrate with photos - love that! Thanks again Nat (and PLEASE keep these yummy recipes coming!). 

Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Salted Caramel

 -from Martha Stewart Living

• 3 sticks softened UNsalted butter
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1.5 tsp. Good vanilla extract
• 3.5 c. Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 2 large eggs-beaten with 1 T. Water
• 12 oz. sweetened flaked coconut 
• 1 11 oz. bag Kraft caramels
• 6 T. Half and half or heavy cream
• Flaky sea salt—like Maldon 

Oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar until very fluffy, add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Whisk flour and salt together in separate bowl. Add flour mixture on stir gradually. 

Put dough into a ball, I use a small ice cream scoop to evenly make 1.25 inch balls. Dip each ball in the egg mixture, then roll in coconut and place at least an inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Make an indent with your thumb in the center of each ball.

At this point I melt the caramels after unwrapping them, with the half and half over low heat—stirring frequently.

Put cookies in to bake for 10 minutes, Pull the sheet out and re-indent. Bake for 10 more minutes until coconut is browned well. Reindent. Let rest 2 minutes then cool on wire racks. 

Spoon melted caramel into each thumbprint, and quickly sprinkle a bit of flake salt to finish.

one year ago: santa ornament
two years ago: hot chocolate spoons

Nat's Christmas Sugar Cookies

Natalie just sent me a couple of her favorite Christmas cookie recipes - lucky for us she's on a baking streak right now and willing to share!  This is for roll and cut-out cookies you can frost and decorate, tomorrow I'll post her other favorite (hint: coconut and caramel!).

She's tweaked this recipe over the years to make them her own 'cause she was searching for a snickerdoodley tasting one - snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie, I can't wait to make these! Here's the recipe, along with photos and instructions, in her words - thanks again for sharing Nat!!


Nat’s Christmas Sugar Cookie
(70 cookies this year...)

5 c. Flour
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
4 sticks-1 POUND of softened UNsalted butter ( cause like Ina says butter makes everything better)
1.5 c. Sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. Good vanilla extract

Whisk flour, tartar, soda and salt together in a bowl. Cream butter and sugar in mixer, til fluffy and almost white, add eggs, mix thoroughly then stir in vanilla. 

Add dry ingredients slowly to incorporate.

Drop dough on Saran Wrap, I split it into four equal portions, and shape each into a disk to chill for one hour.

After chilling for 1 hour to a full day, remove from fridge and let warm -up for 15 minutes before rolling out each disc individually to 1/8-1/4 inch on a well floured board. 

Cut out and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets-bake in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 6-9 minutes—watch them so the instant you see any brown you take them out-you want set and white cookies!

Rest 2 minutes then cool on wire racks. Frost when cool.



one year ago: focaccia bread

two years ago: frame your Wifi password for guests

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Last Sunday was a busy day in the kitchen - I made a cheeseball, a coconut cream cake, and a chocolate caramel tart... and then decided that what the heck,  I should also make some cookies! (totally beside the point - I also did a 7.5 mile hike that morning!!! I was a zombie the rest of the day!!) The cake and tart were great (I'll post those recipes soon), but they're good for all year 'round - the crinkle cookies seem so Christmasy tho that I want to post them first. If you need any last minute neighbor/office/co-worker/teacher/etc. gifts, these are easy, pretty, and delish. The recipe says it makes 24 but I got way more - she used a #40 size scoop which I have no idea how big is,  I used my small cookie scoop and made 38 (and they seemed like normal sized cookies to me!). My only note is that the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, which doesn't sound like much - but they are really minty...maybe a little too minty...I'll use less next time. I might even leave out the peppermint all together, the chocolate crinkle cookie recipe would be good without mint at all - especially with the candy cane kisses, you'll get a little mint from them and then the chocolate cookie will balance it out.


one year ago: tiger fudge
two years ago: mini corn muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (5 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 2/3 cups (8.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
• 24 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped (highly recommend the Candy Cane variety)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two, large baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. 
3. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Mix until the batter has lightened in color, 2-3 minutes. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Toss in the mini chocolate chips. 
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. 
6. Place the powdered sugar in a bowl or shallow dish. 
7. Scoop the dough into heaping tablespoon-sized balls (I use my #40 cookie scoop) and roll into a smooth ball shape (if the dough is too sticky, let it rest for 10-15 minutes or refrigerate for just a few minutes…I usually just scoop and roll right away because I’m too impatient). 
8. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar, shaking off the excess, and place several inches apart on the baking sheets. 
9. Bake for 9 minutes, until puffed and crackled (don’t overbake!). Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Immediately press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Recipe Permalink: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/chocolate-peppermint-crinkle-blossom-cookies/

Holiday Newsletter & Printing Labels

I am VERY behind in getting our Christmas cards out - but there's still time (maybe I should call them "New Year's Cards" and be late on purpose?) if I get my act together quickly! Here's a couple shortcuts that will help me out...

This weekend I spent a little time making a simple "newsletter" in Word - the most time consuming part is figuring out what to say! I went with a "year in review" theme starting in January and came up with something we did every month thru the end of the year; once I got the words figured out I placed them in a Christmas tree shape starting at the top. Then inserted a star shape on the top of the "tree" and a banner at the bottom - both are under "shapes" in my Word program.  I don't have any background paper to print these out on, and there's a lot of empty white space around the tree - so I searched for free backgrounds online, found this pretty gray snowflake one, scaled it to fit on my paper and inserted it behind the text.

The other thing that helps is to print out my labels from my contact list that's on my computer. I've done this for awhile now so have the Christmas List Group already in my contacts - here is a handy instruction guide I found online to explain how to create the group and print the labels (if you don't already know how to do this!). It's not too late to get your cards out if you hurry (like I'm going to do right now - gotta go!!). 

PRINT HOLIDAY CARD LABELS USING APPLE'S CONTACTS APP If mailing your holiday cards feels like a more daunting task by having to write addresses on envelopes, you can skip the handwriting step this year by using mailing labels. Although many people don’t realize this, it’s fairly easy to print mailing labels on standard label stock using the Contacts app on the Mac (and your printer). You can even add a personal touch by including a graphic and using a custom color and font choice. Here’s what you need to do: In Contacts, choose File > New Group to create an empty group that you will collect your card recipients names in. Name the group something like Holiday (or Christmas) Cards Click All Contacts to see your full list of contacts, and then drag your recipients from the list to the Holiday Cards group that you just created. Note that you have to click and hold briefly before Contacts lets you start dragging a contact; if you drag too soon, Contacts assumes you want to select more contacts. You can drag contacts one at a time or select several at once and drag the entire selection. This does not move contacts out of All Contacts—you’re simply adding them to the Holiday Cards group.  Once the Holiday Cards group is populated with the people you would like, click its name in the sidebar, and then choose File > Print to open the Print dialog. To set up your cards, you need to see details in the Print dialog, so at the bottom of the Print dialog, click the Show Details button (if it’s already called Hide Details, you’re in the right place). You also need to see the special controls for Contacts, so make sure Contacts is chosen from the pop-up menu underneath the page range fields. Then from the Style pop-up menu, choose Mailing Labels.  Beneath the Style pop-up menu, make sure Layout is selected, and then in the Layout view, from the Page pop-up menus, choose the manufacturer of your labels and the number associated with the labels. (Avery 5160 is the most common label type and is readily available at office supply stores like Staples, and online.) Click Label to switch to the Label view. From the Addresses pop-up menu, choose the type of address you’re using. Home is likely the most appropriate; if you choose All, Contacts will print both Home and Work addresses if available. You can also choose to print company and country here, and if you print country, you can exclude your own country, which makes it easy to include overseas friends and relatives without having to print the country for most people.  Although the defaults are fine, if you want, you can change the color of the label text, or select a small image to print next to each contact, and change the font you are using. Now it’s time to print, but not on your label stock just yet! Click the Print button to print a draft of your labels on plain paper. You’ll want to do this for two reasons—checking the addresses for accuracy and verifying that the labels will print properly on the label stock you have chosen. To check if the labels will print correctly, stack a page from the draft on top of a sheet of blank labels, and then hold them up to a bright light or sunlit window. You should be able to see whether they are positioned correctly—it should be in most cases. If not, make sure you’ve chosen the right label in the Print dialog, and if all else fails, create a custom label with your own margins and gutters to make it work. Once you’ve fixed addresses for everyone who has moved recently and verified your positioning, you can print for real on your label stock. That’s it! Most of the work comes in selecting people, making sure their addresses are right, and updating those that have changed—actually printing labels takes only a few minutes. As you stick your labels on envelopes, you can revel in the knowledge that it will go even faster in the future!

one year ago: how to make a paper shadowbox frame
two years ago: melting snowman cocktail

Stabilized Whipped Cream

I love whipped cream. But I'm occasionally afraid of making it, especially if I'm using it to fill a cake - if it collapses then the cake is a disaster (been there). I just found an amazing tip that totally works - I made 2 cakes this weekend and filled them both with stabilized whipped cream and they held up perfectly! YAY!! I can't tell you how happy this makes me! Cake filled with whipped cream layers is lighter, airier, fluffier...I still frost with buttercream but having the whipped cream inside the cake really makes a difference.

Put 4 teaspoons water in a small bowl, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of unflavored powdered gelatin on top. Let it stand for about 5 minutes until it has set up (looks like clear jello when it's ready), then microwave for 5-10 seconds for it to get runny. Meanwhile - put 1 cup of whipping cream in a big bowl along with some powdered sugar (I don't like overly-sweet whipped cream so I only use a Tablespoon or so, you can add more if you prefer) and a teaspoon of vanilla. Once the gelatin has been microwaved, start whipping the cream for a minute or so, then slowly stream in the runny gelatin, continue whipping until the cream is the consistency you want - takes a couple more minutes to get it to a firm thickness. Then frost layers (or eat by the spoonful out of the bowl, no judging) and be amazed how well this holds up! Mmmmmmm....

PS: I didn't take photos - it looks like whipped cream :)

Cream of Mushroom Soup (From Scratch!)

So I inadvertently stumbled on an amazing cream of mushroom soup recipe - remember when I said I was making green bean casserole for Thanksgiving from scratch (click here for that post)? I've always made it the good ol' standard way with canned mushroom soup but this time I made the base from cream, fresh mushrooms, thyme, chicken stock... and guess what? This base before adding the green beans makes the. best. mushroom. soup. ever! I'm slightly obsessed knowing this - I love canned mushroom soup for adding to casseroles, but not for eating as plain old soup; now I can easily make it from scratch! Sweet. If you like mushroom soup you gotta try this!

To make the soup you'll need:

3 Tablespoons butter
1 pound chopped mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cups milk (1%, 2%, or whole)

Directions:

In a 12" skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the broth until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add the heavy cream and milk, whisk until well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.


click here for the green bean casserole recipe.



one year ago: chocolate-dipped pretzel rods
two years ago: homemade dog cookies

Reindeer Cupcakes

I just came across these old pictures from one of our "kid Christmas baking days", I forgot how cute (and easy!) these reindeer cupcakes are - I'm totally going to make these again now that I see these pictures!

look at the completed cupcakes on the table
to see what they'll look like with only 2 eyes!

Frost regular size cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Add 2 mini pretzels for the antlers, a nilla wafer for the muzzle topped with an m&m nose (stick it to the muzzle with a dab of frosting), add 2 (or 3 if you want an alien reindeer like Brooke did hahaha) candy eyes. And you're done. See - easy and cute!

one year ago: candy cane mice

two years ago: sea salt body scrub

SaveSave

homemade milkshake! by Brooke

hello, everyone! so today I made a homemade milkshake/ice cream! it was so easy, and so delicious! first I took one ziplock baggy and put salt and ice init.  then in the second bag I put 1 cup of milk, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 1 tbsp of sugar. then I put the two bags in a shopping bag then put a hair tie to tie it off and make it tight. then after the pony I cut off the rest of the bag. then I wrapped a towel around it and shook it! you can shake it for 10 minutes for ice cream, or 5 minutes for a milkshake! I did 5 minutes and put the substance into a cup and added one scoop of peanut butter ice cram to add a peanut butter flavor then added a straw! it was soooo good! I loved it! it tasted so delicious! hope this makes sense! and if it doesn't I hope the pictures do!








one year ago: sugar and spice mixed nuts








two years ago: see the possibly lame travel jewelry pouch I made from a potholder