Thanksgiving Dinner, mmm good!

I am thankful for so many things, my family, my friends, my health, a roof over my head, friends inviting us over for Thanksgiving dinner, my list can go on and on. Usually for Thanksgiving I make a large meal for my family of four, turkey, stuffing, real mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pie, and anything else I can think of. But this year, I recently lost my father and making a big meal just seemed tiring. So, this year I went small and it turned out great! I made turkey breast in my pampered chef deep dish baker, instant Betty Crocker Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Green Giant green beans with almonds, homemade mac n' cheese (you can find it on a previous blog post), and a paradise pumpkin pie. It was all so good, I just have to share the recipes!

Turkey Breast

I was going to put this in my crock pot for the day, but my friend Jamie, who sells Pampered Chef suggested I use my deep dish baker and it turned out great!

Ingredients:

Butterball Turkey Breast Roast 3 pounds
1 package dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix soup mix, garlic powder, and oil together(it should not be runny, it should be think). Rub it all over the turkey roast and make sure to get some under the skin. Put some water in the bottom of the baker, just enough to cover the bottom. Put the roast in the pan, skin side up. Cover and bake for 1 hour and 45 min or until your thermometer comes out to 170 degrees.

This is something we will definitely make again! It came out so moist and had a wonderful flavor!

Paradise Pumpkin Pie

Everyone who knows me know I love to cook and bake. One thing these people will be surprised to know is that today is the very first time I have ever baked a pie. I usually rely on other people to bring the pie, while I do everything else. I do have to say it turned out great!

This recipe my oldest daughter and I found on the Kraft Food website. It was something different from the traditional pumpkin pie we are used to.




What You Need

1/2 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (1 crust)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, divided
1-1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare pie crust as directed on pkg. for unfilled 1-crust pie, using 9-inch pie plate.

BEAT cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add 1 of the eggs; mix well. Pour into crust; set aside. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 2 eggs, the pumpkin, milk, spices and salt; carefully pour over cream cheese mixture.

BAKE 1 hour and 5 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Store in refrigerator.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Size-Wise
Since this indulgent special-occasion dessert makes 8 servings, it's a perfect dessert to serve at your next party.

Substitute
Prepare as directed, substituting PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.

How to Soften Cream Cheese
Place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 10 sec. or just until softened. Add 15 sec. for each additional package of cream cheese.

Yummy Turkey

Two years ago we celebrated Christmas with some friends and dinner was going to be at our house. Ryan wanted turkey and I remembered seeing this on Giada's show so I found this recipe and made my first turkey. It was a huge hit for our Christmas meal; I make it anytime we decide to have turkey or roast a whole chicken.

I am not after a pretty turkey, just a moist one. I cover the whole turkey with heavy duty aluminum foil. It still gets brown and is very tasty.



Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus


Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time: 45 min
Inactive Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 3 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets reserved
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 onion, cut into wedges
6 fresh rosemary sprigs
6 fresh sage sprigs
6 fresh oregano sprigs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (approximate amount)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
To make the turkey: Position the rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Place the orange and lemon wedges, onion, and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main turkey cavity. Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the turkey. Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of each the salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts. Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin. Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.)

Cover the turkey breast with foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the foil from the turkey; pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan. Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F to 175 degrees F or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes while preparing the gravy.

To make the gravy: Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the remaining butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/turkey-with-herbes-de-provence-and-citrus-recipe/index.html