Creamy Corn Chowder

Can't believe Thanksgiving is only 13 days away!  Hope you liked the couple of Thanksgiving recipes we shared this week (The fabulous Herb Brined Turkey & Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole!)

AND...

We are so excited about next week because it will involve PIE...lots of pie!!  We're gearing up for our annual "We're Thankful for Pie Night" and so we're going to have a week full of pies starting Monday.  

CAN NOT WAIT!!

In the meantime...we've got another awesome recipe over at Or So She Says today.

Check out this Creamy Corn Chowder!

See you Monday....for PIE!!!!:)

Herb Brined Turkey

Our family had our very first Thanksgiving with just our sweet family a few years back.  It was weird not being with extended family, but we've actually done it a couple of times since then as well & we kind of like it.  Not that we don't love being with family as well, but sometimes it's nice to just have your own traditions & a little less quiet!:)

So, anyway, on that first Thanksgiving by ourselves we decided to try our hand at brining our turkey. 

WE WILL NEVER DO IT ANOTHER WAY NOW!

The turkey was so juicy & flavorful...and the gravy made from the drippings was AMAZING!

This is now our go-to turkey method.  It is really easy since we always use a turkey roasting bag so we don't have to worry about basting.  This bird is fabulous!  Thanks to Emeril Lagasse for the fabulous recipe!

Herb Brined Turkey

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• 1 turkey (10-12 pounds)
• 
  
• For the Brine:
• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 oranges, quartered
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 sprigs rosemary

For the inside of the turkey:

1 large orange, cut into 8ths

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

salt and pepper

1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths

1 stalk celery, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 large carrot, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

1/2 bunch sage

3 or 4 sprigs parsley

For the brine:  Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water.  I usually use my water bath canner, but you can use a clean bucket or large stockpot or even a heavy-duty food grade plastic storage bag.  Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary.

NOTE:  We usually roast the biggest turkey we can find because we love leftovers.  So, if you plan to cook a bird bigger than 12 pounds and need more brine just add an extra 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup sugar to every gallon of water.  You just need enough brining solution to cover your bird.

Prepare your turkey by removing the neck, giblets and liver from the cavity of the turkey.  (This is my very least part...I usually make Tony do the honors!)

Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.

Place turkey in the brining solution and cover.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.  I always start the brine on Thanksgiving eve.

When you are ready to cook your turkey, remove it from the brining solution and rinse under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels both inside and out.  Place turkey, breast side up, in a large roasting pan.  Rub the breast with one of the orange segments and rub on all sides with the butter, stuffing some underneath the skin (I actually like this part...I'm a freak I know!)  Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper.

Place turkey in a turkey roasting bag and then stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. 

Follow the baking instructions on the roasting bag.  

If you are inclined to make gravy...PLEASE, please, please don't throw away the drippings at the bottom of your roasting bag!  It makes the most fabulous gravy!

Here's how we make our gravy:

Measure how many cups of drippings you have.  For each cup of drippings you will need 1/4 cup of cold water and 2 Tablespoons of flour.

Heat drippings in saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling.  Mix cold water with the flour.  This needs to be mixed really well so that you don't have clumps in your gravy.  I usually put it in a mason jar and screw a lid on it and let the kids shake the guts out of it!

When boiling, add the water/flour thickening and stir until thickened.  This won't take long.  Pretty dang easy and you've now got  a killer turkey and gravy!!

Don't forget to make some awesome Creamy Mashed Potatoes to go with your gravy!

Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole

Not too long before Thanksgiving is upon us, so I figured we'd better get movin' on some good Thanksgiving recipes.

I have never been a fan of the traditional green bean casserole that everyone seems to have with their Thanksgiving dinners, so when I saw this recipe a couple of years ago I knew I needed to try it.  And I'm so glad I did!  IT. IS. DELICIOUS!!!

You will make it year after year after year instead of the mushroom soup/french onion kind out there.  I'm usually a turkey, potatoes and roll kind of Thanksgiving dinner gal, that's all I really need to be happy, but this casserole is now on that list!

Stay tuned this week for my favorite Turkey recipe...and next week you'll be in PIE heaven when we do a week of pies as we gear up for our "We're Thankful for Pie Night"!!  And here's a link to last years "Pie Night"

Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole

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Topping:

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Beans:

1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed

1 gallon water

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 ounces mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half and half

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt and toss to combine.  Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and spread the onion evenly on the pan.  Bake until golden brown about 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes.  When browned, remove and set aside until ready to use.

Turn the oven heat down to 400 degrees.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans.  Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in a large saucepan.  Blanch for 5 minutes.  Drain the beans and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking more.  Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and nutmeg and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture and stir to combine.  Cook for 1 minute.  Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute.  Add the half-and-half and cook until the mixture thickens, about 6-8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans.  Top with the remaining onions.  Bake approximately 15 minutes.  Remove and serve immediately.

Brownies with Brownie Chunk Frosting

This is not your ordinary brownie.  Well, actually the brownie is pretty ordinary, BUT the frosting is anything but and coupled with the chewy brownies you've got a touchdown (it is football season after all!).  The frosting is rich and chocolaty, but here's the kicker (football season again:))...it is also infused with brownie chunks & pieces!  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

You can use any brownie recipe that you prefer.  A few of my favorites are here, here, and here.  Hahaha...seriously that last one is the bomb...especially when you're feeling lazy!:)

Just whip up a batch of this brownie infused frosting & slather a nice thick layer on a nice big piece of brownie & you may just put yourself into a brownie coma...but it'll be worth it!

Brownies with Brownie Chunk Frosting

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Brownies (9 x 13 inch pan) already cooked and cooled
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
6 small sized brownies (about 1/4th of the 9 x 13 inch sized pan of brownies)

Beat the butter with the vanilla for about a minute.  Add the cocoa and powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.  Crumble up the brownies into small pieces and beat into the frosting.

Frost the remaining brownies.

Eat. You deserve it!:)

Cereal Candy

I seem to be craving any kind of goodie made with cereal lately.  I've made S'mores snack mix (a few times!) & the delicious spin on Muddy Buddies...the Biscoff Muddy Buddies!

And this one is just like all the others.  You just cannot stop eating it!

I first tried this a couple of summers ago when my sister-in-law took it to a family retreat.  I was hooked, but have just now gotten around to getting the recipe & making it myself. 

At first I thought the butterscotch/peanut butter combo would not be so great, but boy was I mistaken!  That combo is KILLER...especially when you add chocolate in the mix!

This would make a wonderful Halloween goodie bag to hand out at school parties or any other party, really. That is if you don't eat yourself sick and don't have much left for anyone else.:)

Cereal Candy
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15 cups Crispix Cereal (about 1 1/2 boxes)

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 bag (11.5 oz.) chocolate chips

1 bag (11.5 oz.) butterscotch chips

Measure cereal into a large bowl; set aside.

Melt the sugar & corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil & let boil for 1 minute.  Take off the heat and stir in the peanut butter.

Keep stirring until it is mixed well and is smooth.

Pour over the cereal and mix well.  Place large sections of wax paper on counter.  Pour cereal mixture onto the wax paper, spreading so it is in an even single layer.

Put butterscotch chips into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between until smooth.  Drizzle over the cereal mixture.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave just like the butterscotch chips and then drizzle over the cereal too. 

Let the chocolate and butterscotch cool and harden, then break into pieces and place in bags or a large bowl that is air tight to store.

NOTE:  There is another variation instead of melting and drizzling the butterscotch and chocolate chips.  After you mix the peanut butter/sugar mixture with the cereal just add the whole chocolate and butterscotch chips and stir them in.  Then lay it out on the wax paper to cool.  I've had it both ways & love it either way!  Just sometimes it's easier (or I'm just lazy!) to add the chips instead of doing all that melting!:)

Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread (Guest Post at Or So She Says)

With all the soups we've been making lately, I wanted to try out a new recipe for a yummy bread to go with it.  And I found the perfect one that the family scarfed down in no time flat!

Serve it with one of our 6 favorite soups or any of these other soups from our index!

You can find the recipe over at Or So She Says today.  Stop by and give us some love!:)

Halloween Popcorn Mix (Monster Munch)

I can't believe how fast this month is going! I got out a couple of pumpkins for decoration a couple of weeks ago & have yet to get out the rest of my fall/Halloween decorations! And here it is more than half way through the month.  I just have totally lost track of time. Guess that's something we'll have to do this weekend! 

This is THE popcorn mix I make every Halloween. I usually make a huge batch for my elementary school kids to take to their class parties & everyone loves it (even the teachers...I get requests for the recipe from them). You can just serve it in a big bowl or you can put it in plastic bags tied with a ribbon for each student (and don't forget the teacher!). Either way, it'll be a hit! 

 Halloween Popcorn Mix (Monster Munch)

Recipe from Our Best Bites

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1 package Almond Bark (1 lb) 

1/2 cup popcorn kernals, popped

1 cup candy corn 

1 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts 

1/2 cup Reeces Pieces 

Pop the popcorn and place in a large bowl.  Add the peanuts, candy corn and Reeces pieces on top.  I only got a picture of the peanuts on the popcorn...don't know what I was thinking!!

Break the almond bark up into chunks and melt in the microwave it for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth and melted.

Pour over the popcorn mixture.

Use a wooden spoon to stir mixture all together.  Keep stirring until all the popcorn mixture is evenly coated with almond bark.

Spread out on wax paper to dry. 

When it is completely dry, break into pieces and place in a large bowl or individual bags.  Sneak a few pieces in the process.  That's a must!