Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1Tbl chives
1Tbl dill relish
2Tbl lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

Pumpkin Custard Pie

This has a different, and interesting crust.  I made it with Blue Hubbard from our garden this time. Kim Merchant really liked it and asked me to bring it next time I bring a dish to share to one of our pot luck dinners.  You really shouldn't make just one.

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup plus 2 Tbl flour

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

7 Tbl Butter flavored Crisco

6 Tbl ice water

1 tsp vinegar

Filling

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbl pumpkin pie spice

15 oz solid pack pumpkin or Blue Hubbard squash, cooked and drained.

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

Directions

1. Place pecans in a food processor; cover and process until finely ground. In a large bowl, combine the pecans, flour, ginger and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.
2. For filling, in a large bowl, beat the eggs, spices and salt until smooth. Beat in pumpkin. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into crust.
3. Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon if desired. Refrigerate leftovers (ha ha). Yield: 8 servings.

Stuffing for Turkey

 I like to use Italian bread and multi grain bread, but sometimes I just have whole wheat.  I often freeze my bread end slices in anticipation of this.  I also make croutons from them, but that's another story.  Often the slice next to the end is thicker and harder than the rest of the loaf, and that makes a nice addition too.  If worse comes to worst, use store-bought dried cubed bread without seasoning.  The original recipe says to use 1 Tbl dried sage and 2 tsp thyme.  But Bell's is better, trust me.

Step 1:
3 sticks butter, melted in frying pan
3 cups finely chopped celery with leaves
1 1/2 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion
2 Tbl Bell Seasoning
After the butter is melted, add the rest of the above ingredients, and cook until vegetables are soft.

 

 

Step 2:

Pour 15 cups cubed bread (my mom toasts it first, but it works fine if you just chop up bread slices) into a large bowl - a really really big one.   Have a big mixing spoon ready (I like wooden spoons, but just make sure you don't get one with a flexible handle).  Pour the butter and vegetables all over the bread, stirring at the same time if possible, so you don't get some bread totally soaked and other bread still dry.  Or if you prefer, pour some, then mix, then pour again.  You decide what works best for you.  That's it.  Now it's ready to put in both end cavities of a cleaned out turkey.  The extra does well baked for less than an hour at the end so it's hot and crispy on top when the turkey is done.  This is also good for people who don't believe it gets cooked enough inside the turkey (don't be a hater, this just leaves more of the good stuff for you).  If the leftover is a bit dry, pour on a bit of water from cooking the giblets.   I'll add more pictures in an edit later today.

 

Thanksgiving 2020 during COVID Pandemic. We are spending the winter in North Myrtle beach, SC. Just the 2 of us. We bought a turkey breast.  We don’t have Bells Seasoning but we bought some seasoned bread cubes to mix in with our own and I sprinkled the veggies with Everyday Seasoning I made from scratch in Berne and brought with us in a little mason jar. I added chopped mushrooms.  

Mulled Cider

1 gallon cider
1 long cinnamon stick
1 Tbl cardomum
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbl dried orange peel
15 whole cloves
1/3 cup orange juice

Simmer gently for about 20 minutes.  Do not boil.
Strain through sieve or cheesecloth or jelly cloth

Won Tons, Fried

This is a combination of two recipes, plus a few ingredients more.
1 pkg Won Ton Wrappers
1lb sweet Italien Sausage or pork sausage, fried and chopped or crumbled

While pork is cooking, chop finely and combine:
1 can bean sprouts
1 can sliced or diced water chestnuts
1 can sliced mushroom stems and pieces or fresh mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbl garlic, minced
1 Tbl ginger, minced
1Tbl lemon grass, chopped
1/2 tsp Five Spice Powder
1 egg

In a small bowl combine:
About 3 Tbl cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
Mix and add to vegetables
When pork is cooked, add veggies and cook 2 or 3 minutes more, until thickened

Heat oil to 380 degrees.
Put 1 tsp in each wrapper, wet slightly around edge and fold into triangle.
Pull two corners to overlap and press to seal.

Deep fry until light brown, 3-5 minutes