By Jeremy Couch
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season approaching, many students are planning to leave the area but there are also many that will stay.
Here are some recipes for those who will be preparing their own Thanksgiving feasts and need help to make it like mom’s.
Thanksgiving Turkey
Needed Ingredients
1 Reynolds(r) Oven Bag,
1 tablespoon flour
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
12 to 24 pound turkey, thawed
Vegetable Oil
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
SHAKE flour in Reynolds Oven Bag; place in roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Spray inside of oven bag with nonstick spray to reduce sticking, if desired.
ADD vegetables to oven bag. Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey; pat dry. Lightly stuff with your favorite stuffing recipe, if desired. Brush turkey with oil. Place turkey in oven bag on top of vegetables.
CLOSE oven bag with nylon tie; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top. Insert meat thermometer through oven bag into thickest part of inner thigh, not touching bone.
BAKE 2 to 2 1/2 hours for a 12 to 16 lb. Turkey, 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a 16 to 20 lb. Turkey, and 3 to 3 1/2 hours for a 20 to 24 lb. Turkey or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 1/2 for stuffed turkey. For easy slicing, let stand in oven bag 15 minutes.
With every great meal comes a great dessert and what Thanksgiving feast would not be complete without pumpkin pie. Here is a recipe that will help you end your feast on a great note. This recipe can be found on the Reader’s Digest home page at www.readersdigest.com.
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
1 recipe single pie crust, or premade pie crust
1-1/2 cups cooked fresh or canned pumpkin pure
3/4 cup evaporated whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine (at room temperature)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3 large egg whites
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Make the pie crust fit into a 9-inch pie plate, and make a rope edge.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on Medium, beat the pumpkin puree, milk, egg yolks, sugar, syrup, butter, and pumpkin pie spice. In a clean medium-sized bowl, with clean beaters and the mixer on High, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture. Pour into the crust.
STEP 3: Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 1 hour before serving.
Still the question remains, how mom had it all ready at the same time and presented so nicely. On the Web site www.sirius.com they list how to make your Thanksgiving Day a success.
Thanksgiving Day
-Prepare stuffing
-Remove the giblets and fully wash the bird. Preheat the oven, stuff and truss the bird, and put it in the oven.
-While the turkey is roasting make the soup and side dishes.
-When the turkey is done, take it out of the oven, cover it in tinfoil and let it stand for 1/2 hour.
-Begin to prepare your gravy. Add dripping from the roasted turkey.
-Warm the plates and serving platters.
-Spoon out the stuffing. Carve the turkey.
-Serve, relax, and enjoy.
With these recipes and tips you should be on your way to have a Thanksgiving just like mom would have done.
