Scrumptious Pumpkin Bread
This is my mom’s recipe for pumpkin bread and it is sooo delicious. The recipe makes 2 loaves.
What you’ll need:
- 1 stick butter, room temp
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 tsp clove
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
Steps to prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease 2 loaf pans and coat with a dusting of flour
3. Mix the butter and sugar together first, then add the rest of the ingredients
4. Bake for 45-55 minutes
5. Enjoy!!!
How I Make a Turkey and Gravy
I think making a turkey is one of the easiest things to do. Once it’s in the oven there isn’t much left to prepare (except sides) and clean up is a breeze. There are tons of different ways to prepare a turkey, but this is how I do it and have always had great results.
Here are a few pointers on turkey making:
- Figure 1- 1.5 pounds of bird per person (leftover turkey is never a bad thing to have and you don’t want to run short)
- Make sure your bird is completely defrosted before cooking. I like to leave it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days before I cook it (shorter or longer amount of time may be needed depending on the size of the turkey). If you don’t have time to defrost it this way or if it’s still partially frozen you can soak it in a sink filled with cool water. If you defrost it this way make sure you clean your sink before and after. Also, change the water out every 30 minutes.
- My way of preparing turkey does not call to brine it ahead of time (soaking the bird overnight in a mixture of water, salt, and sugar), but it is definitely a step you can do.
- Plan to cook the turkey for 20 minutes per pound. You can check the breast with a meat thermometer to make sure it’s up to 165 degrees. Don’t overcook!
- The more you open the oven to baste a turkey, the longer it may take to cook. Heat is lost each time you open the oven.
What you’ll need:
- Turkey!
- A roasting pan with a lid (a use tin foil to cover it)
- Cheese cloth (found in most grocery stores). This helps keep juices on the bird during cooktime.
- 1-2 cups chicken broth
- Butter
- Spices (see step 4 for a list of what I use)
- Baster or ladle
The Steps:
1. Rinse the turkey well and remove and innards.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
3. Pour the chicken broth in the pan and set the turkey in.
4. Sprinkle the bird and pan with spices. I don’t measure amounts….I just use a little bit of everything listed: garlic, paprika, rosemary, parsley, pepper, onion powder, salt
5. Melt 1 stick of butter (I put it in a coffee mug in the microwave) and place a piece of cheesecloth (cut the size of the bird) into it to soak the butter. Place the cheesecloth over the bird. Cover the turkey and place in the oven.
6. Baste the bird every hour.
7. Remove the bird when it’s done cooking and remove the the cheese cloth. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes before carving.
How to make gravy:
1. Remove the turkey and any scraps from the pan, leaving just the juices.
2. Place the pan on the stove top and turn the heat on high.
3. In a separte container mix water with flour and shake (the constancy should be fairly thick, but still pourable)
4. Whisk the juices as it comes to a boil and slowly add the water/flour mixture until the gravy is to a consistancy you desire.
Top that tater
Here is a super easy way to make homemade potato topping without all the fat:
- One 16 ounce container of light or fat free sour cream
- 1/4 cup of freshly chopped chives
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Pepper and salt to taste
Mix it all together and enjoy! If you don’t want as much of the garlic/onion taste use 1/4 tsp of each.
Sweet-N-Tangy Salsa….aka Texas Caviar
This salsa is always a hit whenever I have parties. It’s easy to make ahead of time (much easier now that I have the Vidalia Chopper) and is so colorful!
You’ll need:
- 1 can of pinto beans, drained
- 1 can of blackeyed peas, drained
- 1 can of shoepeg corn
- 1 jalepeno
- 1 red onion
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 orange pepper
- 1/4 cup oil (original recipe is 1/2 cup, but I don’t think that much is necessary)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup sugar (I used baking Splenda to save on calories)
- 3/4 cup cider vinegar
1. Chop up all the peppers, onion, and jalepeno (this is where having a chopper is nice, especially since I usually make triple batches for parties)
2. Put the oil, pepper, sugar, and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to boil to dissolve and then let cool.
3. Mix all the ingredients together and let sit in fridge overnight.
Holy Great Guacamole
This is such an easy and delicious recipe…I’m talking 5 minutes prep time. Guacamole is full of healthy fats and makes a colorful addition to your table. Tis the season for margaritas & chips and guac!
What you’ll need:
- 3 ripe avocados (if they aren’t ripe enough by the time you need to use them, you can microwave them for a little bit to soften them)
- 2 ripe roma tomatoes, without the juice and seeds, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 lime, for the juice
- Mince the garlic
- Finely chop up the tomatoes (to drain the juice and seeds, cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze the innards into the sink before chopping)
- Spoon the insides of the avocado out
- Add salt
- Squeeze the juice from 1/2 of a lime (this prevents the guacamole from turning brown)
- Mix all together and enjoy! It’s best if eaten shortly after being made. However, to store it put it in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Easy Low-fat Potato Salad
What goes with a gazzillion spring and summer meals?….wow, good guess! Below is my mom’s recipe for potato salad: easy, classic, delightful. I’ve added the step of making it ‘Stained Glass Potato Salad’, so you can ignore the coloring of the eggs if you want it to look traditional. Enjoy!
What you’ll need:
- one dozen eggs, hardboiled and peeled
- 9-10 medium sized potatoes
- 2 cups Miracle Whip (I use Light and it turns out great)
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard (or 2 tsp yellow)
- Food coloring (if you want to make it ‘stained glass’…great for Easter)
- Salt and pepper *you can also add a little dill
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Hardboil the eggs and peel the shell. Place the peeled eggs in various glass of water mixed with whatever colors of food coloring you would like. ** You can also skip the next steps and just make deviled eggs!
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Peel the potatoes and boil them (cook enough so a fork can poke through them easily). Let the potatoes cool.
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Cut up the eggs and potatoes. Mix with the other ingredients.
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Keep refrigerated and eat within a couple days.
