Rolled Turkey Breast

 Here's the finished product on the plate.

 Almost done roasting in the pan with acorn squash

 Just before the turkey roll went into the oven

ROLLED TURKEY BREAST

3-4# boneless, skinless turkey breast, fresh or thawed
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
Fresh zest of 2 oranges (save the oranges)
1 bunch fresh parsley, minced
10-15 fresh sage leaves, minced
salt to taste
one more stick of butter
up to 1 bottle Chardonnay wine
cotton cheesecloth
cotton kitchen string

Butterfly the turkey so that the meat is a uniform thickness. Do not pound it!

Mix the butter, orange zest, and herbs together making sure that the flavors are evenly distributed. spread the butter mixture evenly over the raw turkey breast. Starting at the narrow and roll the turkey and butter mixture into a tight roll. tie the roll with cotton string about every inch. place the turkey roll in a deep roasting pan.

Melt the extra stick of butter in a small saucepan. Add up to a full bottle of Chardonnay. soak the cheesecloth in the butter and wine mixture and drape it over the turkey roll using several layers of cheesecloth.

roast a turkey in a 300° oven for approximately two and a half hours, basting with additional butter and wine every 30 minutes to keep the cheesecloth wet with butter and wine. during the last half hour, remove the cheesecloth so the turkey will brown

remove from the oven when the internal temperature has reached 180°. let the roll sit for 20 minutes under foil before slicing. serve with baked sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, or any other side dish.

Red Cinnamon Apples

this recipe was first made by my grandmother, and then my mom throughout my childhood. it is simple, elegant, and delicious. Red Hots are now called Cinnamon Imperials so that's what you want to look for when making this recipe. As an alternative after they are cooled you can pipe sweet and cream cheese into the hole that was the core.

red cinnamon apples

3/4 cup red hots or cinnamon imperials

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups water

6-8 small Jonathan Apples

In a deep skillet, heat the water, sugar, and red hots until the candy and sugar melts. Peel and core the apples but keep them whole. Carefully lower the apples into the syrup and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Carefully turn the apples half way through cooking to get the red evenly into the apples. Remove with a slotted spoon to your serving plate (I use a pie plate.)

Cook the remaining syrup to thicken. Ladle some of it over the apples. The rest is really good on pancakes. 

Market Soup

I call this Market Soup because I make it with whichever veggies look the best at our local farmers market. Use this as a guideline, not a rule book--make it to your own taste.

Market Soup

2# Tomatoes

1# carrots

1 quart green beans

3-4 ribs celery

1 bulb garlic, peeled

1 quart beef stock

1 quart tomato juice or V-8

1 green pepper

1# shredded cabbage

1 large beef marrow bone.

Put the bone in a large stock pot. Add the liquids. Roughly chop the carrots, beans, tomatoes, celery, garlic, and whatever herbs you like. I use oregano and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Heat on a medium burner to simmer flavor from the bone. Cook until the veggies are tender crisp.  Add the peppers and cabbage. Cook a few more minutes don't overcook the cabbage unless you like mush!

Remove the bone. Serve with crusty bread or whole grain crackers. 

Cinnamon Caramel Apple Dump Cake

It's Fall. Time for ooey gooey good desserts (in moderation). This meets that description and it's simple!

Cinnamon Caramel Apple Dump Cake

7-8 Macintosh Apples, peeled and sliced

1 cup brown sugar

1 T Cinnamon

1 yellow cake mix,  dry

2 sticks butter

Layer 1/2 of the apples in a cake pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon and 1/2 of the sugar. Repeat the layers. Don't skimp on the cinnamon! 

Spread the dry cake mix evenly over the apples. Slice each stick of butter into about 16 slices and distribute them evenly over the dry mix. 

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to an hour. It will "settle" as it cools.

Garlic Garlic Chicken with Garlic

GARLIC GARLIC CHICKEN WITH GARLIC

As you've probably guessed by now, this dish is about garlic! As it roasts, it absorbs the fat of the chicken and the acid in the garlic turns to sugar and becomes very mild and sweet. Don't let this scare you and don't try to cut back on the garlic! Serve this with some good, crusty bread and use the garlic as butter on the bread. You can thank me later!


4-5 pound whole chicken
8-10 whole BULBS fresh garlic--not cloves, BULBS! (about a pound)
Salt, pepper, and olive oil

Clean and trim the chicken. Clean and peel the garlic, leaving the cloves whole. Heat the oven to 350°.  Use your finger to gently separate the breasts from the skin of the chicken. between the breast and the leg on each side, poke a hole in the connecting tissue and loosen the skin on each leg, too. Stuff about half of the whole garlic cloves under the skin, into the legs and over the breasts. Push it in gently and make sure it covers the breasts as much as possible. Stuff the other half of the cloves into the cavity of the chicken. Any garlic that won't fit in the chicken or under the skin should be put in the pan to roast with the bird. Place in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper and anoint it with olive oil. I like to cut small potatoes and pile them around the chicken, too. Roast for 60-90 minutes until the juices run clear. Let it sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

(Until I figure out how to resolve an issue with the photos, this will be the new format for my blog. My apologies to those who just like the pictures!)

Tomato Jam

TOMATO JAM (Much better than it sounds!)

This is a good one! I adapted it a little and have made this a couple of times. It's been a hit every time. I recommend it for parties--it's too tempting to eat the whole recipe if you don't share it! It's a good winter warm up.

TOMATO JAM

1 large shallot, minced

1 T Olive Oil (Extra Virgin is best for the light taste)

1 T Butt

1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes

2 T brown sugar

1/3 cup River Rose Gin from Mississippi River Distilling Company (Hendricks if you can't get Rose)

1 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp fresh Oregano (or use the tube of prepared oregano that you can get in the produce department.)

Heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat until the butter foams up. Add minced shallot. Lower heat to medium. Add tomatoes, cook 3-5 minutes. As the tomatoes start to break down, add brown sugar, gin, salt, and pepper flakes. Cook another 10 minutes, smashing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. The sauce will thicken. After 10 minutes, add the vinegar and oregano, stirring to incorporate. Cook another minute or two and turn off heat.

If you make this early, it can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge. It should be served at room temperature. Pour it over a brick of cream cheese and serve with wheat crackers. It will keep for up to a week, but it probably won't last that long. 

Drippy Coconut Cake

Drippy Coconut Cake--so moist it will drip off your fork!

This is another of my adaptations. It's just a great cake--there's not much more to say about it!

 DRIPPY COCONUT CAKE

1  Moist Yellow Cake Mix modified as follows

1 can Coconut MILK

1 can Creme of Coconut 

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/2 C Bourbon (I always use Cody Road from Mississippi River Distilling Company)

1 tub Cool Whip, thawed

1 cup Coconut, toasted

Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box except replace the liquid (water or milk, depending on the mix you buy) with an equal amount of the coconut milk. Bake as directed on the box in a 9x13 baking dish. While it is baking, mix the coconut creme, condensed milk, and bourbon together in a bowl. When you remove the cake from the oven, while it is still warm, poke holes all over the top, no more than an inch apart. (I use the handle of a wooden spoon to make nice big holes.) Immediately pour the creme/milk/bourbon mixture over the cake. Get the sauce distributed evenly and allow it to soak into the warm cake. Allow the cake to cool completely. 

While the cake is cooling, toast the coconut by spreading it evenly on a cookie sheet and baking in a 300° oven for a few minutes. Watch it closely and remove/cool it as soon as it is golden brown. Be careful, it burns easily. 

Frost the cake with the Cool Whip and top with the toasted coconut. Don't plan on any leftovers!