found it! Mexican Black Beans Adapted from Recipe #179877 : 35 min : 15 min prep By: lazyme Jul 31, 2006 Good side dish to a Mexican entree. SERVES 6 (change servings and units) Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth fresh lime juice fresh cilantro, chopped 1 cup monterey jack cheese Directions 1Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. 2Add garlic, chili and cumin and sauté 30 seconds. 3Add beans and broth and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Coarsely mash beans with potato masher. 4Continue boiling until thick, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. 5I add the monterey jack cheese on top and microwave for 2 minutes to melt the cheese.

I prefer the bone-in breasts. I think they are more flavorful. One of my favorite ways to prepare them is to grate the peel of a lemon and mix it in a small bowl with a large clove of garlic, 1/2 a small or 1/4 of a large onion, a handful of celery leaves and fresh parsley (all finely chopped). Then I add S & P, some dried or fresh tarragon and marjoram and about a Tbs. of olive oil or softened butter and a couple of squeezes of the lemon juice. I lay the breasts on their sides, pull back the skin and smear the mixture over the meat. Then I pull the skin back down over it and secure the skin to the breast meat with a wooden toothpick. Put in pan, bone side down, and add a little white wine or chicken broth around it and bake at 350 for 45 min to an hour, depending on the size of the breast, until juices run clear when pierced with a fork. The chicken should be nice and moist. You can also cut up some potatoes and put them in the pan with the chicken. I usually use unpeeled redskins and turn them occasionally during the cooking period. Here's another easy one for bone-in breasts: HONEY CURRIED CHICKEN 4 bone-in chicken breasts or 1 cut up chicken 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine 1/4 cup honey 1/2 cup orange juice 2 Tbs. prepared mustard 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. curry powder 2 Tbs. dark rum Place chicken skin side up in shallow baking dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine remaining ingredients, stirring well. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake for one hour, basting occasionally with sauce.

Hi Ellen, here it is! I hope your friend likes it, I'm making mine right this minute (I don't use the giblets, I think they're ick). Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy Makes about 2 quarts For more flavor, after roasting the turkey you can skim the drippings from the pan and add them to the gravy just before serving. It's best to discard the strong-tasting liver before using the giblets. This recipe makes enough to accompany a large turkey and still have plenty for leftovers. 6 turkey drumsticks, thighs, or wings reserved turkey giblets reserved turkey neck 2 carrots , chopped coarse 1 head garlic , halved 2 ribs celery , chopped coarse 2 onions , chopped coarse Vegetable oil spray 10cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups dry white wine 12 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Table salt and ground black pepper 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place giblets, neck, drumsticks, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in roasting pan, spray with vegetable oil, and toss well. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 2. Transfer contents of roasting pan to Dutch oven. Add broth, wine, and thyme and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container (discard solids), cover stock with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fat congeals, at least 2 hours. 3. Using soup spoon, skim fat and reserve. Heat 1/2 cup fat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbling. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until honey colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.) Reheat gravy in saucepan over medium heat until bubbling.

Jeri, thank you, I hadn't seen your make ahead au jus. I like its fundamentals -- roasted soup bones and beef shank and onions. I will probably triple the onions, then deglaze the roasting pan with some red wine (a la Woodie's turkey gravy) and then proceed with additional stock, carrots, and celery for lengthy simmering. Strained it should make a great au jus. I'll probably gravy-tize it with a roux and stir in sauteed mushrooms and lots of ground pepper at the end. (Ummm, only 24 days til Christmas . . .)