I must say - this was probably the most organized Thanksgiving turkey dinner I've cooked. Thank goodness. My oven behaved - probably because I took care to tuck in the wings this time - so that the dripping grease wouldn't drop down onto the burners causing a bit of a "flare-up" which My oven is prone to do if something boils over. Anyway, I cooked the bird as I usually do - upside down on the "X" shaped rack that has been a stand-by for such an event each turkey day. The bird is then slow cooked at 250 degrees - not basting until the skin hardens a bit. This seals in the juices, making the bird more moist. About half way through after the underside is nicely browned, I turn the bird over, to brown and cook the breast. When the breast reaches 180 degrees internally, we grab the carvers and that beautiful creation soon becomes a mess. Everything turned out quite well - expect perhaps for the marshmallows that were put on the sweet potato/pineapple dish - they refused to melt and perhaps the toasting oven was a bit too toasty. Ahem. So - now for making the pies. I liked my scheme last year - freezing the turkey, dressing and gravy in a pie pan shaped container. Then it is ready for use - either put in a pie shell - adding frozen peas, and top crust and baking. Or - just heating it up for another plain meal. Either way, lots of good left-over eating in store. As luck would have it - I had lots of volunteer help with clean up - and yours truly was ready for early retirement. Hope you had a nice holiday. Soooo - on to the next big bash - right. What are you planning on eating for X-mas - another turkey perhaps/or? Oh yes - about the dressing - it was a bit moist - will add less moisture next time, but tasty nevertheless. Some sage would have been nice tho. Just my 2 c's. Bejay

I have to agree with annie1992 on this one. A good steak, perfectly cooked (rare), Needs nothing but a bit of salt & pepper. But here is a recipe I found here on the CF Quite a long time ago. Sorry, I don't know who originally posted it, I didn't keep that info. Baked Onions For each medium onion: 1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium works fine) 1 Tablespoon butter Tony Cachere's to taste (or use half of a bouillion cube in place of the worchestershire & soy sauces) Peel the onion. Cut off the top. Cut the root end off leaving enough to keep the onion intact. Vertically slice the onion into 8 wedges, but do not slice all the way through. Place onion in an individual ovenproof dish or on large square of foil. Pour the worchestershire sauce and soy sauce over the top of the onion. Lay the piece of butter on the top of the onion. Sprinkle with Tony Cachere's to taste. Cover dish with foil or wrap onion tightly in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Fabulous with steaks...and don't forget to dip your steak in the juice! Note: I usually do them in the microwave, Using my microwave's "Fresh Vegetable" setting. They would probably do well wrapped in foil, and cooked on a grill, too. Rusty

Ways to "thicken up" vegetarian not-gravy include a small amount of well cooked lentils or well cooked yellow split peas, blended really well. When I make mock chicken soup I make a watery blend of yellow split peas and broth and then whirl it well with the stick blender so it has a thick brothy consistency and is a yellowish brown color. Lentils will be browner but their skins are a little more evident. Garbanzos might work too, but I've never tried them. Also, using dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted, adds a "meaty" taste and so do portabellas, although I don't really like them. I don't LIKE meaty tastes, it's really the taste of decay, which is why mushrooms and other fungus have a meaty taste too! Another thing besides tamari or soy sauce that you can add to veggie gravy to add depth is miso, although the average person probably doesn't have a jar of miso sitting in the fridge, lol. Again, I am not a big fan of miso, but it is used as a healthful, protein filled broth in Asia. You cannot boil miso, it destroys all the vitamins in it. Wine is also good if you like that tang.

1.__________________________________________________________ Butterflied and grilled Greek leg of lamb Posted by: san_ (My Page) on Wed, Nov 20, 02 at 18:43 Butterflied and grilled Greek leg of lamb NOTE: I buy a half leg of lamb, bone it and halve the herb rub ingredients. If marinating overnight, I suggest not adding the salt until just before grilling it, as it was more salty than we like. If you have leftovers, slice the meat and bring it to room temperature and serve over a bed of salad greens or better yet, use it for stuffed grape leaves (dolmathes)! For herb rub 8 garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil, a 7- to 8-pound leg of lamb, trimmed of all fat, boned, and butterflied by butcher (4 to 4 3/4 pounds boneless) 1 lemon Make herb rub: Finely chop garlic and in a small bowl stir together with remaining herb-rub ingredients. Put lamb in a large dish and with tip of a sharp small knife held at a 45-degree angle cut 1/2-inch-deep slits all over lamb, rubbing herb mixture into slits and all over lamb. Marinate lamb at room temperature 1 hour. Prepare grill. Lightly pat lamb dry. On a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals grill lamb about 10 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer horizontally inserted into thickest part of meat registers 125F for medium-rare. (Alternatively, roast lamb in a roasting pan in middle of a 425°F oven about 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer horizontally inserted into meat registers 125°F for medium-rare.) Transfer lamb to a cutting board. Halve and seed lemon. Squeeze juice over lamb and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 minutes. Cut lamb into slices and serve with any juices that have accumulated on cutting board. Serves 8. Gourmet July1999 Gourmet Entertains 2.__________________________________________________________ Chicken with Artichokes and White Wine Posted by: Linda_inTennessee (My Page) on Sun, Dec 1, 02 at 17:37 a few recipes from my cookbook to my children and very best friends: Chicken with Artichokes and White Wine 4 Servings 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, All purpose flour, 1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick ) butter, 12-18 green globe baby artichokes trimmed to hearts and quartered, (((or 2 boxes frozen hearts, defrosted))) 1 cup chopped onion, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 3/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth, 1 cup dry white wine Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; dust with flour. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and saute until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate. Add artichokes, onion and Italian seasoning to skillet. Saute until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add broth and wine and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and artichokes are tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. 3.__________________________________________________________ The Frugs Stuffed Grape Leaves Posted by: san_ (My Page) on Sun, Dec 8, 02 at 13:26 i've tried several recipes for stuffed grape leaves, but this one is really good--pretty easy too (especially if you have some rare roast lamb leftover. if not, use raw ground lamb). The Frugs Stuffed Grape Leaves A jar of grape leaves For the broth, 2 C chicken stock and the juice of 1 lemon For the filling, mix together: 1# coarsely chopped or ground lamb, 1 C raw, long-grain rice, ½ C olive oil, 1 C chopped yellow onions, ¼ C chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 T dried dillweed, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp allspice, 2 cloves minced garlic, a little salt and pepper Use some of the smallest grape leaves to line the bottom of a 2-quart stock pot. Place the grape leaves, bottom side up, on a counter, stem side toward you. Place 1 tsp of filling in the center of the leaf and fold the stem end over the filling, fold the sides inward and then roll towards the tip of the leaf. Dont wrap them too tightly as the rice expands during cooking. Place the rolled leaves in layers on the bottom of the pot close to each other, to help keep them from unrolling. Cover each layer will a couple of plain leaves, including the top layer (I usually end up with about 3 layers of stuffed leaves). Pour the broth over the leaves and place a plate on top to weight them down while they cook. Cover with a lid and cook on a low simmer for about an hour. Remove the pan from the heat, leaving the lid on so the leaves dont darken, and allow to cool for an hour before serving. Best at room temp but pretty good cold, too. Serve with avgolemono sauce. 4._________________________________________________________ GINGER ALE CHICKEN Posted by: Linda_inTennessee (My Page) on Mon, Jan 13, 03 at 9:16 GINGER ALE CHICKEN Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tablespoons peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 2 scallions, both white and green parts trimmed and finely chopped, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons Asian (dark) sesame oil or vegetable oil, 1 can ginger ale, 1 chicken (3 1/2-4 pounds), 2 slices peeled fresh ginger (each 1/4-inch thick) Combine ginger, garlic, scallions, salt, pepper and oil in a mini-chopper or blender and puree to a paste. Pop the tab off the can of ginger ale, pour half of it ( 3/4 cup) into a measuring cup and drink or set aside to make a sauce. Make 2 additional holes on top. Remove the giblets from the body cavity. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Place half of the ginger-garlic paste in the body and neck cavities of the chicken and rub the remainder over the outside of the bird. Put a slice of ginger in the body cavity and in the neck cavity of the chicken. Put the can on a roasting pan. Lower the chicken over the can so it fits inside the body cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a tripod so the bird stands upright. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chicken's back. Put the pan in the oven on a low rack (so the chicken will fit) and roast at 350 degrees for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. Test for doneness. Present the chicken to your guests. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift it off the can and serve, taking care not to burn yourself. Recipe adapted from "Beer-Can Chicken" by Steve Raichlen. 5.__________________________________________________________ Macaroni Grill's Scaloppine di Pollo Posted by: Linda_inTennessee (My Page) on Mon, Jan 13, 03 at 9:23 Macaroni Grill's Scaloppine di Pollo Lemon Butter Sauce: 4 ounces lemon juice, 2 ounces white wine, 4 ounces heavy cream, 1 pound (4 sticks) butter, Chicken & Pasta: 6 to 8 (3-ounce) chicken breasts, pounded thin, Oil and butter for sauteing chicken, 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, for dredging, 6 ounces pancetta, cooked, 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced, 12 ounces artichoke hearts, sliced, 1 tablespoon capers, 1 pound cappellini pasta, cooked, Chopped parsley, for garnish To make the sauce: Heat the lemon juice and white wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce by one-third. Add cream and simmer until mixture thickens (3 to 4 minutes). Slowly add butter until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm. To make chicken and pasta: Cook pasta and drain. Heat a small amount of oil and two tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Dredge chicken in flour and saute in pan, turning once, until brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and add to pan remaining ingredients. Heat until mushrooms soften and are cooked; add chicken back to pan. To serve: Place cooked pasta on each plate. Add half of butter sauce to chicken mixture and toss. Taste and adjust, adding more sauce if needed. Place chicken mixture over pasta. Garnish with parsley. Alternately, mix pasta and chicken mixture together. Toss with butter sauce. Yield: 10 servings 6.__________________________________________________________ Posted by: san_ (My Page) on Wed, Jan 15, 03 at 19:44 Mom's Barbecued Spare Ribs i hadn't made this in a couple of years and sort of forgot about it until someone asked for a country spare rib recipe. this is Mom's recipe and if you like a little sweet/tangy sauce it works great! and she always did these in the oven... Mom's Barbecued Spare Ribs par boil 3-4# of ribs for 20 minutes in salted water stir together: 1 C catsup, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2/3 C chili sauce, 4 T brown sugar, 2 T salad mustard, 4 T chopped onion, 2 T worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp celery seed (i like a little more of that...), 1/2 tsp salt, a few drops of "hot sauce" bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes 7._______________________________________________________ chicken Suzanne Posted by: Linda_inTennessee (My Page) on Thu, Apr 3, 03 at 21:42 chicken Suzanne 6 boneless (8oz) chicken breast halves, 1 cup flour, 1 egg beaten with 1 cup milk, 3 cups good quality fresh bread crumbs, 1/2 to 1 cup cooking oil dip chicken breasts in flour, dip in egg/milk mixture, the completely in bread crumbs. saute in hot oil untill well browned on each side. cook till done but not overcooked. serve with the following herb butter Herb butter 1/2 cup chopped green onions, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp basil (2 tbs fresh), 1/2 tsp oregano (1/2 tbs fresh), 1 tsp marjoram (1 tbs fresh), 1 tsp tarragon (1 tbs fresh), 1 tsp dillweed (1 tsp fresh), dash tabasco, 1 pound unsalted butter mix all the above in a food processer. this herb butter can also be used on french bread toasted,steaks,hamburgers or steamed veggies 8.__________________________________________________________ BARBECUE MEATLOAF Posted by: Daisyduckworth on Mon,Aug 25,03at 0:42 Culpeper's meatloaf got rave reviews: BARBECUE MEATLOAF 500g minced beef, 500g sausage mince, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 2 onions, diced, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1/2 cup water, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped, 1 egg, beaten, 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional), 1/2 cup milk, Combine all meatloaf ingredients and mix until well combined. Shape into a loaf and put into greased baking pan. Bake 30 minutes at 180C. Sauce: 1 onion, chopped very fine (optional), 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup dry red wine or beef stock, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons vinega,r 1 teaspoon instant coffee, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 30g butter, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, Saute onions until golden and add all other ingredients. Bring slowly to the boil, lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes. After loaf has cooked for 30 minutes, pour the sauce over the meat, return to oven and bake 45 minutes more, basting often. The sauce goes well with ribs or chicken. 9.__________________________________________________________ Salt- and Pepper-crusted Pork Tenderloin Posted by: LoriJean44 on Mon, Aug 25, 03 at 23:18 Salt- and Pepper-crusted Pork Tenderloin 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled (or 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped) 1 large garlic clove, minced, 1 12-ounce (approx.) pork tenderloin, 1 tablespoon olive oil Combine pepper, salt, rosemary and garlic in small bowl. Rub over pork. Let pork stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat oil in heavy medium ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer skillet with pork to oven and roast until pork is cooked through, turning occasionally, approximately 20 minutes. Remove pork to cutting board to stand for a few minutes. Deglaze pan with 1 cup red wine (or broth), allowing wine to reduce slightly. Season to taste. Slice pork and serve with wine gravy.