Pumpkin Leek Soup

Danielle makes this for us every Halloween and it is D(i)-Vine. She serves it with the Butternut Squash Dish & Pork Tenderloin - WOW! Best meal ever!

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts), sliced 1/4 inch thick and rinsed
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (you can sub pumpkin)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the leeks, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the butternut squash cubes and canned pumpkin puree, then the broth.
4. Simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 25 minutes.
5. Stir in 1 3/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
6. Working in batches, ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Divide among individual bowls and top with the rosemary.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Gourmet Potatoes by B. Walker

6 med potatoes
2C cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4C butter
1.5C sour cream
1/3C chopped green onion
1t salt
1/4t pepper
2T pepper
2T paprika for taste & color (before baking)

1. Cook potatoes w/ peels on, then shred coarsely. set aside.
2. In a saucepan combine cheese & butter until almost melted. Remove from heat & blend in sour cream, onion & seasoning.
3. Fold #2 into potatoes.
4. Place in greased casserole dish.
5. Dot with butter & paprika
6. Bake @ 375 for 1.5 hours

Pumpkin Roll by E. Seaton

This "pumpkin roll" recipe is *very* similar to the one that is seasonally placed on the back label of the "pumpkin pie filling" can - HOWEVER - it is just *different* enough to make a difference and be that much *yummier*!

So great @ any Fall or Christmas event - frankly, *any* time is good for a pumpkin roll. Can you tell it's my *favorite*!?

1 cup sugar
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1tsp baking soda

mix...add 3 eggs and 2/3 c pumpkin.
mix well

filling:
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
8oz cream cheese
2T butter
mix well!

1. line jelly roll pan with "rapid release" foil (this is critical!)
   
2. spread pumpkin mixture
3. bake at 350 for 15 min
4. cool 10 min
5. while cake is warm, spread filling over and begin to roll, peeling foil free.
6. wrap tightly in Saran wrap.
7. freeze at least 3 hours
8. slice frozen!

BEST Cream Corn Ever!

Gulliver's Cream Corn
2 packages of 20oz frozen kernal corn (white)
8 oz whipping cream
8oz milk
1t salt
6t sugar
pinch white or cayenne pepper (we always do white)
2t melted butter
2t flour

combine all ingredients except last two in a pot and bring to a boil. In a separate saucepan create a "rou" w/ the butter and flour (melt butter, stirring in flour slowly, it'll form a paste like substance - do not burn!). Then fold "rou" into first mixture. Bring to a boil again and then simmer until warm for serving. You can do all this up until the simmer and then let it cool, store in the fridge (overnight) and then warm and serve if you want. It's important that it's served hot though (w/o burning) b/c it tastes awful when it's cool or even warm. So make this the last thing you heat up OR put it in a container that will keep it warm.

With holiday meals I usually make everything and then store it in the oven until ready to serve (after prayer).

Potato Casserole by G. Gentzkow

Great brunch dish or as a side dish w/ rotisserie chicken.

Bake at 300 for 1.5 - 2 hours
2lb of frozen hash brown potatoes (the shredded kind)
2-3 C grated cheddar cheese (preference)
1 small chopped green onion
16 oz sour cream (med. size)
5 shakes of Lawry's salt
3 shakes of Onion salt
3 shakes of Garlic powder

[May also add ham for a main dish casserole]
Mix all together (kitchen aid mixer is quicker!]
Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
Cover w/ foil.
Remove foil, last 15 minutes.
Bake until brown on top.

Idea: Add 1/2 the sour cream and substitute fresh-made ranch dressing.

Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Super easy…got it off a show on the food network. My dad said it was the best turkey he’d ever had!

All you’ll need is
Chicken broth
kosher salt
celery salt (this was difficult to find but at local grocery stores)
paprika
2 cubes of butter (melted)
a pan (make sure it’s big enough I waited to figure this out until the morning of…not good)
a basting brush
a thermometer (the last 3 you can get at Ross or Marshalls, much cheaper)
I got a 21 lb turkey for 16 people and we had some leftovers. This turkey barely fit in my mom’s *huge* pan. So depending on how many people you have, you can downsize from this.

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350
Clean turkey – rinse w/ water inside and out. Take out giblets and anything else that is packaged inside the turkey.
Place turkey in pan.
Add ¼ C chicken broth to the bottom of the pan
Smother in melted butter – brush it all over the outside of the chicken
Sprinkle the entire top of turkey w/ salt mixture (3 T salt, 3 T celery salt, ½ T of paprika) – you can “eye” these proportions and make more if needed.
Lightly cover w/ foil (one piece over the top and secured on 2 edges is fine).
Bake @ 350 for 12-15min per pound (For a 21lb turkey, I put it in the oven at 5:30am and it was ready by 11:00/30 and cut by 12noon). They take forever to cook, but it’s super easy b/c you can do the rest of your baking while it’s cooking since you’re already up). Watch it around the last hour to make sure it’s not getting too done and add more butter to it (may want to drizzle to not remove salt that’s already on it).
Remove foil for the last 15 minutes (this gives it the golden color)

KEY! For a moist turkey = let it stand for AT LEAST ½ hour before cutting. If you cut it too early it’ll dry out. It’s okay for turkey to be warm/room temperature but it’s not okay for the sides to be cold. This ½ hour gives you the perfect amount of time to bake your side dishes and warm the rolls.