Thanksgiving featuring Turkey in a Bag

Marilyn's recipes have gone global.  As a warm-up to the actual Turkey Day, I co-hosted a Friendsgiving the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Neighbors/classmates from America,  Holland, Italy, Lebanon, India, Canada, and Australia attended the festivities.  The Chileans dropped out last minute, so the other America (i.e., South America) was not represented.  It was the first Thanksgiving feast for  the non-Americans/non-Canadians, and I did not want to disappoint.

I made turkey (recipe below), gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and miniature apple pies to-go.  Friends provided the appetizers, drinks, a wide variety of veggies, and the most delicious pumpkin pie.  I used the pie crust and apple filling recipe recipes from the blog.  I was going to cut corners and buy frozen Rhodes rolls, but when I found out the day of that New York does not carry the product, this blog saved me.  My mom sent me her turkey recipe, which I'm posting for posterity:

Turkey in a Bag
1 turkey
1 onion
3 stalks celery
Cinnamon stick (optional)
Rosemary and Sage (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Oil
Oven Bag
Roasting Pan

"Lightly oil the turkey both inside and out. Lightly salt and pepper the inside. (Lightly is key here.) Cut up celery and onion and loosely pack it into the cavity and the neck space until the cavity is half full. Tie up the turkey to close the cavity.  Place the turkey in a Reynold's Oven Bag and then in a roasting pan.  The real secret to moist turkey breast is baking the turkey with the breast down instead of up so all the juices run into the breast and it isn't dry. You don't get the beautiful brown, crispy looking turkey, but I always just put the cut-up turkey meat on the table, so it wasn't important.  Cook the turkey according to the oven bag directions."

Apple pies that fit in the palm of your hand

 

 Turkey stuffing

 

 Stove top with a few secret ingredients (dried cranberries, onions, herbs, almonds, goat cheese)

One half of the table.  Long live American food traditions!

I spent Thanksgiving in Minnesota at Steve and Adrienne's. They served quite the feast. Two pies in particular were a hit: chocolate mousse pie and coconut cream pie.

Bjorkmans Eat

Adrienne sent me these pictures that she had of Bjorkmans eating.  It's pretty fun to see everyone through the years.  There is more than this but I don't want to put too many pictures in a post.  More to come later.   

Bread Pudding

This is submitted by Tom.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
8 cups bread cubes
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
In a bowl beat up five or six eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups milk

Instructions:
Spray a 9 x 13 pan and add cubed bread.  Sprinkle salt, sugar and cinnamon over cubed bread.  Beat eggs, and add milk and vanilla to eggs.  Cover the cubed bread with the egg mixture.  Add butter for a moister recipe.  Use additional eggs, milk vanilla to cover the bread as necessary.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes to an hr.




It seems to me like mom tried to do something a little extra special on Sunday mornings, which doesn’t really make sense as I think about it, seeing as how she already had to get several kids ready.  This something a little extra meant cinnamon rolls, rice pudding or bread pudding.  I personally really liked the bread pudding.  Somehow, it reminds me of the chaos of trying to get eight kids out the door to attend church.  I can almost smell the cinnamon as I picture mom scurrying off frantically to get herself or little ones ready.  Delightful recipe for a delightful memory!

Warm Cake

This was submitted by Tom back at Christmas time when I was supposed to be making a cookbook.

Warm Cake

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup oil
Instructions:
Beat together eggs, sugar and vanilla in a blender until smooth.  Add baking powder, salt, milk, and oil to the blender.  Finally, add flour slowly.  Put into a 9 X 13 pan that has been greased or sprayed. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.  Easy and so delicious!




Memory:
This recipe reminds me of Sunday afternoons at the Bjorkman household.  Inevitably, everyone would get ravenous cravings after dinner for something sweet.  Warm Cake was the opium for the Bjorkmans.  I remember helping to blend it in the beat-up white Bosch, laying it on the sheet cake pan, and waiting for it to turn deliciously golden brown.  Heavenly! And when no one was supposedly watching, I remember taking a knife and cutting strips from the pan and sneaking away.   Also awesome served with homemade vanilla pudding!

Pumpkin Pie

I found the dessert binder so let the sugar games begin!

Pumpkin Pie

1 1/2 cups pumpkin

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

2 eggs

1 1/3 - 1 1/2 cups milk

Mix everything together and pour into pie shells.  Bake at 415 for 10 minutes, then 350 for 45-50 minutes.  

As a side note, my sister had the Pie Lady come to her ward relief society night and teach about pie making.  She said you can cook the pie on the bottom rack at 375 and you don't have to cover the pie with foil so the crust doesn't burn.  I haven't tried it but it sounds great cause I hate putting foil over pies to cook....I'm lazy!  

Pita Bread

I'm posting this one for Andrea and Ben.  You mentioned it in a previous post.  

Pita Bread

Mix:

5 - 5 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons yeast

Heat:

2 cups milk until just barely warm

Add: 

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons oil

2 tsp salt

Stir into flour mixture.  Add enough extra flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Knead.  Cover and let rise 10 minutes.  Form into balls and roll out.  Bake at 475 for 5 minutes on the bottom rack.  

Whole Wheat Waffles

Whole Wheat Waffles

Sift together:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons sugar

Separate 2 eggs.  Beat the whites till stiff.  

Mix together:

egg yolks

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup canola oil

Fold in egg whites and gently stir into batter.  Bake in an oiled waffle iron.