And so it Begins

[mixfinder]

5 days before cooking, place the turkey in an ice chest with a brine of salt, sugar and Liquid Smoke dissolve in water. If you have an injected turkey cut back on salt. The turkey will thaw safely and be ready for cooking without the hassle of a dripping carcass in the fridge. We all know the greatest lie ever purpetrated on the American population is that a turkey will thaw in a refrigerator.

 

[mixfinder]

Cranberry Chutney

In an oblong baking dish combine
2 bags cranberries
1 cup Orange Marmalade
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup brandy
Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes.

The picture shows a double recipe

 

[mixfinder]

Just 90 stress free moments later

I give the contents a stir once during baking but its really not required.

 

[mixfinder]

Pie Crust

Roll your eyes and groan, here it comes again
Half as much shortening as flour
half as much water as shortening
salt to taste
1 cup flour
1/2 cup crisco
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Picture shows the recipe X 4

 

[mixfinder]

Stop for Goodness Sake

Place the flour shortening and salt in the mixer bowl. Crumble together on low speed, about 20 seconds. Stop the mixer and dump the water in all once once. Now turn the mixer on low and blend for about 5 seconds. You're done. A food pundit would call in a "shaggy dough"

 

[mixfinder]

Hand Job

Toss the dough together with your hands and form into a round smooth disc. Roll the dough in an AMPLE amount of flour. The recipe has added shortening and water to compensate. The flour makes rolling the dough less of a pain.

This year I was given three huge pumpkins and given the $3.98 cost for a can of Libby's pumpkin I took the time to process my own.

Cut the pumpkin in half and pull out the seeds and strings. Place the pumpkin cut side down on a baking sheet and cook for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let the pumpkin cool until its easy to handle. Remove the peel and puree the innards in batches with a food processor. Place the processed pumpkin in a roaster and cook uncovered in a 200 degree oven for 24 hours to remove excess moisture and darken the color.

 

[mixfinder]

Pecan Pie

The usual ingredients although I prefer white Karo and Brown sugar.

 

[mixfinder]

Crispy Nuts

Most pecan pies are a gelatinous mass of sweet goo and limp, rubbery nuts. The key to pump the flavor is white Karo, less cloying and browning the butter first before crisping the pecans in the browned butter. its kicks up the flavor profile and the nuts are crunchy and flavorful in the finished pie.

 

[mixfinder]

Pecan Pie

1 cup white Karo
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
Blend well and add the butter/nut mixture.
Mix to combine and then pour the filling into a crust lined pan and bake at 375 for 50 minutes

 

[mixfinder]

Wonder Bread

Builds strong bodies 12 ways

 

[mixfinder]

Recipe in Increments

In the mixer bowl combine
1 cup 110 water
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons yeast
Let rest until mixture is foamy

In a microwavable dish combine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon salt
cook on high for 1 minute

 

[mixfinder]

Buttermilk is the Star

to the melted butter mixture add
2 cups buttermilk and microwave again for 1 minute. Remove from oven and stir in
4 eggs
mix well to be sure the sugar is dissolved.

I heat the butter and butter milk separately because heating the buttermilk long enough to melt the butter makes it curdle. Warm dough is our goal so adding the eggs to the warm mixture brings them out of the cold. The yeast cells go wild for buttermilk.

 

[mixfinder]

Flour Power

I use all purpose unbleached flour for white bread.

To the frothy yeast mixture add:
6 1/2 cups flour
Pour the warm buttermilk mixture over the flour and combine on low speed with a dough hook for 1 minute. The dough will be rough but forget it for 10 minutes.

 

[mixfinder]

A nice Rest

After the dough has rested for ten minutes, knead the dough for 90 seconds and stop the mixer. I leave the dough in the bowl with the dough hook attached and when it's time to punch it down just turn the mixer on for a few seconds.

 

[mixfinder]

The big Head

Let the dough rise once and then punch it down. After it has risen a second time it's ready to shape. I use a wetter dough then most so the bread is extremely light so if you use this recipe don't worry about the dough forming a ball or cleaning the bowl.

 

[mixfinder]

The Fruits of Labor

No, I am not talking about us and our mothers.

The delight in looking back at a day of fun in the kitchen. The toll
5 pumkin pies
4 pecan pies
2 apple pies
3 dozen garlic rolls
6 dozen white rolls
6 dozen oat rolls
cranbery chutney
fresh cranberry relish
sausage stuffing

At the time this picture was taken there are still 4 pans of rolls on the ovens

 

[countryguy]

Wow, just how many people are you having over for dinner?

 

Gary

 

[foraloysius]

Kelly

Great to see the Braun in action! It's a wonderful dough machine!

Question: Overhere we don't have Karo, what could be used for substitution?

No doubt your guests will get a wonderful dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[vacbear58]

Thanksgiving Baking

Hey Kelly

Thats a great spread you have laid out there. Your cranberry chutney looks really good, can you tell me please what was the weight of the bags of cranberries - I would like to try this with my Christmas turkey.

I was fortunate to be gifted a Braun mixer similar (maybe a bit older) to yours - I thought it was very noisy though, at least as loud as my Kenwood Chef. Quite a change from a Mixmaster humming away on the counter

Al

 

[mixfinder]

Can You Believe........

Gary, no one is coming for dinner. Waking up on Thanksgiving to an empty house is one of the most profoundly sad moments I've ever experienced. I was baking for my parents to take to the family do, a few things for my contribution to my daughter in law's family potluck (5 people just don't constitute a holiday but sigh, that's where I'll be because my son means the world to me) and pies and rolls for friends. We are the original "God's Waiting Room" at church so a lot of single pies and rolls will get dropped off today to people who no longer bake but still love the celebration. I have loaded up my red sled (Lincoln) and about to head out for deliveries.

Louis, Golden Treacle should work just fine as a substitute. I love the Braun and it makes the best bread, it is effortless, never splatters and is a breeze to clean up. Besides, everytime I use I am reminded how much I like Pete who sent it to me.

 

[mixfinder]

Weight of Cranberries

Weight of cranberries is a bit like weighing the wind. Here they are sold in 12 ounce bags and I look for Marmelade in 8 ounce jars. I tried adding fresh ginger to the mix one year but its too over the top and sometimes too much brilliance is not a good thing.

 

[norgeway]

Oh Kelly!

It all looks so wonderful....but I still cant make pie crust!!LOL...Biscuits yes, piecrust NO...

 

[mattl]

Kelly- Great Job!

 

Everything looks fantastic. 

 

i was wondering about your pie crust recipe, you use a bit more shortening than most recipes I've seen.  I made a pumpkin and apple pie for Thanksgiving using your technique and they turned out perfect, though I did reduce the amount of lard I used just a bit.  With the two pies I made last week using a full 1/2 cup of lard the dough seemed a bit different - not sure how to describe it.  Anyway I used a small mountain of flour on the board and they rolled out perfectly.  Thanks again for all your baking tips..

 

Hope you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

 

[foraloysius]

Thank you Kelly, I think some Dutch products come close to Golden Treacle.

 

[oldskool]

Just Wonderful!

That island covered with baked goods is simply wonderful. I'm sure your house smells great with all of the baking that's been in progress. It says, home! It says love! What an absolutely stupendous gift and passion you have for fine food. Thanks for sharing some of your thanksgiving tradition with us. So meaningful and from the heart.

Much appreciation
John

PS - I'm looking for a Braun.

 

[petek]

Looking at your pie made me want pie this afternoon so I figured why not and made one myself. I had 3 1/2 sticks of butter languishing in the fridge I need to use up so that was also a bit of an incentive. Then I cheated and bought a can of apple pie filling and used the food processor because I've never tried it for crust and it worked quite well. Other than it being canned pie filling it's good

 

[gredmondson]

Kelly,
I so enjoy reading your posts, and I love the great photos, too.
George

 

[philr]

Pecan Pie is my favorite but I never even tried to make one myself!

Maybe I should try! Thanks for sharing your recipes!

Kelly, I really like your range BTW!

 

[mixfinder]

The Family Party

My consolation prize for not hosting Thanksgiving is having my grand daughter's first birthday party. Relatives, friends and Josie's play friend families are coming (35 to 40) Roast Turkey, Pork Loin, Macaroni and Cheese, Build your own fajitas using prok and turkey, salads, Angel Food Cake, Red Velvet cake and Coconut Cake plus homemade ice cream. My son and I have been having a great time. I don't want to look haggard today because my stamina is fading so having time with Kyler is wonderful. A gentle giant is the only way to describe him, unless he's mad. Then the giant part is more noticable.

 

[kevin313]

Kelly - I read your posts with such utter amazement. How lucky your guests are to be welcomed into your home with so much love and care given to each and every morsel of food. What I wouldn't give to be on the guest list someday!

From an early age I learned from my mother that preparing food for others was much more than slopping something on a plate and dishing it out. Cooking for others - whether close loved ones or total strangers - was a way of reflecting one's love and respect for humanity, and a means to express the affection in one's heart for those gathered around your table. In reading your wonderful posts and seeing you in action, I know that your cooking and baking comes directly from your heart, and I think it is the most beautiful gift that you share with those around you.

How blessed to celebrate your grandaughter's first birthday with such a feast! So even if the Thanksgiving crowd was small, I'm glad you had a houseful to enjoy the birthday party - lucky guests one and all! I would have loved a piece of that coconut cake!!

Hugs to you!