Okay...here are all of the remaining recipes from turkey day, as seen in A Thanksgiving Feast...in pictures...minus the desserts...those are for another day. Mama made the Turkey and the Dressing, other little sis made the Green Bean Casserole, I made the Gravy and Applesauce. Grandma made the Broccoli Salad...from a recipe I passed on to her (in a strange twist of fate). I also wanted to add that I was all set to make homemade dinner rolls...2 kinds even! But alas, I hemmed and hawed and procrastinated as usual...and ended up buying the rolls. But I do want to say thank you to 2 amazing ladies to whom I have looked up to for their bread making skills for some time...and they're both super nice and helped me with my questions and gave me tips...which will ultimately be used, I promise. Those two ladies and the links to the rolls that almost were are the equally gorgeous and talented Monica of Lick the Bowl Good and Frieda of Lovin' from the Oven. You ladies inspire me on a daily basis.
Broccoli Salad
not sure of the origin of the recipe...I first got it from a gal I worked with 12 or so years ago (thanks Courtney). Sometimes I switch it up...my own little tweaks on what I know is a fairly common recipe. And a really good recipe. People cry if this isn't at a holiday table.
1 large head broccoli They usually comes in bunches these days...I just use a couple or more...
3/4 c. raisins the multi-colored ones are visually pleasing...also try dried cranberries or cherries
1 lb. bacon dice it and cook it or cook it and crumble, however you prefer
1/2 c. small dice onion again, use the colors for variety
1/2- 3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 Tbs. vinegar
Cut the broccoli into small florets (reserve stalks for another use). Toss with raisins, bacon and onions. Whisk together mayo, sugar and vinegar. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let flavors meld. Toss the broccoli blend with the dressing. Notes: This is also good with a handful or so of sunflower seeds or even cashews. If I'm not serving right away, I'll usually keep the bacon reserved and toss it in last minute.
Sage,Sausage and Apple Dressing adapted from Food Network Kitchens
16 oz.Bread cubes (we tore 16 oz.country white and whole grain white -prefer sourdough/cornbread-used other previous years)
6 Tbs.unsalted butter
1 lb.fresh sage sausage, casing removed
1 med.onion, chopped
2 cooking apples, peeled/cored/chopped
2 Ribs celery w/ leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 c. chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium)
1/4 c.chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 c.walnut pieces-toasted
2 eggs,beaten
Preheat oven 350. Put bread cubes in bowl-set aside(tore/left out to dry,3 days previous) Butter a 3-quart casserole. Melt 2 T.Butter in large skillet. Add sausage & break-up-cook about 5-minutes. Add sausage & pan drippings to bread cubes; toss 'til evenly moistened. Melt remaining butter in pan. Add onion, apple, celery, and salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to boil. Pour the vegetable mixture over the stuffing cubes and toss 'til evenly moistened. Mix in the walnuts and eggs. Loosely pack the dressing in the prepared pan and cook uncovered until the top forms a crust. Drizzle pan drippings & melted butter over the top and cook until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 more minutes.
Roast Turkey Breast
Split turkey breast & brown in olive oil.
Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence.
Remove from pan and brown flour (2 Tbsp+/-), Dry Red wine (whatever is on hand) to create a gravy and pour over breasts in small roaster. Cover with foil and roast for ~2 hours. This is wonderful and an easy way to extend the turkey rations. I believe I will always have an additional 5 lbs. of turkey breast along with the turkey.
Apple Cider Brined Turkey
from 2007 Cooking Light
Brine:
8 C.Apple Cider
2/3 C Kosher
Salt
2/3 C. Sugar
1 T.Black Peppercorns-crushed
1 T. allspice,crushed
8(1/8 inch thick) sliced slices fresh peeled ginger
6 whole cloves
2 Bay Leaves
1 fresh Turkey
2 oranges - quartered
6 C. ice
Combine 1st 8 ingredients in a large saucepan;bring to a boil. Cook 5 min or til sugar & salt dissolve.Cool Completely. Remove Giblets and neck from turkey - reserve for gravy. Rinse Turkey and pat dry. Trim excess fat.Stuff Body cavities with oranges. Place all in brining bag 12-24 hours in refrigerator - turn occasionally. Preheat oven-500. Remaining ingredients: 4 Garlic cloves 4 Sage leaves 4 Thyme sprigs 4 Parsley sprigs 1 onion-quartered 14 oz. chicken broth 2 T butter 1 tsp fresh ground pepper 1/2 tsp salt Remove turkey from bag - rinse with cold water and pat dry. Truss. Place first 6 ingredients into the roasting pan-Brush turkey with butter( did olive oil combo)/Sprinkle with salt pepper-place breast-side down in roasting pan for 30 min. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degree F. Carefully turn turkey breast side up in roasting pan and roast approx. 1 1/2 hours or 'til 170 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand for 20 minutes before carving. Reserve pan drippings for gravy.
Turkey Gravy
no real recipe...it varies a bit year to year
-butter
-flour
-pan drippings from roast turkey, de-greased
-Turkey stock (which we make and reserve the week leading up to turkey day), heated up
-salt, pepper, fresh herbs to match your meal
Usually using the roasting pan from the turkey, we add butter and let it melt while scraping the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add an equal amount of flour to make a roux. Continue to cook until it is golden. Slowly pour in reserved pan drippings and add hot stock as needed until correct consistency. Season to taste with salt, pepper &/or fresh herbs.
Spiced, Roasted Applesauce by girlichef This is a family favorite!! It goes super fast and is actually one of the first things I ever blogged! So, follow this link to my original post if you want this recipe...but please don't laugh...I was just starting out...I knew not what I was doing yet. The photos...the formatting...ugh. 
Green Bean Casseroleby Paula Deen
yield: 6 svgs., so yeah...double or quadruple it!
1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups sliced green beans
3 cups chicken broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onion rings
Pinch House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup grated Cheddar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, onion rings, and House Seasoning, to taste, to the onion mixture. Stir well. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.
House Seasoning: 1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Very full and happy belly :)
Remove the pan from the water, cover and let stand about 15 minutes or until the curds begin to firm. At this point, my mixture was very creamy...nappé (able to nicely coat the back of a spoon...it'll leave a space in the liquid if you run your finger across the spoon) if you will, but not thick enough to sit in a strainer. It went right through. So, I followed Natashya's suggestion and went ahead and just covered it and transferred it to the fridge to sit for 24 hours.
This added step really firmed the mixture up nicely....see the big mass? Pour or ladle the curds into a butter muslin-lined strainer set over a large bowl. Cover the strainer and refrigerate for another 24 hours to continue draining and firm up even more. 
The next day I did have some whey left in the bowl! So, I transferred the thickened Mascarpone to an airtight container. you can now refrigerate for up to 3 days. Stir well before using. 
We made Mascarpone!!! It took a couple days...but it was all unattended...another simple cheese on our journey to forge fromage!
Now that you've seen just how simple it was...go check out 
Butternut Squash with Pecans, Bleu Cheese and Cranberries
adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson's 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss squash with olive oil and thyme leaves and place in roasting dish. Cook for ~25 minutes. Add cranberries and cook another 15 minutes, until squash is tender.
Dump the whole dish of squash & cranberries on to a serving dish and sprinkle with the pecans and bleu cheese. Toss a bit. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
This was a delicious hearty dish with the earthiness of the squash, the tart pop of the cranberries and the nuttiness with the pungent finish of the bleu cheese. Very assertive. Me likey. Oh yeah, and it's also my submission for 
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(everything but the) Kitchen Sink Soup
Add the cooked pasta and reserved cooking water and return to a boil for another minute or so. 
Ladle into bowls 
and garnish as you wish.+Kitchen+Sink+Soup+1.jpg)
