A Thanksgiving to be Thankful For!!

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Smokey Bacon Biscuit Stuffing

We're back from our family road trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving. Our daughter and hubbie hosted their first BIG holiday dinner and it was a huge success! The food was incredible! We deep-fried the turkey (Southern style) and there wasn't a morsel of that bird left!

The newest recipe to add to my recipe box is straight from Williams-Sonoma. If you haven't already seen it, here it is for you. My daughter served it for the holiday dinner and I highly recommend it!

Smokey Bacon Biscuit Dressing


Twelve 4-inch cream biscuits, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb. sliced smoky bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 yellow onions, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
8 oz. white button mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 cups chicken stock
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Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.
Spread the biscuits out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
In a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Pour off all but 3 Tbs. of the fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, parsley, sage and thyme and cook until the celery is soft, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the bacon to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the biscuits and stock and stir to combine.
Transfer the dressing to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the dressing is lightly browned, about 20 minutes more.

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Italian Turkey Stuffing

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I am sure that everyone is also busy readying for the holidays. Last year we were fortunate enough to serve the needy in our community in our local soup kitchen. Then we simply ate out at an inexpensive buffet restaurant because all of our family members were visiting their other family (of their spouses, etc.). So we just did not fix that great big meal and did not have all the clean up that goes along with it afterwards.



Serving others was a very soul-satisfying experience for us and we hope that you will participate in helping others in their need for food as well. You'll know when it is right for you to do this.

Anyhow, here is a fantastic Italian recipe that I found in Gourmet magazine YEARS AGO! I have adjusted the spices "down" to a level more satisfying to my family. The original recipe was far too spicy to eat.

Turkey Stuffing Italiano

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20 oz. loaf of home-made bread, sliced, toasted, buttered, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.....(you can also buy and bake frozen bread dough for this)

1 Tbsp. crumbled dried thyme

1 tsp. crumbled dried sage

1 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary (or less since it is so strong)

salt & pepper to taste

3 chopped onions

1 1/2 cups chopped celery & leaves

1 stick plus 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

one turkey liver, gizzard, and heart -- all chopped

1 pound pork sausage . . . plus 1 tsp. garlic powder

8 oz. whole milk mozzarella cheese (fresh if possible), cut into 1/4" cubes

2 oz. pepperoni, cut into 1/8" tiny, tiny bits

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In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the thyme, sage, rosemary . . . salt and pepper to taste.

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In a skillet, cook the onions, celery, AND celery leaves in 9 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat until softened and tender (about 8 to 10 minutes) stirring occasionally and then add this to the bowl of bread cubes.

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In the skillet, cook the giblets in 2 Tbsp. of butter over moderate heat, stirring for 4 minutes or until they are browned . . . adding salt & pepper to taste. Add this mixture to the bread cube mixture.

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In the skillet, cook the sausage, breaking it into pieces, over moderate heat until it is cooked through. Add 1 tsp. garlic and some salt. Add this to the bread cube mixture.

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Add the mozzarella, pepperoni to the bread mixture....toss completely and let cool completely.

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CAN BE MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE! Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to stuff the turkey or bake separately (or both). The aroma will simply amaze you when you open your refrigerator!

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I hope that you enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday recipe gift . . . and that you thank God for your many blessings, no matter how large or small !

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Mixed Lettuce Salad with Apples and Blue Cheese; Dijon Vinaigrette

With apples and cranberries in season right now, here is a delicious salad for your holiday menus. It's easy and delicious and very colorful!

Mixed Lettuce Salad with Apples, Blue Cheese and Dijon Vinaigrette

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8 cups lettuce blend of:

spinach, red leaf, Bibb, romaine,

radicchio, Belgian endive, iceburg

1 medium red onion, sliced

2 crisp RED apples

pecan halves

crumbled blue cheese

dried cranberries

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Vinaigrette

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3/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

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In a screw top jar or lidded container,combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Cover and shake well. Chill until serving time.

Arrange the greens on salad plates. Top with onions, apples, pecans, blue cheese and cranberries.

Pass the dressing.

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Cranberry Nut Bread

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It's Cranberry Time!!

Here is one of my family's most treasured holiday recipes: Cranberry Nut Bread. I share it with you and hope you enjoy it as much as we do. P.S. Get those cranberries now out in the market (October, November, and December) while you can because once they are sold out for the year, you won't be able to find them again until next year. And these little breads freeze wonderfully!

Cranberry Nut Bread

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup very warm, not hot, water

1/3 cup non-fat dry milk

2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup fresh whole cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream the buter and sugar in a bowl with a hand-mixer.

Add the eggs and vanilla, beating thoroughly.

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and stir until dissolved.

Stir in the dry milk.

Blend yeast mixture, flour and baking soda into the egg mixture.

Beat at highest speed of mixer for 6 minutes.

Stir in the cranberries and nuts.

Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate batter overnight

Then, stir the batter down and put into SMALL greased loaf pans.

Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Cool and dust with powdered sugar or top with your favorite powdered sugar icing.

WE LOVE THIS BREAD WITHOUT ANYTHING! But the choice is yours.

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ADDICTING, Oh So Good (and SWEET) Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Here is a recipe that I found on the 'All Recipes' web-site. I do not claim this recipe to be my own creation. My husband and I are the pickiest cookie foodies. So when we were researching the best oatmeal (raisin) cookie recipe, I found this. If you log on to All Recipes for this recipe you will see that there are over 600 5-star reader reviews for this cookie recipe . . . honestly, this recipe is that good!

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We bake half a batch with raisins and half a batch without raisins because our family is split on this little tiny ingredient (in fact, I double the raisins for my batch, since I love raisins).

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If you nibble on these when they are warm, you will become addicted to them!

Soft Oatmeal (Raisin) Cookies

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1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon!

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup or your preferred amount of dark raisins

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In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together and then stir these into the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats.

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Cover and chill the cookie dough for at least one hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Roll the cookie dough into walnut-size balls and place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large spoon dipped in sugar.

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Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

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Dauphinois Potato Gratin. Very elegant!

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I've been outside enjoying this last bit of 70+ degree weather. It is so beautiful outside in the fall, don't you think? Plus, turning back the clock an hour has really helped me catch up on some z-z-z's from my sleep deprivation!


I am going to give you a very special, elegant recipe that I found in "The Vegetarian Gourmet", a cookbook printed in the '70's. This is a classic dish filled with wonderfully familiar ingredients such as garlic, cheese and cream. I am not a vegetarian, but the cookbook has many good ways to fix veggies, which we all need more of.


Now in no way is this a healthy side dish! This very French gratin recipe is rather rich and high in fat . . . it is a warm, creamy, cheesey, soul-satisfying dish that is perfect for autumn meals! Anyway every now and then we can enjoy something like this, right? Isn't the saying that "everything in moderation?"

If you prepare the pork roast recipe that I gave you a few days ago, this potato side dish is lovely combined with it. Pairing the two dishes together make a delicious Sunday afternoon dinner after church or for an elegant evening also. For a pretty plate, I'd serve some freshly steamed broccoli or asparagus alongside. The creamy-cheese sauce from the potatoes is very good to soak up into a green vegetable.


Here is this classic potato gratin recipe for you:

Dauphinois Potatoes

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3 Tbsp. butter

1 cup whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 - 6 medium Idaho potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)

1/2 tsp. salt

Freshly ground pepper

Butter a 9" baking dish.

Gently heat the milk and cream in a saucepan, add the butter, salt and pepper.

Rub the inside of the baking dish with the garlic or sprinkle the bottom with garlic powder.

Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers in the baking dish.

Pour the milk/cream sauce over the potatoes.

Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and well-golden browned on top and the milk has become a creamy sauce.

M-m-m-m-m-m, this is just heavenly!

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