Welcome to the 1st Newsletter from That's My Home. With Thanksgiving being next week, that sure seems like a good place to start.

Are you cooking your first Thanksgiving dinner for your family? If you are or if you're doing it for the 20th time, here are some tips to make it easier.
1. If you don't have a meat thermometer, buy one. It will eliminate the guesswork of when to take the turkey out of the oven.
2. Make sure you have a sturdy roasting pan big enough for your turkey. Then make sure it will fit in your oven. I bought a new roaster a month ago only to discover that I had to remove all but 1 rack in order for it to go in the oven. I even have a extra large oven, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that it didn't fit, with the lid on. Thanksgiving morning is not the time to learn your pan won't fit.
3. Begin thawing your turkey early enough. The safest way is in the refrigerator. Allow 24 hours for each 5 lbs. of your turkey. Allow about 1 lb. of turkey per person.
4. Shop early. Don't wait until the last minute to buy the store specials that you need, by Wednesday they are usually gone. I was making an appetizer last year that used Won Ton Wrappers and I waited until the day before to buy them. I had to go to 6 stores to find them. This is not what you want to be doing if you are having a house full of people for dinner the next day.
5. Do as much of the cooking ahead of time as you can. Make your Desserts the day before. Try the recipe below for Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes.
6. On Monday or Tuesday, get out your serving pieces. Check the silver and glasses you'll be using. Does the tablecloth need to be pressed? Put the leaves in the table if you need to.
7. Remember that Martha won't be showing up for dinner. If you have a mishap, don't panic! While it seems like a disaster at the time, you'll be laughing about it next year when you look back the day. At least that's the plan...

BARDSTOWN HOLIDAY TURKEY

3 tablespoons bourbon
10- to 12-pound turkey, fresh or thawed
Aromatics, optional (see directions)
2 tablespoons softened butter
Salt and pepper

Glaze:

1/2 cup bourbon
1 cup orange marmalade
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Garnishes: Bundled herbs, orange slices or kumquats, grape clusters

Yield: 10 servings

Heat oven to 325� F. and set rack at lower level; remove other racks.

Unwrap and rinse turkey, being sure bags of giblets and neck are removed from both the neck and body cavities. In other words, check fore and aft, reaching in as far as possible so as not to miss a giblet bag.

Rinse turkey inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons bourbon, salt and pepper inside turkey cavity. Tuck in aromatics as desired, such as citrus slices, a whole peeled onion stuck with cloves, celery or carrot sticks and herb sprigs. These will not be served and may be discarded before carving.

Twist wings behind bird's back and tie drumsticks near "ankles" or return to "hock lock." Place turkey breast-side up on a rack (preferably a V-rack) in shallow roasting pan (some like to line the pan with foil). Spread softened butter evenly over surface of turkey. Roast about 3 hours or until the internal temperature is 175-180 degrees inside turkey thigh, thermometer not touching bone. If using an instant-read thermometer, do not allow it to remain in the oven even a minute. Just insert, read and pull it out before closing oven door again. Juices running clear and a drumstick that can be wiggled are less reliable indicators of doneness. If roasting turkey breasts only, thermometer should reach 165-170 degrees in thickest part of meat. If skin over breast is well-browned, shield with a loose tent of foil for last part of roasting.

Prepare glaze in advance. Combine 1/2 cup bourbon, marmalade and spices in saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes or until glaze is reduced to 1 cup. Brush half the glaze over turkey after roasting an hour or so. Brush with remaining glaze about 20 minutes before turkey is done. Transfer whole bird to a serving platter (the point of glazing the bird), garnish with citrus or grapes and herbs and let rest on buffet 20 minutes for internal juices to set. Return to the kitchen and transfer it to a large cutting board before carving.

Recipe adapted from the "Jim Beam Family Recipe for Holiday Entertaining" booklet.

MAKE-AHEAD MASHED POTATOES
 
This can be made up to a week ahead. If preparing ahead, place in an ovenproof baking dish, allow to cool slightly, cover and refrigerate.

5 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 15 medium)
6 ounces light cream cheese
1 cup light sour cream
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon margarine

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; mash until there are no lumps. Add cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt, pepper and egg whites; blend well. Spray a 9-by-13-inch casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Add potato mixture. Dot with margarine. Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate up to 7 days. Take out of refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350� F. Bake, covered, 40 minutes or until steaming hot in center.

Note: Alternately, potatoes can be reheated in a slow-cooker. Take potatoes out of refrigerator about 3 1/2 hours before you plan to serve them. Place in slow-cooker. Dot with margarine or butter. Cook on low heat for 3 hours, stirring once or twice. They can be held an additional 30 minutes or more.

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COMFORT FOODS SUBMITTED BY READERS...Thank you for submitting these!

GOLDEN CARROTS SUPREME

1/4 cup butter or margarine)
3/4 cup of chicken broth (bouillon cube maybe used)
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. sugar
5 cups carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1/4" slices
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Add butter to boiling chicken broth.  Stir in salt, pepper, sugar and carrots.
Simmer, covered until carrots are tender-crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice and parsley. 
 
Submitted by--- Harvey Forman


This one's easy and makes use of the apples coming in this season --
obviously, it's as good as your bread and kind of apple you chose to use. Try
it with honey whole wheat, or an oatmeal bread -- even a cinnamon raisin
bread.

1 cup milk
4 slices stale bread
3 eggs, separated
3 TBS softened butter
3 TBS honey
1/8 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon peel
2 apples, thinly sliced (Golden Delicious, Winesaps -- your favorite bakers)

Moisten bread in milk until softened. Drain off excessive liquid and set
aside for other use....or even to be made into hot chocolate. (The bread will
be crumbly now -- don't use bread that will 'wad up' -- use good bread). Beat
3 egg yolks with butter, honey, lemon peel, vanilla and a dash of salt. Beat
the 3 egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Mix the apples, bread and
yolk together gently then fold the mixture into the whites. Spoon the mixture
into a buttered casserole that will comfortably hold the mixture. Bake at 350
by setting the filled casserole in a pan of hot water. It will puff up a
little then start to brown in about 30 minutes. Let it sit outside the oven
long enough to toss together a salad before serving.

Don't know why, just makes me feel virtuous I guess by using bits of stale
bread and smells nice and comfy on a cold night. We like it with a salad and
serve hot chocolate for dessert.

This recipe was submitted by the Geroulds...

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MESS  (for the crockpot)

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 pint sour cream
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1 small bag chocolate chips
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup water

Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients. Pour into crockpot.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Serve in a bowl with ice cream.

Recipe Submitted by Terry Mills.....Terry I know you didn't submit this recipe in this category, but anything chocolate is comfort for me...thanks for sharing.


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RECIPES OF THE WEEK FROM HOME COOKING

HOLIDAY CREAMY CARAMELS
Posted by Chyrel

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
Dash of salt
2 cups cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Mix butter, sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1 cup cream; bring to boiling point. Add remaining cream slowly; cook to hard-ball stage. Add vanilla and nuts; pour into buttered pan. Cool; turn out onto flat surface. Cut and wrap.
DO NOT substitute margarine for butter.

BANANA CAKE with QUICK CARAMEL FROSTING

This delightful combination of flavors - the banana, the sweetness of the caramel frosting, and the toasted pecans - is really yummy.

Solid vegetable shortening to grease pan
Flour for dusting the pans
1 (18.25-ounce) package plain yellow cake mix
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 medium-sized very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons cr�me de banane liqueur, optional
Quick Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
Place the cake mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add the mashed bananas, water, oil, eggs and cr�me de banane liqueur (if desired). Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended and the bananas should be well pureed. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
Bake the cakes until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
Prepare Quick Caramel Frosting.

Quick Caramel Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the butter and brown sugars in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until the mixture comes to a boil, about 2 minutes. Add to milk, stir, and bring the mixture back to a boil, then remove the pan from heat. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until the frosting is smooth.
To use: transfer cool cake layer, right side up, to a serving platter. Frost the top of the layer with the warm frosting, working quickly because frosting will firm up as it cools. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake, making sure to work quickly with clean, smooth strokes. While the frosting is still warm, sprinkle the toasted pecans on top of the cake so that they cling to the frosting. Let the cake cool at least 1 hour for easier slicing.
Serves 16.

Source: Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Bryn

 
LEMON BONBONS
Posted by Macklinda

Lemon Bonbons
1 cup butter
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups sifted four
1/2 cups finely, chopped pecans

Mix butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add cornstarch and flour, mixing well. Refrigerate until easy to handle, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls on nuts, that have been spread out on waxed paper. Flatten with bottom of glass. Put cookies nut-side-up on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Frost with Bonbon Frosting.
Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Bonbon Frosting:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp. soft butter
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Blend sugar, butter and lemon juice until smooth. Tint with desired food coloring.

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WEBWATCH

That's My Home is going to be opening a new Artists Cafe. Get your printers ready! All the graphics in the cafe will be cooking and recipe related. I have several Graphic Artists that are designing new Recipe Cards, Gift Tags, Canning Labels, Bag Toppers, Shopping Lists and lots more. It will be open by December 1st.

We're having a "Virtual Christmas Cookie Swap" in Holidays! Send me your favorite cookie recipe to be included. If you haven't been into Holidays for awhile, it has been getting a facelift. It may look the same on the outside, but check out Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope you will enjoy the pages as much as I have had the fun making them.

If you are having a event on your website and you would like a mention here, send me an e-mail to be included in the next issue.

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PREVIEW RECIPE COMING FROM THE NEW VILLAGE CANDY STORE SET

Candy Bar Cookies on a Stick
1 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C.  shortening
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/4 C. flour
40 wooden sticks
40 miniature-size (about 1" square) chocolate-coated, caramel-topped nougat candy bars (with or without peanuts) or 20 fun-size candy bars (about 2x1" rectangles), halved crosswise
Optional small multicolor decorative candies, chopped nuts, and/or colored sugar
Optional melted chocolate or frosting

Beat peanut butter, margarine or butter, and shortening in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda; beat till combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer on medium speed, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
Insert a wooden stick into each candy bar piece.
Form about 2 tablespoons dough into a ball shape around each candy bar piece, making sure the candy is completely covered. If desired, roll ball in decorative candies, nuts, or colored sugar, gently pushing candies or nuts into dough.
Place cookies 2 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325� F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes or till golden and set. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on rack.
If desired, drizzle or frost the cookies with melted chocolate or frosting.
Makes about 40.

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Well that's it for this newsletter. If you didn't subscribe to the newsletter and received it, you can go to http://www.thatsmyhome.com and use the Unsubscribe, you will be removed from this mailing list. Hopefully that doesn't happen. Next month with Christmas right around the corner, the next newsletter will focus on "Gifts From Your Kitchen". If you have recipes you'd like to share. please send it to me at
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/email.htm

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
 

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