roasted turkey/chicken

this is the picture from the recipe


this is how mine turned out...not as pretty, but still delicious!

I found this recipe online and decided to make it for a pre-Christmas dinner for Ryan and I tonight, and it turned out amazing! It's really flavorful and moist!

Preheat oven to 350°

Marinade:

1 1/2 cups Dijon mustard
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (don't throw away lemon rinds)
--Combine ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

Turkey:

1 (15-pound) free-range turkey (I used a 5 lb. chicken for Ryan and I)
2 bunches fresh poultry herbs (I used dried Rosemary and Marjoram)
---Clean out cavity of the turkey and rinse well, inside and out. Pat dry and place turkey in a large roasting pan. (I used a 9X13 pan and just lined it with foil)

Tie turkey legs together and cover tips with foil (so they don't burn). Stuff cavity of turkey with lemon rinds and one bunch of poultry herbs, or spinkle them. Pour the marinade over the turkey.
Place the second bunch of herbs in the roasting pan. Place turkey breast-side up in roasting pan. Insert thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Cover with foil and roast for 2 hours.

Baste turkey and cover with foil. Roast turkey another 30 minutes and repeat basting process. Continue basting every 15 minutes until the thermometer reaches 180–185°, approximately 3 to 4 hours.

Remove turkey from oven and place on cutting board. Cover turkey well with foil to keep warm. Let it rest 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Russian Teacakes

This is a recipe from Mom that I have always loved. Another Holiday cookie that I must make every year. (These three cookies are what I have given to my neighbors the last 2 years.) I have to be sure to give most of them away, or suddenly I will find that I have eaten half the batch. They are just the right size to just pop into your mouth!

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. (I also found this year that is faster and works just as well to dump them all in a ziplock bag with some powdered sugar and give them a little shake, then just dump them on a plate and voila! pretty little cookies.)

Gingersnaps

I have not always been a fan of Gingersnaps, because I do not particularly like a cookie that "snaps". I prefer my cookies soft and chewy. I came across this recipe and now have to bake these every year because they are soft, chewy, and very tasty.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 c. flour
1 T ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. white sugar for decoration

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses until well blended. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir into the molasses mixture to form a dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll the balls in the remaining sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Egg Nog Cookies

A delicious cookie, especially if you love Egg Nog. Perfect for the Holiday Season!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. egg nog
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in smaller bowl and set aside.
Cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg nog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and mix until combined, be careful not to overmix.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets 1 inch apart. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown. Transfer to cool immediately. Sprinke with mixture of powdered sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Cheese Ball

This cheese ball is just delish! We would make them every year with my mom to give out to neighbors at christmas time and now I do the same. It's really easy and extra yummy! The recipe is just a estimate because I usually just eyeball it :)

2 Packages Cream Cheese

1 C Sharp cheddar cheese - grated

1/2 Can chopped black olives

2-3 Green onions - chopped

Mix ingrediants together and form into a ball. Then roll in chopped pecans and enjoy with crackers.

Glazed Ham

This is the only way to cook ham, according to me. The ham turns out really moist and tender - it falls right apart! And the flavor is awesome - it goes great with the potatoes below.

Ingredients:
1 (8 lb) bone-in shank ham (not the spiral cut kind, although we have used that when it was the only kind we could find)
4 cups of water, or as needed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place ham in roasting pan, preferrably on top of a rack so the ham is not sitting directly on the bottom of the pan. Pour in water to a 2 inch depth. Cover with a tight fitting lid, or aluminum foil if you don't have a lid.
2. Bake 6-8 hours. Remove from the oven. Pour off drippings and reserve 1 cup. Debone ham, removing any excess fat as well, and return to the roasting pan.
3. Skim fat from the top of the drippings and discard. In a small bowl, mix one cup of the drippings with the other ingredients. Pour over ham, cover and return to oven.
4. Bake for another 30-40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

I made this recipe for the first time on Sunday when my oven was over-booked. We were cooking ham all day, which left room for little else. This poses a problem everytime because we like to have cheesy potatoes, and also rolls when we make ham. This recipe was a great solution, and I can't believe I had never considered making the potatoes in the CROCKPOT before! They were delicious, and I think we will do this from now on!

Ingredients:
7 medium potatoes (about 2 lbs.)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken soup
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
1 small onion, chopped or 1 tablespoon minced onion
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, divided
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 to 2 cups Stove-top stuffing mix (uncooked)

Directions:
Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch strips; set aside.
Combine soup, sour cream, onion, 1/4 cup butter and salt in bowl.
Lightly butter inside of 5 quart Crockpot Slow Cooker and place potatoes inside. Mix cheese with potatoes. Pour soup mixture into Crockpot; mix well. Cover top of potato mixture with stuffing mix and drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Cover; cook on Low 8 to 10 hours until potatoes are tender or on High 5 to 6 hours.

Tip:
Cook potatoes in boiling water about 30 minutes or until tender and then cut into strips. Mixture should be on Low 6 to 8 hours or on High about 2 hours, until potatoes are tender.

Variation:
Substitute 2 packages (16 ounces each) frozen hashbrowns for potatoes and prepare as directed. Cook on Low 4 to 6 hours or on High 2 hours.