Mama's Thanksgiving Stuffed Turkey

My Mama was a wonderful cook! Every meal that she prepared was a culinary delight. My Mama also had a wicked sense of humor. In with her collection of cookbooks, there is one called, "You've had worse things in your Mouth" Click here to take a peak :-) This cookbook has a MAJOR disclaimer in the revenge section! One of the recipes is called "Hoy Vey". It is a pate that includes three types of liver, onions, boiled eggs and 1 1/2 bottles of castor oil! HOY VEY!!!

In this picture, she is holding a cookbook called "White Trash Cooking" from  her collection. Mama jokingly swore that the woman on the cover is her Aunt Annie!

I found this recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey in her box of hand written recipes. She got it from an elderly lady at church no less!!!

BAKED STUFFED TURKEY***

1 giant size turkey
1 cup melted butter
1 cup pre-made stuffing mix
1 cup uncooked popcorn
Salt/pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush turkey well with melted butter, salt, and pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn (mixed together). Place in baking pan with the neck end toward the back of the oven.

When the turkey’s ass blows off, it is done!

***Do not try this at home! Southern With A Twist is not responsible for oven damage, kitchen damage or bodily harm if this recipe is attempted!***

Candied Orange Peel

If you received fruit baskets over the holidays and still have some fruit left, this is a great way to use up the citrus.

Orange, lemon, or grapefruit peel can be candied to make a deliciously fresh, zesty treat. This recipe specifies four oranges, but you can substitute two grapefruit or eight small lemons or limes. It is a time consuming project, so make sure that you have an afternoon or so to complete these tasty treats. Or... you could prepare the peels and wrap them in a damp paper towel. Place them in a zip-loc bag, and finish the process the next day. For me, peeling and removing the pith of the oranges was the most time consuming part.

4 oranges
4.25 cups water
2.5 cups sugar, plus more for coating


Use a knife or a citrus peeler to score the peels of four oranges into quarters. Peel the oranges carefully, trying to keep the peels intact as much as possible. Set the peeled oranges aside and reserve for another use, like Ambrosia (recipe follows).

Using a very sharp knife, cut away the bitter white pith from the underside of the peels. The remaining peel should be approximately 1/8” thick. Do not worry if small amounts of white pith remain, but try to remove as much as possible. This will produce a much tastier treat. Slice the peels into long strips approximately ½” thick. Some of the strips may tare as you are trimming the pith away... don't worry any size strips will do!

Combine 4.25 cups of water and 2.5 cups of sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and heat, uncovered, until the sugar boils for 5 minutes.

Add the strips of peel and turn the heat down to low (this will depend on your stove... I set mine at 3 which is a medium low setting), until the mixture is at a good simmer. Cook, uncovered and simmering, until the syrup reduces to a quarter of its original volume (the syrup will barely cover the tops of the peels). Try not to stir during this process, or the mixture will crystallize and turn to sugar. The reduction will take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. (depending on the simmering process)

Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool. Once cool, drain the peels in a colander. Wipe the peels with your fingers or pull between the tines of a fork to remove any excess syrup. At this point, turn your oven to 200 degrees.

Place about one cup of sugar in a small bowl. Dredge the peels in the sugar until they are coated, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Add more sugar if necessary.

Place the sugar-coated peels in the warm oven and allow them to dry out. This should take approximately one hour, but check them every 20 minutes to ensure that they are not burning or cooking in any way. The peels should look dry, not shiny. If they are shiny, dredge them in a little more sugar and continue to dry them. Alternately, they can be left to sit overnight on a drying rack instead of placed in the oven.

Once peels are completely dry store them in a zip-loc bag or air tight container. They should keep for weeks. Candied peels can be enjoyed plain, dipped in melted chocolate or used in cake, cookie, candy, or bread recipes.


Southern Ambrosia

"Often nestled among a host of traditional Christmas dishes on the Southern sideboard is a big crystal bowl of ambrosia. This "food of the gods" in its purest form is simplicity itself--fresh oranges layered with flakes of coconut.

'People who add grapefruit, pineapple, grapes, and bananas, and Lord knows what else to ambrosia simply don't understand ambrosia,' proclaims Martha Pearl Villas in My Mother's Southern Desserts written by her son, James. Her recipe has just four ingredients: oranges, coconut, sugar, and orange juice." ~ Southern Living Magazine

Reserve all the juice and segments of the oranges you used for the candied peels. Toss them in a bowl with a handful of marshmallows, a sprinkle of coconut and dot with a few cherries. If the salad is to dry for your taste, add a little orange juice to the mixture and toss.

Cranberry Orange Dipping Sauce

Do you have turkey left over from Thanksgiving Dinner or Supper? This sauce is an awesome addition to those turkey and dressing sandwiches or just a plain turkey sandwich! It is also a great for a glaze on a pork loin or turkey.  

3 tsp cornstarch
3 tsp packed brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce*
2 dashes of ground cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg

In a cold heavy saucepan, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar and orange juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened, Remove from the heat; stir in the cranberry sauce and cinnamon until blended. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.
*Use jellied if you prefer a smooth sauce.

Watergate Salad

Remember that 'green stuff' on your Grandmother's Holiday Table?

This is it!

 

1 can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, in juice, undrained

1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup Miniature Marshmallows

1/2 cup  chopped Pecans

1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip

 

Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Stir in Cool Whip. Refrigerate for 1 hour

Stuffed Cranberry Sauce

Here's a new idea for that big can shaped blob of cranberry sauce!

8oz Cream Cheese, softened
2 tbsp Mayo
1/4 c Pecans, chopped
1 (16oz) Cranberry Sauce (jellied), chilled

Slice cranberry sauce 1/4" thick. Mix the other ingredients. Spread on a slice and top with another slice.

Cornbread Dressing

This is very basic. You can add or remove veggies or the eggs. You can also add 1 t poultry seasoning. I don't use it because sage causes a heartburn problem in my family, but you can add it if you like!

2 (8.5 ounce) pkgs Jiffy corn bread mix
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch celery, chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups turkey stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare cornbread according to directions on package. Cool and crumble. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute the onion and celery in 1/4 cup butter.
3. In a large bowl, combine the crumbled corn bread, onion, garlic, celery and eggs. Gently stir. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Add the chicken and turkey broth 1 cup at a time until the cornbread becomes moist but not wet.
5. Place stuffing into a casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour or until stuffing reaches a temperature of 175 degrees.

Green Bean Casserole

What could be more qualified as a holiday recipe than the good ole green bean casserole? My only change is the butter and cracker topping... I never cared for the fried onion topping. Oh! And you have to have cheese! So simple, but delicious!

2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
1/3 cup milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed buttery round crackers
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir soup, milk, salt, pepper, and beans in casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot. Top with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes. Mix crackers and melted butter sprinkle on top of cheese and bake for 5 minutes.

A Christmas Tree In Every Room

Each year, we had at least two Bar-B-Ques, one at Thanksgiving and one at Christmas. The Bar-B-Que at Thanksgiving was on Saturday and was for all the employees and business associates of Mama and Daddy. The one at Christmas was on Christmas Eve and was for family and friends. We had about a hundred people at each. We would spend all week getting the house ready and two days getting all the food ready. Mama would take some of the guys from the shop (Central) and put them to work at the house. One year, Al Miller (a young black guy that worked at Central) told Mama, “You’ve owned slaves before, Haven’t you?” It was always a busy and exciting time.

At one of the Christmas Bar-B-Ques, someone came out of the bathroom and I heard, “Oh my goodness, she even has a Christmas tree in the bathroom!” Mama had a Christmas tree in every room. The kitchen... living room... bathrooms... bedrooms... everywhere... We kids even had our own trees in our rooms. The trees ranged in size from 2 feet to 6 feet. Mama had a tree with seashell ornaments. One had dove ornaments. One had all homemade ornaments. One had all Victorian ornaments. One had all red and white ornaments. One had all Santa ornaments. She had a tree made of holly decorated with ornaments. She even decorated some of the houseplants!

Mama loved it. Holidays were another reason for parties, gifts and food with family and friends! Christmas was especially magical. Mama went all out. I remember one year Mama came home with Christmas sweatshirts. Mine read, ‘I Believe in Santa Claus.' Mama’s read, ‘I Want It All.' Charlie’s read, ‘Bah Humbug!’ Mama’s one requirement for Christmas morning presents was that you believe in Santa. Mama and I even had our picture taken with Santa.

One year when Charlie was about 6 years old, he came in and told Mama that there was no Santa Claus. She questioned him and then called everyone in the room. She said, “Listen up! Charlie has come in with the idea that there is no Santa Claus! That is not true! There is a Santa and anyone who does not believe in him...well, Santa won’t bring them presents. Is that clear? And I mean it! Clear?” Well, later Mama pulled us (except Charlie) aside and said that it didn’t matter who Santa Claus was or where the presents came from. It was the love and giving of the Christ-mas season. But the presents did come and as long as we said we believed we’d get presents. It didn’t matter if we were married or 50 years old, Santa would always come for us. What a concept! And she meant it. Jim and I got married (now my ex-husband) and she told him the same thing. That first Christmas, Santa brought Jim a recliner! The next year Jim told Mama at Christmas time, “I believe!”

Chicken and Dressing Casserole



Me and Granddaddy Bradham

Thinking about the Holidays coming up got me thinking about family and loved ones past. I wanted to include this partial story from my short-stories book... Crazy People...  Philosophy 101 

"Mama included several pages of the 'Philosophy of Perry H Bradham'   in the book she was writing for me. In Mama’s eyes, Granddaddy Bradham, was all-knowing. Very seldom in life does a little girl look to her father as a hero, ‘the greatest man that ever lived’ and keep that image with her throughout her life, untarnished. Mama used to say that she worshipped her father. ‘The sun rose and set on him. My eyes were never big enough to see him.' She could not bare the thought of ever disappointing him. She would get in trouble as a child and Granddaddy would come in to punish her. He would start to talk to her, “Honey, I am very disappointed in you.” Mama said that she would sob, “Daddy please just spank me! Please!”

Granddaddy Bradham was a simple yet complex man. He made homemade wine. He cooked a pretty mean Bar-B-Q Pig! (A recipe which my Daddy combined with his own to come up with the bar-b-que he cooks today.) He used old fashioned know-how and common sense to be a successful businessman, a husband and a father who helped raised five children.

Here are some of the thoughts of Perry H. Bradham, as written by his daughter:

°A little prayer is like a spiritual glass of iced tea on a hell of a day.
°We do not solve other people’s problems; we give them confidence so they can solve their own.
°What a great world this would be if we would forget our troubles as easily as we forget our blessings.
°In a way, to be criticized is to be complimented; it shows that you were doing something too important for the critics to ignore.
°If a hypocrite is between you and God, he is closer to God than you are.
°Be careful how you live; you may be the only Bible some people will ever read.
°To act is easy; to think is hard.
°The people whose company I enjoy most are the ones who know that I don’t always enjoy company.
°Love is like an onion. We taste it with delight; but when it’s gone we wonder whatever made us bite.
°Love is like lightning. It would just as soon strike the outhouse as the church..."
 
With that said... I wanted to share a very simple, but tasty Chicken and Dressing Casserole recipe. When mixing you may think that the mixture is too wet, but it cooks perfectly! This is a dressing casserole that is so moist it doesn't even need gravy... but I love gravy, so I fix some on the side anyway!

1 chicken, boiled, deboned and cubed
1 (9x9 inch) pan cornbread, cooled and crumbled
8 slices day-old bread, torn into small pieces
4 eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

Combine all ingredients and place in a 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until set.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

This is a good time of the year for your pecan recipes. Pecan pies usually accompany the holiday meals. Here's a recipe that combines pecans and cheesecake. I haven't always had good luck with cheesecakes and for a long time used 'no-bake' recipes. I made myself, last year, bake different cheesecakes... and I realized that it's takes a good recipe and a lot of practice! Now, I like to bake cheesecakes. That is the only way you will achieve the texture and richness of a good cheesecake! Yum!!!

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup pecan halves
2 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/4 caramel topping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter and press into the bottom and side of a 9 inch pie plate. Finely chop and toast 1/2 cup pecans and sprinkle in the bottom of the pie crust.

Blend cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add in eggs and blend again until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Combine remaining pecans and caramel topping. Drizzle over each piece before serving.

Pumpkin Roll

For the Cake:

3 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger

For the Icing:

1 cup 10x sugar
6 oz cream cheese
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

The Turkey's in the Bag!

This is a very easy way to make a Thanksgiving turkey using an oven bag. The bird will be perfectly moist when done, and you can make gravy out of the juice that forms in the bottom of the bag. Plus, cleanup is a snap!

12 pound turkey
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 stalks celery, cut in chunks
2 large onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 turkey size oven bag

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse turkey and remove giblets. Pat dry. Rub with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle the oven bag with flour and shake to coat. Place turkey, celery, onions and garlic in the bag. Seal bag and poke several holes in it with a fork. Bake 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until internal temperature of the thigh meat reaches 180 degrees F .