It's Turkey Time 2008

[Shelley]

Wishing everyone a fantastic Thanksgiving. This year I am being taken to a restaurant for dinner and a bakery is making my pies, so I am really looking forward to this one. I am however making my vegan daughter's fav Thanksgiving treat- Sweetie Pie Macaroni. Sweetie Pie is a little black lady from Alabama who has a restaurant which is famous far and wide- this is her signature dish. It is fantastic. Some bread crumbs may also be sprinkled on the top. You can practically hear your arteries harden- but soooo worth it once in a while. Happy Turkey Day!
Serves/Makes: 4 | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 30-60 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 pound elbow macaroni pasta
1/2 cup whole milk
1 can (12 oz. size) evaporated milk
1 1/2 eggs
1 sticks butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 pound Colby cheese, shredded
1/4 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into small chunks
Salt, to taste
1/2 tablespoon white pepper
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup shredded American or mild cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream


Directions:
Heat oven to 350F.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer the pasta to a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the whole milk, evaporated milk and eggs. Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and Colby, Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar, sour cream and Velveeta cheeses to the pasta. Pour the milk and egg mixture over the pasta. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and toss. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the remaining cup of American or cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden brown.

[kssunflower]

Shelley, I've been looking for a new side dish to bring to our family dinner, so I think I'll give this a try. It sounds great - thanks! I happen to have family coming from Alabama. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

[DJ]

Happy Thanksgiving, Borden Afficionadoes!
The Mac & Cheese sounds delish. I just use Sharp Cheddar, and-- should you have problems with your macaroni clumping, or sticking together after boiling-- then add two teaspoons of corn or vegetable oil to the pot of boiling water before you put in the dried macaroni.
Also, both my Grandmothers used to line the sides of the baking dish with plain ol' saltine crackers. Just stick 'em down in the mixture right before it goes in the oven. Also, insert some throughout the dish. One of my Grandmothers told me she first tried mac & cheese this way when she was a teenager, circa 1916, and she lived way out in "the country," so evidently mac & cheese has been popular for at least a century.
Wonder whether Miss Lizbeth liked it, too--

[Shelley]

This just arrived in my email- hilarious. This is done with aluminum foil.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

[Bob Gutowski]

And what are WE making? Reservations!

We'll be having dinner in the city at 6 tomorrow at The Little Owl with a female pal of ours. Jay's sister, who usually has us up to New Haven, is in California meeting her first grandchild. That makes me a grand-uncle by partnership, if you will!

[DJ]

I dug up an old recipe for grated sweet-potato pudding that a now-deceased gentleman used to make for church suppers and special occasions. He would also prepare Steamship Round of Beef and Banana & Blueberry cream pies. Hate to sound like a carnivore, but that Beef was the juiciest, tenderest, most flavorful I've ever had.
Made two dishes of the sweet-potato pudding, for the crowd tomorrow. It's a bit labor-intensive, but I knocked it out in two hours-- three if you count the baking time. Anyway, here 'tis. If you don't have time to make it for tomorrow, try it during the holidays.
The key is that the nutmeg must be fresh-ground. I used one of those devices with the little turn-crank on top. I know some people use coffee grinders.

Two quarts (eight cups) grated raw sweet potatoes (about five large ones)
Two sticks margarine
Two and one-half cups sugar
Two cups milk
Four eggs
Three whole nutmegs, freshly grated
Two tablespoons Old No. 7 (Jack Daniels whiskey)

Peel and grate potatoes (I did by hand, but a food processor would make life easier), as you would carrots for a carrot cake.
In a double boiler, melt margarine. Stir in sugar and nutmeg. In a bowl, beat eggs, then beat in milk. Add that mixture to the double boiler. Stir until sugar is dissolved-- about five minutes.
Combine that with grated potatoes, then stir in the Jack Daniels. Pour into greased or sprayed nine-by-thirteen-inch casserole, or two eight-by-eight's (which I did). Bake at 350 degrees F, about 55 minutes.
The nutmeg will make your kitchen smell wonderful! Serve warm. I had a taste out of one of the dishes. This is truly sublime! Thank you,
Mr. Broadus Johnson, who put this recipe in a church cookbook, more than 20 years ago.

[Kat]

And what are WE making? Reservations!

We'll be having dinner in the city at 6 tomorrow at The Little Owl with a female pal of ours. Jay's sister, who usually has us up to New Haven, is in California meeting her first grandchild. That makes me a grand-uncle by partnership, if you will!

I just saw my first glimpse of "The Little Owl" on TV this weekend. It was on Top Chef or the Food Network, don't remember which!

[Angel]

Lemon Turkey

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I thought I'd share it with you in case you wanted to try something different this year. Bon appetto!

Ingredients:
1 whole Turkey (weight is dependant on how many servings are required)
1 large lemon, cut into halves
sprig of rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer
Heat oven to 350 degrees
Rub butter or oil over the skin of the Turkey until it is completely coated.

Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat .
Slide lemon halves under the skin with the peel side up. This way the juice from the lemon will coat the breast.
Season skin of the Turkey to your preference, and place sprig of rosemary into it.
Cover and place in oven for 30-45 minutes.

Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear, basting every 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the bird.

If you've followed these steps correctly, your Turkey should look like the one in the photo below.