In Between Holidays...and My Favorite Apple Crisp

I know we're all Christmas-minded these days, but I just had to post some pictures from our past couple of weeks.  We've been busy! 

I am proud to say that my husband ran the Philadelphia Half-marathon two weeks ago.  He did a great job!



A few days after the race, we had our family in town for Thanksgiving and some vacation time together.  They were so gracious to drive for two days both directions to spend this precious time with us!  For all of their driving, we could at least share a delicious meal with them:

And the turkey!  It was one of the best roast turkeys I have ever had! 

We actually ate that meal on Wednesday, and then packed up to spend Thanksgiving day in New York City.  We enjoyed exploring the city, watching Macy's parade, walking up 5th Avenue and window shopping, wandering through bustling Rockefeller Plaza, and heading back down Broadway through flashy Times Square.  There's just something exciting about New York during the holidays! 

After watching the parade, we ate a lunch of turkey sandwiches, broccoli salad, sweet potato chips, and chocolate dipped pecan bars in Central Park. 

On Friday, we did a quick tour of Philadelphia, including a trip to legendary Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's for cheese steaks, the Rocky Statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the light display accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ at Macy's, and lunch at Reading Terminal Market. 

Last week was full of paper-writing and late night studying, but I won't bore you with the details of that.  I am just happy to say that all of the papers are in, and we just have exams to go!  Everything will be done by next Friday, and we will be homeward bound. 

I haven't quite moved into the Christmas baking and goodies yet; exam time just doesn't allow enough time for everything.  That means that our break time with family, and the food we eat then will be all the more enjoyable (and we can really splurge!)!  If I only get to make one thing this year, I'm hoping to make my favorite gingerbread cookies before the season is out. 

I made this apple crisp long before Thanksgiving, but I think it's a great low-fuss dessert that carries right through the winter.  My husband calls it "apple deliciousness," but I just call it perfectly comforting. 

Apple Crisp

From The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook

Filling:

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup flour
1/3 cup rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Stir together the filling ingredients in a small baking dish (8 inch square or equivalent).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar and salt until well combined.  Gently stir in the oatmeal and flour until just incorporated.  Crumble the topping  over the apples. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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Thankful Days...(Leftover) Turkey Soup

I hope that this day is full of blessing and thankfulness for you and your family.  One thing that has been on my mind recently is that a spirit of thankfulness kills a spirit of selfishness.  In selfishness, I seek what I can get from others and want the world to revolve around me.  In thankfulness, I realize the blessings that I have been given, and I want to bless others in return.  I pray that attitude of thankfulness will be predominant in my life, and in yours.  I also hope that you are enjoying sweet time with family today, large or small, in person or via Skype, immediate family or a "family" of friends.  I just hope it's sweet. 

Today, we're spending the day watching the Macy's day parade in similar fashion to last year, but are so happy to have family along for the ride this time.  Even though we did it all last year, I still get super excited about the parade and floats, and especially the grand entrance of Santa, bringing with him the official start of the Christmas hustle and bustle. 

After our busy day in the Big Apple, I don't think we'll be jumping up at the wee hours tomorrow to participate in that hustle and bustle with much of America.  But, like many, we will have a refrigerator full of leftover turkey to contend with.  If you find yourself in the same boat, and can't imagine eating that many turkey sandwiches, do I have a soup for you!  This recipe, from my grandmother, is a perfect foil for whatever ails on the day after Thanksgiving: too much rich food, too much of a blustery day, too much chaotic shopping, too much turkey in your refrigerator.  It's nice to sit down with a bowl of this soup, and remember to be thankful. 

Turkey Soup

Bones from 1 whole cooked turkey
3 quarts of water
Leftover turkey, pulled (as much or as little as you have left)
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 lemon, sliced and seeds removed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 cup of Basmati rice

In a large pot, simmer the turkey bones with 2 quarts of water for about 30 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the bones from the pot.  Pull any remaining meat off of the bones and return the meat to the pot; discard the bones. 

Add the remaining pulled turkey, plus the next ten ingredients (through parsley flakes).  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the rice and simmer for 15 minutes more, or until the rice is done. 

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Patiently Waiting...for Frozen Cranberry Grand Marnier Mini Tortes

The closer we get to this Thanksgiving, the more excited I get!  Although I made a full Thanksgiving meal last year for the two of us, and I've made Thanksgiving-like meals when hosting supper clubs and dinners, this is my first time to host a family Thanksgiving dinner. 

My husband is excited, too, and he keeps asking me what our menu will be.  His responses of jubilation when I run down the list, or when he comes into the kitchen to see and smell a freshly baked loaf of bread or muffins (which are shortly wrapped up and moved to the freezer), is praise enough, and that's before he's even feasted!  Poor thing, he's tasted all of these things at previous Thanksgiving meals and knows how good they are, but I am pretty strict on no pre-holiday sampling.  He'll just have to wait.

While the Cajun Cornbread Dressing is definitely the star of the meal, my husband's other favorite part of the meal is our very non-traditional dessert.  We find other occasions for pecan bars or sweet potato pies, but I don't think they elicit quite as much excitement from him as these frozen mini-tortes. 

Frozen Cranberry Grand Marnier Mini Tortes

Adapted from Bon Appetit

4.5 oz chocolate wafer cookies or 9 chocolate graham crackers
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of allspice
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 cup port wine
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, divided

In a food processor, process the cookies, chocolate chips and sugar until finely ground.  Add the melted butter and pulse 6-7 times.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the cookie mixture.  Divide the remaining mixture between 12 standard muffin cups. 

Whisk the eggs, sugar and water in a medium metal bowl. Cook over simmering water, whisking constantly until the mixture reaches 175 degrees. Remove from the heat. Add the spices, and beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes.


In a large bowl, whisk the whipping cream, yogurt, Grand Marnier, orange juice and grated orange peel with an electric mixer until peaks form. Fold in the egg mixture. Spoon the mixture half-way up the sides of the muffin cups.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the remaining chocolate crumb mixture into each cup, and top with the remaining whipping cream mixture.  Cover and freeze overnight.  (You may have some left over; it can either be enjoyed frozen or chilled).
Whisk the wine and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Add the sugar, honey and spices.  Set over medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Add 1 1/2 cups cranberries; return to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup cranberries.  Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, run a butter knife around the mini tortes to release (some crumbs will remain in the pan).  Serve each torte topped with 4-6 tablespoons of the cranberry wine mixture. 

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Where's the turkey, Chuck?...Holiday Broccoli Salad

"What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this? Where's the turkey, Chuck? Don't you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Where's the mashed potatoes? Where's the cranberry sauce? Where's the pumpkin pie?"

We have a lot on our dinner plates right now, and we're not talking Turkey and dressing.  Within two weeks we have all of this: A weekend in Virginia, a half marathon, writing two papers, reading three books, class, homework, dinner with friends at our apartment, crafting Christmas presents, cleaning the house.  But wait, "where's the turkey, Chuck?" 
I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is next week!  I am so excited to have family coming in town to visit.  In addition to all we've been up to recently, I've been excitedly baking, cooking, mixing, blending, and dicing, all in preparation for their stay.  Needless to say, we are both really looking forward to putting aside the books and schoolwork in favor of fellowship and family.  And we're both looking to full plates of yummy Thanksgiving food! 

I have a couple more recipes that I would love to share with you for Thanksgiving day, including this delicious Broccoli Salad.  Whether you're looking for something to bring along with you, or if you're looking for something green and festive to add to your Thanksgiving table, this salad is for you. 

Holiday Broccoli Salad

5 cups fresh raw broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
7 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
pinch of salt

Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. 

This salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance. 

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The Thanksgiving Star...Cajun Cornbread Dressing

A recent conversation...

• Classmate: So, do you make some awesome dish for Thanksgiving?
• Me: Well, my absolute favorite part of the meal is the dressing. My family has this special dressing with sausage. In fact, I brought back a special sausage from the south, because the sausage we've tried up here doesn't compare.
• Him: So, is this some kind of gravy?
• Me: No, it's dressing. You know, dressing. As in, Turkey and.
• Him: Like a salad dressing?
• Me: (Realizing now that the kind of dressing that I'm talking about is a foreign entity to him) Hmmm. How do I explain? I guess it's like stuffing. But it's not stuffing. We don't put it inside the bird.
• Him: So it's stuffing, but you call it dressing?
• Me: Yes, but it's not stuffing. It's different. We don't put it inside the bird. And it's made with cornbread. In a casserole dish...

I still don't think this poor soul quite has a firm understanding of what dressing is. And he cannot possibly understand how fabulous it is. Otherwise, he would be beating our apartment door down for me to make some right now!

What I told him is true, though. It is the best part of the Thanksgiving meal. And the sausage that we use? Well, there's just no comparison to Conecuh sausage. If you live anywhere in the Southeast, try to get your hands on some. If you can readily get your hands on some, I am jealous of you. We brought enough back with us at the end of the summer to last us until our trip home at Christmas, including enough to make this dressing.  If you aren't blessed to have access to this wonderful gift, use the best spicy smoked sausage that you can find.

I will be honest with you; this dressing does require a little bit of time to put together.  But it can be made in advance and frozen for several weeks, making the actual day of the feast much simpler.  And the praise you will receive is well worth the effort. 

Cajun Cornbread Dressing

From my Mom's kitchen, adapted from Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen


For the cornbread:

2 cups buttermilk
8 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 cup Aunt Jamima buttermilk pancake mix
4 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Butter a large skillet or 9 x 13 baking dish.  Combine all ingredients and bake for 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool. 

For the dressing:

3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
6 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups finely chopped onions
1 ½ cups finely chopped bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 bay leaves
1 pound link smoked sausage
1 14 ½ oz. can chicken stock or homemade chicken or turkey stock
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
6 eggs, beaten
Butter two casserole dishes, one large (9 x 13) and one small (8 x 8). 


Thoroughly combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 

Boil sausage in a pan in 2 inches of water for 12 minutes.  Drain the water and grind the sausage in a food processor.  Set aside. 

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and bay leaves. Sauté about 2 minutes on high heat. Add seasoning mix and continue cooking until vegetables are barely wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground sausage and stock; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat. Remove bay leaves.

In the large bowl, crumble the cornbread.  Add the milk and eggs, stirring well.  Add the vegetable and sausage mixture to this and mix well.  Divide the dressing between the two buttered casserole dishes. 

Bake at 350 until brown on top and bubbly in the middle, about 45 minutes.

Freezing instructions: If you decide to make this in advance and freeze it, wrap it well with aluminum foil and freeze.  To defrost, move the frozen casseroles to the refrigerator for 36 hours.  Put the defrosted casseroles in a cold oven.  Turn the oven to 350 and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until bubbly.  Do not overbake. 

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Count Your Blessings...A season of Thanksgiving

As soon as October passes away, things seem to go into hyper-drive.  I know that I'm kidding myself if I think that things will change after I graduate, because things have been like this as long as I can remember.  Exams, papers, assignments, and the like will stop eventually, but fall events, obligations, time with friends and family, and the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season will not.  So, in light of that, I want to share some thoughts of thankfulness. 

• I am thankful for Jesus Christ, whose sweet love and sacrifice is the greatest blessing in my life.  I am thankful for the nudges and reminders He gives me when I am living selfishly, and for the help that He gives me to love and serve others. 
• I am thankful for my family and my husband's family, who are a constant source of support and encouragement.  I cannot even express how blessed both my husband and I have been. 
• I am thankful for my husband.  I am blessed by the time that I get to spend with my husband: the dates, the special gifts, the sweet words, and the surprises.  I'm equally thankful for the struggles that we get to grow through together. 
• I am thankful for my education.  I may sometimes gripe and complain about studying or writing papers, but when it all comes down to it, this time is such a blessing and it is an honor to be learning this material from my professors and with my classmates. 
• I am thankful for oatmeal, one of the most comforting foods for a chilly morning. 
• I am thankful for tea.  My favorites right now are Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice, Stash White Christmas, and Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane. 
• I am thankful for Christmas music.  Not that I've been listening to it, or anything. 

What about you?  What delights your heart with thanksgiving?

This year is the first year that I will be hosting Thanksgiving at our house with visiting family.  I will be keeping things simple for our day of thanks, but over the next two weeks I hope to share with you some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes.  This pear gingerbread is wonderful to have on-hand for a quick breakfast of toast and coffee or tea.  It is fairly spicy and barely sweet, which works well for Thanksgiving breakfast because there will be plenty of sweets later in the day.  Wrapped well in a layer of saran wrap and another layer of aluminum foil, this bread can be baked in advance and stored in the freezer for several weeks.

Pear Gingerbread

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup applesauce
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cup fine diced pear
½ cup fine diced crystallized (candied) ginger

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, molasses, oil, and applesauce.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the baking soda and next eight ingredients (through whole wheat flour).  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until there are no dry patches. Fold in the pear and ginger.

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

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A Long-Awaited Blog Post

Well!  It has been a busy few weeks!  If you're reading this, thank you for sticking with me, and patiently waiting for my return to the blogosphere. 

Our Thanksgiving trip was fabulous!  Three of us made the whirlwind trip to NYC.  We saw the parade, picnicked in Central Park, took pictures in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller, watched the Radio City Spectacular, walked through Times Square, and across the Brooklyn Bridge.  In the words of our co-adventurer, "This was the most memorable Thanksgiving.  Ever."  Of course, that does not diminish our wonderful family memories in the least.  We truly missed them, and spent much of the day on our cell phones, anxious to hear the voices of the ones we love and miss! 

We returned to a different kind of whirlwind; much more urgent and much less fun.  Why we all wait until the last minute to produce thirty-five plus pages of papers, digests and reports for school is beyond me, especially when those documents comprise roughly half of our grade.  But that is what we did.  After the rush of papers, we spent our days preparing for exams.  In addition to studying, those few crunch weeks were spent eating (or feasting) on Thanksgiving leftovers, cleaning out the refrigerator, and being creative with pantry staples.  After taking four exams in three days, we were homeward bound.

Christmas with family in Tennessee

We spent a week with family in Tennessee, where we celebrated Christmas Day, and then drove south to Alabama for another week of reunion with family and friends, where we enjoyed a big New Year's Eve meal.  Being on the road and being away from my own kitchen has taken its toll; although I've helped out with a dish or two, I really haven't spent much time in the kitchen for the past month.  I've not been as faithful in taking pictures nor have I spent much time on the computer until now.  I'll spend the next couple of weeks down south, away from my kitchen and my beloved husband, who will be up north working diligently on his winter classes.  I'm sure that once things calm down, I'll find some good time in mom's kitchen and share some wonderful recipes with you, but for now, I wish you a belated Merry Christmas and a happy new year.  I hope that 2010 is a blessed year for all. 

New Year's with family at the farm in Alabama

Our New Year's Meal:  Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas with Rice, Roasted Vegetables and Smoked Pork Loin with Pear Chutney

*A special thank-you to my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, dad, husband, and friend who all took their precious time to proof-read my papers.

Thanksgiving Day Plans!

For the past few years, we have spent Thanksgiving day with my husband's family. It has always been a sweet time of fellowship. Last year was even sweeter, as his sister and I teamed up to "take on" the meal together. Although I have always missed being with my own family on Thanksgiving day, I think that the past few years away has helped to prepare me for Thanksgiving 2009.

This year, we are just too far away and there are too many impending tests and papers for us to be able to go home to either side of the family. (And we will miss them. It makes us even more thankful for our time with them. It makes us long for Christmas break, when we will be able to spend two weeks with them!)  So, we will have our Thanksgiving feast, just the two of us, on Wednesday. It will be a sweet time for us to celebrate and to recognize how many gifts and blessings that we have right now.


Why on Wednesday?  Well, because we will be going with a few friends to spend the day in New York City!  That's right, we'll be there to see the 76 trombones and the giant snoopy balloon!  Watch for us in the crowd at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Don't worry, we'll have our turkey sandwiches, sweet potato chips, and cranberry almond bars.

I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, whether a large feast with your family, or a picnic lunch while watching the parade.  If you are looking for something simple for breakfast before you get to the big meal, make up a batch of this wonderful pumpkin butter to serve with toast or spread on toasted Bay's english muffins.

Pumpkin Butter

from Allrecipes.com


1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 
Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy oven-safe pot and cover with a lid.   Bake at 300 degrees for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes with a whisk.  Cook longer for a thicker consistency, or add more apple juice (one tablespoon at a time) to thin.  Store in the refrigerator or freeze in small portions (canning pumpkin butter is not recommended).

Kickin' it into gear

Things have been a little slow in this belle's kitchen. I've made a couple of pots of soup this week, but other than that, I've spent many hours at the library. And I'll be honest with you, I haven't even kicked things into gear yet. Things are about to become really crazy. Thanksgiving will be an all too brief respite.

Meanwhile, I just had to share this recipe with you! We made these bars last weekend for our dinner with friends. They have only gotten better throughout this week. They are just sweet enough to cut the tartness of the cranberries, and the almond crust and crumble is so good! We originally served them with vanilla ice cream, but they are great on their own. 

Our Thanksgiving plans will be quite unique (for us) this year.  I'll fill you in on those details later, but for now, just know that these little cranberry bars will probably make the trip (hint, hint!).

Cranberry Almond Bars

Adapted slightly from goodLife{eats}

1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almonds
2 sticks cold butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
juice of 1/2 orange
4 cups fresh cranberries
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Grease a 9×13 inch pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang of 1 inch on all sides.

Place the almonds in the bowl of your food processor.  Run the processor for a minute or so, until the almonds are finely ground.  Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar.  Pulse once or twice.  Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl.  Pulse until the butter is pea-sized.  Add the egg and pulse until it is mixed through the flour mixture.  Put half of the dough into the prepared pan.  

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, orange juice, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.  Mix in the cranberries. Sprinkle the cranberry mixture evenly over the dough in the pan.

Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the remaining dough.  Crumble the dough over the berries.  Bake for 45-55 minutes at 375 degrees, or until top is a light golden brown.  Allow to cool in the pan, and then refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight).  Using the parchment, remove the bars from the pan to a cutting board and cut into squares.  Store in the refrigerator, or freeze.
 

Overlooking November

It is amazing to me that November gets almost completely overlooked these days.  Now that Halloween is passed, many stores are putting skeletons and tutus on deep discount to make room for wreaths and wrapping paper.  Those in the world of academia (including myself) walk around humming Christmas tunes, in an attempt to tune out the impending pre-Christmas exams (for now, at least).  The blogosphere is filled with holiday recipes and crafty home-made present ideas.  What happened to Thanksgiving?  Don't we know that Santa doesn't come around until the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, only after the giant Turkey and pilgrims have already passed? 

Well, despite those Bing Crosby tunes going through my head and the Peppermint Mochas that I've been sipping recently, I don't want to overlook Thanksgiving!  Not only is it a much-needed day for me to reflect on all that I have to be thankful for, but it is a fabulous cooking day!  I am not ready to give up pumpkins, cranberries, and caramel apples; all of those tastes that embody fall.  And of course, who can forget the Thanksgiving turkey? 

My dad has cooked our Thanksgiving bird on the smoker for as long as I can remember.  My mom would finish out the rest of the meal with corn pudding, sweet potato casserole, cranberry wine salad, and the most amazing Cajun cornbread dressing you can imagine.  I'm sure there were other variables in the meal (like, for example, something green?), but these were the staples. 

I've tried my hand at roasting turkeys and turkey breasts in the past few years.  They have been good, but I have found a recipe for roast turkey breast that is a winner.  It doesn't have the wonderful smoked flavor of my dad's, but I think it's pretty fabulous!  We were able to share this meal with some friends last night, with our guest of honor, Ruthanne.  It might not have been Thanksgiving Day, but we were all thankful.

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

from Ina Garten at the Food Network

1 Whole (Bone-In) Turkey Breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1 cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Rinse the turkey and pat it dry.  Place the turkey, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.  Alternately, cut two yellow onions into eights and scatter in the bottom of the pan, and place the turkey on top.

In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.  Using your fingers, separate the skin of the turkey from the breast.  Rub half of the seasoning paste in between the skin and meat.  Rub the rest of the paste over the top of the skin.  Pour the wine in the bottom of the pan.  Roast the breast for 1 hr 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest part of the meat (check in several places).  Remove the breast to a serving platter (if desired) and cover with foil.  Let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before you carve it. 

If desired, make the pan juices into gravy to serve with the meat (although you will find that it is so tender, juicy and flavorful, you probably won't need it).

Please excuse the poor lighting in these photos; the sun sets around 4:00 these days!