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Date of Last Update:

January 21, 2009

The information on this page is dedicated to Sion D. Jennings who was born at Thanksgiving in 1910 and to his wife, Margaret Bowman Jennings, who planned a festive birthday celebration for him each of the 52 years that they were married ... except during the time he was in the service in the Pacific, but that is another story.

These are Margie's recipes with some notes from Jackie for short-cuts when necessary. After many years of asking her mother the same questions and for the same recipes, Jackie finally wrote her instructions down for the next holiday season.

Schedule of Events

1^st week in November

	Polish silver
	Boil small turkey, freeze stock & giblets
	Purchase candles and other non-food items

Monday

	Shop for food ingredients
	Make skillet cornbread

Tuesday

	Make 1^st batch of gravy from ½ frozen turkey stock
	Make cornbread dressing using gravy
	Prepare cranberry sauce
	Prepare Florentine dip

Wednesday

	Bake sweet potatoes, refrigerate
	Secure Centerpiece

Thursday

morning

Make casseroles, refrigerate

Cut vegetables, refrigerate in zip-lock bags

Chop items except apples for Waldorf Salad

noon

Cook turkey

Make 2^nd batch of turkey gravy from rest of frozen stock

3:30 pm

    Bake casseroles

    Bake bread

    Prepare Waldorf Salad

    Slice turkey at last minute

    Bake pie, if necessary, after casseroles are done

Appetizers

Florentine Dip

1 8oz pkg cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 T milk

1 10oz pkg frozen spinach

2 hard cooked eggs, finely chopped

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 clove garlic, optional

Combine cheese, yogurt, and milk, mixing until blended. Cook spinach in microwave in strainer such that water separates from greens; drain and add to dairy mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Cut Vegetables

radishes squash snow peas

cucumbers broccoli spears tomatoes, cherry or grape

celery baby carrots peppers, red - orange - green

Nuts

mixed pistachio, shelled

Pickles

watermelon rind bread and butter okra dill

Cheese and Crackers

Roast Turkey

1                      fresh turkey, about 20 lbs.

2 cups              chicken or turkey stock

                        pepper, coarse grind

                       rosemary or other herbs, optional

Rinse turkey well after removing giblets. Lay bird in pan large enough to contain wings and legs. Pour turkey stock over bird such that all areas are wet. Generously sprinkle spices and pepper over bird.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Remove bird from oven, flip bird, season back as above, and return to oven for 60 minutes. Remove bird from oven, flip bird, cover chest and drumsticks with foil to prevent excessive browning. Return to oven for 45 minutes. Remove bird from pan, and leave foil cover until time to carve. Drain pan drippings and pour off excessive fat. Add drippings to gravy in progress.

Turkey Gravy

1 stick              butter, cut in 8 pieces

½ cup               flour, shifted

6 cups              chicken or turkey stock, hot

                        pepper, coarse grind

                        giblets & other innards, cooked & chopped

2                      hard boiled eggs, chopped

Sauté butter in large pan under medium-low heat so that butter will not brown. Shift flour into pan and cook 2-3 minutes. Begin to add hot turkey stock, 2 cups at a time, stirring vigorously with a whisk until flour dissolves.

Reduce gravy until a camel color, about 2 hours, continuing to stir with a whisk. Season with pepper about 30 minutes before serving. Add giblets and eggs. Simmer. Add pan drippings from turkey when available.

Cornbread Dresssing

3 bags              Stove Top stuffing mix

4 cups              left-over cornbread, if available

1 cup                celery, finely chopped

½ cup               onion, finely chopped

1 stick              butter

4 cups              chicken or turkey stock, hot

                        pepper, coarse grind

giblets and innards, cooked and chopped

2                      hard boiled eggs, chopped

2-3 cups            turkey gravy without giblets

Mix stuffing mix, cornbread, celery, and onion in large bowl. Melt butter in hot turkey stock. Pour stock mixture over dry ingredients and mix vigorously. Spoon into casserole dish(es). Lay giblets and hard boiled eggs over dressing, leaving a part plain for those who don’t like giblets. Pour gravy over dressing allowing to fill into crevices. Sprinkle with pepper, but do not salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish: 2 cups

1 pkg                cranberries, fresh

1                      orange, medium

¾ to 1 cup         sugar

Slice unpeeled orange into eighths; remove seeds. Place half the cranberries and half the orange slices into food processor container. Pulse until mixture is evenly chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with rest of ingredients. Stir in sugar to desired sweetness. Store in refrigerator or freezer

Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Topping

4-6                  sweet potatoes

1 cup                sugar

½ tsp                salt

½ stick             butter

½ cup               evaporated milk

1 tsp                 butter flavoring

1 tsp                 sherry flavoring

2                      eggs, beaten

Topping:

1 cup                brown sugar

1/3 stick            butter

1 cup                chopped nuts

Bake sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for one hour. When cool, peel skins off and mash in food mixer. Combine potatoes, sugar, salt, butter, milk, flavoring, and eggs. Turn into a greased baking dish. Blend brown sugar, butter, and nuts. Sprinkle potatoes with topping. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Waldorf Salad: 6 servings

2-3                  apples, red deciduous

                       juice from one lemon

½ cup              celery, finely chopped

½ cup              walnuts, finely chopped

¾ cup               grapes, red seedless, finely chopped

¾ cup               mayonnaise

                        salt

                        pepper, coarse grind

Chop apples and squeeze lemon juice over fruit to keep from turning brown. Combine with next four ingredients. Add salt to taste. Spoon shredded lettuce on salad plate, cup apple mixture on top of lettuce. Sprinkle with pepper.

Nina’s Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

2 pkgs              frozen broccoli spears, chopped

1 can                cream of mushroom soup

1 cup                shredded cheddar cheese

2                      eggs

2 Tbls               mayonnaise

15                     Ritz crackers, crushed

Grease 1 ½ quart casserole. Mix all ingredients except crackers and place in greased casserole. Top with crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

French’s Original Green Bean Casserole

2 pkgs              frozen cut green beans, thawed, 9 oz

1 can                cream of mushroom soup

1 1/3 cup           French’s fried onions

                        pepper, coarse grind

Grease 1 ½ quart casserole. Mix all ingredients except 2/3 cup onions. Place in greased casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with 2/3 cup onions. Bake five more minutes.

Corn Bake Casserole

2                      eggs, slightly beaten

8 oz                  creamed corn

8 oz                  drained corn

1 cup                sour cream

½ cup               melted butter

1 pkg                corn muffin mix, 8 ½ oz

8 oz                  sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients except cheese and spread in greased casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Top with cheddar cheese and bake for 15 minutes more.

Desserts

	Mrs. Smith’s Deep Dish Apple Pie with Breyer’s French Vanilla Ice Cream
	K&W German Chocolate Pie with Homemade Banana Whip Topping
	Pumpkin Pie with Cool Whip
	Birthday Cake and Ice Cream for those celebrating two events!

Crumble, Lindy's Apple & Raisin

      6-8          Granny Smith apples
   1/2 cup       moscatel raisins
                     cinnamon stick
      2  tsp     ground cloves
      4  T          brown sugar

                     Crumble Topping:
       1 cup      flour
    1/2 cup      butter -- cold
    1/2 cup      sugar

The filling can be prepared the day before. Peel and thinly slice apples. Layer slices of apples with raisins in a large saucepan. Use two batches.

Sprinkle apples with brown sugar and ground cloves between layers. Add 2 tablespoons water and heat to simmering for about 10-15 minutes. Gently stir the apples, adding the cinnamon stick. Remove the apples when they become soft leaving the liquid in the pan.

Add more apples and repeat until all the fruit is cooked. Remove the cinnamon stick and layer the fruit into a large, ovenproof dish allowing for one inch of topping. Chill if preparing the next day.

Make the crumble topping on the same day that you serve the dessert. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl. Chop the cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour. With cold hands, mix the butter into the flour until the butter is absorbed.

Add the sugar and continue mixing until the mixture "crumbles". Spoon the crumble on top of the fruit and bake for 45 minutes at 375-400 degrees or 200 centigrade until golden brown.

Serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Can be reheated.