AN HERBAL THANKSGIVING

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.”
Psalm 95:2-3

 

 

 

 

We have a lot to be thankful for this year, mostly all the support of all our friends and family during all the surgeries and recoveries we experienced this last half of 2014.  Since all of you could not join us, we are sharing the new herbal recipes we tried for Thanksgiving along with some long time favorites.  Our menu included: herbed crockpot turkey with cranberry chutney, ham & pineapple kabobs, squash & sweet potato casserole, smashed potatoes, corn and apple-almond green salad with stuffin’ muffins, rolls with chai-basil and cranberry-sage jellies and pumpkin butter plus three kinds of pie: apple, pumpkin and pecan!! We hope that you will choose a few to share with your own family and friends.  Enjoy!

HERBED CROCKPOT TURKEY BREAST
1 8lb turkey breast
1Tbs minced garlic
1Tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1Tbs chopped fresh sage
1Tbs chopped fresh thyme
juice of ½ lemon
1Tbs olive oil
1/4c chicken broth
            Combine garlic, herbs, lemon juice and olive oil to make a paste, then loosen the skin and smear half the paste directly on the meat.  Place in crockpot breast up and then smear the rest of the paste evenly over the skin.  Pour broth into the bottom of the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees.  Allow to rest 15 mins, then slice and serve with pan juice or gravy!

GLAZED HAM & PINEAPPLE KABOBS
1 can pineapple chunks
Ham sliced into squares
1/2c melted butter
3/4c brown sugar
2Tbs honey
1/4tsp cloves
            Soak wooden kabob sticks in water for at least half an hour, then alternate ham and pineapple on sticks.  Grill kabobs.  Combine butter, brown sugar, honey and cloves and warm in microwave for 30 seconds, then brush over the grilled kabobs and serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SWEET POTATO & APPLE CASSEROLE
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into cubes
1 sweet potato. Peeled and diced into cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, diced into cubes
3Tbs butter
3Tbs pure maple syrup
1/2tsp cinnamon
1Tbs minced fresh sage
            Toss veggies and apples with a combination of the butter, syrup and cinnamon and then spread in a casserole dish.  Sprinkle with sage and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until everything is tender.
Note: We made this the day before and just re-heated it for dinner!

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY
2pkg fresh cranberries                   
1c brown sugar
1c chopped apple                                                     
1c dried raisin, cherry, cranberry mix
1c slivered almonds                                    
1/2c apple cider vinegar
2Tbs minced crystallized ginger                          
1 tsp allspice
            Cook cranberries for sauce as directed on package.  Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 mins.  Cool, place in jars and process in water bath for 10 mins. or into containers to freeze.   Makes a quick appetizer with gingersnaps and cream cheese as well as an accompaniment to Thanksgiving turkey.

PUMPKIN BUTTER: Combine 1-15oz can pumpkin, 1 c brown sugar and 1Tbs SWEET SPICE gourmet blend in a saucepan.  Cook until heated but do not let it boil.  Cook slowly 15 mins. stirring often.  Cool, put into containers and freeze or refrigerate for about a week.

We also used the leftovers to create a couple soups the next day!

CROCKPOT LENTIL SOUP
2 c mixed lentils                 
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, peeled and sliced          
2 chopped celery stalks
1 chopped onion                  
2 garlic cloves, minced       
1-14oz can diced tomatoes
2Tbs red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
6 c vegetable broth
          Stir together all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours until lentils become very creamy and soft.  Remove bay leaf before serving.
OPTIONAL: Add 2c chopped ham

TURKEY & RICE SOUP with KALE
1 chopped sweet onion
3 chopped carrots
1 diced red bell pepper
1Tbs HERBES DE PROVENCE
6c turkey broth1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2c brown rice
1 small bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped
2c cooked turkey
salt and pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
          Sauté onion, carrot and bell pepper in olive oil until they begin to soften and brown, then add Herbes de Provence and continue to stir for 1 minute.  Add broth, diced tomatoes and rice and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables and rice are cooked, about 30 minutes.  Add kale and turkey plus seasoning after about 15 minutes.  Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

                                                                                                   Joyce