11.16.07

Giblet Gravy

Posted in Southern Specialities at 10:39 am

I hope I do you proud Mama with my version of your Giblet gravy.

Giblets from turkey (liver, heart, gizzard, and neck), cooked
4 cups turkey stock or broth or chicken broth or stock
1 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon sage
2 heaping tablespoons reserved uncooked cornbread stuffing mix
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 hard boiled egg, sliced optional

Chop the giblets and the meat that has been removed from the neck. Using a medium sized pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the giblets, poultry seasoning, and raw stuffing to the mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and water, and add to the boiling stock, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, to taste, and add the sliced boiled egg.

Southern Cornbread Holiday Stuffing

Posted in Southern Specialities at 10:39 am

This is the closest I have been able to get to my Mama’s Thanksgiving stuffing. I hope ya’ll give it a try and let me know what ya’ll think.

Cornbread, recipe follows
8 slices oven-dried white bread
1 sleeve saltine crackers
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
7 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon celery seed

1tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon sage (optional)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (optional)
5 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried white bread slices, and saltines; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, and poultry seasoning,celery seed,and the minced onion. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Reserve 2 heaping tablespoons of this mixture for the giblet gravy. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Serve with turkey as a side dish.

Cornbread:
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted bacon fat/grease

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
To serve, cut into desired squares and serve with butter.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

11.02.07

The Holiday Season is almost here !!!

Posted in Uncategorized at 4:10 am

The Holidays are fast approaching and the party planning is in full swing here at my house. I am checking out my catalogs and planning my ordering for the season.

I have already placed my spice order and I can not wait for my spices to arrive. I know I could go to the local market and get my spices but ordering them is a much smarter way in my opinion as I can order as little or as much as I need. I do not like to keep my spices for more than 3 months at a time as they loose their potency if left sitting around. I also like my spice as fresh as possible to get their full flavors. Friends have asked me if it is really feasible to order my spices online or through the mail and the answer is a definite YES. It cost me no more to order them than it would to go to the market and buy them with the price of gas going up all the time. The shipping cost have not gone up at all over the past year and a half. If anyone is interested in the companies name leave me an emailand I will either email you or post it for you. The company is great.

I just finished checking out the new Swiss Colony catalog alittle while ago and I am ordering my baklava and chocolate covered macadamia nuts from them. I will also order about 5 pounds of pistachios from them along with a few of their blocks of baby Swiss. I am also ordering 3 of their breakfast kits for friends that live out west. I will have them shipped directly to them. Real time saver.

I ordered my turkey for Thanksgiving back in September so that is already taken care of and I have also already prepped the sweet potatoes and have them in the freezer. I also have the acorn squash already frozen. This year I even bought some fresh Sugar Pumpkins and have already roasted and pureed them and they are in the freezer waiting to be made into pies. I hope this early preparation will make my day run alittle smoother than in years past where I waited till the night before to start getting ready. Plus this year everything is as farm fresh as I can get it.

Please share you Pre -Thanksgiving preparations with us here and share with others your time saving tips because everyone wants alittle more time in their lives these days.

Keep the emails coming to Patti@mamascountrykitchen.com

Hope to see ya’ll real soon.

Patti