Mike’s World For Free

Check out the following 3 recipes this Thanksgiving.  The Turkey and Yam recipes are great but a word of advice: if you make the stove top stuffing be sure to set some aside for yourself. The first time I made this I hardly got any. By the time I was finished all the serving and sat down at the table they were already into seconds.

The best stove top stuffing ever!

¾ cup dried cherries
2 -3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp butter
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp sage, finely chopped
8 corn muffins (store bought)
2 cups chicken stock, plus some for reconstituting the cherries

Place cherries in a small bowl and cover with chicken stock for a few minutes until they soften. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or wok) over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. Once melted, add the celery and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender (10 minutes). Drain cherries and add them with the sage, cooking for 2 – 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Crumble the corn muffins into the pan adding chicken stock to dampen.

Turn heat down to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Sweet Mashed Yams

¼ cup butter
2 tbsp 10 percent cream
1 tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
2 lbs Yams peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thick
Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a medium pan, over medium heat. Stir in the syrup, cream and ½ tsp salt. Stir in the yams and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring often until yams are very tender (falling apart). Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher. Whip with a whisk until smooth, adding pepper to taste. Makes about 2 ½ cups, and can be made ahead of time and heated to serve.

Glazed Roasted Garlic Turkey

1 turkey 10 – 12 lbs.
1 tablespoon salt & pepper
3 heads garlic
¼ cup (50 ml) Diana marinade: Garlic & Herbs
1 cup (250 ml) HP Sauce (original)
1/3 cup (75ml) melted butter
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C)

Wash & prep turkey, sprinkle outside with salt and pepper.
Trim and discard the heads of the garlic, then cut each one in half, crossways.

Place the garlic in a bowl, drizzle with Diana marinade and microwave on high for 3 minutes until cloves start to separate.
Place 2 ½ heads of garlic inside the turkey with 3 sprigs of rosemary and the thyme. Place the remaining garlic into the neck cavity. (Add stuffing – apples cored and cut into quarters) Tie the legs and place in roasting pan, breast side up.

Whisk the HP sauce with the melted butter. Finely chop the remaining rosemary and stir in. Brush some of this sauce evenly over the turkey (save some to add later when basting). Roast for at least 2 ½ hours or until 170 F (77 C) registers on a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh. Baste often during the last 45 – 60 minutes. Let rest covered 15 minutes before carving.