Since I can’t really blog on my phone but I can use Facebook I am going to be more active on the Facebook page. Everyday in January I will be posting a recipe link for some cold weather comfort food. A few will be from here but the majority will be from other blogs. Even if you aren’t on Facebook you can still see the links. Hopefully one of the computers will be repaired soon and I can get back to sharing recipes.

1. Mongolian Chicken.

This was the most viewed recipe of the year which doesn’t surprise me at all since it’s pretty high on the all time views as well.

2. Chocolate Cream Filled (not a snack cake) The day I posted this was my highest day of traffic EVER.
3. Cube Steak with Milk Gravy A Southern classic. Serve with green beans and buttermilk biscuits.
4. Pumpkin Spice Clafouti This was a fun one to make because it was different from anything I had ever made before.
5. Traditional Chicken and Dressing This is traditional in the sense it’s how my family makes it. This is one of the recipes every Southern family has its own twist to.
6. Smoked Sausage and Potato Casserole A simple yet very tasty casserole.
7. Beef and Bean Enchiladas This is always a hit with my family
8. Smoked Sausage Hobo Packets Looking for a recipe that uses very few dishes? This is a winner.
9. Amazingly Easy Yeast Rolls (Perfect for Beginners) Looking to try your hand with yeast rolls? These are a great way to start.
10. Slow Cooker Pizza Not an actual pizza but a hearty layered casserole with the flavors of pizza.

I couldn’t have a year in review post without thanking the other bloggers who have helped me along the way by link ups and highlighting my recipes on their blogs.
Top Five Blogger Referrers

1. Eat at Home
2. Life as MOM
3. Finding Joy in My Kitchen
4. Mommy’s Kitchen
5. Good, Cheap Eats

Most of all I want to thank YOU, my fabulous readers, for making 2011 the best year in the 3 + years I have been blogging. Your comments, emails, and friendship have made the behind the scene headaches worth it all. Happy new year and may 2012 be your best year ever.

Linked to Finding Joy in My Kitchen

See you in 2012!

May each of you have a blessed day filled with wonderful food and memories. I am truly thankful for each of you who read and comment here. I have made some wonderful friends thanks to this blog.

Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours!

Since I have all of our usual side dishes posted I decided to point you in their fabulous direction.

• “Traditional” Dressing It’s the recipe for my chicken and dressing but you can leave the chicken out and get what has been served at every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember.
• Squash Dressing. A super moist take on dressing plus you get some extra veggies from the yellow squash hidden inside.
• Broccoli Casserole. One of my favorite things to see on the buffet
• Extra Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Always a hit with kids.
• Corn and Green Bean Casserole
• Tangy Green Beans and Bacon A nice change from the usual casseroles at Thanksgiving.

What are your must have sides at Thanksgiving?

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Homemade rolls are one of my favorite parts to any meal and they make holiday meals even more special. These are pretty simple to make and have a delicious flavor. I normally make any yeast dough in my stand mixer so I will include directions for that as well as by hand.

Fluffy Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 (0.25 ounce packages)  yeast This is 5 teaspoons if you’re using bulk yeast
• 2 1/4 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cups shortening or butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 6 1/2-7 cups all purpose flour. If you want you can substitute whole wheat flour for 3 cups of the all purpose.
• 1/4 cup butter, melted.

Directions:

In a bowl or large measuring cup dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let the mixture sit until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of as stand mixer mix together the yeast mixture, 1/2 cup sugar, shortening, salt, eggs, and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to make a smooth dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead using dough hook on speed 1 or 2 for the same amount of time.

Form dough into a ball. Place ball in a greased bowl, turning once to cover the top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place for an hour or until doubled in bulk.

When dough has doubled in bulk, punch down and divide in half. Roll each half into a 10” by 14” rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Cut the dough into 1.5 inch wide strips. You should have about eight 10 inch long pieces of dough from each rectangle. Cut those strips in half giving you 16 from each rectangle and roll up, pinching ends to seal.

Place rolls on greased baking sheets and cover. Let dough rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a preheat 375 degree oven for 11-15 minutes or until browned. Serve warm with butter.

Yields approximately 32 rolls.

 

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These mashed potatoes do take a tiny bit more work than your usual spuds. The wonderful thing is the caramelized onions can be made the day before. Believe me they are worth the extra effort.

Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Topped Mashed Potatoes.

Ingredients:

For the mushroom and onion topping:

• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper

For the potatoes:

• 5 pounds russet potatoes
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• milk
• salt

Directions:

For the caramelized onions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place slice onions in an oven proof skillet. Toss with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning. Let cool and refrigerate until needed.

For the mushrooms:

Melt butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and tender, approximately 5-10 minutes. Add the onions and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the potatoes:

Peel and cube the potatoes. Place in a large stock pot, smash the garlic cloves and add to the pot. Cover the potatoes with water, add a teaspoon of salt. Bring pot to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain off water and return to pan. Add butter and enough milk to gain desired consistency when mashed. Top with mushrooms and caramelized onions.

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We don’t usually cook a whole turkey anymore. None of us who generally eat Thanksgiving dinner together care too much for dark turkey meat.The killer $.79 a pound price isn’t so great with all the leftovers that get tossed.

This has been the way I’ve cooked turkey the past couple of times I made it and it has been a hit. A nice change from the standard salt and pepper turkey but still goes well with the traditional side dishes.

Herb and Lemon Pepper Roasted Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey breast, totally thawed if frozen. I used a boneless turkey breast from Aldi’s  this time. Last year it was bone in.
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together the butter, oil, and seasonings. Loosen skin from the breast and spread half of the butter mixture over the meat. Spread the other half over the skin. Place breast on a rack in your roasting pan. Pour chicken broth in the bottom of pan.

Roast for 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hours for a 3 1/2 to 5 pound breast and for  2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours for a 5 1/2 to 9 pound turkey breast or until a thermometer placed in the  thickest part of the meat reaches 170 degrees. Rest ten minutes before carving.

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Now it’s your turn link up your Thanksgiving favorite main dish recipe. It doesn’t have to be turkey. *a link back to Cookin’ Mimi must be included for your link to add to the collection*

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Starting Monday look for a Thanksgiving perfect recipe everyday. To make it even more fun there will be a linky with each post. That means even more tasty recipes to check out.

• Monday: Main dishes. Link up your turkey, ham, or whatever is the star of your Thanksgiving meal.
• Tuesday: Potatoes. Whether baked, mashed, sweet or Russet potatoes are a must have. Share your favorite.
• Wednesday: Rolls or bread.
• Thursday: Side dishes. Share your famous mac and cheese or vegetable.
• Friday: Desserts. The perfect way to end a meal.
• Saturday: I will be sharing some of my favorites from the link up as well as other recipes from across the blogosphere during my weekly Recipe Round Up post.

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Things have been crazy here on the cooking front the past couple of weeks. I haven’t done much in the way of planning and more meals than usual have been thrown together at the last minute. I can’t stand it when that happens because it stresses me out.

I am jumping back on the meal planning bus this week in hopes it will be one less thing to worry about.

• Ham and split pea soup with cornbread muffins
• Pancakes and smoked sausage.
• Tandoori chicken, roasted potatoes and broccoli.
• Spaghetti and artisan bread. I’ll make the dough up a couple of days ahead of time and store in the fridge to let the flavor develop.
• Potato soup and rolls. Not sure if it will be my baked potato or my stove top version.
• Tostadas
• Soup buffet. I can guarantee with soup being on the menu twice there will be leftover soup.

I am hoping to get several of these recipes photographed so I can post them here. I do have pictures on my camera that I need to edit and write the posts that go with them.

What’s on your menu this week?

For more menu ideas visit Menu Plan Monday

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