From the archives:  If you’re wondering what to serve this year for the holidays, this list may just help you find the perfect recipe for the job.

It’s that time of the year again!  Families and friends are already preparing to gather together to give thanks for, well, whatever it is there is to give thanks for.  The good china and grandma’s tablecloth get pulled out of storage and very soon most homes in America will be filled with the aromas of wonderful food, some from beloved family recipes and some that are new to your home.  You may be an old hand at family meals, or it may be the first Thanksgiving dinner you’ve made.

Whether you’re a pro or novice at Holiday meals, please allow us to share some of the recipes that have graced our Thanksgiving Table in the past, and a few new recipes that will be gracing our table this year.  Feel free to use these recipes as-is, for reference if necessary or as the basis for your own creations. I promise, they are all phenomenal recipes that I have served to our guests and will happily serve again.  Every one was a hit!

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Popularity: 6% [?]

If you’re like most of us the holiday dinner has passed and now you’re looking for a few creative ways to use up all that leftover turkey.  While there is absolutely noting wrong with turkey sandwiches, I know that there are a lot of people who tire of them quickly or just want to find something a little more creative to do with what’s left of a once regal bird. If you’re one of those people, this might just fit the bill.

Before any true curry fanatics out there step up to inform me that this isn’t a traditional curry.  Don’t bother.  I already know.  This dish was cobbled together with what I had on hand at the moment and geared towards introducing my kids to flavors they have never experienced before.  I used potatoes instead of rice because my middle son runs screaming at the mention of long grained anything, let alone basmati or jasmine rice.  This is just a big heapin’ pot o’ love, and may actually have made it ot my comfort foods list.

In the end I suppose this could be treated like a soup or a stew.  The liquid is fairly mild the first day (but gets pretty ambitious by day 2), and can easily be eaten with a spoon if you desire, or skip the potatoes and serve the curry with rice to soak all the wonderful flavors up while you’re eating it.  In any event it came out wonderfully and was enjoyed by all but my youngest, who was not only ill that evening, but is finicky to the point of sending this foodie father into fits on some occasions.

He had chicken nuggets.  The rest of us polished off half of this dish in minutes.  I’d call that a raging success!

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Popularity: 4% [?]

We’re pulling this dish out of the archives because it really is the ultimate roast turkey recipe and should not simply be linked to.  It needed to come back into the limelight and take its rightful place at the center of our holiday menu once again.  Enjoy!

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you the king of the American Holiday table, the centerpiece of nearly every family gathering in the United States for the months of November and December, the prince of poultry, the roast turkey. As promised, I’m kicking off the Holidays with a focus on the foods of the season, and there’s simply no better place to start than with with this, the noblest of all domestic foul.

The turkey is either the most awaited or most dreaded addition to a holiday meal. Most awaited if the bird is moist, succulent and juicy, and most maligned when dry, overcooked and in desperate need of a slathering of gravy just to make the remains of the once proud bird palatable. the latter almost never happens to me, and I’m going to give forth the secret of the perfect bird, which I assure you, this was.

There are literally thousands of roast turkey, Christmas turkey and Thanksgiving turkey recipes on the Internet, and the methods for achieving the “perfect” bird vary wildly from one recipe to another. Most call for basting the bird constantly throughout the cooking process. If it makes you happy, I suppose you can go ahead, but you’re not going to end up with the results you were looking for. To make the truly prefect turkey you must keep the mantra of poultry perfection on your lips at all times…

“I will not baste. I will not open the oven door. The turkey is fine.”

Sound silly? I know my mother and grandmother would have thought so. Both women basted their birds religiously, and both made some pretty fine turkeys. Over the years I’ve discovered that basting does not make for a better bird. Patience does.

One caveat. If you’ve bought yourself a butterball turkey, this method will not work for you. The skin of a butterball turkey has been pierced, and therefore basting is necessary. For any other poultry in the world, it is NOT, and should not be done. The second part of the mantra is this…

“I will not stuff the turkey…”

Stuffing the bird increases cooking times drastically while robbing you of the perfect opportunity to add flavor to the bird. I adore turkey flavored dressing but if you’ve got a good bird you should have more than enough turkey drippings to make not only a wonderful dressing, but a good amount of gravy as well. (But I digress, those are different entries.)

This method is simplicity in itself, a rub, a trip into the oven and one action that you need to take in the middle, a little patience at the end and viola! You’ll thank me for this, I promise.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Brussels sprouts.  As a kid the mere mention of the things would have sent me running to my room in fear, yet here I am sharing a recipe for them at the request of my kids, who absolutely adore them.  It’s a strange turn of events to be sure.

It’s strange the things I adore today that I never would have touched as a child.  I’m not sure if it was the lack of fresh ingredients in our diet for most of the year, or if my tastes have just changed that much.  I know that most of the vegetables we ate for may years were canned, that probably didn’t help.

In any event, these sprouts do not disappoint.  They have my Son’s seal of approval and I have to admit that I’ve eaten two plates of them in the last two days.  They truly are tasty. As a matter-of-fact, I think I’m going to add them to my permanent Thanksgiving lineup in one form or another.  That way I know my kids will eat at least one green vegetable at the family table…

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Popularity: 4% [?]

It’s simple. It’s easy. It’s wonderful. It’s… Homemade white bread, and it only took a few minutes of actual work to make perfectly the very first time.  Trust me folks, if I can do this, so can you!  if you’ve got a stand mixer with a dough hook this is as simple as it gets, it contains no preservatives and it stores well. (The loaf pictured above spent a week in the fridge… It’s still wonderful and will be finished off tonight.)

This is probably one of the tastiest bread recipes I’ve come across for everyday use.  The recipe makes two full-sized loaves and my kids think it’s got the over the counter stuff beat by miles when it comes to a good PB&J.  If you figure up the cost to make it, it’s about 1/4 the price of any loaf at your local market, but twice as good, so even the tiny bit of effort required makes this cost effective as well as delicious.

Another plus of this recipe over other is that it’s a very firm crumb and easily handles duty as a sandwich bread.  I’ve tried several recipes that simply could not hold up to the role of sandwich bread.  This loaf does not disappoint in that regard.  It’s soft enough to be enjoyable, but firm enough to stand up to everything from peanut butter to hot roast beef without crumbling or turning to mush.  In short, it’s the perfect alternative to store-bought sandwich bread.  Give it a try, you’ll like it!

And if your wondering if this is the perfect bread to make your family his Thanksgiving or Christmas, the answer is YES!  It’ll make wonderful Turkey Sandwiches!

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Cheesecake may just be the perfect food.  It is certainly one of the oldest on record.  It is believed that cheesecake was served to the Olympic athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C.  Any food with that kind of staying power just has to have something to it.

Perhaps it’s the ability of cheesecake to be modified in so many ways. Cheesecake is adaptable.  It can be made in any number of different flavors and textures, from light and fluffy with a hint of vanilla to incredibly dense and savory, the cheesecake has been with us since the beginning of Western history and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be leaving us very soon, especially with flavors like the ones in the cake pictured above.

My guests for Christmas requested only three things.  Turkey, ham and a chocolate cheesecake.  That’s a simple request if I’ve ever heard one and I was happy to oblige.  Initially I was going to make a simple chocolate cheesecake, but the gift of 8 oz. of German milk chocolate and the thought of my favorite coffee drink made me decide to go in a different direction.  It turned out to be a fated decision, as this is by far the best tsting chocolate cheesecake I’ve had to date.

I had picked up Coffee Liqueur and Creme De Cacao with the intention of posting the recipe for my cafe mocha (coming soon) and the smell of the cheesecake batter reminded me of that drink, so a few quick additions to the custard were all it took to turn what I’m sure is a phenomenal recipe into something extraordinary.

Chocolate Cafe Mocha Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For Cheesecake:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreo Cookies (about 20 cookies)
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 24-oz cream cheese (3 packages), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 oz. milk chocolate, melted, slightly cooled
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. Creme De Cacao
• 1 tbsp. Coffee Liqueur

For Ganache Topping:

• 8 oz. dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. Creme De Cacao
• 1 tbsp. Coffee Liqueur

Method:

Cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees if using a silver 9″ springform pan or to 300 degrees if using a dark nonstick 9″ springform pan.  Mix crushed cookies and butter; press firmly onto bottom and sides of pan.  Bake 10 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, Creme De Cacao and Coffee Liqueur with electric or stand mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add chocolate and mix well.  Add eggs, one-at-a-time, mixing on low speed until just blended.  Pour over crust.

Bake 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set.  Run a sharp knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake. Cool to room temperature before removing rim of pan.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before topping.

Ganache icing:

Place chocolate chips in a small heat proof bowl. heat cream in a small saucepan over low heat until just boiling.  Immediately pour cream over chocolate.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Mix well with a wire whisk or silicone spatula.  Add Creme De Cacao and Coffee Liqueur, stir to combine well.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or until ganache is stiff but not set.

Assembly:

Remove ganache from refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.  Stir to loosen slightly. Remove cheesecake from refrigerator and level the top with a very sharp knife if necessary.

Gently spread ganache icing from center of cheesecake to edges. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Share and Enjoy!

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

I think I managed to overcook this cake a little.  The sides puffed up a good inch higher than the center, which made the icing a necessity once the cake was leveled.  It was a happy accident though.  The ganache icing adds an entirely new dimension to the already rich flavor of this cheesecake that we all enjoyed very much.

You’ll want to be sure to serve this one just slightly chilled or at room temperature.  Straight from the refrigerator the coffee liqueur is a bit overpowering, but it mellows and plays nice with everything else at room temp.

Be warned, this is a very dense cheesecake and it doesn’t slice “pretty”  Just overlook that and go for it anyway.  It’s more than worth it!

Links to other recipes like this:

• Chocolate Cheesecake, from Closet Cooking
• Plum Crazy Chocolate Cheesecake, from InnCuisine
• Chocolate Almond Cheesecake, from Kelly at Sass & Veracity

Popularity: 4% [?]

When we invited our friends over for Christmas this year, I only asked for one thing.  I asked for the apple pie pictured above and the recipe that went with it.  The fact that the pie dish pictured was also given to us was a bonus (and a very nice one, thanks guys!) but the real gift is a pie that I will gladly make and share with friends and family for the rest of my life.

I know I say this all the time, but the simple things in life are usually the best.  This hods true with food as well.  Overcomplicating a recipe usually does little to enhance the flavors of the food, it just adds extra steps that are not necessary. (There are, of course, times when this rule does not hold true, but this is not one of those cases.)

This has to be just about the simplest recipe for a German apple pie I have ever seen.  There’s no fuss, nothing picky or finicky, just a good-solid recipe that tastes far better than you would expect for the ingredients used.  In my opinion this is true perfection.

I know that statement may ruffle a few feathers.  Everyone has their own favorite apple pie recipe.  Of those, I’m sure that 99% would be a pie that I would enjoy as well.  But for me, Brie’s German Apple Pie is quite simply the pie I will crave whenever I think of apple pie in the future.  I’ve been spoiled, but I’m not complaining.

The recipe as given to m is only for the pie filling.  I’m not sure if she made her own crust or if she used a prepared crust, so I’ll leave that decision up to you.  If you’re bent on making your own pie crust, the best recipe I’ve ever seen for one is here. I am not a baker by nature, so if my wife wants to make a crust from scratch, great!  If not, I’ll use what I can get.  With this filling adorning it, it could be shoe leather, I really wouldn’t care.

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Popularity: 26% [?]

The other night I was looking for a recipe idea that just screamed Holidays. We’ve been going over plans for the move, getting paperwork in order and dealing with a sudden and potentially devastating problem that came just one month too early. I needed something realy holiday flavored to get me back in the spirit of the season before it fizzled out on me and this dish was just the ticket.

When I walked into the kitchen, all I was sure of was that I wanted to pair the pork with a few apples I had left over.  What I ended up with is one of those “hooRah!” moments that simply come together perfectly.  A blent of svaory, sweet and spicy that we just couldn’t get enough of.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.  It really is something close to perfection, especially during the holidays.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

Have you ever wondered what to do with a leftover ham, especially through the Holidays?  If you’re like us and prefer to have ham on the table for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as a turkey or roast beef (Or whatever your tradition happens to be), then this quick little throw together might be just what you’ve been looking for as a way to get a bit of new life out of some of your leftover holiday feast.

Almost everyone has a few boxes of mac-n-cheese stuffed somewhere in their pantries.  You may not use it regularly, but I’m sure its in there somewhere.  This recipe calls for two standard sized boxes, but hey, I’m not going to say you can’t make your own Mac and Cheese and make this up either.  It would surely be better, but I always have the boxed stuff, because my son doesn’t prefer homemade yet.

So with a few boxes of noodles, a bit of cheese leftover from an Antipasto platter that I made, a bag of frozen broccoli and a bit of this and that, you can have a beautiful comfort food meal on the table and go through some of those leftovers in the process.  Not a bad deal, is it?

And did I mention that this is freaking wonderful?  It really is.  We actually ate the leftovers of the leftover solution for lunch the next day…  Yup.  It’s that good.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Day two of the Twelve days of Cookies finds this home paying homage to the Pecan.  (Honestly, you can’t be a Texan if you aren’t making something with pecans.) The cookie of the day?  The Pecan Tassie, from the era of big hair, heavy metal, Depeche Mode and Cindy Lauper.  Gourmet Magazine’s top cookie pick for 1985, and with good reason!

Gourmet stated that these little gems reminded them of pecan pie.  I don’t get that when I taste them, but what I do get is a mouthful of wonderful.  The texture and flavor of these cookies is a bit surprising.  The dough is a bit cake-like, but the topping is very crunchy.  The contrast between the two is wonderful.

The downside?  These cookies don’t hit their stride until they’ve had a chance to sit overnight and cool completely.  I tried them last night when still warm and honestly, I didn’t like them much.  But this morning… Ah, I’m singing a different tune altogether now..  How bout “Just can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode.  It’s fitting for the time, and I like the song!

So, my thoughts on these…  A definite thumbs up for us. We’ll be making these again, I guarantee it.

Now go make some.  Do it now so that you can enjoy them with your coffee in the morning!  Resist the urge to try them warm!  They’re soooo much better the next day it’s just unbeleivable.  Trust me on this.

And don’t forget to check out the other members of our crazy little group.  We’re all making the twelve cookies we thought we’d like most, so you can be sure that there are other great recipes out there for your cookie indulgence.  The list is at the bottom of the post!

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Popularity: 4% [?]