(An update from the archives:  I’ve recently remade this recipe with more honey than originally called for.  The result was amazing, so I thought I’d share the recipe again.)

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: 6% [?]

Are you getting tired of turkey yet?  Do you need a new way to spice up that grand bird that graced your holiday table? Are you just sick-to-death of trying to find ways to get the last little bit out of your meal?

Whether you’re trying to reinvent a little more of your leftover bird or are just looking for a new way to incorporate turkey into your diet, this dish is for you.  In fact, you’d be hard pressed to tell it was turkey on the first bite. It has everything you’ve ever wanted in a last-time for this old bid recipe, along with a wealth of ideas for chicken or turkey dishes for anytime of the year.

In a word, it’s fabulous.  I highly recommend it.  You need to try this.  I’ll provide methods for both leftover poultry and for preparing the dish from scratch, just in case you love the idea but, like many homes, have already gone through any leftovers from your Holiday meals until December. (But hey, this would be great on a New Years table, too!)

The household taste-testers (being my son’s Lil’ E and Lil’ D) devoured a full half batch in minutes, with a startling number of “oooh’s and Ahhhh’s considering the amount of food they had packed in their mouths, so I deem this dish “kid tested and approved”. If those two will eat it, any kid will!  For me…  Well, I ate the other half batch while shooting the pics for the post, and I may have made about 6 or 8 one or two deformed tacos on purpose in the process.

You have to try this!

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Popularity: 4% [?]

I know I made a big stink in my cottage pie post about the fact that a pie like this cannot be called a shepherd’s pie unless it is made from minced lamb. Honestly though, I figure if a bunch of shepherd’s could get their hands on a wild turkey or other foul while out in the pasture, they probably would, so I’ll just rationalize it that way. OK?  If I’m horribly wrong on this point, be sure to let me know.

Regardless of whether you call this a shepherd’s pie or a cottage pie or a turkey pie, it’s still phenomenally good!  If you can imagine all the flavors of a holiday table concentrated by 100 times, you would be getting close to the immense flavor of this dish.  It’s so good in-fact, that I may just look forward to making this next year a little more than I look forward to the turkey itself.

If you still have any turkey and gravy left over, you’ve got to dive in and give this a try!

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Let me start by saying that this is not so much a recipe as it is a Thanksgiving stat of mind.  An embracing of all that was great about Thanksgiving dinner all in one bite.  A final embrace of feasting and gluttony for the day after turkey day.  This is the Pilgrim Sandwich, which could be considered the American version of the English “Bubble and Squeak.”

Whatever you call it, it’s a tradition in my house and I look forward to this the day after thanksgiving almost as much as I look forward to Thanksgiving dinner itself.  How could you not love it?  It’s the perfect brunch for the day after a feast and the perfect way to get through a bit of leftover… Well, a bit of leftover everything.

And did I mention that it’s fantastically good?

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Popularity: 4% [?]

From the archives.  One of our family’s all time favorite leftover turkey recipes. Stay tuned for more though!

I Promise that this will be the last of my leftover turkey recipes. By now we’re both most likely getting tired of turkey. Personally, I’ll be buying another while they’re still on sale, but it will be getting cut down into component parts and frozen for when the urge strikes later in the year.

This is a simple method for taking those last little bits of turkey and turning them into something hearty and filling at the same time. Total cook and prep time are less than 40 minutes, perfect for a quick meal after work,or a good hot lunch on the weekends. The addition of a ton of potatoes takes the focus off of the turkey and puts it on the vegetables which, in this case is exactly where it belongs.

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Popularity: 26% [?]

From the archives – What’s  a Holiday feast without mashed potatoes?  If this basic method can be modified to your liking, but yields strikingly good results all on its own.  Enjoy!

Yesterday I received a request through my wife for my mashed potato recipe. Honestly, I’d never thought to post it, because to me, it’s just one of those things that I make without thinking about it. I’ve been helping my mother make mashed spuds since I was six years old and I suppose I just assumed that everyone else had done the same. I really should know better by now, shouldn’t I?

As my wife kindly pointed out to me, there is a whole generation of people who grew up eating mashed potatoes primarily from a box or a tin. While I’ll admit to having used potato flakes, they simply don’t compare to the fresh alternative. (They do however, work wonderfully as a thickener in soups and stews, and are great at fixing a batch of fresh potatoes if too much liquid has been added, but that’s an entry for another time.)

Homemade mashed potatoes should not be daunting, nor are they complicated. The basic procedure is a simple 3 step process of boil, add flavorings and mash. Many of the more modern upscale recipes call for the use of a food mill or potato ricer. If you have either of these tools, by all means feel free to use them, but they aren’t strictly necessary. All you need is a mashing device. This can be a large fork or slotted spoon, a potato masher or a hand held mixer.

I’ll cover the basics here, then point out some additions and other tips at the end.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

From the archives, just in time for a perfect Thanksgiving…

Cranberry sauce was always a staple on our holiday table when I was a child, but I must admit that I wasn’t fond of it until recently. My mother like most people from her generation, had a magical method for making cranberry sauce look exactly like a tin can. For the most part it tasted like one as well.

Fast forward a decade or two to the present, and I find that my wife is not only fond of cranberry sauce, but that she’s been making her own for years. As a newly married man I reluctantly agreed to try it last year, and was not only very pleasantly surprised, but nearly awed at the experience.

This sauce is fantastic. A perfect match for turkey, or even as a part of a parfait I’ve been thinking up. It could be drizzled over a shortcake, and nearly always gets “snuck” straight from the bowl at some point. If you’re thinking of placing cranberry sauce on your holiday table this year, you can’t go wrong with this one.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

From the archives.  My go-to giblet gravy.  sure to please a table of twenty or a table of two.  don’t waste those giblets!

Giblet gravy is one of the staples on my holiday table, and has been since my grandmother introduced me to it as a child. At the time this brown gravy was something different, even a bit exotic for a child who was raised on southern gravy. For me this succulent new flavor sensation became one of the things I looked forward to most at the holidays, which was the only time I’d ever had it.

Over the years I tried many times to perfect my grandmother’s recipe for this gravy without success. I suppose I’ll never get hers right, but this version has become my favorite, and is adapted from a recipe I got from a Safeway Select Magazine.

I’ve never looked back. It’s just that good.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

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: 5% [?]

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: 3% [?]