Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes with Giblet Gravy, Dressing, Broccoli with Cheese Sauce, Baked Cranberry Sauce

Roast Turkey

1 turkey

1 onion, quartered

1 carrot, cut into chunks

1 rib of celery, cut into chunks

1 apple, quartered

Oil as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

Defrost turkey in the refrigerator. It usually takes 5 hours per pound to thaw fully. Remove  giblets, neck, and other parts from inside of turkey. Place parts in a bowl and put into the refrigerator for using to make gravy. Wash turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place onion, carrot, celery, and apple in the turkey’s cavity. Place in a roasting pan, breast side up. Drizzle with oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Place roasting pan in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven down to 250 degrees and cook for an additional 20 minutes per pound. When turkey is done it should be between 170-180 degrees in the thigh area when measured with a meat thermometer. No basting is necessary. 

Mashed Potatoes

12 potatoes

8 Tbsp. butter

Milk

Adobo seasoning to taste

Peel potatoes and quarter. Boil in enough water to cover potatoes until potatoes are tender. Drain. Mix all ingredients except milk and mash with a potato masher or large fork. Add enough milk to make potatoes creamy.

Giblet Gravy

Parts that came out of the turkey, neck, giblets, etc

1 stalk celery with leaves

1 small onion, minced very, very small

Drippings from the turkey pan

¼ C flour (more or less)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse the turkey parts and place in a medium saucepan with the celery and onion, cover with water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until everything is tender. Remove all the turkey parts except the neck and finely chop. Discard the neck. Strain the broth and discard the vegetables, reserve the broth. Pour pan drippings in a large measuring cup, skim off fat and save. Pour ¼ C of the fat into the saucepan, discarding remaining fat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add 1 ½ C. reserved broth to the saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Stir in chopped turkey meat. Serve.

Dressing

20 slices bread (about a pound), cubed

1/2 C butter

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2-2 ½ C chicken broth

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp sage

Place cubed bread into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Set aside. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the celery, onion and garlic, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Pour the boiling mixture over top of the bread in the casserole dish.  Stir to combine.  Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy.  

Cheese Sauce

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. After milk is blended, cook several minutes until slightly thickened. Add cheese to taste and melt. Serve on top of steamed broccoli.

Baked Cranberry Sauce

1 lb. cranberries

1 C coconut

1 C orange marmalade

1 C sugar

½ C water

Nonstick cooking spray

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and pour mixture into casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cranberries are tender. Chill until ready to serve.

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