Holiday feast

Remember how I bartered bread for turkey? It finally was time to eat this bird. We did a holiday feast with our friends, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The turkey didn't grow very big so my coworker also gave me a small, locally raised ham.

My sage plant is so big that I shoved in two huge stalks, plus onions and carrots.

Not all of the hair got burned off, so Nathan ended up peeling the turkey after it was cooked.

I've never had a fresh turkey before! I could tell the difference because his legs wouldn't bend to fit in the pan. He tasted good but not amazing. Maybe if I'd shoved butter under the skin like I normally do.

Now the stuffing....that was amazing. I decided to try it with rye bread this time, and the flavor was excellent.

My stuffing recipe isn't really a recipe, but here's my best guess at this batch.

Throw 1/4 to 1/3 cup butter in a pan and saute two stalks' worth of sage leaves, two stalks celery, one diced onion, a handful of chopped pecans, and one diced apple. (Add the apple near the end.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice bread cubes (rye or wheat), about one loaf worth. Spread them on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees, stirring once, until they are dry on the outside.

Mix together the sauteed goodness with the bread cubes, and add chicken or beef broth until the bread is moist but not soggy. It will probably take 1-2 cups, depending how much bread you have. Add two eggs and mix just enough. Stop before the bread falls apart.

Grease your crockpot before adding the stuffing. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until done. It will turn out just as good as in the oven but you won't have to make room in the oven. Who has room when you're cooking a turkey?

My first attempt at fresh cranberry sauce. I used orange-mango juice concentrate (it's all I had), sugar, and a bag of cranberries. It was yummy!

My favorite sweet potato casserole

This butterscotch pie was tasty, but the recipe failed me and I had to mess around with it. If I master it another time, I'll post the recipe. It's basically butterscotch pudding from scratch with meringue on top. My first time making meringue!

I also made pumpkin pie, apple pie (using apples I canned)..

...and mincemeat pie (canned this summer). It was my first time making a top crust and it fell apart when I tried to slap it on top, so I just patched pieces together. Nathan wasn't a fan of this pie, but I was.

BBQ breadsticks. Nathan didn't like them as much this time. Apparently I made them a little too big so they were too soft. Oh well.

Our friends brought sparkling cider, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. There's nothing like fresh turkey gravy and mashed potatoes, YUM! It was a fantastic meal and we had so much fun....even when their daughter puked on our couch after eating too much.