The Star of Christmas Dinner...Mayo Roasted Turkey!

In all seriousness, my Christmas dinner is pretty much an exact replica of our Thanksgiving dinner, and why not? It's phenomenal and if it ain't broke...I am not going to touch it! Some recipes have been passed down from my great grandmother and some I have borrowed from others. I have perfected my side dishes after years of helping my mother make them and then as an adult, making them to take with me to the home of whomever was hosting that years holiday dinner. This year though, I took a stand and we decided to have Thanksgiving at our house. Then I panicked. I had never cooked a turkey. EVER. So I began my Pinterest search for a recipe that seemed fool proof and amazing. Spoiler alert...I found one. Thanks to Amy at She Wears Many Hats, I cooked an entire Thanksgiving meal which included the BEST turkey I have ever had (Sorry Mom and Dad...It was that good). We barely had leftovers it was so incredible. Plus, I made the gravy with the drippings and shut your mouth. Heaven.

Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey

• 11 lb. whole turkey, (completely thawed)
• 6-7 fresh sage leaves, rough chopped
• 5-6 fresh thyme stems
• 2-3 springs of rosemary
• 3 springs of oregano
• 1½ cups of mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons pepper
• 3 stalks celery, rough chopped
• 1 large onion, rough chopped
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, salted
• (adjusts all seasonings & mayonnaise as needed for size of bird)

*You can usually find a small "poultry seasoning herb" container with exactly the right amount the sage, thyme and rosemary instead of buying a ton of each. If your grocer has them they will be next to the fresh herbs and produce

Instructions (for step by step instructions with images, view original recipe here)

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Lay turkey in a roasting pan (the disposable type works fine for us)
3. Remove leaves from herbs stems. Add sage, thyme, rosemary, and oregano to mayonnaise; combine well. Rub mayonnaise/herb mixture all over outside and interior of bird.
4. Liberally salt, and pepper turkey. Add the celery, and onion, inside and out, and tuck the butter in the cavity.
5. Roast turkey in 450°F oven for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350°F, and insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to touch bone. Continue roasting, uncovered, until internal thermometer reaches 160°F. Cover legs with foil partway through roasting if desired (which we didn't worry about and it came out perfect). Depending on size of turkey, total cook time will be around 1½-2 hours. Once the thermometer reaches 160°F in the thigh, check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast to make sure it reads 160°F as well.
6. Remove from oven. Cover with foil and let rest for at least 20-30 minutes (depending on size) before carving.
7. Set aside turkey drippings and juices for gravy.

***Our turkey was just under 11 pounds. We cooked it 30 minutes on 450 and then about 1½ hours on 350***

You are going to love it. The pic below is how ours came out!

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

While perusing Pinterest one day, I found the solution to our "Run out the door in the morning with a nasty poptart because we woke up late and didnt have time to make breakfast" problem.

                                   Click Here to Get the Recipe for Freezer Breakfast Burritos
It literally took me an hour to make TWENTY FIVE burritos! My hubby and I ate them over the course of a few weeks and they were fantastic! Probably saved us a truckload since we weren't stopping to buy a $4 breakfast burrito... just threw one in the microwave for a couple minutes and grabbed it as we flew out the door! I even changed it up and bit (we were on a health kick at that moment) and I used whole wheat tortillas, turkey sausage and half egg whites half whole eggs. They tasted awesome and made our mornings a little smoother.

The Best Steak on the Planet

The first order of business when making restaurant quality steak is to buy... quality steak. Fortunately for us there is a butcher a mile away where we buy the most beautiful sirloins I have ever seen. Second, bring the steak to room temp. Don't ask why because I don't have a clue. I believe it has something to do with the steak steaming instead of searing if you don't. All I know is it works for me and I am going to keep on keeping on.Just set them on the counter for an hour or so.

Once the meat is room temp, pat dry with a paper towel and season. I just use salt and pepper...maybe even a bit of garlic powder but usually not.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. As the oven heats up, put the cast iron skillet on a large burner and heat it up to med high temperature. Add about 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil to your skillet. Once it is bubbling hot, lay your steak in the skillet and DO NOT MOVE IT. Our steaks are close to an inch and a half thick and I generally let it cook for about 4 minutes then flip it and let it get another 3-4 minutes.

Using an oven mitt, place the skillet into the oven and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and, using tongs, place the steaks on a plate before covering with foil to let rest.

We always have this with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts or maybe sauteed green beans.

                                                          You're welcome ;)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

olive oil

32 oz chicken broth
8 oz tomato sauce
1 can Rotel
1 15 oz can pinto beans rinsed

1 cup brown rice

1 medium diced onion

1 tsp minced garlic
*1/2 cup Mushrooms
*1/2 cup chopped Carrots

*Chilis
*corn

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled, drained and shredded Season with:
 1-1/2 tsp cumin

 1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp  ground mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
Couple dashes of Franks red hot sauce

(*optional)

Garnishes:
Cilantro
Avocado
Cheese Sour Cream
Tortilla Strips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until chicken is done. Shred chicken and set aside.

In a large pot add chicken broth, tomato sauce, rotel and pinto beans. Bring to a boil then add brown rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, mushrooms, carrots, chilis and minced garlic (plus any additional veggies you would like to include). Sauté about 10 minutes, then add the rest of the spice mix. Add into pot and then stir in chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer about 20 minutes. Season to your liking.

Serve with garnishes

Courtesy of Angela Ryan

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

 We have had this several times and it never fails. The marinade is also great for turkey tenderloins or chicken as well.

Ingredients:
1⁄2 cups olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 small lemon
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (def optional but it helps)
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1-lb. pork tenderloin

Add all of the marinade ingredients to a gallon size ziploc bag and mix well. Add the pork tenderloin and let marinate for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown in a skillet on medium-high heat. Place in baking dish, cover with foil and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

adapted from http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pork-tenderloin-with-pan-sauce.html

Recipes Are up and Running!

While I can't say that I always make the healthiest dishes, I can say that they are full of flavor and always voted on by my hubby (who will eat almost anything), my ultra picky 7 year old, the 1 year old bottomless pit and the toughest critic I have, myself. Feel free to change up the recipes or make them exactly as posted. Enjoy :)

Amazing Shepards Pie Recipe

This is honestly one of my favorite meals...probably ever. It is a little of a pain to make but so worth it and best when it is cold out since it is such a hot meal. I usually double the recipe so we can have left overs (which we will eat for every meal until it’s gone)... This recipe serves about 4-5 or 1 pregnant lady, her hubby and maybe the 6 year old with a couple days of leftovers.

You'll need:

• Olive oil
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 large onion (I use Vidalia onions in this)
• 1 small bag of shredded carrots
• salt
• pepper
• garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 glasses of red wine (I use merlot)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup of beef stock
• Roughly 6 cups of mashed potatoes (please do not use instant potatoes....it is offensive)

*side note* Instead of salt, pepper and garlic salt there is a seasoning you can buy from Morton’s called Natures Seasonings...it is phenomenal...buy it and use it in and on everything!!

1. Preheat over to 400*

2. Finely chop carrots and onion

3. Add olive oil to skillet and sauté carrots until tender

4. Add chopped onion and sauté for a minute or two

5. Add ground beef, season to taste and cook until browned

6. Drain fat from ground meat mix and return to skillet

7. Add butter, once melted sprinkle with flour and stir thoroughly

8. Add tomato paste, 1 glass of wine and Worcestershire sauce

9. Drink other glass of wine while this reduces some

10. Add beef stock and let thicken to almost gravy consistency

11. Remove from heat and add to 9x13 in glass baking dish

12. Spoon mashed potatoes on top and spread evenly

13. Bake for about 25 minutes or until potatoes start to turn golden brown

14. Enjoy with another glass of wine :)

The original recipe called for peas but I don’t put them in mine... you, however, are more than welcome to.

Bon Appetit