Holiday Potluck

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OUR SEASON’S EATINGS
< RECIPES >

APPETIZER

cheeseballs

Cranberry-Pecan Mini Goat Cheese Balls

Prep Time: 1 hour | Makes 10–12 Servings

This appetizer is easy to make, and is all at once sweet, savory and colorful! Sometimes I use macadamia nuts and sour cherries instead of pecans and cranberries to change things up.
— Nancy Wenske, Subscriptions and Office Manager   

INGREDIENTS:

Cheese Balls

  • 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 4 ounces goat cheese (We recommend local brand Surfing Goat Dairy.)
  • 4 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated
  • ½ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup chives, thinly sliced

Coating

  • ½ cup chives, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
  • ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped

Garnishes

  • 30 pretzel sticks
  • 1 package crackers

Directions Combine cheese-ball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Use a small cookie scoop to portion out mixture. Roll into a ball using your hands. Place each coating ingredient into a separate, shallow bowl. Roll balls in one or more coating options and arrange on a plate. Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate. When ready to eat, spear each ball with a pretzel stick and serve with crackers. 

MAIN COURSE

 

Holiday Turkey

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 12–24 hours | Roasting Time: 4–5 hours | Makes 15–20 Servings

The secret to perfect turkey? Brining. I always brine my turkey. It is foolproof, and yields a juicy and delicious bird. When brining, make sure your water is very, very cold. If necessary, add ice cubes to chill it down even more!
— Diane Woodburn, Publisher

PART 1 INGREDIENTS:

Brine

  • 2 gallons very cold water, divided
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 oranges, quartered
  • 2 lemons, quartered
  • 1 small bunch fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 sprig fresh sage
  • 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
  • 1–2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 (20-pound) whole turkey

Homemade Broth

  • turkey neck and giblets
  • 1 quart water
  • 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, diced

Directions To a large, deep pot, add 1½ gallons water, salt and brown sugar. Stir until dissolved. Squeeze orange and lemon quarters into pot, then toss in the rinds. Add thyme, rosemary, sage, peppercorns and cinnamon sticks and stir to combine. Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavity and set aside. Place turkey in pot, breast-side down. Add remaining water. Turkey should be fully immersed. Cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. Add homemade broth ingredients to a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 1 to 2 hours. Remove from heat and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

PART 2 INGREDIENTS:

Turkey

  • 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 fresh sage leaves
  • 2 teaspoons tarragon leaves
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 box chicken broth, for basting
  • already-brined turkey

Gravy

  • 1 quart boxed or canned chicken broth
  • 2 cups Homemade Broth (See recipe.)
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ cup dry white wine

Directions Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly inside and out. Pat outside dry. Place in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme, sage and tarragon to a small bowl and mash together. Rub herbs onto turkey inside and out. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover loosely with tinfoil and roast, basting occasionally with chicken broth until internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 164 F, about 4 to 5 hours (12 to 13 minutes per pound). Remove from oven and place on a carving board.

Gravy Skim turkey fat from roasting pan and discard. Pour chicken broth and Homemade Broth into pan and place over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pan to release the fond (the brown bits of caramelized juices from roasting the turkey). Mix cornstarch and milk in a measuring cup until smooth. When broth begins to simmer, slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture until well combined. Add wine and cook, stirring often, until consistency is silky. Adjust seasonings to taste.  

DESSERTS

adelle cakes

Chocolate Chiptastic Bundt Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Makes 12 mini Bundt cakes
or 24 cupcakes

It is with a tiny bit of shame that I admit that this recipe is not 100 percent from scratch. It uses a boxed cake mix. However, it’s insanely delicious and really easy to make. I like to use mini Bundt pans, but you can also make cupcakes that taste just as great!
— Adelle Lennox, Website Manager

Ingredients

  • 1 package boxed chocolate cake mix
  • 1 package instant chocolate pudding
  • ¾ cup plain organic yogurt
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup water
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to a large bowl and beat on low speed with an electric mixer to moisten. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured pans, filling each halfway. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack and cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

pumpkin spice bread

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour baking time | Makes 2 loaves

We have been making this pumpkin bread since I was in grade school and it has become a yearly tradition with my family. We tweaked the recipe over the years, replacing the vegetable oil with applesauce, and adding more cinnamon. It goes well with both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals!
— Lara McGlashan, Editor-in-Chief

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not “pumpkin pie” filling)
  • 3½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 2/3 cup water

Directions Preheat oven to 350 F. Add eggs, sugar and applesauce to a bowl and beat with electric mixer on high until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and beat again. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. In ½-cup portions, beat into wet ingredients. Batter will be very thick. Add water and beat again. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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