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Food For Thought
Last UpdatedNovember 15, 2009
Welcome to Food For Thought cooking and recipes - online since 1991! There are 5 new recipes, plus new cooking hints & tips, posted to this page each week.
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Honey Fig Mozzarella
Categories: Appetizers
Yield: 6 Servings
6 Sheets Phyllo Dough
6 oz Smoked Mozzarella, cut into
- 6 equal pieces
Vegetable Oil, for frying
8 oz Dried Figs, quartered
3/4 c Honey
3 ts Black Sesame Seeds
Honey, for drizzling
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium
heat to 350F degrees.
Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a dry work surface. Place
one slice of cheese about 5 inches from the top of
the narrow end of the sheet. Fold the top of the
narrow end over the cheese, leaving 1 inch between
the fold and the cheese. Next fold over 1 of the
long sides then the other, again leaving 1-inch
between the folds and the cheese. Then fold the
cheese over, again leaving 1-inch between the fold
and the cheese. Continue folding to make a package
about 3 1/2 by 4-inches. Continue with the
remaining pieces of cheese and phyllo.
Fry the phyllo and cheese packages, 2 or 3 at a
time, in the oil until golden, about 2 minutes per
side. Drain on a baking sheet lined with paper
towels.
Meanwhile, heat the figs and honey in a small
saucepan over low heat until the honey is warm.
Set aside until the cheese packages have finished
frying.
To serve, place 1 cheese package on a plate.
Spoon some figs and drizzle some honey over the
top of each cheese package. Sprinkle with black
sesame seeds and serve immediately.
-----
Turkey can be thawed in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave. Whole turkey takes about 24 hours per five pounds to thaw in the refrigerator. In cold water, changed every 30 minutes, turkey takes about 30 minutes per pound to thaw. When using a microwave to thaw a turkey, follow the manufacturer's instructions for the size turkey that will fit in your oven, the minutes per pound and the power level to use. Never defrost turkey on the counter.
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Pomegranate Arugula Salad
Categories: Salads
Yield: 4 Servings
1/4 c Pomegranate Molasses
1/2 Lemon, juiced
2 tb Honey
2 tb Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 c Olive Oil
Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
6 c Lightly Packed Arugula
1 Pomegranate, seeds only
1/4 c Parmigiano-Reggiano Shavings
1/4 c Toasted Walnuts
1 Shallot, sliced
To make vinaigrette, combine molasses, lemon juice,
honey and vinegar in a mixing bowl and whisk to
combine. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while you
whisk to emulsify. Season, to taste, with salt
and pepper.
Toss salad ingredients together and dress with
the vinaigrette.
-----
Once thawed, keep turkey refrigerated at 40F degrees or below until it is ready to be cooked. Turkey thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Rum Glazed Turkey
Categories: Main Dish, Poultry
Yield: 8 Servings
22 lb Fresh Turkey, giblets removed,
- rinsed well and patted dry
1 c Butter, softened & divided
2 c Brown Sugar, divided
1/2 ts Ground Cinnamon
1/4 ts Freshly Ground Nutmeg
1/2 c Dark Rum
Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub
the cavity opening with salt and pepper. With your
fingers, carefully separate as much of the turkey's
skin from the breast, as you can, trying not to
puncture any holes in the skin as you go.
In a small mixing bowl stir together 8 tablespoons
of the softened butter with 1 cup of the brown
sugar. Smear about half of the softened butter
and sugar mixture over the breast under the skin.
Rub the remaining butter and sugar mixture all
over the turkey.
Roast the turkey about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, basting
often during the last hour of cooking with the
buttered rum glaze, or until an instant-read
thermometer inserted into the thickest part of
the turkey leg registers 155F degrees; it will
continue cooking for another 20 minutes or so
out of the oven. If the turkey skin starts to
get too dark, tent it with foil while it roasts.
While turkey is cooking, in a small saucepan
combine remaining 8 tablespoons of the butter
with 1 cup of the brown sugar, ground cinnamon,
freshly ground nutmeg, dark rum and a little
salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then lower
and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly
thickened and syrup-like, stirring often.
Transfer the turkey to a carving board to rest
and loosely tent with foil and allow to cool.
Brush the outside of the turkey with syrup
mixture to get a glazed look.
-----
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Categories: Side Dish, Vegetables
Yield: 4 Servings
2 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes,
- washed and quartered
4 tb Butter
3/4 c Heavy Cream
4 oz Blue Cheese, crumbled
Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Place potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with
cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil over
high heat. Reduce to medium and cook until fork
tender. Drain well. Add back to the pot that they
were cooked in.
Meanwhile, heat butter and cream until hot. Add
the crumbled blue cheese and stir together. Add
sauce to potatoes and mash until smooth. Season
with salt and pepper.
-----
Stuffing should be prepared and stuffed into the turkey immediately before it's placed in the oven for cooking. If preparing the stuffing ahead-of-time, wet and dry ingredients should be refrigerated separately and combined right before stuffing the turkey.
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Categories: Desserts
Yield: 6 Servings
21 oz Can Apple Pie Filling
9 in Graham Cracker Crust
16 oz Cream Cheese, room temp
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 ts Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1/4 c Caramel Topping
12 Pecan Halves
2 tb Chopped Pecans
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Reserve 3/4 cup of the apple filling; set aside.
Spoon the remaining filling into the crust. Beat
together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla
until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour
this over the pie filling.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center of
the cake is set. Cool to room temperature.
Mix the reserved pie filling and caramel topping in
a small saucepan and heat for about 1 minute, or
until spreadable. Spoon the apple-caramel mixture
over the top of the cheesecake and spread evenly.
Decorate the edge of the cake with pecan halves
and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Refrigerate the
cake until ready to serve.
-----
Stuff the turkey loosely, about 3/4 cup stuffing per pound of turkey. Use a two-step test for turkey doneness: First, insert a meat thermometer into the deepest portion of the thigh, not touching bone, and allow it to come to temperature for an accurate reading. Second, once the thigh has reached 180F degrees, move the thermometer to the center of the stuffing. Once the stuffing has reached 160F to 165F degrees , the turkey should be removed from the oven.