main dishes

Main Dishes

New Orleans Red Beans & Rice

1 lb. bag red beans, soaked in cold water over night, rinsed and drained.
1 lb. link sausage sliced in 1/4 inch slices
(Bryan's Smokey Hollow or Hillshire Farms precooked pork is best)
1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
2 bunches green onions chopped
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Creole seasoning

Cover red beans with fresh cold water, add dry seasonings,
bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a slow boil
( a little faster than simmer),
and cook until beans are tender but not mushy.
Add the sausage, bell pepper and green onions,
and cook for about 20 more minutes until peppers are tender.
Serve over rice.
(Serves about 8 people)
Cheryl

Savory Seasoned Turkey Breast

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic salt
1-2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 (5-5-1/2 lb.) turkey breast

Combine olive oil and lemon juice. Mix next 4 ingredients
together. Rinse and dry breast. Pull skin back from each side
toward center and brush liquid mixture over breast. Sprinkle on
herb mixture. Pull skin back over breast. Place a halved onion and
1 rib celery, cut in thirds, under breast in pan or on rack of
smoker. Roast or smoke as desired for length of time specified for
weight of breast.
Judy

Marie Louise's Turkey and Gravy

1. Several hours or the night before cooking, make a medium paste
of dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, a little vinegar
and salt and pepper. Rub the turkey inside and out with the paste.
2. At cooking time, place in the cavity one onion, halved, and 2
ribs of celery, halved, and a little parsley.
3. Across the breast of the turkey, place 2 strips of bacon and
stick hunks of butter in the crevices between the leg and body.
4. Soak cheesecloth or an old dishtowel in olive oil and lay it
over the turkey and place turkey on a rack in an uncovered roaster
pan. Add 2 cups chicken broth to roaster. Bake according to
following table at 300 degrees:
10-15 lbs., 20 minutes per lb., 15-18 lbs., 18 minutes per lb.
18-20 lbs., 15 minutes per lb., 20-23 lbs., 13 minutes per lb.
5. Baste turkey only once or twice during cooking. Check for
doneness with meat thermometer.
GRAVY: While turkey is cooking, simmer neck and giblets in 4-5
cups of water with 2 ribs of celery, finely chopped, 1 small onion,
finely chopped, one bay leaf and salt and pepper. Meanwhile, make a
roux of 2 Tbsp. oil and 2 Tbsp. flour. Cook, stirring constantly,
until medium brown. Do not burn! Add 1 small onion, chopped, 1 rib
of celery, chopped, one bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Saut�
until vegetables are soft. Add 3-4 cups of strained giblet stock
and cook until thickened to your liking. Simmer 20 minutes. Add
chopped giblets if desired. This can be halved or increased to make
as much gravy as you want.
Judy

Apricot-Sausage Stuffing

Brown and crumble 1 lb. of sausage. Saut� 2 cups chopped celery and
1-1/2 cups chopped onion in 1/2 cup margarine or butter. In a large
bowl, combine 1 (8 oz.) pkg. of herb stuffing mix and 1 (8 oz) pkg.
of cornbread stuffing mix, 2 cans of apricots, chopped (with
liquid), 3/4 cups chopped walnuts, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1
Tbsp. poultry seasoning. Mix in sausage and saut�ed vegetables.
Add chicken broth until moist but not wet or runny. Lightly pack
into large baking pan. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Uncover and bake another 10-20 minutes until lightly browned..
Judy