Christmas Time...

It's time to start thinking about the menu you would like to have for Christmas dinner.  Our menu this year will be simple since it will be a very small gathering.  A sliced spiral ham, pork loin with white rice for the gravy, creamed garlic potatoes, roasted asparagus, green bean casserole, rolls and apple pie. Seems simple and complete.  Bon Appetit!

Turkey Breast Basting Sauce



First Turkey Breast I have ever done...and I must say, I should have done my own turkey years ago. One of my old neighbors always did the turkey in a bag for our shared Thanksgiving dinner.  None of us had the heart to tell her that it was always dry, mealy and pale. Meanwhile, I would do the pork roast and ham for the dinner.

So, don't be lazy and use that bag! Tent foil your bird and baste it often. This turkey breast is absolutely delicious, juicy and brown (so says hubbie, daughter and company).  This came out so mahvelous, so I am sharing the basting sauce with you.  Bon Appetit!

HERB BUTTER BASTING SAUCE

1/2 c. melted butter, 1/4 c. lemon juice, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. minced green onions, 1 tsp. dried whole sage, crushed 1 tsp. dried whole thyme, 1 tsp. dried whole marjoram, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper Combine the first 9 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and baste turkey breast often.

It's Turkey Time!!!

An easy way to defrost your turkey is in your kitchen sink.  Fill your sink with water covering the plastic wrapped turkey.

Thaw in water 1/2 hour for each pound two days before Thanksgiving (changing water frequently).  Then refrigerate.  Take out Thursday morning, stuff, inject or both~!  Season the turkey, then rub the turkey with paprika which gives it that golden brown colour when cooked.

Foil tent and place in a shallow pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes per pound or until the juices run clear or the little "cooked button" pops up!  Bon Appetit!

Fudge

This recipe is from a dear friend, Renee S.   Our "Roux" doesn't have a fudge recipe in its contents, although there is a Fudge Brownie recipe on page 53,

named Old Fashion Brownies ( a cake like fudge). So, here is the best fudge recipe in the world for you to enjoy!

Chocolate Fudge 

4 Tbs. cocoa powder

2 C sugar

1 C evaporated milk

1 tsp.  white Karo syrup

¼ tsp. salt

2 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 C toasted chopped pecans

Put all but vanilla and nuts in saucepan.  Cook to 240 degrees (soft ball).  Stir occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Cool a bit (10 or so minutes).  Add vanilla. Beat until stiff and losing gloss.*  Add nuts.  Pour into greased pan and spread with spatula.  Let set.

*This is the tricky part.  You have to watch it closely.  If you add the nuts too soon, it won’t set up properly and will stay gooey.  If you wait too long, it will seize and harden before you can spread it in the pan.  I beat the fudge with an electric hand mixer on low speed under a bright light so I can see it well.  As soon as the mixture starts to lose its high gloss, begins to have a slight dullness to its surface, that’s when to add the nuts.

I put the nuts in the microwave for 30 seconds just before I start beating the fudge, so they’re warm when I add them.  That helps to keep the fudge at the right consistence until I can pour and spread it in the pan.

It takes a little practice to get it just right, but it is SO worth the effort.  You may want to beat the fudge by hand the first few times you make it, that way it’s easier to detect the change from glossy to slightly dull you’re watching for.

Enjoy!



Prepping your Holiday Feast!

Well we shared the grocery list and the menu...now here is the prep week for Thanksgiving!  Hope you are blessed and happy during all of the holidays!

Monday
1  Turkey breast - Put in refrigerator so it can begin to defrost.
2  Hormel spiral cut ham - Put in refrigerator so it can begin to defrost.
3  Chop all seasonings and place in ziplock bags in refrigerator for quick use.

Wednesday,
1  Defrost Pork Tenderloin, season, wrap in foil and place in refrigerator.
2  Brown  seasoned 1 lb of ground pork and 1 lb of ground chuck beef and refrigerate.
3  Prepare Yam Bake in casserole dish; place in refrigerator. (Add marshmallows Thursday before baking.)
4  Prepare Green Bean Casserole; place in refrigerator. (Add onion topping Thursday before baking.)
Thursday 5AM
Cook 6 cups of rice.
Begin preparing your FEAST!
Bon Appetit!

Menu: Turkey Breast, Pork tenderloin with white rice and gravy, Baked  ham, Dirty Rice, Yam bake, Green Bean Casserole, Dinner rolls and Pumpkin Pie!

All of these recipes are in Roux!  Bon Appetit!

Thanksgiving Menu and Shopping List:

Well, I have purchased everything for Thanksgiving dinner...so maybe to help you decide your menu and your shopping list I have shared mine with you!
A turkey breast which seems huge,
A small pork tenderloin,
Hormel spiral cut ham,
1 lb of ground pork and 1 lb of ground chuck beef
5 lbs of rice
2 cans of sweet potatoes, marshmallows, dark brown sugar,
2 cans of whole green beans, large can of fried onions, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup,
2 large cans of pumpkin
2 pastry crusts (I am cheating this year)
Evaporated milk
2 lbs of butter
1 can of whole cranberries
Seasonings

Our menu is:   Turkey Breast, Pork tenderloin with white rice and gravy, Baked Ham, Dirty Rice, Yam bake, Green Bean Casserole, Dinner rolls and Pumpkin Pie!

All of these recipes are in Roux!  Bon Appetit!

Christmas Gifts...

For the last 30 years we have given an open house...and many of our friends put gifts under our tree with sentiments.  But, one year we received this beautiful Peridot ornament with no name attached...wherever it came from is still a mystery after all of these years to us...but, it has a special place in our home every Christmas...it is highlighted on a beautiful hanger, standing alone, in all of its beauty.  I would love to know who gave us such a special gift of love.

Pain Perdu/Lost Bread/French Toast!

It is that time of the year when the sweet smell of Pain Perdu can literally float you out of bed for breakfast!

This recipe is on page 36.

4-6 slices of stale bread, white or French bread
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
Butter
Maple or corn syrup
Confectioner's sugar

Beat eggs, sugar and cinnamon together. Dip bread into mixture coating both sides and fry on a hot buttered grill turning once.

Drizzle syrup over the bread and dust with confectioner's sugar.

As mentioned before, Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes, are now on sale at the West Baton Rouge Museum Gift Shop.  We officially signed a contract and you can purchase them now there, at Plantation Pecan in the Main Street Market in downtown Baton Rouge, and mail order. 

We have pre-orders for Christmas but we have a limited supply and cannot ship until we have your purchase money.

So, think Christmas!  Get your orders in and your Christmas/Hannukah presents bought and wrapped...then relax and put your feet up with a hot cup of Cafe Au Lait!  Bon Appetit!

Time for list making and shopping!

 It is time to make a grocery list for all of your cookie recipes.  Purchase them now so they can be on hand the days that you want to bake.

Cookies can be frozen up to four months, so, you can start now and have cookies throughout the  holidays.

The cookies we make every year for the holidays are Peanut Butter, Cocoons, Peanut Butter balls, Chocolate Chip, Pecan Crispies, Whisky Balls, Christmas Cookies (which is a rolled out, cookie cutter, sugar cookie) and Aunt Lily's Holiday cookies.  These recipes can be found in the Cookies and Candy section of Roux! Bon Appetit!