My Cooking Adventures

From: Better Homes & Garden special issue - Holiday Cooking

Time: start to finish, 20 minutes
Makes: about 2 1/4 cups

Pan drippings from roasted turkey, goose, or chicken
Chicken broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp apple brandy, brandy, or chicken broth
1 tbsp snipped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1 tbsp snipped fresh sage or 1 tsp dried sage, crushed
Salt
Ground black pepper
Sprig of fresh thyme (optional)

**These are the directions from the magazine; but just an fyi, I basically just took these things and started throwing them together, and it turned out great. I am no expert at thanksgiving cooking, so the whole fat-separating-pan-drippings-idea was hard for me to figure out!

Pour pan drippings from roasted bird pan into a fat separator or a large glass measuring cup. If using a fat separator, pour off fat into a glass measuring cup. (If using a large measuring cup, use a spoon to skim and reserve fat from the drippings.) Pour 1/4 cup of the fat* into a medium saucepan; discard remaining fat.

Add enough chicken broth to the drippings to equal 2 cups liquid. Stir flour into fat in the saucepan. Stir drippings mixture all at once into flour mixture in the saucepan. Stir in brandy, thyme and sage. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Pour gravy into a gravy boat or bowl. If desired, garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
*Note: If there is no fat, use 1/4 cup melted butter.

From: Cooking Light Nov 2008 issue

3 lbs baking potatoes, cut into pieces
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pamigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with cold water to 2 inches above. Add 1/4 tsp salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 mins or until tender; drain. Return the potatoes to pan over low heat; add remaining 1 tsp salt and butter to pan. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Add cheese and pepper to potato mixture; stir until cheese melts. Stir in milk; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in parsley.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. (I test in several places.) If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.