Category: Recipes

Espagnole Sauce–Beef Gravy

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Espagnole Sauce–Beef Gravy

Servings: 10 cups
Author: Jara Wilson–Wicked Prepared

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cornstarch
  • 3 cups instant milk
  • 1 cup beef bouillon
  • 1 cup tomato powder

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients with a whisk.
  • Store in an airtight jar.
  • To use, mix 1/6 cup (2 tsp) mix with one cup water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until desired consistency is achieved.

Notes

Author believes this mix is a close substitute for Thrive Life Espagnole.

Veloute Sauce-Chicken Gravy

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Veloute Sauce-Chicken Gravy

Servings: 10 cups

Ingredients

  • 5 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups instant milk
  • 1 1/4 cups corn starch
  • 1 1/4 cups chicken bouillon
  • 1 1/4 cups butter powder
  • 5 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 1/2 tsp ground thyme
  • 2 1/2 tsp ground rosemary
  • 1 tsp turmeric, for color

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients with a whisk.
  • Store in an airtight jar.
  • To use, mix 1/4 cup mix with 1 cup water. Whisk together over medium heat until desired consistency is achieved.

Notes

Author does not believe this mix is a close substitute to Thrive Life Veloute. 

Amish Friendship Bread

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Amish Friendship Bread

Ingredients

Bread ingredients:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 5 oz box vanilla instant pudding

Instructions

  • Day 1 Do nothing. This is the date on the bag your received.
  • Day 2 Mush the bag.
  • Day 3 Mush the bag.
  • Day 4 Mush the bag.
  • Day 5 Mush the bag.
  • Day 6 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mush the bag.
  • Day 7 Mush the bag.
  • Day 8 Mush the bag.
  • Day 9 Mush the bag.
  • Day 10 Mix and divide the starter and bake your two loaves.

Dividing the Starter

  • Pour entire contents of the starter bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Mix well. Measure out 4 separate starter bags by pouring 1 cup batter into 4 separate 1 gallon ziplocl baggies. Mark each bag with that days date. Keep one for yourself and give three to friends.

Baking your bread:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees and add the following to the remaining batter.
  • Grease 2 large loaf pans and dust the greased pans with additional mixed sugar and cinnamon. Divide batter between the two pans.
  • Bake for 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from the pans and remove the loaves.
  • Serve warm or cold.
  • If you keep a starter for yourself, you wlil bake every 10 days. Bread freezes very well.

Sloppy Joes

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Sloppy Joes

Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  • Worcestershirt sauce
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 8 kaiser rolls
  • 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dry ground mustard
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp butter, softened

Instructions

  • Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain off the ft.
  • Add in the green peppers and onions. Stir, and then add 1 cup water, the ketchup, and garlic. Stir it to combine, and then add the brown sugra, chili powder, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce, Worcestershir, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat, about 20 minutes.
  • To serve, spread the rolls with the butter and brown them on a griddle or in a skillet. Spoon a good amount of the meat mixture onto the bottom rolls, and then top with the other half.

Foolproof Turkey Gravy

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Foolproof Turkey Gravy

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time3 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup turkey pan drippings
  • 1/4 cup butter or bacon fat
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Pour the turkey drippings in a fat separator. Set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or bacon fat over medium-high heat.
  • Add flour and roast the lour, whisking constantly, until golden brown with a nutty aroma, about 2 minutes.
  • Slowly pour in pan drippings through a fine mesh strainer, leaving the layer of fat in the cup. Add the chicken stock while continuously whisking.
  • Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer until desired thickness is reached, whisking occasionally. Keep in mind, gravy also thickens a sit cools.
  • Serve immediately.
  • Make-ahead note: The gravy can be made up to 5 days in advance. Obviously you won't have pan drippings yet, but you can make the gravy without it and add the pan drippings when you reheat the gravy on Thanksgiving day.

Green Bean Casserole

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Green Bean Casserole

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time44 minutes
Course: Side Dish

Ingredients

  • 2 10 oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 24 oz green beans, canned or fresh
  • 8 slices bacon, diced
  • 2 cups fresh mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup half and half
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 1/2 cups French Fried Onions, divided, (save 1/2 cup for topping)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • If using fresh green beans, boil water in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook green beans for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
  • If using canned green beans, drain and set aside.
  • Fry diced bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined wiht paper towels. Leave about 1 tbsp of bacon grease in the skillet, removing excess.
  • ADd mushrooms to the leftover bacon grease and cook for several minutes or until they begin to soften. Add minced garlic to the pan and continue to cook with the miushrooms for 2-3 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of the fried onions and a handful of bacon pieces. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish and smooth the top.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbling.
  • Add remaining fried onions and bacon on top of casserole and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Perfect Turkey Gravy

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Perfect Turkey Gravy

Prep Time10 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup turkey pan drippings
  • 2 cups chicken broth or turkey stock
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp freshly minced thyme
  • 1 tsp freshly minced sage

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook until golden, 1 minute, then whisk in pan drippings. (If you have more than a cup of drippings, use it and reduce the amount of broth.)
  • Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently until slightly thickened.
  • Stir in fresh herbs, then whisk in 1 cup broth and return mixture to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Simmer 10 minutes, gradually adding more broth if gravy is too thick. Adjust seasoning.

Rich and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

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Rich and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time7 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 12

Equipment

  • Electric mixer

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs russet potatoes, about 7 large, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Place the cut potatoes in a large pot and fill the pot with water, covering potatoes.
  • Place the pan on the stovetop on medium-high heat.
  • Allow the water to come to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium.
  • Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
  • Drain the water from the potatoes.
  • Mash the potatoes by hand or with an electric mixer.
  • Add the cream cheese, butter, whipping cream, and salt.
  • Gently fold the potatoes using a rubber spatula until they are smooth and creamy. Do not mix too hard or potatoes will lose fluffiness.
  • Serve warm. Mashed potatoes can be held in a slow cooker before serving. Scrape sides often to prevent browning.