Up until about twelve years ago we traveled every Thanksgiving to spend it with family out-of-state.  Once we decided we would start our own traditions by celebrating the holiday at home, I pulled this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine and have been making it every year since then.  An article last week on the website Serious Eats suggested using leftover stuffing as hash with  poached eggs.  That's exactly what I did and I liked it enough to consider it a contender for my upcoming New Years Day brunch.  To approximately 8 cups of leftover stuffing, I added additional chicken broth to moisten and two beaten eggs.  I melted butter in a large sauté pan and pan-fried the stuffing over medium-high heat.  Once I had a nice crusty bottom, I turned the stuffing to brown on the other side.  Topped with a poached egg, it was a delicious light supper. 

                    SAUSAGE, APPLE and DRIED CHERRY STUFFING
                                    adapted from Bon Appetit

• 12 cups good quality bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (casings removed)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 6 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 2 cups diced celery
• 4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 cup dried sour cherries (add additional if you love them as much as I do)
• 4 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary
• 2/3 cup chopped, fresh Italian parsley
• 3 eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups (approximately) canned, low-salt chicken broth

1.  Preheat oven to 350˚ F.  Divide bread cubes between two large baking sheets.  Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.  COOL completely.
2.  Sauté sausage over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely.  Transfer the sausage to a large bowl.  Pour off any drippings.  Melt butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to skillet; sauté until leeks soften.  Mix in dried cherries and rosemary.  Add mixture to sausage, then mix in bread and parsley.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  (This can be prepared one day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.)  Mix eggs into stuffing.  Mix enough chicken broth into stuffing to moisten.  Spoon into a buttered baking dish.  Cover with buttered foil and bake at 350˚ F for about 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes longer. 

This delicious lemon roasted chicken has returned a second year to our Thanksgiving Day menu.  In addition to the lemon juice marinade, the gremolata made with lemon zest and shallots tucked under the skin and rubbed over the chicken creates a heavenly flavor!   I can guarantee you won't be disappointed and you won't miss the turkey!  Susan

                          ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN                                      

                   (From Martha Stewart Living  May 1999)

1/3 cup coarse salt

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 five-pound roasting chicken

Gremolata

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

8 fresh, or dried bay leaves

4 lemons, quartered lengthwise, plus 3 lemons halved (optional)


In a small bowl, combine salt and lemon juice. Loosen the skin of the chicken from the flesh. Rub mixture under the skin and in the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag; chill at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse all of the salt off the chicken with cold water; pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine gremolata and softened butter. Rub two-thirds of the gremolata mixture under the chicken's skin; rub the rest on the outside. Stuff the cavity with the bay leaves and the quartered lemons. Place chicken in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Tuck the tips of the wings under the bottom of the bird. Transfer pan to oven. After 40 minutes, baste. If using lemon halves, place in pan, cut side down. Cover chicken with a 14-by-18-inch piece of aluminum foil. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Cook, basting occasionally, until the skin is crisp and golden, 40 to 45 minutes more. The juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced; an instant-read thermometer should register 170 degrees.in the deepest part of the thigh when done. Serve warm or at room temperature.


     GREMOLATA MIXTURE     

Zest of 6 lemons, grated or finely chopped

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped roughly fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped shallots (about 2 medium shallots)

 
On a cutting board, chop lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and shallots until well combined.


 

We celebrated a lovely Thanksgiving this past Thursday.  It has truly become my favorite holiday.  Being in my kitchen for several days cooking for this meal gives me great satisfaction.  And this Thanksgiving we were joined by our favorite neighbors, which made it all the more special.

    Both of my daughters were with us, and another very good friend!

This year I brined the turkey for the first time, and I will do it again next year.  It was, in my opinion, the best turkey I ever made.  We had Parker House Rolls...

and Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Homemade Marshmallows.  For those of you who turn up your nose to sweet potatoes with marshmallows, try these!  It is the most talked about and most anticipated dish on my holiday table.  It is the leftover that disappears from the refrigerator before anything else.  And every year I put it under the broiler at the last minute while I'm madly dashing around... and forget about it.  It still tasted delicious.