Big Joe’s Recipe Box Archives
In keeping with enjoying my favorite time of the year and sharing with you my favorite recipe's for a great holiday dinner I've included some ideas for that enjoyable gathering. We'll be updating these recipes each week, so check back and enjoy preparing these dishes for your friends and family! E-mail me back with any questions and let me know how you like it.
APPETIZERS
BIG JOE'S MAMA'S SALAMI ROLL UP'S
Great to put out as guests arrive, great flavor! Mom used to make this at all the Thanksgiving feasts!
1/2 - 3/4 lb – Good Italian salami outside skin removed thinly sliced
1 tub – Softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 jar – Vlasic sandwich sliced pickles (flat kind)
On each piece of salami spread a thin layer of cream cheese, place sandwich pickle in middle, cut off extended pickle that is hanging over side of salami, roll up place on plate and enjoy! Simple and tasty!
BIG JOE'S CLASSIC CRAB COCKTAIL DIP
1 tub – Philadelphia Cream Cheese
2 jars – cocktail sauce, the good stuff ( I add more horseradish to make it a little more exciting)
1/2 - 3/4 pound – fresh crab meat ( I go to my local seafood store and get the good stuff, it makes a difference)
1 box – Triscuits, the big ones, of course!
Pepper To Taste
With knife, slowly and carefully remove cream cheese from tub, go around the shape of the container with the knife keeping the shape as close to the form of container as possible. Remove cream cheese and place in the center of the serving plate. In a mixing bowl mix the doctored cocktail sauce with fresh crab meat, making sure that all crab pieces are well covered, pepper to taste. Slowly spoon most of the mixture on top of the molded cream cheese, covering entire mold, retain extra cocktail sauce for refreshing cream cheese mold later. Surround covered mold with Triscuits and enjoy! I usually serve this with a butter knife, makes it easier.
SIDE DISHES
BIG JOE'S BIG STUFFING
Prep time: 20 minutes
Standing time 1hour or longer if possible ( I prepare this early Thanksgiving morning)
Cooking time: 30 - 45 minutes
Stuffing for large turkey and enough for a pan for the table (about 8 - 10 people)
I like to start with Pepperidge Farm Herb "cubed" Stuffing Mix as a base for this tasty stuffing
INGREDIENTS:
2 - 3 packages – Pepperidge Farm Herb Flavored Stuffing Mix Cubed
2 tubes – Jimmy Dean sausage ( I like one tube spicy and one tube mild and mix)
4 cans – low salt chicken broth
1 package – button mushrooms cleaned sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
4 to 6 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup – Apple Cider
1 teaspoon each of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme, yeah just like the song!
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 1/2 sticks of butter
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Aluminum casserole pan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a big pot over med-high heat start cooking the sausage breaking it up with wooden spoon. Add garlic, butter, spices let cook until sausage is almost completely cooked add celery, onion continue to sauté then add mushrooms, sauté for three to four minutes. Add chicken both, increase heat under pot until mixture has a slow boil, add apple cider. Mix in Pepperidge Farm Stuffing turn off heat under pot. Mix thoroughly and let sit for 1 hour (I like to let it sit longer in covered pot because all the flavors marry well into the stuffing, you can even cover, refrigerate and leave overnight!) Loosely stuff the bird right before putting it in the oven, bake the remainder of stuffing in an aluminum pan for about 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees and Enjoy!
NOTE: I don't use water to mix the stuffing although the recipe on the Pepperidge Farm stuffing bags call for it. I substitute with chicken broth.
BIG JOE'S "TOO SWEET" POTATOES
¼ cup – frozen orange juice concentrate, still frozen
½ cup – maple syrup
¼ cup – molasses Prep Time: 15 Minutes
1 ½ sticks of butter Cook Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
1 tsp – cinnamon Serves: 12-14
1 tsp – pumpkin spice
1 dash – vanilla extract
1 cup – brown sugar
10 – 12 sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, halved, then cut into 8’s.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sauce pan, heat all ingredients except the potatoes. Bring to a slow boil, constantly stirring. Place sliced potatoes in a well greased baking dish. Pour the mixture generously over the potatoes, generously covering them. Place the dish uncovered into the over heated at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover the potatoes again with the mixture. Cover the dish with foil and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover the potatoes with the mixture again. Cook for another 30 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven to cool for 10 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!
BIG JOE'S MUSHY POTATOES WITH SOUR CREAM & CHIVES
3 pounds – Yukon gold potatoes (about 16 medium) unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup – chicken broth, warmed
1 cup – sour cream Prep Time: 15 minutes
4 ½ tablespoons – chopped fresh chives Cook Time: 22 minutes
½ cup – half and half of whole milk Serves: 12
1 stick of butter cut into quarters
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place potatoes in a steamer basket fitted over a large pot of boiling water. Cover and steam for about 22 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Coarsely mash the potatoes and combine the broth, milk, and butter. Stir in the sour cream and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot and enjoy!!
COUSIN LAURIE'S WORLD FAMOUS BROCCOLI BAKE
This dish was always a fan favorite amongst my nieces and nephew, I made both these vegetable dishes and they love them, so do I!
2 – 10 oz Packages Chopped Broccoli
1 can – Cream of Mushroom Soup
½ cup – Hellmann's Mayonnaise
1 Egg
1 Small Onion, Grated
1 cup – Grated Sharp Cheese
1 package – Pepperidge Farm Seasoned Stuffing
½ cup – Butter
Cook broccoli keeping it al dente', drain. Beat egg lightly. Then put into 3 quart casserole. Combine soup, mayonnaise, onion and cheese then mix. Toss stuffing with melted butter , spoon over Broccoli. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
COUSIN LAURIE'S SWISS VEGETABLE MEDLEY
1 bag – 16oz Frozen Broccoli, Carrots, and Cauliflower Combination, Thawed and Drained
1 can – 10 ¾ oz Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup – 4 oz Shredded Swiss Cheese
1/3 cup – Sour Cream
¼ teaspoon – Durkee Ground Black Pepper
1 jar – 4 oz Chopped Pimiento, Drained (optional)
1 can – 2.8 oz Durkee French Fried Onions
Combine vegetables, soup, ½ cup cheese, sour cream, pepper, pimiento, and ½ can Durkee French Fried Onions. Pour into a 1 quart casserole dish. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes and enjoy.
MAIN COURSE
THE BIG TURKEY
I found that a fresh turkey is my favorite but the old Butterball works ok too. Rinse the turkey well and make sure that you remove the gizzards and neck, dry the cavity and bird. I make a butter "paste" out of 2 sticks of room temperature softened butter, mixed with a teaspoon each of rosemary, sage salt, pepper and thyme. Mix butter and spices with a fork make sure that all spices are well blended. Spread the mixture with a soft spatula underneath the skin of the turkey breast, be careful not to tear the skin. Leave some of the mixture for the outside of turkey smear generously over the skin. If you are not stuffing the turkey I salt the inside of the cavity with kosher salt and add a coarsely chopped onion two celery stalks and a sprig of rosemary and leave that in the bird while it cooks.
Cooking the big bird: I use a wire v-rack with about 1 cup of chicken broth in the pan to catch the drippings. The rule of thumb is 20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. In the last hour I crank the oven to 450 and let it get nice and crisp, make sure you baste well before this process. Once cooked remove the turkey and let stand for at least 30 minutes longer if the turkey is a big one. Slice and enjoy!
BIG JOE'S DELICIOUS GRAVY
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
2 stalks of celery coarsely chopped
4 cans chicken broth
1 box sliced button mushrooms
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon Gravy Master
pan drippings from turkey in oven
1 teaspoon each of sage, parsley, rosemary & thyme, salt & pepper
1 bay leaf
In a sauce pan, sauté mushrooms with 1 stick of butter cook remove and set aside, add spices, onions, celery, rosemary, chicken broth, and the gizzards and neck from the turkey. Bring to a slow boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Add gravy master. Add pan drippings from turkey pan, and mix well. Strain liquid from the pan removing all vegetables gizzards and neck. Before putting liquid back into sauce pan, make a rue from flour and 1/4 cup of strained liquid in sauce pan, slowly add back strained liquid whisking constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve. Enjoy!
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