The Holidays Begin

Busy times around here for the last couple of weeks as Thanksgiving came and went. Getting ready for everyone to come home for the holiday was fun. There was even snow the day before Thanksgiving. What a way to start the holiday! We had a full house, with someone sleeping in every room. Little Sister was excited to have a "big girl bed" (also known as an air mattress) to sleep on this time. It felt like our house had a revolving door for a few days as everyone hurried here and there trying to visit with other family.

But some of our best times were the "in between" times when we had a few minutes to enjoy each other. Little Sister and Daddy-O had the best impromptu jam session, with Little Sister fully in charge.

Thanksgiving Day was spent with extended family. We loved sampling all the good dishes that everyone brought. The only downside of this kind of celebration is that we don't have turkey leftovers to nibble on for the next week. This year I remedied that by putting a turkey breast in the slow cooker as we left for the family dinner. When we got home, we had turkey for sandwiches like everyone else! I have cooked turkey breasts in the crockpot before, but this recipe was a little different. I liked it this way.

TURKEY BREAST in the SLOW COOKER

4-6 lb. turkey breast

2 cups white wine (or apple juice or chicken broth)

1 onion, peeled & quartered

1/4 cup butter

1-2 celery stalks, halved

handful of parsley (optional)

salt & pepper, to taste

Wash the turkey breast and pat dry. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Place it breast-side down in 6-qt. crockpot. Add onion, celery, parsley, and butter into the cavity. Pour wine over the top of turkey breast. Cook on HIHG for 4-6 hours or LOW for 7-9 hours. (Internal temperature should read 170 degrees on a meat thermometer.)

When I was growing up, one of my favorite things was when my mother cooked a hen (or turkey) and made a hen mulligan with the last of the leftovers. I liked it better than the turkey dinner in the beginning. This is the kind of recipe that should be considered a "guideline" rather than one requiring exact measurement. These are the amounts my mother wrote down for me, but I'm sure she never measured anything. 

HEN (TURKEY) MULLIGAN

2-3 cups cooked hen or turkey, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped fine

3 medium potatoes, peeled & diced

3-4 cups water or broth (if using canned broth, use a mix of broth & water)

3 tablespoons butter

1 (15-oz) can cream-style corn (I used an 8-oz can this time)

Mix all ingredients, except corn, in a large pot. Cook until potatoes and onions are done. Stir in corn and heat thoroughly.   

We took time to give thanks for everyone being together for a few days and then getting back home safely. Now, to start Christmas preparations. We hope we have everyone back here in a few weeks. Maybe Santa will make a stop at the farm!