I wanted to make something a bit different for dinner than our usual fare. We love shrimp. I decided to lean toward Italian and made up this recipe.

Shrimp & Spinach Manicotti Rosa Alfredo

Ingredients

  ·         1 pound small shrimp, cleaned, peeled, with tail off

·         2 cups ricotta cheese

·         1 egg

·         1 ½ cups spinach, chopped

·         ½ cup onion, chopped or minced

·         1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

·         1  cup Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided

·         1 tsp garlic powder

·         Italian Seasonings

·         Salt and Pepper

·         A package (8 oz.) Manicotti

·         1 cup diced tomatoes

·         1 cup water

·         2 cups Alfredo Sauce

Directions 

 1.       Preheat oven to 350ºF

2.       In a large bowl combine shrimp, ricotta, egg, spinach, garlic powder, onion, half the cheese, seasonings, and salt and pepper. Mix well

3.       Fill Manicotti with ricotta mixture

4.       Place tomato juice and water on bottom of baking dish, top with filled manicotti

5.       Put tomatoes over manicotti

6.       Cover with Alfredo Sauce

7.       Bake for 45 minutes

8.       Remove from oven, top with remaining cheese

9.       Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes

Slow cooked Beef Brisket is a wonderful served at your family gathering, dinner party or just dinner tonight. My recipe braises the brisket to seal in the juices and ensure it is tender and tasty. 


Beef Brisket

Ingredients:
  ·         3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

·         2 1/2 pounds top brisket

·         2 tablespoons of your favorite spice blend or dry rub, divided

·         1 large onion, coarsely chopped

·         4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

·         3 cups beef stock or vegetable broth

·         One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved

·         Salt/Pepper

Directions:
1.       Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a large skillet.

2.       Season the brisket with1 tablespoon of the spice blend.

3.       Add the brisket to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat browned, about 5 minutes per side.

4.       Transfer the brisket to the slow cooker or roasting pan

5.       Heat remaining oil in skillet and sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).

6.       Stir in remaining spice blend

7.       Add 2 cups stock, tomatoes and juice

8.       Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally

9.       Pour over brisket

10.   Deglaze the pan with the remaining stock and pour over the brisket

11.   Cook on low for 3 ½- 4 hours in slow cooker or

Cover and bake at 325ºF for 2-3 hours

12.   Let rest in sauce 15 minutes before slicing.

It is time to plan for Thanksgiving and they don't call it Turkey Day for nuthin'! Making a turkey is not as difficult as you imagine. Here are some tips and a recipe for a juicy leave it and and forget it turkey.
First of all make sure you defrost your turkey in time. Thawing a turkey takes time to do it safely the best method is to place it in a pan in your refrigerator and give it 24 hours per 4-5 lbs. Yep that is 3 days for my 18 lb turkey! What if you forgot? Don't freak out. You can use the cold water method. Immerse your turkey (stilled sealed) breast side down in cold water. change the water every 30 minutes and it'll take about 30 minutes per pound, that is 9 hours for that 18 lb turkey so ... hopefully you'll remember to thaw it in the fridge.
Now that your Turkey is thawed, open the seal and drain the juices. Remove the giblets, gizzards and neck (most companies are nice enough to bag these for you and put them inside the turkey) Don't throw them away I have recipes for them!
Okay now you are ready to make your turkey. Do you want it stuffed or un-stuffed? I prefer mine stuffed. I have a friend who stuffs her turkey with root vegetables and that is really tasty. I use cornbread stuffing.
Here is my recipe for the turkey
Donna’s Famous Thanksgiving Turkey

 
In addition to the ingredients you will need a large cooking bag (Reynolds sells a good one) or a large brown grocery bag.  Using the bag does the job of automatically basting your turkey. Large roasting pan.
  INGREDIENTS:

·         1 18 lb. turkey, neck and giblets removed

·         1 stick or ¼ cup butter

·         2 tbsp. flour

·         2 tbsp. adobo complete seasoning (use seasonings of your choice, I like this mix)

·         2 onions chopped (optional)

·         ½ lb. carrots, peeled and cut in half (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Preheat oven to 350ºF

2.   Rub butter liberally on outside of entire turkey

3.   Apply seasonings

4.   Stuff turkey per your choice

5.   Put flour into large cooking bag (or a large brown paper bag if the cooking bag isn’t available) and shake

6.   Put turkey in bag and place in large roasting pan

7.   Surround with onions and carrots

8.   Bake for 15 minutes (unstuffed) or 20 minutes (stuffed) per pound

9.   Cut the top of the bag open for the last 30 minutes to give it a nice golden brown color


Use turkey thermometer, turkey is done when internal temperature reaches 165ºF

 

 

 

Mpm's Chopped Liver is staple at every Campbell holiday meal or party. People actually bring empty storage containers with them to make sure they can take some home. I have to make a quadruple batch just to ensure leftovers for everyone to enjoy the next day.
To me, she's Mom, to some she is Nana and to the rest of the family she is Aunt Zandy.

Aunt Zandy's Chopped Liver


Ingredients: 
  ·         1 lb chicken livers

·         1 medium onion

·         2 eggs

·         2 tbs chicken fat (you may use any oil)

·         salt/pepper to taste

Directions: 
 1.      Hard boil eggs

2.      Fry chicken livers in fat over medium to medium/high about 5 minutes until cooked through but still soft. (using too high a heat will cause a bad flavor and green color)

3.      Drain off fat and leave livers to cool

4.      Slice and chop onion

5.      Put cooled livers and onion and 1 egg in processor on chop speed for a “chopped” consistency or medium for a pâté consistency, (add small amount of the fat used to cook the livers if too dry to form the consistency you are looking for.)

6.      Put mix in serving bowl

7.      add salt/pepper to taste (lots of pepper is my preference)

8.      Grate 1 egg and cover the top of the chopped liver.

I got this recipe from my Grannie Fannie Miller Campbell. It is super easy and it tastes great. This is a good idea for Thanksgiving and other holiday meals, Sunday Dinner or any dinner during fall.
It can also be found in my Cookbook Comfort Food from the Campbell Family http://goo.gl/Jidgio

Peanut Butter Sweet Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

·         4 medium sweet potatoes

·         2/3 cup milk

·         ½ cup peanut butter

·         ¼ tsp. salt

·         Pepper to taste

·         1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Preheat Oven to 400ºF

2.   Bake potatoes for 45 minutes (or until tender)

3.   Split lengthwise, scoop out potato

4.   Mash thoroughly and beat in milk, peanut butter and salt and pepper

5.   Spoon into casserole dish

6.   Sprinkle with peanuts

7.   Return to oven for 10 more minutes

It's time to begin planning the Thanksgiving menu! Today I will post my cousin Keri Walker's recipe for Candied Sweet Potatoes. They're super easy to make and come out delicious. They are found on page 116 of my cookbook Comfort Food from the Campbell Family http://goo.gl/Jidgio

Keri’s Candied Sweet Taters


INGREDIENTS:

·         6-8 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped

·         2 cups sugar[1]

·         1 cup brown sugar[2]

·         1 tbsp. vanilla

·         1 stick butter

·         ½ gallon of water

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Bring water, sugar, vanilla, brown sugar and butter to rolling boil

2.   Add sweet potatoes

3.   Continue on high heat for about 15 minutes until potatoes are tender

4.   Reduce heat to low and continue cooking until syrup is thick

 
 



[1] In lieu of white and brown sugar use 3 cups raw sugar


[2] Raw sugar is a healthier choice since both white and brown sugar have been bleached and processed.

Cornish Game Hen doesn’t have to be some difficult thing to make. It is actually very easy and makes dinner an experience as well as a meal. Are you looking for just the right dinner party meal? Are you making a romantic dinner? Cornish Game hen is simple and doesn’t fail to impress.

I personally like to split one hen between two people because my parents have smaller appetites but I will include recipes for split or whole birds.

Split Cornish Game Hen over Dressing

Ingredients:
  ·         1 Cornish game hen

·         2 tbsp. and 2 tbsp. Butter, divided

·         Dash Rosemary, ground

·         Dash Sage, ground

·         Dash Thyme, ground

·         ¾ cup Chicken broth

·         1 cup Bread, cubed

·         ½ onion, chopped

·         1 piece of celery, chopped

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350ºF

2.       Place cubed bread in one layer on baking sheet – use any kind of bread or a mixture of breads.

3.       Bake for 10 minutes or until dry and golden.

4.       Mix together rosemary, sage and thyme

5.       Combine 2 tbsp. butter, ½ seasoning mix, bread cubes, onions, celery, and broth in baking dish

6.       Cut hen in half

7.       Spread butter on skin side and under skin of the hen

8.       Rub remaining season on skin side

9.       Place on top of dressing

10.   Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165º


OR
Stuffed Cornish Game Hen

Ingredients: ·         2 Cornish Game Hens

·         ½ tsp Rosemary

·         ½ tsp Thyme

·         ½ tsp Sage

·          4 tbsp. and 4 tbsp. Butter, divided

·         ¾  cup Chicken broth

·         1 cup Bread, cubed

·         ½ onion, chopped

·         1 piece of celery, chopped

Directions: 1.       Preheat Oven to 350ºF

2.       Place cubed bread in one layer on baking sheet – use any kind of bread or a mixture of breads.

3.       Bake for 10 minutes or until dry and golden.

4.       Decrease oven temp to 325ºF

5.       Mix together rosemary, sage and thyme

6.       Combine 4 tbsp. butter, ½ seasoning mix, bread cubes, onions, celery, and broth in bowl

7.       Rub butter and remaining seasoning mix onto the skin of the hens and ender the skin of the hens.

8.       Stuff the birds with dressing and place remaining mixture in baking dish or roasting pan

9.       Place hens in baking dish or roasting pan over dressing and cover

10.   Bake for 1 ½ hours

11.   Remove cover increase oven temp to 450ºF and bake an additional 10 minutes for a golden crispier skin

12.   Make sure inner temp is 165ºF

If you don’t want the bread stuffing you can stuff it with a vegetable mix something like root vegetables. Parsnips, carrots, and celery are delicious roasted with the hens.

It may roast nice and slow but this delicious tender roast will go quickly. Perfect for Sunday Dinner. You can even prepare it the night before, let sit in marinate in the fridge over night and you don't have to take time away from the family when you put it in the oven the next day.

Lani's Slow Pork Roast

 

Ingredients:
  ·         1 pork roast

·         ½ cup ketchup

·         ½ cup grape jelly

·         ¼ cup mustard

·         1 tsp Worcestershire's sauce

·         1 clove garlic minced

·         1 onion chopped, divided

·         salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 325ºF

2.      Mix ketchup, grape jelly, mustard, Worcestershire's sauce, garlic, ½ chopped onion to create marinade

3.      Line roasting pan with foil, leaving enough to completely wrap roast

4.      place roast in pan

5.      pour marinade over roast

6.      and put remaining onion over the top

7.      seal foil around roast

8.      marinade for 1 hour or longer

9.      cook at 325 F for 2 hours (Adjust for size of roast about 45 minutes per pound).

10.  uncover and cook for an additional 30 minutes