Hot Turkey Hustle Up

Aunt Kathie used to make this after-Thanksgiving casserole pretty regularly. And someone in the family (not sure if it was Jon, Tom, David, Lisa or all four at one time or another) started calling it Hot Turkey Hurl Up, which still makes me giggle.

HOT TURKEY HURL HUSTLE UP
4 cups cooked turkey, chopped
2 cups celery, finely chopped
2 T. lemon juice
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds
1/4 (2 oz.) jar pimentos
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 t. MSG
1 t. salt
1 T. onion flakes

Combine ingredients in order listed. Spread in 9x13" baking dish.

TOPPING
1/2 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar is good)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine all ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Cover casserole with topping. Bake at 325° F. for 30 to 35 minutes.

Probably serves eight. (Or more if you choose to call it "Hot Turkey Hurl Up.")

NOTE: If you're like me and you hate hard-boiled eggs with a passion, you can substitute about the same amount of firm tofu, cut into cubes (add to the casserole and mix gently just before covering with topping).

Contributor: Kathleen Ashton

After Thanksgiving Turkey Quiche

I shamelessly stole this one from Fen! MUAHAHAHA!

Seriously tho, it's delicious. You should do this after Thanksgiving if you have enough leftovers.

TURKEY QUICHE
3 c. stuffing
1 c. chopped turkey
1 c. grated Swiss cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 can evaporated milk (5 1/2 oz)
1/8 t. pepper

Press stuffing into 9" pie plate and bake at 400° for 10 minutes.

Combine remaining ingredients and pour into baked shell. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes, until center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves, uh, as many people as will eat a 9" quiche. More if you make a side salad.

Contributor: Fen Eatough

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Behold, a harvest casserole straight from the early '60s! Served in a decorative gourd! Great for that period from Halloween all the way up to Thanksgiving.

DINNER IN A PUMPKIN
One 10-12" pumpkin, top removed and cleaned (save the seeds for roasting)
2 pounds very lean ground beef
6 ounces ground ham
2½ t. salt (I think less, especially since the ham adds salt)
3 T. chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
2 t. oregano
2 cloves garlic, pressed
½ cup green onions (aka scallions), chopped
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup raisins (you could also use currants or Craisins)
1 t. fresh ground pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, fry the ground beef until no pink remains. Add all other ingredients except pumpkin and eggs, and cook together. Remove from heat, allow mixture to cool a bit (so the eggs don't cook immediately from the residual heat when they're added), then add eggs, mix gently and fill the pumpkin. Put the lid on the pumpkin and bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1½ hours. Serves -- uh -- many, because c'mon, you just filled a whole pumpkin!

If you really want a super '60s dinner, serve with a Jell-O mold and some canned green beans, heated, with butter and bacon bits.

Contributor: Karin Buck

NOTES FOR MODERN TASTES:
If you require a little more zing than what this recipe offers, Captain Midnight thinks curry powder is a nice addition. Toss it in with the ground beef.

Chili Sauce

This recipe comes to us via an aged and very crispy bit of scratch paper, with many splotches and drips on it. That's usually a sign of a good and much loved recipe. Thing is, there's no indication who provided said recipe. (Whoever wrote this had a cursive hand that leans left, if that helps.)

Anyway, this would seem to be a helpful addition to your canning repertoire, especially when tomatoes and peppers are plentiful and cheap. HOWEVER, please read the important note after the recipe!

CHILI SAUCE
2 quarts chopped, peeled tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup each coarsely ground sweet red and green peppers
1 T. crushed dried red pepper (optional)
1 cup sugar
1½ t. salt
1½ t. white mustard seed
½ t. cinnamon
1¼ cups white vinegar

Combine all ingredients in large kettle, bring to boil and simmer, stirring frequently, 3-4 hours or until thick. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Yields about 4 pints.

Contributor: X the Unknown!

SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE:
The process described above, called "open kettle canning," is no longer considered a safe way to preserve food. Even if every item is sterilized in hot water before being filled and sealed, open kettle canned jars are extremely susceptible to growing mold, botulism and other nasties that you don't want to eat (or give to your loved ones to eat, for that matter). Instead of "Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal," I strongly recommend that you use the standard water-bath canning method to finish the recipe. You'll get a product that's tasty AND won't kill anybody! Bonus!

Swedish Pickled Cucumbers

It's that time of year again! Time to get out your cukes and make

SWEDISH PICKLED CUCUMBERS
1 lb. cucumbers (you can use English or Persian or whatever you have, really)

Pickling solution:
2 parts white vinegar
1 part granulated sugar
½ part water
white pepper and dill to taste

If the skins of your cucumbers are unpalatably thick or knobbly, peel them first. Slice thinly into coins. If you have a mandoline to make this task easier, so much the better.

In a saucepan, mix together the vinegar, sugar and water and heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool COMPLETELY. (If you add the cucumbers to the solution before it cools, the cucumbers will shrivel.) Also, try a bit of this solution first to see if it's to your taste, and adjust accordingly. It should taste sweet, but have a significant sour kick.

Stir the cucumbers into the cooled pickling solution, along with some grinds of white pepper and as much dill (fresh or dried) as you feel like using. Cover and refrigerate, preferably overnight. Serve as a tasty side dish.

Variations: I've seen other recipes where folks add things like a sliver of ginger, thin-sliced red onions or whole yellow mustard seeds. Let me know how it goes if you use these.

Makes a nice nod to the notion of "salads" at your Julbord. Enjoy!

Contributor: Karl Eriksson and the nation of Sweden

Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing (or Dressing)

 There are three things you need to know about this recipe:

1) It slaps. No other turkey stuffing comes close. Thanks, Mom.

2) The folks in charge of food safety have declared that stuffing a turkey is potentially dangerous, so if you're going to do this, please be careful. Holidays are always more festive without a trip to the ER for food poisoning.

3) If you brine your turkey, do not stuff it. The stuffing will be like a salt lick, completely inedible (unless you're Curtis and your taste buds were shot off in the war). Make it as a dressing instead. If you want good turkey flavor in your dressing, save the turkey neck and lay it over the top of the dressing so they cook together.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY STUFFING (OR DRESSING)
1 large or 2 medium onions
2 ribs celery
2 large carrots
1 lb. pork sausage (get Jimmy Dean or other breakfast sausage with sage in it)
2 loaves bread, separated into slices and allowed to dry out
OR 1 large bag prepared bread cubes
2 eggs, whisked
parsley to taste (you can use fresh or dried parsley)
sage to taste (add quite a bit)
salt and pepper to taste
broth (if needed)

Finely chop onion and celery and grate carrots. Saute them together with the sausage until the sausage is cooked through (food safety for the win!). Place in a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm. Dice bread into cubes if you're using bread. Add all ingredients to the sausage mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. The stuffing should be somewhat dry; it will get additional liquid from the turkey juices. Stuff cavity of turkey (gently; don't compact it) and bake.

If there's any remaining stuffing or if you're playing it safe, you can bake it as a dressing instead. Add a little more broth, turn into a lightly greased 9x13" pan, lay the turkey neck over the top, cover with foil and bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour. 

Serves a lot. Om nom.

Contributor: Karin Buck by way of Norma Eriksson, who got it from Grandma Kest (who used to stuff her turkey with RAW SAUSAGE, horrors!)

Aunt Marcia's Warm Elixir

When you need something warm and comforting and sweet and spiced, but you don't quite want cocoa, this is what you need.

AUNT MARCIA'S WARM ELIXIR
1 cup milk
ground cinnamon to taste
ground cardamom to taste
just enough sugar or honey to sweeten
dash of almond extract

Stir together and heat through, but don't boil. Serve warm.

Serves 1.

Contributor: Marcia Hetzler