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Kellie’s Favorite Recipes- Full Bloom Nursery, Clermont Ga.

First, a few handy tips that I’ve learned from cooks that are WAY better than me:

1.Add 1 cup of sour cream to your cornbread batter or cake batter- it will keep it incredibly moist.

2.Experiment and modify recipes. It’s fun and sooner or later you’ll create something magical. The butternut squash casserole below is one I modified (with several experiments) from a sweet potato casserole recipe.

3.Always use an oven meat thermometer when cooking poultry and pork. It keeps you from over-cooking until too dry and also takes the guesswork out of knowing if you’ve cooked it long enough to kill dangerous bacteria. Below are the USDA’s recommendations.

Breast meat: 170 degrees

Whole poultry and dark meat: 180 degrees

Stuffing inside whole poultry should reach 165 degrees

Pork: 160 degrees

Whole pork roast: 155 degrees. Roasts continue to cook after being removed from the oven, so remove the meat when the thermometer reads 5-10 degrees below doneness. Cover with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

5. I use chicken stock in addition to water in almost everything: when boiling potatoes, steaming vegetables, and simmering meats. For example- if a recipe calls for 2 cups water, I use 1 cup water and 1 cup chicken stock. It adds slow-cooked home-made flavor to all dishes, even quick ones. Look for it in cardboard containers that can be refrigerated after opening.

Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients (enough for a 9 x 13 dish)

  • 6 cups butternut squash, peeled and cooked (hint- some stores now carry butternut squash already peeled, cubed and ready to cook)
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 cups half & half
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup margarine, melted

Topping:

  • 1/4 cup melted margarine
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 cups pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and cube into large pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add squash and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, then peel and mash in large bowl.

Combine mashed butternut squash, sugar, cream, vanilla extract, salt, flour, eggs and margarine and mix until smooth. Pour into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven, add topping.

Topping: In a medium bowl combine 1/4 cup melted margarine and 1cup brown sugar. Stir until blended, then add 3 cups pecans and stir. Spoon onto top of casserole and bake for 15 minutes or until brown sugar is melted and bubbly.

(You won’t believe how delicious this is! An incredibly special dish for Christmas meals. A new twist on the standard sweet potato casserole.)

Blueberry Pineapple Crunch

Place a single layer of frozen or fresh blueberries in the bottom of a 13x9 cake pan. (No juice or syrup)

Add a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple in its own juice, do not drain.

Cover with one box of yellow cake mix (dry- do not prepare cake)

Pour one stick of melted butter or margarine over dry cake mix.

Sprinkle the top with pecans.

Cover and bake on 400 degrees for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown.

Oh-So-Easy and incredibly delicious! Everything gets dumped into one pan, and comes out tasting like you put way more effort into it than you actually did.

Leftover Turkey Corn Chowder

This hearty soup will have you actually wishing for left over turkey!

1 chopped onion sautéed in butter

2 cups chicken broth or stock

3 cups diced cooked turkey (or chicken)

1 cup sliced celery

5 cubed potatoes

Simmer all ingredients above until potatoes are tender then add:

1 can corn

1 can creamed corn

1 quart milk

Heat well but don’t boil. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Optional: Add shredded cheese to individual servings.

Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp cinammon

¼ tsp cloves

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup raisins

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup soft butter

1 can pumpkin

1 egg

Cream butter and sugar; add egg, pumpkin, then dry ingredients and raisins. Drop by small spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Place in pre-heated

375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the cookie. Optional: dust with powdered sugar or festive candy sprinkles.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Place one 3-4 lb turkey breast in a crock pot with 2 cups of chicken stock, 2 cups of water, and one packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until turkey is fork tender. Use the liquid for making gravy, cornbread dressing, etc. (resist the urge to peek or stir- this only adds to the cooking time because it takes a long time for the crock pot to heat back up when you remove the lid.)

This is probably the easiest way to cook turkey and it will always be moist and tender.