Corn Bread

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 2/3 cups milk

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup frozen corn kernels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar. In a small bowl beat the eggs with the milk. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt until they are combined. Add the dry ingredients into the creamed butter and sugar mixture alternately with egg and milk mixture.  Gently stir in the corn kernels.

Pour into a greased 13 x 9 in baking pan or a loaf pan. Bake  for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares or slices and serve!

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Roasted Turkey

Since Thanksgiving is coming up I thought I would post my Dad's delicious Turkey recipe. 

Ingredients:
20-25 lb turkey (You don't have to get one this big, my family just does everything in excess)
2 tablespoons salt, plus a few extra tablespoons to wash
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons sage
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons parsley
1 stick of butter
1 apple
5 sprigs of rosemary

Directions:
So this may sound odd but my dad washes the turkey with salt.  Basically when you are washing the turkey just sprinkle a lot of salt over it and rub it in and then rinse it off.  I guess it is kind of similar to brining.  Then put the turkey in a large roasting pan and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons salt, paprika, sage, garlic powder, and parsley.  Evely disperse this on the outside, and also on the inside of the turkey.  Put an apple inside the turkey.  This will absorb any excess fat.  Then put in the rosemary sprigs to infuse flavor. Now comes the best part.  Literally just put a stick of butter right on top of the breast bone of the turkey.  This will melt throughout the process and baste the whole bird.

Then cook the bird in a 325 over for 5 hours.  That is about 15 minutes per pound.  Cook the bird with the foil over it, until the last half hour.  Baste the bird every hour with the pan drippings.  For the last half hour, turn the oven up to 375 degrees and allow the skin to brown.  That means the total cooking time is about 5 1/2 hours.  Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

It took me a long time to figure out the best recipe to mock the Cheesecake Factory's.  I tried a lot of fancy techniques that people say make a best cheesecake.  I searched all over the internet and I found the best recipe was actually the simplest and most like my Mom's recipe for cheesecake.  I made this recipe on Thanksgiving and it was a crowd favorite! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon of sugar

Filling:
1 cup sugar
3-8 ounce packages of cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Whipped cream for top if desired

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar together.  Then add the melted butter and stir until a slightly moist mixture forms.  Press the crust into the bottom and 2/3 of the sides of a springform pan.  I use a metal measuring cup to press the crumbs in, but your hand will work just fine.  Bake for 5 minutes and then put into fridge to chill. 

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg and beat again until very creamy and there are no lumps.  Pour into the graham cracker crust.  Bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes.  Many professionals recommend to use a water bath which is just a roasting an full of hot water that the springform pan is immersed in for even cooking and to prevent cracking.  I personally don't do this step because I like the crack on my cheesecake.  It makes it look homemade.  After it is finished baking, chill in the fridge.  Preferably let chill for 24 hours, but 6-8 hours will do if you can't wait that long.  You can decorate with whipped cream if you want like they do at the cheesecake factory, but I prefer to leave mine plain.  Cut and Enjoy!

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