Gobble, Gobble

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away. I'm busy planning my menu and shopping for goodies so I'm not rushing to the grocery store at the last minute. Here are a few easy recipes for your table...

1. I baste my turkey with a mixture of cognac and milk (2/3 cognac to 1/3 milk) instead of butter, this gives the turkey a beautiful maple glazed color and tastes delicious.
2. I roast two garlic bulbs and add them directly to my mashed potatoes. Simply roast two whole garlic bulbs by cutting off the ends of each bulb and drizzling them with olive oil. Wrap them in tin foil and roast at 350-376 degress for approximately 45 minutes. Use 1-2 bulbs for every 5 lbs. of potatoes.
3. I make spiced nuts for my family to munch on before the meal. They've been such a hit, that I started making them for Christmas dinner and packaging them for gifts. Here is the recipe.

Spiced Nuts (Makes 2 1/2 cups)

• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2-1/2 cups pecan halves, or assorted nuts, such as cashews, walnuts, or almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat egg white until soft and foamy. Combine all remaining ingredients except pecans; whisk into egg white. Stir in pecans until well coated; spread mixture in single layer onto an ungreased baking pan.

2. Bake pecans for 15 minutes, then remove from oven. Using a metal spatula, toss, stir, and separate nuts. Reduce oven to 250 degrees. and return nuts to bake until medium brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; toss, and stir again. Place baking pan on wire rack to cool (they will crisp as they cool). Break up any that stick together; store in an airtight container, at room temperature, up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Images via Martha Stewart / Flickr