Posted

 

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we thought we’d share some of our MHED family’s favorite turkey day recipes. Check out the recipes below to find some Thanksgiving favorites along with some non-traditional dishes from the MHED team.

 

Main Dishes

 

Turkey Dumpling Soup

from Kathryn Zahn, Staffing Specialist at MHED 

Ingredients for the Soup

  • Chicken Broth—64 oz
  • Turkey carcass and leftover turkey meat (breast, wing, thigh, any of it!)
  • 5 carrots—peeled and chopped
  • 5 celery stocks—chopped
  • 1 large white onion—chopped
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • Peppercorns—1-2 tablespoons, depending on preference
  • Salt to taste

Ingredients for the Dumplings

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • Dash of salt

Directions

  • Place the entire turkey carcass and leftover turkey meat into a large pot. Cover the carcass and meat with the chicken broth (if there is not enough broth to cover your turkey, you can cover the rest with water).
  • Add chopped onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. Cover the pot with a secure lid and bring the soup to a simmer. Let your soup lightly simmer for about 5 hours on a low heat, stirring occasionally.
  • After 5 hours add your chopped carrots and celery to the pot and cover for an additional 1-2 hours.
  • Take the pot off the heat and let the soup cool completely.
  • Once cooled pull out the carcass, and pick out all the bones and cartilage from the soup
  • Once all bones and cartilage are out of your soup place it back on a medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
  • While the soup is heating, in a small bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Slowly add the flour and salt until a sticky dough has formed.
  • Using two spoons, create small to medium sized dumplings and add them to the boiling soup.
  • Once all dumplings have been added, let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes. You will know the dumplings are cooked when they begin to float to the top of the soup.
  • Serve and Enjoy!

 

Vegan Portabella Mushroom Wellington

from Debra Buller, Receptionist at Morgan Hunter

Ingredients for Mushrooms

  • 4 portabella mushrooms
  • 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme (leaves)
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary (finely chopped)
  • Splash Olive oil
  • Sprinkle Salt
  • Sprinkle Pepper

Ingredients for the Nut Roast Filling

  • Splash olive oil
  • 1 large red onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
  • Sprinkle Salt
  • Sprinkle Pepper
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 cups chestnuts
  • 2 cups pecans
  • 2 slices seeded bread
  • 1/2 cup vegetable stock

Ingredients for the Wellington Case

  • 2 blocks shortcrust pastry (you will have some leftover)
  • 1/2 cup soy milk

Directions

  • Put the portabella mushrooms in a baking tray & cover in a splash of olive oil
  • Sprinkle the rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper & garlic over the top of the mushrooms
  • Bake at 200℃ (392℉) for 15 minutes & once they’re ready, set to one side to cool (this gives you the time you need to prepare the next stage of the dish)
  • Put the red onion in a pan with olive oil & fry until it’s translucent
  • Add the rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper & cook them together until they start sticking
  • Add a cup of white wine & cook the alcohol off
  • Add some brown sugar & mix it round so it caramelizes, pour the mixture into a glass mixing bowl
  • Put the chestnuts, pecans & bread in a food processor & whiz them all up into crumbs
  • Add the crumbly mixture to the glass bowl with the onions & pour in the vegetable stock (gradually!)
  • Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon so it clumps up (it needs to feel like plasticine)
  • Push 1 cm thick layer of the mixture onto a sheet of short-crust pastry (laid out on a baking tray)
  • Mold the mixture with your hands into a large, thin, wide sausage shape
  • Put the pre-cooked portabella mushrooms on top of the “sausage”
  • Encase the mushrooms in the rest of the nutty mixture & smooth it out with your hands
  • Carefully lay the second sheet of short-crust pastry over the top of the nut roast mound
  • Push the pastry down with your fingers
  • Cut off the edges of the pastry with a pizza cutter (or a very sharp knife) & remove the excess (use this to cut of shapes to decorate your Wellington)
  • Seal the edges with a fork – take care here, make it look good!
  • Decorate your Wellington with shapes you cut out of the spare pastry & fork in air holes
  • Bake at 200℃ (392℉) for 40 minutes (be sure to CHECK after 30 minutes, if it looks ready, take it out of the oven!)
  • Use a bread knife to carve the Wellington into slices
  • Serve with roasted root vegetables. garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry salad, and any other traditional sides!  Enjoy!

 

 

Side Dishes

 

Broccoli Rice Casserole (Green Rice)

from Andrea Johnson, Sr. Recruiter, Administrative Division

Ingredients

  • 1 16 oz package frozen chopped broccoli
  • 3 cups instant rice
  • 1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
  • 1 Egg
  • ½ Cup oil
  • 1 ¼ cups milk (more/less)
  • 1 16 oz package processed American cheese, cubed
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

  • Cook broccoli and rice according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Mix together golden mushroom soup, egg, oil, rice, & broccoli.  Gradually stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish.  Add milk.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly brown.

 

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

from Kim Glidden, Administrative Assistant at MHED

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh French green beans, ends trimmed
  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped Vidalia onion
  • 4 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups corn cereal (recommended: Corn Flakes)
  • 1/2 pound grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the beans and cook for until just tender but still firm, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the beans from the water to a large bowl of ice water to preserve color and stop the cooking. Drain the beans and set aside.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Stir in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and saute about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir for another minute, to cook out the raw flour taste, and then whisk in the sour cream. Simmer for just a couple of minutes to bring the flavors together and taste for seasoning.
  • Cut the green beans into 2-inch pieces. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Crush the cereal flakes in a resealable plastic bag and add them to the pan with the butter. Toss to coat.
  • Spread the green beans over the bottom of a 9-inch casserole dish. Pour all of the mushroom sauce mixture over the beans and top with the grated cheese. Sprinkle with the buttered cereal flakes and bake in the preheated 400 degrees F oven, until light golden brown and bubbly, approximately 20 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and serve.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

from Angela Hunt, Program Director for MHED

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Casserole

  • 4 c. boiled mashed sweet potatoes (peel after boiling)
  • 1 ¼ c. sugar
  • 1/3 c. butter
  • 1/3 tsp salt
  • 3/4 c. evaporated milk

Ingredients for Topping

  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 c. butter softened
  • 1 c. pecan halves
  • Combine mashed sweet potatoes

Directions

  • Combine mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, salt and evaporated milk and stir until creamy. Turn mixture into buttered 2 qt casserole dish.
  • Topping: combine brown sugar, flour, and butter. Crumble mixture over casserole.
  • Place pecans on top, in a layer.
  • Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

 

Mashed Potato Casserole

from Nicki Thompson, Staffing Specialist at MHED

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3-inch chunks
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 whole bay leaf
  • 4 (3-inch) thyme sprigs
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream (full-fat)
  • 3/4 to 1 cup whole milk, warmed
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits and chilled

Directions

  • Generously butter a shallow 2 1/2-quart gratin dish or baking dish.
  • Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water to a depth of 2 inches. Add the kosher salt, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Do not let the potatoes break apart or become waterlogged. Drain well and let stand until the potatoes steam dry and their edges look chalky, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme stems.
  • Press the hot potatoes and garlic through a food mill or ricer into a large bowl. Alternatively, mash them as smooth as possible with a hand-held potato masher.
  • Add the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and 3/4 cup of the milk to the warm potatoes; stir until smooth. The mixture will firm up as it chills overnight, so at this point, it should be slightly softer than you want to serve it. Season with seasoned salt and pepper.
  • Scrape the potatoes into the prepared dish and smooth the top. Dot the top with the bits of chilled butter. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days ahead.
  • When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are heated through; about 1 hour. Serve warm.

 

Desserts

 

Smores Dessert

from Adam Loewen, Director of the IT Division at Morgan Hunter 

Ingredients

  • Graham crackers
  • Cookie Dough
  • Hershey chocolate bars
  • Mini Marshmallows

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Break graham crackers into squares and bake for 4 minutes.
  • Add cookie dough (approx one square of premade dough) on top of each graham square.
  • Bake for 5 minutes.
  • Take out of the oven and press squares of Hershey bar into the dough, along with mini marshmallows –
  • Bake for another 5-7 minutes.
  • Take out and let cool thoroughly, before cutting into squares