The Mountaineer Heating and Cooling Journal

We hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, we sure did! Thanksgiving morning started a little later for me (Molly), I don’t normally get to sleep in, so I took advantage of my day off and slept in a bit . Once I got up I turned on the television to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! It’s always been a tradition for me to watch the parade, and this year was so great! After the parade was over we started to prep the turkey to be placed on the grill (we grill/smoke our turkeys), once that ordeal was over dad and I settled in to watch an old Jimmy Stewart movie “You Can’t Take it with You”. While we were watching the movie, I started to make my signature dressing for our family’s gathering later that evening.

Once the dressing was done, we headed up to my grandmother’s house to join the rest of our family and eat our Thanksgiving feast! Of course we carried out our Thanksgiving traditions of watching football (GO SAINTS!) and going to see a movie (we went to see Harry Potter). All in all it was a nice, restful Thanksgiving, and that was exactly what I needed…

How was yours?

Today for our fourth and final recipe we thought we would post a Thanksgiving Classic: Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 stick margarine (melted)

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients and place in casserole dish

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup self rising flour

1 stick margarine

1 cup nuts (chopped)

Mix sugar & flour. Then add melted butter and nuts. Place on sweet potato mixture and bake at 300 for 30 minutes.

This recipe comes from our very own Lisa Byrd who works in accounts payable at the office.

Today we’re thankful for the blessings in life. Things such as a car to drive, food to eat, beds to sleep in, houses that keep us warm, family to love, etc…we’re so thankful to God that He has given us these. What are some of the blessings in your life that you’re thankful for?

Today we’ll tackle the turkey! I (Molly) am an avid watcher of the Martha Stewart Show (I know, she went to jail, but she has some great ideas!), and the other day she made this most delicious looking roasted turkey. It doesn’t look to be too hard, and it should be your best turkey ever! Enjoy!

Directions

1. Put salt, sugar, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 10 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.
2. Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Stir together melted butter and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.
4. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly. If making gravy, add giblets and neck to pan 1 1/2 hours after reducing temperature; roast 30 minutes, and reserve.
6. Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees and stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter. Set pan with drippings aside for gravy. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Perfect Roast Turkey – Martha Stewart Recipes

Today we are so thankful for our veterans who have and are serving in the armed forces. We appreciate their great sacrifice to keep this country safe, and preserve the liberties we enjoy. Thank you, Veterans! We appreciate you!

Today’s recipe comes from one of my most favorite cooks, Paula Deen. This is a great, simple stuffing recipe that you’re sure to love!

Old Country Stuffing:

Ingredients

• 2 loaves oven-dried white bread (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 1 sleeve crushed saltines
• 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 7 cups chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 stick butter, melted
• Mushroom Giblet Gravy, recipe follows

Directions

For this “Thankful Thursday” we’re so very thankful for YOU! Yes, you our faithful customers. Thank you for trusting us to take care of your home’s comfort. We know you have a choice when it comes to who will be your heating and air provider, and we’re honored you chose us!

I must apologize that it’s Wednesday instead of Tuesday, things got away from me at the office yesterday and I’m just now able to sit and post. Ahem, I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen next week.

Alright, so for the first recipe in our “Thankful Be” series I thought I would post the classic Pumpkin Pie. I’ve always been a believer in eating dessert first, so it’s only right that I post a dessert first! This is my go to recipe, and I’ve never been disappointed with the results. It’s a simple, delicious pumpkin pie recipe that I’m sure you’ll be thrilled with, too!

Click here to go to the recipe…

Hope you enjoy!