Turkey with Herbs de Provence and Citrus

I made this turkey for Thanksgiving 2006 and it was a BIG hit! I had never cooked a turky before, so I was a little hesitant, but it turned out beautifully...I was so proud! My family was definitely impressed! This is one of Giada's recipes from the Food Network.

This is what you'll need:

1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets reserved

1 orange, cut into wedges

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 onion, cut into wedges

6 fresh rosemary sprigs

6 fresh sage sprigs

6 fresh oregano sprigs

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons herbes de Provence

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (approximate amount)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

This is what you'll do:

Position the rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan.

Place the orange and lemon wedges, onion, and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main turkey cavity.

Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the turkey.

Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of each the salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts.

Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin.

Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.)
Cover the turkey breast with foil. Roast for 20 minutes.

Pour 3 cups of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan.

Roast the turkey for 40 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Remove the foil from the turkey; pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan.

Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F to 175 degrees F or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer.

Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes while preparing the gravy.

To make the gravy:

Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the remaining butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.

Black Forest Pie

This pie was a favorite of mine as a kid. My neighbor's mom used to make it for us all the time. I haven't had it in probably 20 years! It popped in my head recently and I knew that I just had to make it. I found this recipe on KraftFoods.com and it is exactly as delicious as I remember it to be. If you like chocolate and cherries, you will love this pie! And, it's even better the day after!

This is what you'll need:

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. flour1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

1/3 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling, divided

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely grated

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

This is what you'll do:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

Combine sugar, cocoa and flour in medium saucepan. Add butter and milk. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return to hot mixture.

Add half of the cherry pie filling; stir until well blended. Pour into crust.

BAKE 35 to 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Then:

ADD grated chocolate to 2 cups of the whipped topping; stir gently until well blended.

Spread over pie; top with remaining cherry pie filling and the remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate at least 30 min. before serving. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.