• 1 (15 lb.) whole turkey, thawed
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cold water
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

How to Make It:

Clean the turkey well with cold water and pat dry. Remove the neck and giblets. Discard or save for another use. Twist the wing tips to hold them back. Brush the turkey with the canola oil being sure to cover the whole turkey. Spray a rack with a non stick cooking spray and place it in a deep roasting pan. Place the turkey, breast up, on the prepared rack. Cover the breast and legs loosely with foil.

Bring the oven temperature up to 325 degrees F. Roast the turkey 2 hours. Remove the foil and continue roasting 45 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and water. Sprinkle in the chili powder, red pepper, garlic powder, allspice, cumin, salt, and pepper. Whisk the mixture until completely combined.

Brush the turkey with the glaze being sure to cover the whole turkey. Continue roasting an additional 45 minutes basting every 15 minutes if necessary. Remove the turkey and allow it to stand at least 20 minutes before carving.

Serves 15

**When glazing a turkey don’t add the glaze until the last 30 to 45 minutes of roasting time. If you glaze the turkey too soon, any sugars in the glaze will caramelize causing the skin to darken and become hard.

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 9-inch graham cracker crust

How to Make It:

Place the brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the gelatin, instant coffee, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss carefully to combine. Very carefully pour the boiling water over the top. Stir until completely dissolved being careful to stir from the bottom up. Add the ice cream one spoonful at a time stirring after each addition. Fold in the pumpkin puree until completely mixed in.

Place the mixture in the refrigerator 5 minutes or until chilled enough to mound when scooped out with a spoon. Place the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.

8 Servings

**Instead of the individual spices, try using 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

• 1 (16 lb.) whole turkey, thawed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 onions, chopped
• 1 (15 oz.) can of jellied cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

How to Make It:

Clean the thawed turkey under cold water. Remove the neck and giblets. Pat the turkey dry with  a paper towel. Salt and pepper the inside cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs together with string and twist the wings tips back.

Spray a wire rack with non stick cooking spray and place it in a large roasting pan. Put the turkey on the wire rack and cover with aluminum foil.

Bring the oven temperature up to 325 degrees. Roast the turkey for 2 hours. Baste the turkey every 45 minutes with the juices from the pan.

Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt completely and then add the onions. Cook the onions in the butter until they are very soft but not browned. Add the cranberry sauce and brown sugar stirring well. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a steady boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking 10 minutes. Stir as needed during cooking.

Remove the foil from the turkey after 2 hours. Pour the cranberry mixture over the turkey. Continue to roast uncovered for 1 hour 30 minutes or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees.

Allow the turkey to set 20 minutes before carving.**

Serves 15.

**Allowing a turkey to set 20 minutes after being removed from the oven lets the cooked meat relax. This helps to keep the juices in the meat when it is carved instead of them running out on to the cutting board or platter.

• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup milk, lukewarm
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg yolk only
• 1 tablespoon water

How to Make It:

Pour the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the lukewarm milk. Cover and allow to rest 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes foamy.

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the remaining sugar, nutmeg. and salt. Add the butter pieces and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture becomes coarse.
Break the egg into the mixture and fold in the pumpkin puree.
Add the yeast mixture and work with your hands until a soft dough forms.

Place the dough on a flat and lightly-floured surface. Knead the dough for 8 minutes or until it has an elastic but smooth texture.
Add extra flour a little bit at a time if necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the surface.

Butter a large bowl on the bottom and up the sides. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Coat dough completely with butter. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise to twice its size, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Thoroughly butter a spring form pan. Place the dough pieces in the pan. Cover and place in a warm area. Allow them to rise for 45 minutes.

Heat the oven temperature to 350 degrees.Place the egg yolk in a bowl, add the water, and whisk until combined. Brush the dough pieces all over with the egg wash. Bake the rolls 35 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Makes 12 servings

• 1 1/2 cups half and half cream, very cold
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 (4-ounce) container whipped topping
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup gingersnaps, coarsely crushed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 prepared graham cracker crust

How to Make It:

Pour the half and half into a large mixing bowl. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk together for 1 minute. Allow the mixture to stand uninterrupted for 5 minutes. Fold in the whipped topping with a rubber spatula. Add in the pecans and gingersnaps. Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle in the pie spice and mix well. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the graham cracker crust.

Place the pie in the freezer for one hour until firm. Allow the pie to set 10 minutes at room temperature before cutting.

Makes 8 servings

Allow the pie to soften slightly before cutting but don’t leave it out too long or it will become mushy. Store any leftover pie in the refrigerator.