Hosting our first Thanksgiving!

Preparing for Thanksgiving! But not just any Thanksgiving! The very first time Im cooking Thanksgiving dinner! The pressure is on and being the crazy obsessive person I am! I quickly grabbed my cookbook and jumped right in! Making lists of every holiday food i could think of! Oh goodness where to being! Everything crossed mine! Turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, Yams, cranberries, pumpkin pie! For those of you who are not as OCD as me! Im posting some of the most delicious mouth watering recipes!

Honey Brined Smoked Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 gallon hot water
• 1 pound kosher salt
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 1 pound honey
• 1 (7-pound) bag of ice
• 1 (15 to 20-pound) turkey, remove giblets
• Vegetable oil, for rubbing turkey

Directions

Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.

Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.

Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.

After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.

Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham crackers crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

If ya'll Love Paula Dean as much as I do you will Love these recipes!