Honey Turkey Thanksgiving

You can't have Thanksgiving without the turkey! But, have you ever thought about using honey on your turkey?

Here are some of my personal favorite Thanksgiving honey recipes:

HERBED TURKEY BREAST

YIELD: Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup - honey

1/4 cup - orange juice

2 T - butter or margarine, melted

1 1/2 tsp. - dried sage

1 tsp. - dried thyme

1 clove - garlic, minced

3/4 tsp. - salt

1/4 tsp. - pepper

1 - boneless, skinless turkey breast, about 2 lbs.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat broiler. Position oven rack 6 inches from heat source.

Combine honey, orange juice, butter, sage, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper.

Place turkey breast on rack set in broiler pan. Brush with some of honey mixture. Broil, brushing frequently with remaining mixture, turning turkey once, until no longer pink inside, about 40 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

CHUNKY APPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE

YIELD: Makes 4 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups - fresh cranberries

2 - tart apples, peeled, if desired, cut in 1/4-inch slices

1 cup - chopped onion

1/3 cup - olive oil

1/3 cup - honey

4 tsp. - red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. - ground ginger

1/4 tsp. - ground cinnamon

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan stir all ingredients. Heat to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes; stirring occasionally.

Cool and refrigerate.

HONEY CORNBREAD STUFFING

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 cups - day-old Honey Cornbread, crumbled

1 (4 oz.) - Italian sausage

1 cup - chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup - minced onion

1/2 cup - chopped celery

1 T - minced parsley

1 tsp. - dried thyme leaves, crushed

1 tsp. - salt

1/4 tsp. - ground black pepper

1/3 cup - chicken broth

2 T - honey

DIRECTIONS

In large bowl, place crumbled cornbread.

Remove sausage from casing. In medium skillet, crumble and sauté sausage until brown. Using slotted spoon, remove sausage from skillet and add to cornbread. Drain all but 1 T of fat.

Return skillet to medium-high heat; stir in bell pepper, onion and celery. Sauté until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Cool slightly, then add to cornbread.

In small bowl, combine broth and honey. Pour over stuffing.

Place stuffing in a greased 9x9-inch baking dish. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until stuffing is lightly browned. 

TIP

As an alternative, pack you may pack stuffing into poultry cavity before roasting.

I hope you have a wonderful honey-and-family-filled Thanksgiving! For more honey recipes, click here!