1. Heat oven to 325°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch pie pan as directed on package for one-crust filled pie.
2. Tuck the edge of the crust underneath all the way around. Use a fork to make a herringbone design in the crust. Do this by pressing the fork into the crust at adjacent diagonals all the way around.
3. In a large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs; beat well. Reserve 2 tablespoons chocolate chips for topping. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups pecans. Spread evenly in crust-lined pan.
4. Bake at 325°F. for 55 to 60 minutes or until deep golden brown and filling is set. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.
5. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. In small microwave-safe bowl, melt reserved 2 tablespoons chocolate chips in microwave oven on MEDIUM for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted; stir.
6. Dip each of 10 pecan halves in chocolate. Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes or until chocolate is set.
7. Garnish pie with whipped cream and chocolate-dipped pecans.

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How to make chocolate pecan pie

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 16 (2 3/4×1 1/4-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Separate each can of crescent dough into 8 triangles. Press 1 triangle on bottom and up side of each muffin cup.
3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in onion, spinach, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold in cheese. Fill each cup to the top with egg mixture (do not overfill).
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and edges of rolls are golden brown.
5. Remove mini quiches from the pan and serve warm.

2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated garlic butter crescent dinner rolls (8 rolls each)
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Cooking spray
Electric mixer
16 cup muffin pan

Macaroni

1. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil and add the elbow macaroni. Cook until it’s al dente, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Cheese Sauce – Part 1

1. While the macaroni is boiling, slowly melt 5 1/2 Tbs of butter over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan.
2. Add the flour, stirring, cook together for a minute or so. Do not brown the mixture; you want a blonde roux.
3. Add the milk, whisking to avoid lumps. Bring mixture to a boil and continue whisking.
4. Lower heat and simmer for about five minutes until it thickens.

Bread Crumb Topping

1. While the milk is simmering, combine 2 Tbs butter and the bread crumbs, and melt together in a a separate pan.
2. Add the Parmesan Reggiano cheese. This adds another layer of flavor so it’s not one-dimensional. Just cook until the butter is melted.
3. Remove from heat.

Cheese Sauce- Part 2

1. When the milk is ready, add the mascarpone cheese. Marscarpone is an Italian fresh creamy cheese, but it isn’t cream cheese. It is a dense, rich and slightly sweet fresh cheese. It adds another layer of flavor, and richness. It makes the saucer creamy, rich and yummy.
2. Then add gruyere cheese and whisk it in, and as soon as until it’s melted, remove from the heat. This will happen quickly because the gruyere cheese should be grated and at room temperature.
3. Season with salt and black pepper and whisk to combine. Normally you don’t use black pepper with a white sauce, but Terrance Brennan loves the robust flavor and does not mind the black specks in the white sauce.

Assemble The Gourmet Macaroni And Cheese

1. When the macaroni is cooked, strain it, making sure to shake out all the water. Excess water will dilute the cheese sauce and make the macaroni too runny.
2. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce, mix it well, and when it’s nicely incorporated, spoon it out into a cooking dish. This recipe makes two main courses or four side dishes.
3. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the top, using your hands to pat it down to make sure it’s nice and evenly dispersed all over the surface. The topping becomes very crunchy when it bakes.

Cook for about 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and bubbly.
You want a golden crust with bubbly sauce on the sides.

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How to make gourmet macaroni and cheese

Step-by-step turkey roasting guide:

1. Add onions, celery and carrots to bottom of roasting pan, and then sprinkle a few sprigs of thyme over the vegetables. (You could put a rack on the bottom of the turkey, but we like to use different vegetable and herbal aromatics as a base for the turkey. It also adds flavor to the broth that is made by adding water to produce a great sauce or jus.)
2. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables.
3. Truss the turkey by wrapping the string around the back, crisscrossing and wrapping it twice around the legs, and then tying it under the neck.
4. Tuck the wings under the body of the turkey. (Trussing and tucking in the wings keeps everything tight to the body of the bird, which produces a more evenly cooked bird.)
5. Brush the turkey with the oil and butter mix. (This enables the salt and pepper to adhere to the skin, and it also helps keep the turkey moist, tender and tasty.)
6. Sprinkle on salt and pepper.
7. Add two inches of water on the bottom to the roasting pan.
8. For a 12 to 14 pound turkey, place in a 375 degree, preheated oven for a total of approximately three hours.
9. After roasting the turkey for hour and a half, take the turkey out of the oven to see how the cooking process is going. To achieve a more golden brown, baste with some of the broth that has been pooling on the bottom from the stock of turkey and the vegetables. (It’s important not to baste your turkey too much. You lose oven heat while you’re basting, and it really doesn’t add flavor to the meat — or make it more tender.) You just want to make sure the skin is golden brown.
10. Put the bird back into the oven.
11. After roasting at 375 degrees for another hour and a half, take it out of the oven and check the turkey’s temperature. (Take the temperature at the back of the breast, and insert the thermometer all the way in, making sure it isn’t touching a bone, until the temperature reading stabilizes.) The ultimate goal is 165 degrees, but we want to remove the turkey from the oven sooner than that — at around 155 degrees — because all poultry will continue to cook when it’s removed from the oven. You don’t want an overcooked bird!
12. Remove the roasted turkey from the oven and cover with aluminum foil so it doesn’t lose its heat, and continues to cook.
13. Let your bird rest for around 45 minutes before serving and get ready to savor a perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, moist and delicious roasted turkey!

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How to roast a turkey

Brining is a process that uses a salt solution to tenderize poultry, whether it’s turkey, chicken, or Cornish hen. It helps break down connective tissue to make the bird more tender, and adds flavor, moisture and great taste.

These instructions are for a 12- to 14-pound bird. If your bird is larger or smaller, adjust the quantities appropriately.

Gather your ingredients and supplies:

• 16-18 quart container
• 2 gallons of water
• 4 cups of salt
• 4 cups of sugar
• 2 ounces of bourbon (more if you like)
• 3 cups of ice

1. Add two gallons of water to any container that is large enough to allow the entire turkey to be immersed. (You’ll need a container whose capacity is approximately 16 to 18 quarts.) As long as the container is clean, you can use anything that accommodates the size of your bird.
2. Add 4 cups of salt to the water
3. Add 4 cups of sugar to the water. The sugar helps sweeten the turkey, counteracting the acidity of the salt.
4. Add 2 ounces of bourbon. (Bourbon is also an acid that will help break down the connective tissue of the meat. You can use as much as you like.)
5. Whisk the brine solution until all ingredients are dissolved and mixed.
6. Add 3 cups of ice. Ice is a very critical ingredient because it is important to ensure the temperature of the water stays below 40 degrees to avoid bacteria growth.
7. Clean the bird, both inside and out, and then pat with a paper towel to dry completely.
8. Add the washed and dried bird to the solution. Make sure that the turkey is completely immersed in the water with the salt, sugar and bourbon.
9. Place container and turkey into the refrigerator, and leave it sit for six to eight hours.
10. After six to eight hours, remove the container from the refrigerator and then remove the turkey from the container. Rinse it off and pat it dry, making sure that all the water is removed from the cavity.

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How to brine turkey and other poultry

Rebecca likes to mix and match plates for a more casual harvest table. She will also mix and match silverware.

• If you’re going to have a lot of food on the table, instead of a big flower arrangement, you can take a tile or a piece of slate and use that as a decorative hot plate.

• You can put pretty small objects on it, like little candles or small plants, or pillar candles look nice. She uses pincushion plants which are harvest colors and also make nice party favors for people to take with them.

• Her family’s tradition is to send the children out into the yard before the meal is served, to gather pine cones and other beautiful objects, which are added to the table setting.

• Light the candles and you’re ready.