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Hi, foodies...Amy here, In the Kitchen with David Senior Copywriter. I’m sneaking into David’s blog today to share something very special.

If you watched the show on Wednesday, you know David is celebrating his 20th Anniversary with QVC. If you missed the show, the team had a few surprises planned for our head foodie...including a visit from David’s boss, Jack.



And, what 20th Anniversary would be complete without a celebratory message written in bacon? (Do we know David or what???)   



Foodies, what you didn’t see on Wednesday is a video we, the ITKWD team, created under the guidance and direction of our genius multimedia producer/editor, Wes. Happy Anniversary to you, David, our friend, colleague, and our favorite foodie.



And now, here’s what David prepared for you all today...be sure to wish him a Happy Anniversary on Facebook, Twitter, and all his social platforms!

Hello, foodies…

(Close your eyes and picture me saying that with a thick British Accent!) Why? Well, we’re traveling to England for “Christmas Around the World” month this Sunday on In the Kitchen with David! Where, specifically? We’re headed to the South East Corner of the country. Many thanks to Amy (our Senior Copywriter) for introducing us to her friend Mark (and his adorable kids!



Amy: Mark, tell me about the days leading up to Christmas in England. How did you celebrate?
Mark: There are a lot of similarities to Christmas in the U.S. as far as customs...decorations tend to go up around the 1st of December and that includes a tree, mistletoe, lights, everything. And, children go ‘carol singing,’ which is similar to trick-or-treating but the kids actually sing carols on your doorstep in the hopes they’d get some sort of treat. That’s worn off a bit now, though, I think. In terms of food, we ate mince meat pies (ignore the name, they're actually made of fruit) and sausage rolls.

Amy: Does anything special happen on Christmas Eve? Or does the magic all happen on Christmas Day?
Mark: Christmas Eve isn’t quite as important as Christmas Day, but it certainly signaled the start of the holiday. Most people attend mass, and there are two: a nativity mass, which is held around 6pm and revolves around the kids of the church re-enacting the nativity scene; or, you can attend a traditional midnight mass, which is what we did when we got older.

Upon returning from the nativity mass (at least that’s what I know it as), we would get ready for father Christmas. (I think Santa is an American term, although slowly growing across the world.) We would ensure we left a carrot and milk for the reindeer and a mince pie and whiskey for father Christmas. Everyone would bring down the presents that they bought for each other and put them under the tree. Our empty stockings would be put at the end of our beds and then we’d try to sleep…

Amy: So what happened when you awoke?
Mark: Well, “Santa” had magically appeared in the night and he left loads of presents under the tree and filled the stockings that were left on beds. The lounge door (where the tree was) was locked so we could never peek at the gifts until Mum had prepped lunch. A traditional lunch would consist of roast turkey, duck, or goose. We tended to opt for the turkey and the trimmings included pork, sage, and onion stuffing; roast potatoes; pigs-in-a-blanket; sprouts; carrots; peas; and gravy. Then, for dessert, we had a yule log, more mince pies, and a traditional Christmas pudding (which I think it’s also called plum pudding—and “plums” are raisins). It must be covered with brandy at the table and set on fire. I can still see it flaming now! Bloody love Christmas pudding…and Christmas!

Wow! Thanks, Mark. While we may not have a flaming pudding recipe for you, foodies, we do have a Chestnut & Apricot-Stuffed Turkey Breast! Here’s the recipe and photos to boot.

Chestnut & Apricot-Stuffed Turkey Breast
Serves 6-8

This recipe is prepared with the Rachel Ray Hard Anodized Roaster with Rack (K39936).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:
Stuffing:

• 1 stick butter


• 1 cup celery, finely diced


• 1 cup onion, finely diced


• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped


• 1 cup chestnuts, roasted, peeled & halved


• 2 cups chicken stock


• 1 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp pepper


• 1 tsp sage, chopped


• 1 tsp thyme, chopped


• 8 cups day-old French bread, cubed & toasted

Turkey:

• 1 (4–4.5 lb) boneless turkey breast


• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

To prepare the stuffing, melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the celery and the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the apricots, chestnuts, chicken stock, salt, pepper, sage, and thyme. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, and then remove the pan from the heat.

Add the bread cubes and toss until the liquid has been fully absorbed. Place the stuffing on a baking sheet and refrigerate until it’s completely cooled.

While the stuffing is cooling, prepare turkey breast. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Carefully remove the skin from the turkey breast in one piece and place it aside to be used later.

Butterfly the breast open like a book using a small, very sharp knife, being careful not to cut all the way through. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the entire breast.

With a meat mallet, pound the breast into an even thickness of about 1/4", and then remove the plastic wrap.

Begin stuffing the turkey breast by spreading the bread mixture lengthwise down the middle of the breast. Roll the turkey around the stuffing and then roll the breast over, so the seam is on the bottom.

Stretch the reserved skin over the top of the breast, and then tie it in 6–8 sections with butcher’s twine around the middle.

Place the turkey in a roasting pan and season it with salt and pepper. Place it in the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 155°F on a meat thermometer.

Let the turkey rest, then slice and serve.



Are you hungry, yet? Does it feel like Christmastime? What do you think of that stuffing? Until we developed this recipe, I hadn’t had stuffing with chestnuts or apricots. But, I’m a FAN! So, for today’s blog question, how do you make your stuffing? Do you have any secret ingredients? Maybe you do a cornbread stuffing with cranberries? Maybe a classic…but you add celery and carrots? Or, do you prefer a sausage stuffing with sage?

On Sunday, we’ll be 10 days away from Christmas…join me and we’ll get your gift list wrapped up! See you at Noon ET.

Keep it flavorful!
—David