Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone

This week is "Thanksgiving" on Thursday.  So I'm preparing and cooking for our thanksgiving meal and will not have any recipes to post this week.

Thanksgiving is time to share with family and friends.  To be thankful for all the friendships we have throughout the world as it continues to get smaller with technology.

Enjoy the day, the people, and, of course, the food.

One of the many things I'm thankful for is all of you that follow, check-out and/or share my food blog.  I hope that you are enjoying the weekly posts and that they are helping you enjoy the kitchen and the food you produce.

See you next week when I'll have some Gluten-Free recipes for the December holidays.

So from me to all of you, "HAPPY THANKSGIVING," whether you live in the USA or somewhere else in the world.

Wild Rice Stuffing with Pears & Cranberries (GF)

Wild Rice Stuffing with Pears & Cranberries (GF)

(8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

2½ cups Chicken Broth (GF)

2/3 cup Raw Wild Rice

1½ tbsp. Olive Oil

1 medium Red Onion, diced

2 large stalks Celery, diced

2 medium Pears, firm, cored & diced

2 cups Gluten-Free Bread, diced

1/3 cup Dried Cranberries

¼ cup Pecans, chopped

2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning

½ tsp. Dried Thyme

to taste Salt & Black Pepper

½ cup Apple Cider (or apple juice)

Directions:

Bring broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan.  Add in the wild rice and cover.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all the liquid is absorbed (35-45 minutes).  In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent.  Add the celery and continue until both are golden.  Next combine rice, onion mixture and remaining ingredients except apple cider.  Drizzle apple cider over the new mixture slowly and stir until evenly moistened.  Spread into a 7x11 baking dish that has been pan sprayed or greased.  Place into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until top is slightly crusty and dish is heated through.  Serve at once when done.

Note:               Be aware of your ingredients to make sure this is a Gluten-Free dish.  You can make this dish vegan as well.  Just use vegetable broth instead.  The recipe could also have sausage added to it.  One pound would do for the sausage.

Ideas for Future Efforts

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

Roast Turkey with Cilantro Paste

Roast Turkey with Cilantro Paste

(8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

½ cup Fresh Cilantro, firmly packed

½ cup Fresh Flatleaf Parsley, firmly packed

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

1 tbsp. Fresh Shallot, chopped

1 tsp. Fresh Lime Zest

½ tsp. Kosher Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

12-14 lb. Turkey, fresh or thawed

4 sprigs Fresh Cilantro

2 large Carrots, sliced into 3 inch chunks

1 medium Yellow Onion, quartered

¼ cup Unsalted Butter

2 tbsp. Honey

Directions:

In a food processor, combine cilantro, parsley, butter, shallots, zest, salt and pepper.  Cover and pulse into a chunky paste.  Prepare turkey as normal by removing neck and giblets, rinsing and patting dry.  Now loosen skin from the meat by inserting you fingers starting at the neck.  Rub half the paste under the skin and over the breast and thighs too.  Sprinkle body cavity with salt and pepper before inserting the cilantro, carrot and onion into it.  Fasten neck skin under turkey, tuck wings under breast and fasten legs back into provided piece (or string legs and tie to tail if not provided).  Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan breast side up.  Insert oven friendly thermometer into the thickest part of thigh not touching the bone.  Cover loosely with foil and place in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 2¾ hours.  While turkey is in oven using a sauce pan, melt butter, then stir in honey and remaining paste.  Set aside until you uncover turkey.  After the 2¾ hours, remove foil and baste turkey with the mixture in sauce pan.  Return turkey to oven and continue for 15 to 45 minutes or until thermometer reads 175 degrees.  Remove turkey and cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Note:               You can use an electric roaster if you have one for this turkey.  Thus freeing up the oven for other dishes for your holiday meal.  Electric roasters are a great item to have in your cooking equipment inventory.

Ideas for Future Efforts

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

Turkey Prep & Carving

Last week I told you to allow about 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of turkey to have a safely thawed bird.  So let's continue from there this week.

In buying a turkey for the big day, use 1 pound for each guest.  Thus a 12 to 14 pound turkey will handle 12 to 14 people.

When ready to work with the big bird, clean a kitchen sink to set it in.  Remove the wrapper and take out giblets and neck which are usually frozen inside in one the two place possible.  Usually the neck is in the body cavity and the giblets are in the extra neck skin above the breast.  You can use these items to make stock, add to your dressing/stuffing or discard them.

Now rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.  From here, follow your recipe that you are using to cook this treat.  Some recipes will have you brine the turkey overnight and others will have you do seasonings the day of the big meal.

There is always the big question of do you stuff the turkey or not.  I like it both ways but prefer to stuff it.  Many will tell you of the dangers of stuffing a turkey.  I have never encountered a problem or even heard personally of anyone getting sick because of stuffing their turkey.  If you follow common sense and practice food safety, you should not have a problem.  I know people also will cut their turkey into major pieces and then cook them.  Even know of people who have the turkey deboned before they cook it.  Go with whatever makes you feel comfortable and tastes great.

The turkey is done when it hits a temperature of 175 degrees in the thigh meat.  If you are stuffing the bird, the stuffing needs to hit 165 degrees.  The most used temperature for the oven is 325 degrees, but again follow your recipe.  It will tell you the proper temperature for that recipe.

To cover or not to cover, that is a question.  If you are roasting in an open roasting pan, you may want to loosely cover with foil to start and remove later to let it brown to desired color.  If you are using a covered roasting pan or an electric roaster, probably don't need foil.  But do check and add if turkey is getting too dark.

Once the turkey is done and removed from the oven, cover with  foil and let it rest 15 to 20 minutes before starting to carve.

To carve the turkey, start by removing the leg and thigh in one piece.  To do this, grab the leg and cut through the skin between the body of the bird and the thigh.  Go all the way to the bone.  Now use the tip to separate the thigh bone from the body at the joint.  Next separate the leg from the thigh again by cutting through the skin at the joint between the two pieces.  Leave the leg whole and slice the thigh meat from the thigh bone.

For the breast meat, stick your fork into the wing to help steady the turkey.  Make a horizontal cut through the breast meat just above the wing all the way to the body frame.  Now slice vertical cuts beginning at the front part of the breast.  Slice down to the horizontal cut and the pieces will just fall away.  Lastly, remove the wing at the joint connecting to the body.  At the joints, separate the three pieces of wing and place the closet two sections to the body on your serving platter.  Repeat the process with the other side.

I hope this helps you when the big day or meal arrives.  I  have a little different turkey recipe for you this week and a stuffing recipe that is Gluten-Free too.  Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving.  "Happy Cooking" and I'm thankful for all of you that check out my food blog.  Thanks again.

Garlic Rosemary Dressing

Garlic Rosemary Dressing

(20 plus servings)

 

Ingredients:

18 oz. loaf Rustic White Bread, cubed

18 oz. loaf Rustic Whole Wheat Bread, cubed

½ cup Unsalted Butter

2 lb. Yellow Onions, chopped

6 stalks Celery, chopped

2 tsp. Celery Seeds

10 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

4 large Fresh Eggs, beaten

3 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

2 tbsp. Fresh Sage, finely chopped

4 cups Chicken Broth

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 cups Cranberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:

Spread cubed bread on sheet trays.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes to toast.  Stir frequently and cook to golden brown.  Cool.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Add onions, celery and celery seeds cooking and stirring until soft (10 minutes).  In a very large bowl, combine garlic, eggs, rosemary and sage.  Add broth along with 2½ tsp. salt and 1 tsp. black pepper.  Working in batches, add bread cubes and onion mixture gently tossing to combine.  Divide final mixture between 2 lightly greased 3-qt. baking dishes.  Drizzle each dish with 2 tbsp. olive oil, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  Place in a pre-heated 350 oven with foil on for 25 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking for 20 minutes or until dressing is lightly browned and heated through.  Remove from oven and stir in 1 cup of cranberries in each dish.  Then let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Note:               This recipe can easily be cut in half to work for a smaller group/dinner.

Note:               If using frozen cranberries, thaw before adding to dish.

Ideas for Future Efforts

_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp & Andouille

Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp & Andouille

(8-10 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 box Corn Bread Mix, prepared (see note)

1 lb. Andouille Sausage, quartered lengthwise & then sliced into ½ inch thick pieces

3 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

2 medium Yellow Onions, chopped

1 bunch Celery, chopped

8 medium Green Onions, sliced (white & light green parts only)

1 lb. large Raw Shrimp, shelled, deveined & chopped

1 tbsp. Fresh Garlic, minced

1 tbsp. Fresh Sage, chopped

1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped

3 cups Chicken Broth

½ cup Fresh Flatleaf Parsley, chopped

to taste Salt & Black Pepper

to taste Tabasco

Directions:

Place cutup corn bread in a large mixing bowl.  In a large heavy skillet, cook sausage over moderate heat until lightly browned (10 minutes).  Add to the bowl with corn bread.  Now melt butter in skillet and add onions, celery and half of green onions.  Cook over moderate heat until softened (10 minutes).  Add shrimp, garlic, sage and thyme while continuing to cook until shrimp are just cooked through (3 minutes).  Add shrimp mixture to bowl with corn bread.  In the same skillet, heat broth to a boil.  Pour over corn bread mixture and stir well.   Add parsley, remaining green onions and season with salt, pepper and Tabasco mixing to incorporate.  Spread stuffing into a 10x15 generously buttered non-metal baking dish.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until crisp and brown on top.

Note:               Make a box of your favorite corn bread mix or recipe in a 9x13 baking dish.  When cooled, slice into 1 inch squares for this recipe.  Corn bread will be thinner than when you use an 8x8 dish according to the box mix.

Ideas for Future Efforts

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

Thanksgiving Time Lines & Other Info

Thanksgiving in the USA is just over two weeks away.  You probably should have already started planning what you are doing for the big meal.  Hopefully I can help you in getting ready this year and in the years to come.

There are some items you can make ahead and freeze for up to a month.  Dinner rolls, pies and soups are some good ones for this prep.  Dinner rolls can be pulled the night before or morning of and served at room temperature or warmed wrapped in foil.  Pies can be baked from frozen so you don't lose space in the refrigerator.  Soups actually gain flavor when made early.  Heat from frozen on a low temperature or thaw in refrigerator 3 days before needed.

The turkey is the big item for most Thanksgiving dinners.  If you are using a frozen bird, give it plenty of time to thaw.  Figure one day for every 4 pounds of turkey.  So a 12 lb. turkey is 3 days and a 20 lb. turkey is 5 days.  Now if you are going to brine your turkey, add a day to that too.  Remember to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator.

Having stuffing or dressing with your turkey?  Remember to put bread out a day or two before wanting to use as you want stale bread.  You can probably make the stuffing or dressing the day before and refrigerate.  This, of course, depends on available space in your refrigerator.

Some of your side dishes can be made early and either frozen or refrigerated depending on the dish and space.  Try to make it so that big day is not so hectic or nerve-racking for you and your family.

This week the recipes are for some different types of stuffing or dressing.  Those words are used interchangeably.  Although many consider stuffing as going inside the bird and dressing being done in a casserole dish separately.  Wednesday's "Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp & Andouille" is done in a casserole dish and not in the bird.  Thursday's "Garlic Rosemary Dressing" is also done in a casserole dish.

Just thought I'd give a couple slightly different dishes for Thanksgiving.  I like to always try something new each year to go with all the traditional dishes of the season.  Remember there are many other great recipes for the holidays in the recipe tabs above.  "Happy Cooking" until next week.