Thanskgiving 2015
This year I went out and bought everything for my little thanksgiving for Sunday. I wanted turkey, green bean casseroles, cauliflower mash potato's and stuffing. I had two items Ive never made on the menu this year (I always have to challenge myself); the stuffing (with the turkey and without) and cauliflower mash.
I ended up cooking everything in less than three hours. It wasn't stressful at all and I had leftovers for days. I'm really glad I was able to pull everything off. I got 95% of my ingredients in NY Trader Joes on my lunch and then brought everything home Friday evening. Saturday I went out to find cornbread and that was the key ingredient I was missing. I cooked the corn bread during the morning and let it sit out all day. I made breakfast burritos and those were a hit to hold me over until........the thanksgiving feast. I started baking cookies around 11am and then preparing my feast around 430pm. I was finished and cleaned the whole kitchen by 800pm. I was very proud of my self. I will have to say that I will have turkey for about five days this week. I'm going to need to throw in a burger or two for lunch or dinner.
DRY BRINE TURKEY....
I ended up cooking everything in less than three hours. It wasn't stressful at all and I had leftovers for days. I'm really glad I was able to pull everything off. I got 95% of my ingredients in NY Trader Joes on my lunch and then brought everything home Friday evening. Saturday I went out to find cornbread and that was the key ingredient I was missing. I cooked the corn bread during the morning and let it sit out all day. I made breakfast burritos and those were a hit to hold me over until........the thanksgiving feast. I started baking cookies around 11am and then preparing my feast around 430pm. I was finished and cleaned the whole kitchen by 800pm. I was very proud of my self. I will have to say that I will have turkey for about five days this week. I'm going to need to throw in a burger or two for lunch or dinner.
DRY BRINE TURKEY....
Preparing the Turkey (15-20 ppl with leftovers)
1 (20-pound) fresh turkey
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons chopped orange zest
2 Turkey tenderloins (small portions or two people with leftovers)
Salt and Pepper (1 teaspoon each)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
4 sprigs of type; finely diced
1 teaspoon parsley
1. Rinse off with cold water and patch dry, sit and rest. Use a towel and butter the pan graciously. Add the dry ingredients all over the turkey and underneath. Cover in an oven safe pot (the one you will bake it in) and place in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight. The smells are amazing once you remove it.
2. Keep the pot covered in room temp for about 10 mins. Add dressing to the pot (cranberry, brussels sprout, and corn bread stuffing: recipe to follow) and bake for about 1.5 hours. Remove from the oven.
3. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter throughout the pan and cook with pot uncovered for about 10- 20 mins; crisp the stuffing and brown the turkey edges.
TURKEY GRAVY
1 to 2 tablespoon flour
1 cup of low sodium veggie broth (trader joes)
5 to 10 syringes of turkey drippings (chucks and all)
1. Whisk drippings (I like chunks of turkey too) and 1 tablespoon flour at a time on medium - low heat in a sauce pan. (Imagine a little thyme/parsley/rosemary/sage flavors all up in that gravy).... I can smell it now. WOW, getting a little hungry too.
2. Add the broth a little bit at a time.Whisk vigorously as it will start to thicken, add the broth until its a smooth consistency. Make sure the lumps are out.
3. If you want to strain the gravy you can. Fancy people use a white cheese cloth, but I use a strainer over a pot and then in a fancy serving dish for the table. I now add a little pepper and salt if needed. Make sure you sample it before placing it on the table. We don't want grandpa to add more salt to your homemade gravy.
CAULIFLOWER MASH POTATOS
1 cup of cauliflower; diced (cleaned )
1 cup of russet potato; diced (cleaned and skin off)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
Salt and Pepper (dash)
Boil cauliflower and potato with a little a pinch of salt in the water. about 15mins or until cauliflower and potato's are ready. Rinse. Add milk, butter, cream cheese, and seasonings in the same pot and blend well until cauliflower is completely blended together. Serve hot. Taste and serve.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BRUSSEL SPROUTS, GALA APPLES, CORN BREAD STUFFING
2 cups of butternut squash; cubed
2 cups of brussel sprouts; quartered
1/2 gala apple; cut into a 1/2 inch dice
1/2 shallot
2 tablespoon of olive oil; divided into 1tble and 1tble
1/4 cup of onion. diced
1/4 cup of celery, diced
2 slices of whole wheat bread; diced
1/2 pan of 1 day old corn bread; diced
1 teaspoon of thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon of parsley, chopped
3 bay leafs (disregard later)
1 cup of organic veggie broth
handful of dried cranberries
Directions
Heat oven at 400 degrees. Add squash, sprouts, and apples to olive oil, shallots, salt, and pepper and lightly toss then place on parchment pepper on a cookie sheet. Roast until veggies are tender. Remove veggies from the oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
Add olive oil to a large pot. Sauté celery and onions and cook until translucent (5-8 mins).
Add the roasted veggies in the pot and stir in the veggie broth. Stir until bread has soaked up most of the juices. Add a dash of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor. Transfer to the baking sheet again and bake for about 30mins at 350 degrees. Serve hot.
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk (2%)
1 tsp of soy sauce
dash of pepper for seasoning (I like a little more than normal)
4 cups of cooked cut green beans or two cans of drained any style green beans (I LOVE sliced)
1 1/3 cups crispy fried onions
Directions
In a casserole dish or pie pan (that's what I used) stir condensed soup, milk, soy sauce, and pepper, then add 2/3 cups of the fried onions. Bake at 350 degrees until the dish starts bubbling. Then add the additional fried onions for another 5 mins until they are golden brown.
Napkin 101... look up a great idea on Pinterest. I did for the first time and it was loads of fun and everyone thought you spent hours decorating the table. It took me literally 20mins.
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons chopped orange zest
2 Turkey tenderloins (small portions or two people with leftovers)
Salt and Pepper (1 teaspoon each)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
4 sprigs of type; finely diced
1 teaspoon parsley
1. Rinse off with cold water and patch dry, sit and rest. Use a towel and butter the pan graciously. Add the dry ingredients all over the turkey and underneath. Cover in an oven safe pot (the one you will bake it in) and place in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight. The smells are amazing once you remove it.
2. Keep the pot covered in room temp for about 10 mins. Add dressing to the pot (cranberry, brussels sprout, and corn bread stuffing: recipe to follow) and bake for about 1.5 hours. Remove from the oven.
3. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter throughout the pan and cook with pot uncovered for about 10- 20 mins; crisp the stuffing and brown the turkey edges.
TURKEY GRAVY
1 to 2 tablespoon flour
1 cup of low sodium veggie broth (trader joes)
5 to 10 syringes of turkey drippings (chucks and all)
1. Whisk drippings (I like chunks of turkey too) and 1 tablespoon flour at a time on medium - low heat in a sauce pan. (Imagine a little thyme/parsley/rosemary/sage flavors all up in that gravy).... I can smell it now. WOW, getting a little hungry too.
2. Add the broth a little bit at a time.Whisk vigorously as it will start to thicken, add the broth until its a smooth consistency. Make sure the lumps are out.
3. If you want to strain the gravy you can. Fancy people use a white cheese cloth, but I use a strainer over a pot and then in a fancy serving dish for the table. I now add a little pepper and salt if needed. Make sure you sample it before placing it on the table. We don't want grandpa to add more salt to your homemade gravy.
CAULIFLOWER MASH POTATOS
1 cup of cauliflower; diced (cleaned )
1 cup of russet potato; diced (cleaned and skin off)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
Salt and Pepper (dash)
Boil cauliflower and potato with a little a pinch of salt in the water. about 15mins or until cauliflower and potato's are ready. Rinse. Add milk, butter, cream cheese, and seasonings in the same pot and blend well until cauliflower is completely blended together. Serve hot. Taste and serve.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BRUSSEL SPROUTS, GALA APPLES, CORN BREAD STUFFING
2 cups of butternut squash; cubed
2 cups of brussel sprouts; quartered
1/2 gala apple; cut into a 1/2 inch dice
1/2 shallot
2 tablespoon of olive oil; divided into 1tble and 1tble
1/4 cup of onion. diced
1/4 cup of celery, diced
2 slices of whole wheat bread; diced
1/2 pan of 1 day old corn bread; diced
1 teaspoon of thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon of parsley, chopped
3 bay leafs (disregard later)
1 cup of organic veggie broth
handful of dried cranberries
Directions
Heat oven at 400 degrees. Add squash, sprouts, and apples to olive oil, shallots, salt, and pepper and lightly toss then place on parchment pepper on a cookie sheet. Roast until veggies are tender. Remove veggies from the oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
Add olive oil to a large pot. Sauté celery and onions and cook until translucent (5-8 mins).
Add the roasted veggies in the pot and stir in the veggie broth. Stir until bread has soaked up most of the juices. Add a dash of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor. Transfer to the baking sheet again and bake for about 30mins at 350 degrees. Serve hot.
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk (2%)
1 tsp of soy sauce
dash of pepper for seasoning (I like a little more than normal)
4 cups of cooked cut green beans or two cans of drained any style green beans (I LOVE sliced)
1 1/3 cups crispy fried onions
Directions
In a casserole dish or pie pan (that's what I used) stir condensed soup, milk, soy sauce, and pepper, then add 2/3 cups of the fried onions. Bake at 350 degrees until the dish starts bubbling. Then add the additional fried onions for another 5 mins until they are golden brown.
Napkin 101... look up a great idea on Pinterest. I did for the first time and it was loads of fun and everyone thought you spent hours decorating the table. It took me literally 20mins.
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