Turkey

It's not hard to cook a turkey, but it's pretty easy to overcook one, too.



Set the oven for 350.



Make sure your turkey is thawed. If it isn't completely thawed, allow more time to roast it.



If it doesn't have a pop up timer, you can buy one and stick it in the breast.







Remove the stuff the producers shove inside the turkey. The heart and liver are good chopped and added to the gravy. The neck catches all the toxins, so I toss it. If it's too frozen, don't worry. After a couple of hours, pull the neck and giblets out.





It helps to baste the turkey, and I like melted butter brushed on the skin about every half hour or 20 minutes. I also like a good coating of seasoned salt or poultry seasoning on the skin. A third option (in combination with these two is fine) is to loosen the skin and shove fresh sage between the skin and the meat.



Do not stuff a turkey. It slows down the cooking and allows for the development of slamonella. It's ok to put a few stalks of fresh rosemary or sage (or combination) inside the turkey.



Follow the minute per pound directions on the wrapper, and roast it covered until it is about half an hour away from being done.



When you're about half an hour from being done, uncover the turkey to brown the skin and crisp it up.



When the timer pops, take the turkey out of the oven and let it rest for about 20 minutes before you carve it.



Use the drippings to make Gravy (there's a recipe for gravy on this blog).



I recommend Dry Dressing (a recipe for this is also on this blog).



If you need an invitation to Thanksgiving, let me know. No promises, though.



Carve and enjoy.



Left overs can be frozen (preferably sliced) for sanwiches later or turkey tetrazzini (I'll add a recipe for that as we get closer to leftovers) or . . . whatever.



Comments? Make them below.

I've been reading this wonderful blog and encourage you to try it if you are interested in easy crockpot meals:  A Year of CrockPot Recipes

Very Simple Cream Cheese Frosting

This is great for Carrot Cake or Ann's Annual Lamb Cake for Easter

8 oz COLD cream cheese
5 Tbs room temperature real butter
2 Tsp real vanilla (or other flavoring
2 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

In a mixer beat the butter and cream cheese briefly with the vanilla and add the powdered sugar about a third at a time. Don't beat on too high a speed, or the sugar will be all over the place.

Mix until the right consistency, but don't overbeat as it will break down.

Spread on whatever cake you want. Enjoy.

This is from the Joy of Cooking.

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is a slightly different version of the recipe at the bottom of this blog.

Mix well together:
1 C sugar
5 eggs
3 8-oz pkgs of warm (softened) cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla (use the real stuff, not that fake shit)

Pour into an 9 x 13 pan.

Melt 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips or bars).
Pour it on top of the batter and marbleize it with a knife.

Bake at 300 for an hour.

Cool
Serve
Enjoy

Roasted Chicken

Preheat oven to 350.
You will need:
A whole chicken
2 cloves of garlic (optional)
one large branch of fresh rosemary that you can cut into several smaller pieces

Use a whole chicken. Wash the inside and outside to remove stray bone chips and the gizzards and neck (which I toss. All the toxins in the animal end up in the neck and organs.).

Remove the tail and any large chunks of fat.

Separate the skin from the breast of the chicken with your hand, not as difficult as it sounds.

Between the skin and the breast meat insert little chunks of butter, slices of whole garlic, and sprigs of rosemary.

Stuff the rest of the rosemary inside the chicken.

Bake at 350 for about an hour. Use an instant thermometer to ensure that the breast meat is at least 170 degrees. The skin should be crispy.

Remove from the oven and let the chicken set for about five minutes. Slice or carve and serve.

Enjoy!

Bacon two ways

I. Microwaving

Bacon comes in rashers, just as a point of information. All microwave ovens are different and times vary. This method allows the paper towels to absorb the fat, and you can have bacon as limp or crispy as you please.

Lay three strips of bacon on two layers of paper towels and place a third paper towel on top.

Nuke in the microwave oven on high for 4 - 5 minutes. Check the bacon. If it needs more time, try a minute at a time.

II. Oven baked/roasted

Preheat oven to 400.

This works for a larger number of people.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, available at the grocery store. If you don't have any, open up a brown paper bag and use that (a poor second choice, however).

Lay the rashers of bacon on the cookies sheet so they are almost touching.

Bake in a regular oven for about 20 minutes. Again, check the bacon for the degree of doneness you prefer.

Enjoy!

Interesting Cookies

Gravy

Gravy is pretty easy, but you have to remember:
Never add flour to hot liquid because you'll get lumps.
Gravy is best made from poultry or beef, not pork.

Use juices from whatever meat you have cooked.

Mix together:
1 C water
1/4 C flour

If you have juices and "crusties" from meat in the bottom of a pan, add some water, chicken broth, or either with a little wine.

Deglaze the pan, which means to put it on the heat with the liquid and loosen the stuff on the bottom.
Add the flour- water mixture to thicken.
Bring to a boil to kill the raw flour taste.

If necessary, add more flour-water mixture or more broth.

Adjust seasonings. (It always says that in cookbooks, and it means taste it. If it needs more salt, add a little at a time, stir it in, and keep tasting so it doesn't get too salty. Add pepper if necessary.)

I like to add poultry seasonings or rubbed sage to poultry gravy.

Serve hot.

Caribbean Sea Food

Herbed Potatoes

In a plastic bag mix
1/4 C oil
1/4 C prepared mustard
1 T horseradish

Microwave
4 quartered potatoes for about 3/4 of the time recommended to cook them through.

Coat the potatoes thoroughly in the mixture.

Grill until the potatoes are golden brown and completely done.
OR
Bake on parchment paper on a cookie sheet until they are golden brown and thoroughly done.

You probably have to turn them once or twice while baking/ grilling.

Serve hot. Enjoy!

Baked Fish

This is good with practically any fish fillet or steak. I prefer salmon or cod, but tilapia also works.
(a steak is cut crosswise across the spine and will have a lot of bones; a fillet is cut length-wise)

Place fish (preferably a fillet) on a broiling pan.
Use your finger to feel for bones. I use a special pair of kitchen pliers (regular needle nose pliers I use only in the kitchen) to pull bones from the flesh of the fish.

Sprinkle with
1 - 2 Tbs lemon juice
a dusting of seasoned salt
1 - 2 Tbs butter in little pats all over the fish

Bake in a 450 or 500 oven for 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

Serve with lemon wedges or tartar sauce.

Pork Chops 2

Put pork chops in a shallow baking pan. Do not overlap them.

Add
milk to barely cover (use 2 % or whole, not skim)

Season to taste with regular or seasoned salt and pepper.

Bake about an hour at 350.

The milk should form a tasty crust and keep the pork chops moist.

Pork Chops 1

In a heavy plastic bag or a shallow bowl stir together
1/2 C Wishbone Italian Salad Dressing
1/2 C soy sauce

Add pork chops and marinate for 15 minutes to an hour.

Grill or bake.

Shannon's Mac and Cheese

Gramma Mary Jane's Mac and Cheese (so easy, you don't even have to cook the noodles first!)

In a 9/13 pyrex or metal baking pan (sprayed with Pam or greased with butter/marj) combine:

2 1/2 cups dry, uncooked elbow macaroni
4 cups 1 or 2 percent milk (not whole, not skim)
1 cubed package(brick) of cheese (cheddar, colby, etc.)
salt and pepper to taste


top with 1 stick of melted marj
bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until top starts browning and liquid is absorbed.

mmmmmmm!!!!

Sue Gertz' shrimp

Defrost a bag of frozen, cooked shrimp.

Open a jar of cocktail sauce.

Dip shrimp in cocktail sauce.
To make this fancier, arrange shrimp on a plate and make separate dipping bowls for each diner.

Eat. Enjoy.

Grandma Garland's Potato Salad

Dressing:
1 C Vinegar
1 C water
1 C sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg well beaten

Put above in a pan and bring to a boil. Do not overcook as it will separate.
When it is thick, stir in
1 Tbs butter
1 really good squirt of yellow mustard

Separately, peel 5 pounds of potatoes and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes, approximately.
Boil until they are cooked through. You can tell when you stick a fork in them.

Drain cooked potatoes and put in a bowl.
Add (all optional to suit your taste)
1 C chopped celery
1 C sliced radishes
1 sm chopped onion
1/2 C grated carrots
2 chopped hard boiled eggs (boil 15 minutes; remove shells and rinse; chop into large pieces, maybe eighths of each egg)
3 Tbs salad olives
3 rashers of crisp bacon crumbled

Add dressing and stir together.

Serve hot or chilled.

mmmmmmmmmm. Enjoy!

Baked chicken 1 A

Substitute Rock Cornish Hens for the chicken pieces in Baked Chicken 2.
Rather than use them whole, halve them with a heavy sharp knife.
Enjoy

Baked Chicken 1

In a heavy flat pan heat
3 Tbs olive oil

Add
1/4 C chopped celery
1/4 C chopped carrot
1/4 C minced onion or leek

Stir until onion is transluscent.

Add 1 1/2 C uncooked rice to oil veg mixture and stir until coated.

Add 3 C water or chicken broth

On top of the rice add pieces of a cut up frying chicken

Sprinkle seasoned salt on top of the chicken.

Remove from stovetop heat and bake at 350 for about an hour, until the chicken is cooked through (clear juices when poked with a fork) and rice is done (probably over done).

Enjoy.

Oven Fried Chicken

In a bowl mix together
1 C flour
2 Tbs seasoned salt
3 good grinds of fresh pepper

In a second bowl froth
1 egg and
3 Tbs water

Rinse and pat dry a cut-up frying chicken

Dip in egg mixture then coat with flour mixture.

Place chicken pieces on a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper covering it.

Bake 1 hour at 350 until juices run clear when you poke a fork in the chicken.

Eat, enjoy.

Cream of Chestnut Tomato Basil Soup

Serves 6 to 8

In a large, heavy pot
Saute until transparent
3 rags of celery chopped fine
1 fresh leek chopped
2 Tbs olive oil

Add 8 oz V8 or tomato juice
2 cans stewed tomatoes (I like the kind with onions and basil)
2 largish potatoes peeled and cubed (3/4 inch cubes)
1 C chestnuts (real chestnuts, NOT water chestnuts)
2 C chicken broth

Cook until the potatoes are soft and adjust seasonings (like add salt if necessary)

Add several grinds of fresh pepper

The hard part:
Put through a blender. I use a submersible blender that you stick in the pan. You can ladle it back and forth into a blender or you might use a hand mixer. The chestnuts and potatoes thicken the soup, so they should be mashed completely.

Right before serving, bring to a boil and add 1 1/2 C whipping cream
1C milk

Chop 3 Tbs fresh basil and add it.

Serve with garnishes of
bacon bits
sour cream
grated pecarino romano or parmesan

This makes a lot and is rich, but it is a whole meal.

Brownies - from James Beard

Note: These are just as easy as a mix, and a lot better tasting.

Melt together over very low heat
2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened baking chocolate
1/4 C butter

Remove from heat and stir in
1 C sugar
2 eggs well beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 C regular flour
1/2 tsp double acting baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
Stir in options:
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans
1 C chocolate chips

Use a wooden spoon for best results.

Pour into a 9 x 9 greased pan (spray with pam or rub with butter/margarine).

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

When cool, ice if you want.

"Cool and cut into squares.d A good brownie is sticky and rich with chocolate. It should never be dry." - James Beard

Enjoy!

Easy, Yummy Mac and Cheese

Cook a one pound box of macaroni according to the directions on the package and drain.
Put the macaroni back in the pan and stir in
1/2 stick of butter or margarine (4 TBS) until melted. Then add
8 oz of Velveta cheese food in little pieces and stir until melted
8 oz shredded cheddar and stir in
2 C hot milk
Optional:
1 Tbs horseradish
1/4 tsp mace or nutmeg
1 Tbs yellow mustard

pour into baking dish, top with
1/2 C bread crumbs

Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes, until bubbling

Serve hot. Enjoy!

Dry Dressing

In advance:
Cube a couple assorted loaves of bread and spread them out to dry or put them in a big bowl and stir them around every couple of hours for a couple of days so they dry.

Then in a very large bowl or pan mix together

The cubed bread
5 or 6 rags of celery sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
a pound of whole mushrooms halved and third-ed
3 Tbs poultry seasoning
1 medium chopped onion
2 sticks of butter in small chunks
the giblets from a turkey, chopped

Bake at 325 for several hours until the bread cubes are toasty brown.

While baking stir in another stick of chunked butter in an hour, then another, then a third, all about an hour apart.

Serve with turkey or chicken gravy.

Enjoy!

Quick French Bread

In a bowl combine:

2 Cups of hot water from the tap
1 Tbs sugar
2 packages of quick rising yeast
1 tsp salt
5 Cups of flour, a little at a time

Knead, adding up to another cup of flour until the dough is smooth, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Shape into a couple of french bread loaves and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet as far apart as possible.

With a sharp knife make half-inch deep diagonal slashes on the top of the bread.

Let it rise for about 10 minutes.

Brush the top with water (Use the back of a tablespoon if you don't have a brush).

Bake at 400 for 50 minutes to an hour.

Thump the top of the loaf with your finger. If it is done it will sound hollow. If not, bake it for a few more minutes.

Let cool slightly, then slice and serve with real butter.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Follow the directions on the package of Ghiradelli's chocolate chips. They are infinitely better than the other brands.