Thanksgiving--Oh Yeah, It's That One!

Although there are a lot of people out there who like to call the upcoming holiday "Turkey Day", I still like to call it Thanksgiving. I am always thankful for those who are coming together, the ability to entertain and give back to my loved ones, good food, and a husband who is really good at doing the cleaning part! I like to cook, and I like to cook BIG for this holiday. Thankfully, Josh doesn't mind cleaning big.

This will be a smaller celebration, the two of us and three friends, but the spirit will be the same, and the food won't be much different from the last few years. We won't be serving it in the backyard here in Colorado this year, but we will relax, enjoy good friendship (and more football than I want to, I am sure) and eat our little hearts out.

For someone who used to dread most of the food at Thanksgiving (I didn't like turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes--yuk!), I have come a long way, and really enjoy making all the classic Thanksgiving foods with a twist. This would have been the fourth year of the Turducken, but I am changing course slightly. I can take-or-leave the chicken in a Tur-Du-cken, so this year I am replacing it with a Pheasant. That's right folks, I am making a Tur-Ph-uck. A turkey stuffed with a pheasant, a duck, and two kinds of stuffing. No bones--all succulent, mouth watering bird and stuffing.

Alongside the birds, I serve Sweet Potato Balls, garlic-mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry relish, green beans, salad, Stuffin' Muffins, and the Rice and Sausage dressing that doesn't make it into the birds. I think I am leaving off the salad this year--with all the other food, no one ever really wants salad. I usually put out some kind of appetizers, but I am leaving those off this year also, opting for passing out Cranberry-Orange-Lime Finger Jello squares instead. I will make a pumpkin pie and an apple pie to finish, and my friend Melanie is bringing a Pumpkin Roll for dessert as well.

I think the only traditional, family recipe I make is the Rice and Sausage dressing. But, the truth is, this family can't pass it up. It is, absolutely, the best dressing ever. And my mom makes it the best--no doubt!

Cranberry-Orange-Lime Finger Jello squares (for grown ups)

Make cranberry finger jello according to manufacturer's instructions, substituting vodka for half of the water. Pour into 9x9 pan and put in fridge to set. When set, make orange finger jello, pour over top of set cranberry, and put in fridge to set. Repeat with lime and put in fridge until ready to serve.

Fill sink 2" with hot water. Hold bottom of pan in water for 15-30 seconds, until you can easily invert mold onto a plate. Cut into 16 squares and serve.

Cranberry Relish

1 can whole cranberries
zest of one orange
juice from one orange
3-4 slices fresh ginger
1/2 c water

Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Remove ginger and pour into bowl to serve. Any citrus works nicely with this--use your own taste preference.

Tur-du-cken (Tur-ph-uck)

1-18 lb turkey
1-4 lb duck
1-5 lb chicken

1 recipe Sausage and Rice dressing (see past blog post)
1 recipe Bread dressing (recipe follows)

Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

4 tbls butter softened
8-10 slices of bacon

4-5 needles pre-threaded with upholstery thread, button thread, or Hymark
4 pieces butcher's twine cut to 30" lengths

Bird preparations: Duck and chicken--remove wings, split back, remove all bones from body, thighs and legs. Remove skin and excess fat from chicken. DON'T remove the fat from the duck--trust me! Save the wings that you cut off, and toss the bones, etc.
Turkey--Split breast and remove bones from body and thighs only. Leave wings attached and leave bones in the drumsticks. Do not remove skin.
Note: This takes hours, even if you have done it more than once. Either buy fresh birds early, remove bones and freeze until needed, or plan your defrosting to be done by the night before Thanksgiving. Don't try to do this Thanksgiving morning, or you will need to be up at 3 in the morning.

Dressing/stuffing--make the day before and refrigerate it so you are ready to go in the morning.

Turducken prep!!!

Mix salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl--enough to season each bird completely. By mixing it in the bowl, you don't have to put your foul (fowl) hands all over the salt and pepper mills--eeeeewwww!!! Mix more than you think you will need, you can toss the rest when you are finished.
Lay out butcher's twine, each piece a few inches from the other. Lay turkey, skin side down on top of twine. Sprinkle seasoning liberally over expose flesh side. Spread a thin layer of rice and sausage dressing over turkey, making sure you cram it into the thigh where you removed the bones. Lay the chicken down on top of dressing and sprinkle liberally with seasoning. Spread a thin layer of bread dressing onto chicken, carefully shoving it into the thigh and drumsticks where the bones were removed. Lay the duck down on top of the chicken--What! Your duck is in a bunch of pieces and not like a whole duck!?! Yeah, that happens. Just lay down the pieces, season it, and layer the rice and sausage dressing on top of it.

Here is where you need another set of hands. Have your helper fold the sides of the turkey together, and tie each string around it to hold it together. (Okay, in 3 Turduckens, I have never used the twine, but I am thins year because I know it will be WAY easier!) Take a needle and begin stitching your turkey back together using a whip stitch or the kind of stitching used on a baseball. Make sure you go through the meat of the bird when you can, not just the skin.
Lay bird, stitching side down on rack in roasting pan. Rub softened butter over entire bird and sprinkle with more of the seasoning. Lay the strips of bacon across the bird and put into a 225 degree oven and roast for 9-10 hours. Your meat thermometer, inserted all the way in so it gets to the duck, needs to read 165 degrees. Baste your bird every hour, and at about 4 hours in, remove the bacon. If he starts to get too brown too soon, tent foil over the top and remove for the last 15 minutes to crisp up.

Let bird sit for 15-20 minutes--if you can stand it!--before cutting in.

Note: It doesn't matter what size your duck and chicken are (or pheasant), just put them into turkey in descending order of size.

Bread Dressing

3 tbls butter
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 small apple, cored and chopped, skin on
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup craisins or golden raisins
1 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
4 cups dried or day old bread cubed
1/3 c apple juice 1/2-
1 c vegetable stock

Melt butter in large pot or skillet and saute onion and celery for a few minutes, just until they are translucent. Add apple, nuts, craisins and herbs and toss together, cooking for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add bread cubes and toss with apple juice and enough stock to make moist. I like quite a bit of moisture in mine, as I like to cook what doesn't go into a bird in a hot oven and make the top super crispy!! If it is going into a bird, less moisture is needed, since it will draw it from the bird. If it is not being cooked in a bird, spoon into a pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. My favorite way to do it--spoon it into a cupcake pan and make individual "stuffin' muffins". I got that idea from Rachel Ray, and we love it. Everyone gets there own crunchy part!

Sweet Potato Balls (I know! I didn't know they had them either!)

2 sweet potatos
2 yams
3 tbls butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of salt
8 large marshmallows
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
3 tbls sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

Peel potatos and yams, cut into chunks and boil until tender. You could also roast them in an oven until tender, split the skin, and scoop the flesh out, but that is messy and takes MUCH longer. Just boil them.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash potatos with butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. On a medium sized plate, mix coconut with cinnamon and sugar. Using your hands, form into 8 equal size balls, carefully stuffing a marshmallow into the center of each and sealing it in. Roll balls in coconut mixture and place on baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, until coconut is golden brown and crunchy.

**For a savory option, mix coconut with 3-4 tsp yellow curry powder and a tsp of powdered ginger, leaving off the sugar.

These are fun to make with your kids--even if they are in their 20s. Just ask Belinda!

Green Beans with Bacon

1/8 pound slab bacon, diced
1 tbls olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground pepper

In a large deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate. Clean skillet and add olive oil and the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the beans, pepper flakes, and salt and saute over moderately high heat, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the boiling water and cover the skillet immediately. Steam the beans, shaking the skillet occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until just tender. Add the butter, vinegar, and salt and pepper and toss until combined. Sprinkle with the bacon.

Pumpkin Pie

I make the recipe off the back of the Libby's pumpkin can. I just put loads of cinnamon, cloves and ginger in, with just a little nutmeg. That's how we like it.

What a great day of GREAT food! Oh right, if you have vegetarian friends coming over, all of the sides, except the Sausage and Rice Dressing, are made without meat. When I make the green beans, the bacon can be sprinkled on top of the individual servings rather than over the whole dish.

Comfort food rocks!

With our snowstorm dumping 18" of snow on us last week, we were all enjoying warm nights inside with the heat turned way up. It is generally impossible for my feet and derriere to be warm during the months between October and April, but one thing that really helps is good hot food and drink.


The right stuff can warm you to the tips of your fingers and toes, and make you feel toasty and comfy while storms rage outside. See, it is true--food can solve all woes. And why not start with a yummy hot drink while working in the kitchen.

One of our favorites is hot spiced wine, which we have found is the same, or at least similar, in many countries of the world. Our other favorite is hot spiced cider. I make this anytime we have college football parties. Most people who want to come over and watch games drink beer or soda, but I have found that for autumn football games, people really get into the hot cider. The nice thing is, it offers a non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverage to those who don't want one or the other. The beauty of both of these drinks is that you can make both with the same ingredients--just swap out the liquidy part!



Hot Mulled Cider (Wine)



1 bottle apple juice, cider, or full-bodied red wine
1 orange sliced 1/4" thick with rind attached
1 apple sliced 1/4" thick with peel still on
2 tbls mulling spices in tea infuser or wrapped in cheesecloth
1/3 to 1/2 c sugar for wine only

Put all ingredients into a stock pot and simmer for about 20 minutes. Ladle into mugs and serve with a cinnamon stick.



Option: to kick up the cider a bit, add 1 oz of Meyer's dark rum to the mug before ladling in cider.



Mulling spices:

You can find these already put together in most food stores (we get ours from Williams Sonoma--vastly overpriced--or at World Market). Or you can easily make your own using whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, dried orange rind, allspice, cardamom, or any spice flavors you particularly enjoy.



So, how about some comfort food to go with your yummy drink starter? Chicken pot pie is a warm, filling and comforting meal that is really pretty simple to make, and so much better than any you can buy in the store. I made this recipe with leftovers one day, and it is truly easy and truly yummy. I actually made it while Josh was at a hockey game, and considered eating the entire thing that night--by myself. But, I saved some for him, and he agreed it was great! Seriously, everything I put into it was leftovers. I cleaned out the fridge quite nicely. You can also make it fancier for simple dinner parties by making individual pies in ramekins, and giving one to each guest.


Chicken pot pies


3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 c milk, room temp
1 c shredded cheese--white cheddar and provolone
warm vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 c grilled chicken chopped
6-12 stalks grilled asparagus chopped
1/2 c pickled cherry peppers chopped
1/4-1/2 c cooked carrots chopped
2 tsp marjoram finely chopped
2 tsp thyme finely chopped
single crust recipe of pastry


Melt butter in medium sized saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook out raw flour taste. Add milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until all milk is incorporated. Bring to a low simmer and begin adding cheese, small handfuls at a time. Once cheese has melted in, add stock until it is the consistency you like. Remove from heat, stir in meat, veggies, herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Pour into oven-proof dish. Roll pastry to fit over top of dish, about 1/4 inch thick. Drape over dish, seal edges, and prick top several times with fork or knife to vent. Cook in 400 degree oven about 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.



What, you're a vegetarian? Fine, leave out the meat and beef up (no pun intended) the veggies. You had pot roast for dinner last night? Use the roast, potatoes, carrots and onions to make a beef pot pie. Better than Swanson's ANY DAY!!! And, no preservatives or weird stuff you don't know about.

Let's all stay healthy

A couple of weeks ago, a recipe appeared on the kitchen counter at work. Someone had found it online, printed multiple copies, and left them for everyone. The recipe was entitled "Special Recipe: Chicken Soup To Fight Flu"--from Dr. Stephen Rennard, Chief of Pulmonary Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center.

It started a conversation about how well this idea really works. Now, the smart way to go about this would be to do the research, then, if the research proves positive, make the soup and try it. Well, I didn't do it in that order. I thought, "Hey, that sounds like good chicken soup--a load of root veggies I would never have put into it. Why don't I try it?"

This past Saturday, I made the soup. I made it in a large stock pot, cooking it for a good part of the day. If the idea of that is enough to turn you off, along with having to deal with a whole chicken, let me say right now that two other women in my shop made it in a Crock Pot using boneless chicken breasts.

It is quite a delicious soup, and I thought I would share the recipe here. Then, I started to wonder about the validity of labelling it as something to "fight the flu". So, I researched Dr. Rennard and found out who he is and what he had to say about it. From a University of Nebraska newsletter--"Dr. Rennard is widely recognized as a leader in the study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. His groundbreaking research in the progression of lung disease has led to a better understanding of the disease and the development and testing of many new therapies. In 2006, he was selected as the first UNMC Scientist Laureate, the highest award given to a UNMC scientist, in recognition of his research in COPD, smoking cessation and lung tissue repair and remodeling."

Here is an excerpt from an online article written by Chet Day for Health & Beyond Online.

Another theory, put forth by Stephen Rennard, M.D., chief of pulmonary medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, is that chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory. The soup, he says, keeps a check on inflammatory white blood cells (neutrophils). Cold symptoms, such as coughs and congestion, are often caused by inflammation produced when neutrophils migrate to the bronchial tubes and accumulate there.

In his lab, Rennard tested chicken soup made from the recipe of his wife's Lithuanian grandmother. He demonstrated that neutrophils showed less tendency to congregate - but were no less able to fight germs - after he added samples of the soup to the neutrophils. Diluted 200 times, the soup still showed that effect.

Rennard based his chicken soup research on a family recipe, which he referred to in his article as Grandma's Soup.

When Rennard set out to determine whether there was any truth to the tales that chicken soup has medicinal qualities, he used an old family recipe - and found encouraging results. But he also found that some store bought soups fared even better.

It must be stressed that Rennard did only the one study. He concluded that to draw any definite scientific conclusions, further study would be needed. However, that's unlikely to happen because there's no money to be made with chicken soup.

So, draw your own conclusions. I just know that the soup is good, but I would definitely add a great sprig of fresh Thyme, a bay leaf, and a boat load of garlic. Unless you are a family of 5 or more, don't make more than half a batch. Josh and I will be eating chicken soup for the rest of the winter...and that is after giving a large container to my friend Belinda!

Special Recipe: Chicken Soup To Fight Flu

1--5 lb chicken
3 lg onions diced
1 lg sweet potato
3 parsnips peeled and chopped
2 turnips cut into 8ths
12 lg carrots
6 celery stalks
1 bunch parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Clean chicken and put in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, add onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips, and carrots and simmer for 1.5 hours.
Add celery and parsley and cook for an additional 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken and veggies. Shred chicken and add back to broth. Put veggies into food processor and chop until very fine (or mash with a potato masher like I did) and add back into broth. Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Stay healthy all my loved ones!!!