Thanksgiving 2014 - Favorite Recipes and Stories

[JohnyMac]

Well we are here at the cabin and it is 34 out and snowing. No wait a minute it's sleeting. No sorry it is snowing now....You get the picture so rather than contemplate my navel I thought I would talk turkey. After all, turkey day is only 10 days away.

Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday of the year with the exception of the first day of deer season. So I tend to start planning days - OK, OK weeks in advance. It is so important to me that I now my neighbors and I grow our own turkeys. This year will be a Blue Slate hen. But if you want a perfect turkey next week no need to go to that extreme. Here are some of my thoughts and recipes for you to think about.

Do not let people poo poo cheap frozen turkeys. If handled properly they will be almost as good as that $4.99 a lb. fresh killed turkey you buy from that crazy farmer down the road.

1) If you buy a frozen turkey make sure it is defrosted before you start to cook it. If you do not, parts will be cooked
     while other parts are not. YUCK!

2) Once defrosted and approx. 24 hours before you roast it, brine that baby! You can google many brining recipes. This
    is the one I have perfected over years of doing this.

In a 4 qt pot put the following: 3C Kosher or sea salt, 2C Lt. Brown sugar, 3Tblsp Tarragon, 3Tblsp Black pepper, 3Tblsp Parsley, 3Tblsp Sage (Ground or leaf), 6 Bay leaves, 3Tblsp Rosemary and 1 med. orange that has been zested and quartered. Bring pot to a simmer and remove from heat when the salt & sugar is dissolved in the brining solution. Take the pot from the heat and cool. I typically put it outside. You can do this several days in advance too.

3) Twenty-four hours before cooking day, find a cooler big enough (Not too big) that can handle your bird. If you don't
     have one, buy a Styrofoam one from the grocery store. Put the defrosted bird in the cooler and cover with your
     brine. Add water to the cooler so the bird is covered. To keep the bird under 45 degrees F, I also add a try or two of
     ice cubes. Turn every 3 or four hours. If you store the cooler outside, put a rock or cinder block on top to keep the
     cat's and raccoons out of. Don't ask me how I know.

4) Turkey day take the bird out of the brine, pat dry and let stand for about one hour. I tend to cook a turkey for about
    15 min. a lb. During that time I prep the stuffing. Yes I do put stuffing in my turkey. If you are interested in my recipe
    I will post it later. I fold under wings, then truss legs, wings and turkey to aid in flipping turkey later. Then I smear
    olive oil all over the bird. I then liberally put salt, crack pepper and poultry seasoning all of the turkey. Put turkey
    breast down in the roasting pan and put into a 400 degree F oven for 45-60 minutes.

    After the aforementioned time take the turkey out of the oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees F. Flip turkey breast
    up (Remember the trussing you did earlier ;-) ) using the trussing string to help this maneuver. Loosely tent the
    breast with aluminum foil and put the bird back into the oven.

5) At about half way through the cooking process, I typically add 1/2-1" of chicken/turkey broth into the bottom of the
    pan and start the basting process. NEVER use a basing bulb - Use a basting brush. It is safer. Don't ask me how I
    know. ;-) Baste every 30-45 min or when your wine glass is empty and have to return to the kitchen for a refill.
    When the turkey has cooked for about 75% of the estimated time - Take off the foil.

6) When the thigh meat AND breast meat hits 165-170 degrees F, and the dressing is 165 degrees F, pull the bird.
    Empty the bird immediately of the dressing and tent the bird. While the bird is resting, open another bottle of wine,
    make the gravy, put the accompanying dishes on the table then carve da' bird. I never do this at the table but in the
    kitchen and put the turkey plate with cut-up turkey on the table.

Enjoy...

If you would like my dressing recipe or my Nana's incredible pumpkin recipe let me know and I will post those too.

Gobble...gobble. 

Share some of your recipes. OK to re-post a past recipe you have posted in the past.

[NativeSon]

I saw a cooking show a while back that featured the Mohawk way of making cranberry sauce.

It was pretty basic:

Enough whole cranberries to fill a pot of choice
Water
Bottle of real maple syrup

Boil cranberries and water to create a sauce then add all the syrup.

[JohnyMac]

That's a great idea NativeSun!

Because MrsMac is a diabetic I use maple syrup a lot rather than cane sugar. I read somewhere that it is better for diabetics as it tends to release the carbs slower than cane sugar.

[NativeSon]

It's the same effect with raw honey, since it's a combination of two monosaccharides instead of a single disaccharide.

[special-k]

I'd kinda like to see your dressing recipe. 

I'm seriously considering your marinade recipe/technique.  Do you think raw cane sugar could be substituted for the brown sugar?  I already have that in my preps.

[JohnyMac]

I think cane sugar would work 

JohnyMac's Nana Kurz's Turkey Dressing

* 4 TBlsp butter (salted or not)                                         * 1 TBlsp Poultry seasoning
* 1 TBlsp Olive oil (I suppose vegetable oil would work too)  * 3 stalks of celery (Chopped 1/4-1/2")
* 2, 1 lb Loaves of bread or equivalent in rolls (stale)           * 1 large onion (Chopped 1/4-1/2")
* 2 Tsp Black pepper (I crack my own but not needed)         * 1 lb sage or country sausage
* 1, 16 oz. can of turkey or chicken broth                           * 1 Tsp salt

> In large fry pan (12") put butter & olive oil saute chopped up celery, onion, pepper, poultry seasoning, and salt. Cook
   on medium heat until onion becomes translucent.
> While cooking the above ingredients, start cooking sausage in another fry pan.
> When sausage is done cooking remove grease and add to celery, onion, etc... fry pan and heat up.
> The night before I make the dressing, I cube (3/4-1") the bread and leave out in the turkey roasting pan to dry out/
    become stale.
> Once celery, onion, sausage, etc... is heated up put over cubed stale bread. Toss like you are tossing a salad. Then
   pour about 12 oz. of the turkey broth over now tossed stuffing and toss again. Add more turkey broth if needed.
   Stuffing is just right when you can make a fist with some stuffing and it holds together when you open your hand.
> Salt and pepper turkey cavity and neck cavity. Put handfuls into both cavities - DO NOT PACK!^ The extra stuffing can
   be placed in a well greased baking dish. Seal with aluminum foil. One hour before the turkey is done place covered
   baking dish into oven. Remove aluminum foil after 30 minutes and continue to cook till turkey is done.

^ = After you put stuffing into turkey I use poultry skewers to help close both cavities.

Enjoy! 

 

[Nemo]

What is this dressing you are talking about?  Your birds wear skirts?  Make up some type of a real cute prissy fru fru dinner turkey?  Matching shoes on the drumsticks?  HAH!

Or are you talking about the Ambrosia of a bread base you stuff inside the bird? 

If you don't stuff it, you ain't done it right.  Some say if it is stuffed it could be bad for you.  Only if you do not know how to cook a stuffed bird. 

Nemo

[special-k]

  No cornbread in the dressing?  Seriously?  Must be a yankee thang. 

[JohnyMac]

You are RIGHT Nemo! 

SK - Sorry no cornbread BUT that would be a good idea. Maybe substitute half the white bread for cornbread. Please try it and then report back. Nana's recipe might need some changing 

Cornbread is a bit dryer so you may need a bit more stock.

On another note: I just don't use Wonder bread here I buy the more expensive home baked variety.

Second other note: My grandmother was the best home cooken lady I have ever known. 80% of the recipes in my recipe box are from her - Many in her own hand. Her maiden name was Taylor and her family had been here in America since the 1700's. Her husband, my grandfather was a first generation born American of German immigrants. His last name was Kurz.

The reason I mention this is because my grandmothers cooking repartee ranged from basic American fare to some great German dishes. I hope that she is looking down from heaven with a smile on her face as I whip up a peach or pumpkin pie, sour meat & spaetzle or her turkey stuffing. 

[Nemo]

I think cane sugar would work 

JohnyMac's Nana Kurz's Turkey Dressing

* 4 TBlsp butter (salted or not)                                         * 1 TBlsp Poultry seasoning

You said DRESSING JM.  Note added bold.  You need to genuflect and probably beg forgiveness from your grandmother for that sacrilegious title.

Nemo

[JohnyMac]

You are right Nemo...Stuffing.