Thanksgiving Tips

Since the year of "the cranberry sauce that changed everything," I have gained a lot of experience with Thanksgiving dinners. I have planned, prepared, and served about 13 such dinners with turkeys ranging in size from 20-35 pounds and guests ranging in number from 6 up to 30 people.  You read that right. One year we had a 35 lb. turkey, killed the day before by my husband (with assistance from a lead pipe and the people who raised them). Every year my Grandma comes, she asks, "how do you get the turkey so perfectly browned?" That is the tip I am going to share.

You can prepare the turkey the night before. I make the herb butter (not healthy, but oh so delicious) which I rub under the skin, everywhere I can get a few fingers between the meat and the skin without tearing the skin. Next, rub olive oil on top of the skin. Place the turkey BREAST SIDE DOWN in a roasting pan. This allows the turkey juices to drip down, making the breast meat more moist. Cover the whole thing and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, cut a double layer of cheesecloth big enough to cover the whole turkey. Soak it in chicken broth for a few minutes and lay it over the top of the turkey. Every 30 minutes, take the turkey out of the oven and baste the top with either the juices from the pan or chicken broth, depending on the amount of juice available. After about 2 hours, remove the cheesecloth but continue to baste every 30 minutes until the turkey reaches a temperature of 178 degrees. It should rise to 180 after removed from the oven. If the skin begins to get too dark, loosely tent it with foil until it is done. It comes out beautiful and juicy every time!

Garlic Herb Butter-From Martha Stewart. If you have extra herbs, add them to the turkey cavity before roasting.

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic head
• Olive oil for drizzling
• 3 T each chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tsp coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, with rack in center. Place the garlic head on a square of aluminum foil and drizzle with oil. Loosely wrap garlic and roast until fragrant and very soft, about 1 hour. Remove from oven; let cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine herbs and butter. slice off tip of roasted garlic head with a serrated knife; discard. Squeeze garlic head firmly over bowl to release softened cloves. Season with salt and pepper and mix until smooth. 

The Cranberry Sauce that Changed Everything

"What should I bring to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving dinner?" That was the question I asked myself as a newly married wife who had never contributed my own item to such a dinner.  Somehow, getting married changed my status from Thanksgiving dinner "helper" to Thanksgiving dinner  "contributor". Yikes! I was automatically upgraded without any additional qualifications. Being somewhat intimidated with this new, upgraded status, I began to pour through magazines for any recipe that would be easy yet amazing, wowing all attending relatives with my new-found wife wisdom.

The recipe I decided on, with the help of "Cooking Light" magazine, turned out to be a hit! It was simple to prepare, made the house smell divine, looked pretty, and turned even the cranberry sauce skeptics into believers. You might even say it was revolutionary. It was requested again the following year and so became a family tradition. Even in the years when I was unable to attend Thanksgiving dinner with my family, they requested the recipe and served it without me. I hope your family will enjoy it as much as mine. Because many of the ingredients are also needed for the stuffing, I chop and measure everything the day before Thanksgiving when I am making the stuffing and preparing the turkey. In the morning, I put everything into a saucepan and simmer it, filling the house with the scent of the holiday. It is best served at room temperature or cold with leftovers the next day.

Cranberry Chutney-makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 60 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.

Three Ingredient Jello Cups

My kids started asking for the individual servings of Jell-O to pack in their lunch. Not being a big fan of the waste and long ingredient lists associated with such items, I came up with this recipe. It is yet another use for my cute silicone muffin cups. I put them on a large cookie sheet before I ladle the liquid into them and simply transfer the whole sheet to the refrigerator. I use another cookie sheet as a "lid".  Make sure you have enough room in your refrigerator! This makes enough for a whole week. Some of our favorite flavors are: blueberry pomegranate, apple cherry, cherry pomegranate, and apple raspberry. Make sure it is 100% juice.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz container frozen 100% juice concentrate, thawed
• 4 packets unflavored gelatin
• about 2 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1. Pour 1 cup of the undiluted juice concentrate into a large bowl.
2. Pour the remaining juice concentrate into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water to equal 3 cups total liquid. Bring this mixture to a boil in a small saucepan.
3. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold juice in the bowl; let stand one minute.
4. Add hot juice/water mixture and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, about 3 minutes.
5. Pour into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan or into 24 silicone muffin cups and refrigerate overnight.

Chicken Pad Thai

We are now hosting our fourth exchange student. Even as I sit here typing it, I find it hard to believe. Each one so far has brought new personality and insight into our family, each has been fun and interesting in their own way. I think of each one when I prepare a meal from their country or even just one of their favorite foods. Our first exchange student was Jack, from Thailand. When I asked if he could make some Thai food for us, he politely told me he didn't really know how to cook and preferred my cooking to his. So, while this recipe isn't authentic Thai food, he informed me that it was good.  It has been a staple in our house ever since. So here you have it, a recipe that is endorsed by a real Thai teenager, one German, one Spaniard, one Italian, and four real American kids. It is also modified to be low in animal protein.

Chicken Pad Thai-This recipe serves about 8.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. rice noodles
• 1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts
• 1 tsp. grated lime peel
• 6 T fish sauce
• 4 T fresh lime juice
• 3 T brown sugar
• 3 T rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. (or to taste) chili paste
• 3 T cooking oil
• chicken breast tenderloin, cut into very small pieces
• 2 T finely chopped garlic
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
• 2 cups fresh sprouts*

Directions:

1. For peanut topping, combine chopped peanuts and lime peel. I always make more of this because my family LOVES it.
2. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover. Let stand for 10-15 minutes or until pliable but not too soft. Drain well and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and chili paste; stir until smooth and set aside.
4. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 T of the oil over medium high heat. Add chicken, green onions, and garlic: cook and stir about 5 minutes until chicken  is tender and no pink remains. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Add eggs to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Stir and cook for 30-60 more seconds, just until set. Remove and set aside.
6. Heat the remaining 2 T oil over high heat for 30 seconds. Add drained noodles and sprouts: stir fry for 2 minutes. Add fish sauce mixture and chicken; cook 1-2 minutes more until heated through. Stir in egg and cilantro. Top each serving with the peanut topping.

*I can't reliably find sprouts that look fresh and appealing, so I generally replace them with one medium zucchini cut with a julienne peeler. I also often add 1/2 cup shredded carrots with the noodles and zucchini.

Smoothie Cups

It's a sad day when I have to pull all of the plants out of my garden. I always go through a period of mourning as I tear out the roots of the plants that have nourished my family for so long. I love knowing the whole story of the food I feed my family and there is something nourishing about growing something from a tiny seed to something that will later feed my whole family for several meals. The harvest of my garden signals an end to that season, a move toward once again relying on the grocery store to provide all of our fresh produce. Sometimes it is a full month before I can stomach a store-bought tomato or carrot. Sitting there in the produce section, they seem so dull and lifeless compared to the still warm, slightly irregularly-shaped, beautifully colored vegetables and fruits I pull fresh from my garden. To reduce the sadness, I have tried several different ways to preserve the goodness that comes from the garden. Most of it involves the freezer. Here is a recipe I came across just this fall as I was pondering what I could possibly do with the baskets full of kale and rainbow chard I just harvested. While this recipe itself is great, I am excited about the possibilities of modifications that could make use of whatever you have on hand for a quick, easy smoothie any time.

I always use silicone muffin cups. They are re-usable and things just pop right out. 

Smoothie Cups-Slightly adapted from Muffin Tin Mania

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 avocado
• 5 to 6 large kale (or chard, spinach, etc.) leaves
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
• 1 large banana
• 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons honey*
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

Place all the items in a blender container and blend until smooth. If it is hard to blend, you can add a little more water, but the final result should be rather thick.

Divide the mixture into muffin cups (about 10), and freeze about 4 hours or until solid.

Unmold smoothie cups, place in a freezer bag or container, and return to freezer until ready to use. If you used metal muffin tins and are having trouble unmolding the frozen cups, try placing the bottom of the muffin tin in warm water for several seconds, being careful not to thaw the contents.

Any time you need a quick smoothie, add 1 cup of liquid (I usually use water), one smoothie cup, and one cup of frozen fruit (I love cherries, but anything will work), and blend until smooth. For most blenders, it will be a good idea to cut the smoothie cup into quarters before blending. It also blends a lot better if you allow the frozen fruit and smoothie cup to sit out for about 15 minutes.

*On one of the batches, I forgot the honey. It really tasted just fine, especially because I add one cup of fruit. I think it's good either way.