Cranberries

I know! I said I was going to do stuffing next! I will come back to that! One thing I have learned from a friend of mine, save the gravy for the potatoes and stuffing! For your turkey you need some cranberry sauce for your turkey. A couple of years ago we had Thanksgiving dinner the Fri after with them and some other friends / family. It was amazing. We had cranberry sauce with our turkey. That is when I was inspired to come up with my own unique sauce. It is very yummy to have on the side of turkey or when cold, spread on some toasted whole grain bread with turkey. That will be the best turkey sandwich you could have! Because I do not often say names on my blog (beside my husband / daughter... although I am sure this friend would not mind)... J and your mommy... this is for you guys... You know who you are!! ;) Here is the recipe... Why do canned when it is this easy....

1 bag of frozen cranberries
2 cups ginger ale
2 T. orange marmalade
1/3 cup brown sugar

Bring to a boil for 10 min. Turn down and simmer until cranberries are soft and liquid reduces and becomes thicker. I then mash it up with my Pampered Chef mix-n-chop (a potato masher will work) or in my magic bullet. You can also put this into a food processor or use a wand blender. It all depends on what consistency you want it. You are done!

You can freeze the left overs. It is great in baked beans or mixed in BBQ sauce.

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The Perfect Turkey

Thanksgiving is coming! I do not think there is any meal that is more anticipated that Thanksgiving dinner. Any of you Thanksgiving dinner hosts feeling the pressure? I know I do. Even though I love to cook and really enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner, I feel the pressure. Everyone is around awaiting the big feast. Although the holidays are more about spending time with people that you love (or family that you feel obligated to see... ok, that was a TOTAL joke! But really, everyone has those select family members that you love but really is a little 'different!'). But really, it is about making memories and being with good friends and family. So know boday wants to make the announcement to all the awaiting guests, "Well, the turkey cannot be swallowed but we have chicken nuggets in the freezer. It will just take a few more minutes to pop them in the microwave." Although it would be a story that will be told over and over, I have some tips to help make this year's turkey the best turkey.

1) This is true with EVERY meat you cook. This is the most simple and important tip I could give you. LET YOUR MEAT REST!!! My Grandpa drives me nuts waiting for that turkey every year but I always tell him, "You touch that turkey right after I pull it from the oven, you will get it!!" You must let your meats sit. When I cook a roast I let it sit, a steak, fried chicken, EVERY piece of meat has to rest. If you cut meat while it is very hot, that first piece will be sooo juicy but the rest will be very dry. All the juice will run out with that first slice. I let my turkey set for 20-30 mins. This allows all the juice to stabilize in the meat. Then when you cut it, every piece will be juicy... even the troublesome but yummy turkey breast. Plus you can use that 20-30 minutes to pop the rolls in the oven, set the table, clean up a little bit of the mess, etc... You know how that day goes, you will not be twirling your thumbs!! :)

2) I always brine my turkey. This adds some moisture to the whole turkey but especially the breast meat. You can find many brine recipes online but this is the one I use.

1 gal of vegetable stock
1 gal COLD apple cider
1 T. peppercorns
1/2 cup minced garlic or 2 T. powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. rubbed sage
1 T. paprika
1 cup salt (I use kosher but you can use reg. table salt)
1 bag of ice
1 clean cooler or I use a clean 10 gal bucket (I had a pickle bucket saved from a business) I will explain the proper usage towards the end.

In a large pot boil all ingredient EXCEPT ice and apple cider. After it boils allow it to cool. In a pickle bucket (or cooler) I pour my bag of ice and cold apple cider. Then add my brine mixture. Because of the ice, cold apple cider, and cooled brine mixture... you should still see ice. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! You cannot put a turkey in warm liquid and allow it to sit, unless you want to spend the evening in the E.R. If your mixture is still to warm, you must cool it down. It could be a pain but you must. I then lower my THAWED (or mostly thawed)turkey into the bucket or breast down in the cooler. You let the turkey sit an hour per pound. Do not over brine. Ok, so some important things about storage. I prefer to use a pickle bucket and put it in my garage. I can only do this if my garage (or somewhere safe outside) is above freezing and below 39 degrees. Because this is just like being in the fridge, it is fine. Now if you have access to a extra fridge, of course that is ideal. This is Missouri and there has been warm Thanksgivings. This is where the cooler comes in. Once you have the turkey placed breast down, I throw a trash bag on top and then open it and let the sides drape like a trash can. I place unopened bags of ice on top and then close the cooler. This extra ice may be unnecessary if the turkey is 10-12 pounds. I do a 22-24 pound turkey and it sits a whole day. If it is brining for just overnight, they cooler show remain cold enough with the cold turkey and iced brine, especially if it is a spot that is not super warm.

3) DO NOT OVER COOK. You do not want to under-cook, again ER = no fun! :) But over cooking will kill all the work you have done. If your turkey is not stuffed, you can pretty much go by the cooking times on the package plus most brands have the little poppy thing. Sometime those fail, though. I use a thermometer that my husband got for me one year. You poke the thermometer deep into the thigh before you put it in the oven. Then there is a cable that runs out the oven to a screen with an alarm. You want the thigh temperature to reach 180. I set the alarm for 172 and take it from the oven. It will continue to cook 10-15 degrees before it starts to cool off again. I always stuff my turkey and put stuffing (which must at least be 165) around it. It is insulted well with heat. I always cook my turkey at 350.

Any question? Something not clear let me know!

NEXT POST: Unbeatable Stuffing

The Holidays Are Coming!!!

O.K. so I have not posted in a VERY long time. I have just been very uninspired on so many levels. Much of this is my own fault. The past couple of months have not been bad. I just have not been able to put any extra into anything. Plus, I am on the computer a lot at work and for school. So the blog takes a back burner! The holidays are my most favorite time of the year. They also can be the busiest! Although I think it is very fun for the "bring a dish" events, some get awful stressed. Over the next couple of weeks I will post some holiday meal tips and some quick side dishes. So this post I am just going to ask for questions. Anyone need a idea? Do you get holiday meal panic?

Next blog: How to make your turkey SUPER juicy!

Potato Cakes

Potato cakes... this is one of my favorite foods but because they are fried I do not make them too often. But when I do... I am a happy girl. These are one of the foods that Wade was very confused about when we first got married. A couple of others were: Ham and Beans, big pots of fresh green beans w/ ham and potatoes, grits, fried zucchini, meatloaf, sweet tea, wilted lettuce... I could go on and on... You know, all those good dishes from the south! He now loves all of the above but being from the north, they were a little odd to him. The first time I tried to make potato cakes for him he swore he would not try them. Looking back, he said he had envisioned putting syrup on them like you would pancakes. No wonder he thought they would be gross!! Once I explain that you salt them and even put ketchup on them, he was more game to try them. He likes them now!! Potato cakes are also a great way to use up leftovers!!
You need:
2 cups cold leftover mashed potatoes
1 large or 2 med eggs
3/4 c. flour
1 teas garlic salt
1 teas pepper
oil for frying

Mix everything together but the oil. Heat oil about 1/2 inch thick. Make sure your oil is hot but not too hot. If you put a pinch of flour in the oil and it is bubbling, it is ready. If it sinks... your oil is not hot enough. You want to maintain that temp. Smoking oil is not ok and potatoes absorb favors. If the oil gets too hot your cakes will have a burnt taste. I drop the batter by spoon fulls to make smaller cakes. I always use a cookie scoop. The oil should bubble nicely around them. Once you see air bubble pop up in the center of your cakes OR you can see the edges brown, flip them over. They usually cook a couple of min on each side. When done, drain them on a baker's drain rack. Paper towels hold oil in your food. If your oil is the right temp, you drain your food properly, and use the right kind of oil, frying is not always that bad. Salt the cakes and enjoy.

**Note** Good oils can include canola, peanut, and olive oil. Olive oil is very healthy for you but has a low smoke point and a strong flavor. So olive oil is never good to use to fry. Canola has a very light flavor and is cheaper that peanut, so I use it more often. But NOTHING can beat peanut oil in my opinion. So for potato cakes I would use canola or peanut oil.

Swiss Steak

This is one of my mom's fav recipes of mine. I serve it with pasta or usually rice. It is very easy and yummy. You can even start this before you leave for work and let it cook this in a crock pot. It is great to have for company. It is easy to make and cheap. You can make smaller or larger amounts. I will give the recipe to feed four...or so...

3-4 lbs of round steak
1 c. flour
1/2 T. garlic salt
1/4 T. pepper
1 jar of basil tomato spaghetti sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes (I like petite diced), drained
1 yellow pepper, julienne
1 onion, julienne
1 T. Italian seasoning
1/2 - 1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
Oil for browning

First mix flour, garlic salt, and pepper. Cut the round steak into steak serving sizes. Coat each piece with flour mixture and drop into a hot pan of oil. Just cook the meat until brown. It does not have to be done. When brown, drop it into a crock pot or large baking pan. In a bowl mix the remaining ingredients. Pour over the meat. Cook in a crock pot for 4 ( but it can cook up to 8) on low or bake covered at 325 for 90 mins or until meat fails apart. The meat will be able to cut with a fork when done. Enjoy.

Poppy Seed Chicken

I laugh every time I say the word chicken. Sarala talks about chickens a lot but she calls them "Kickens." So when I think of kichens... I smile.

This is one of my favorite meal. I have also not found a person who does not love it. This is a great to fix when people come over. It can also be healthy. I use reduced fat or nonfat products for this recipe but my grandma always used dark meat chicken and regular ingredients. I am going to list the recipes for the more healthy one but you can sub in as you would like.

1 Bag of boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cans of cream of chicken soup- reduced fat
1 can of cream of mushroom soup- reduced fat
1 container sour cream -reduced fat
1/2 stick butter-melted
2 rolls reduced fat ritz crackers- crushed
2 T. poppy seeds (and really you do not HAVE to use the poppy seeds.. I have made it w/o)
1/2 T. garlic pepper

I first boil the chicken brst (remember to reserve 1/2 cup of liquid from boiling). Once they are cooked, I cut them into chunks and throw them in a bowl. I mix the chicken with the soups, sour cream, and garlic pepper. You then dump the chicken mixture into a pan (13x9, foil throw away, anything that is big enough). In another bowl you take 1/2 cup of the chicken broth you made when boiling the chicken, the butter, poppy seeds, and crushed ritz crackers. Mix that up and dump it in the chicken. Bake at 350 for about 45 mins. It should brown and be bubbly. I ususally serve this with a simple salad or green beans... It will be a hit. And.. if you know non mushroom lovers... you cannot really tell they are there.

Healthy Yummy Chili

Yes, I know it is a little hot outside but Wade and I love chili. We just crank the A/C and eat chili whenever. We both like very lean chili. This is the recipe that I always follow and we enjoy it every time. This is something you can throw on in the morning and let it cook in a roaster or crock pot.

2 lbs stew meat
1 lb ground turkey
2 cans diced tomatoes (you can use plain, chili ready, or w/ onions)
2 drained cans of dark kidney beans
1 can of chili beans in chili sauce
1/2 onion-chopped
1 green pepper-chopped (optional)
1 T. chili powder
1 T. garlic pepper (my fav is the Sav-a-lot brand)
1 T. taco seasoning
1 T. cumin
Salt- this one you will have to feel out. Salt is an enhancer. I usually do not add salt in the beginning. The is salt in some of the above seasonings. After it is hot and cooking for a while or even up to 15 min before you eat, I taste the chili. If the flavors are not blending, I add a pinch of salt. You do not want it too salty because if you use crackers, corn chips, or cheese... these also add salt.


I first brown the ground turkey and then dump it into the crock-pot / roaster. To save on dishes, I next brown the stew meat. While I am cooking the meat I add all my other ingredients to the pot. Once everything in in the pot, I give it a stir and let it cook. It need to cook a while so that the stew meat will be tender. The cooking times are:

crock pot- high to start (like while you are getting ready for work, up to an hour) and then low for at least 4 hours.
roaster- 350 for at least 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
Stove top in soup pot- high until boiling point, med low for 2 hour.

Enjoy

Lazy Salsa

I LOVE fresh salsa but I hate to cut tomatoes. Of all the different things you can do when you cook... cutting tomatoes is what I dislikehg the most. I also only really enjoy fresh tomatoes that you get out of the garden. I do not buy tomatoes from the store very often and when I do, I am picky and stick to grape or roma tomatoes. So here is my quick (a.k.a lazy) salsa.

2 cans petite diced tomatoes drained really well
1/2 chopped red onion
1/4 of a chopped jalapeno (NO SEEDS... that is the heat)
1 chopped yellow or orange pepper
1 T minced garlic
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
The juice from 2 limes
1/2 T salt

Mix everything together. Let sit for 2-3 hours, then taste. If the flavor do not blend well, you may need more salt. Salt is a favor enhancer. You can add more or less of any of the above ingredients. I love fresh salsa with baked lays scoops or pita chips.... If you are feeling froggie, you could even use fresh tomatoes... I like salsa made from grape tomatoes the best!

Good Ol' Chicken Wings

So... usually I make many wings around Super Bowl time. Wade and I are wing eaters. At our wedding we had like 7 different kinds of wings. I know that may sound like a weird wedding food but... it was us. Anyone who knows Wade and I (and especially when we were dating) also knows that we stay pretty true to just being us. Wade was the one who changed out of his tux and into a Bovine City steak eating contest shirt right after picture and before we walking into the reception as husband and wife. Because it was VERY hot, all the grooms men did have my permission to change but I was a little surprise that Wade had a steak eating shirt on... but that is him. One thing that I can always say about Wade is that he is always himself, never fake or tries to act or be a certain way for someone else. But back to the wings.... This is my favorite hot wing recipe... it sounds complex and messy... but you will get the hang of it. They are always a favorite. Now... I will warn that they are not the healthliest but.... they will be yummy....

You first mix:

2 cups flour, 1 teas of each garlic, salt, paprika, black pepper.

I always put my raw wings in a bowl. I mix up 3 eggs and pour it over the wings. I just kinda toss the wings around to get them all eggy. I then dip each one in the flour mixture and drop them into hot oil for frying (I use canola but peanut oil is the best). You can tell in the oil is ready for frying by dropping in a pinch of the flour. If it sinks... not ready. If it bubbles, it is ready to go. Smoking oil is not good. You do not need to worry about cooking the wings all the way through because we will be cooking them again. You just fry them until they have that nice golden fried chicken look to them. Once you pull them out of the oil, I drain them on a plate with a paper towel. I then dip then in my hot sauce mixture. The hot sauce mixture is:

2 cups frank red hot wing sauce
1 stick REAL butter (anything but real butter will make it greasy)
1 teas garlic salt
The juice from 2 limes

After you dunk them I lay them single layers in a 13x9 sprayed with Pam. I then bake them at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Summertime is Grill'n Time (summer burgers)

In the summer I grill 75% of the time. I enjoy the smoky flavor plus it does not heat up the house. My favorite thing to cook up for a crowd is my... well they don't really have a name... Wade calls them the "burgers with the stuff in them" They are super easy and add a kick to your burgers.

This makes 6-8 burgers.

You will need:

3lb of hamburger
1 sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed
1 large egg
1/4-1/2 red pepper chopped fine
1/4-1/2 cup fine chopped onion
2 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 T. minced garlic
1 slice of provolone cheese per hamburger or BBQ sauce

Mix all but the cheese (or BBQ sauce) together. Make patties. It is hard to tell you and estimated grilling time. It depends on so many heat factors. One key to a juicy burger, of any kind, is to flip it only once. Constantly flipping our pressing on the burger with dry it out (although these burgers are a little harder to dry out). You can see the sides of the burger starting to cook. This is a sign that you are close to flipping. I also cover my grill with the lid often so I can trap some of the heat and smoke. Once you flip it over and allow the burger to cook a bit longer, you can tell how done the burger is by pressing lightly (to hard will cause the juices to run out) on the top. The more give, the more rare. You can feel the density gain as it cooks. Once close to done lay a slice of cheese on each burger. Cover with the lid. This will smoke / melt the cheese. It is also good to not use the cheese and top it will BBQ sauce. I brush them with BBQ right after I flip them... You are all done. Enjoy.

Cooking and Blogging......

Well, here we go! I am not such the blogger. I enjoy reading other people's blog but I am not a writer. I would rather tell a story than write about it. I like the whole "blogging" world, though. Some leave long and detailed posts, some short thoughts, and some use links to direct you to something they have seen or found on the internet. I find each blog interesting. It allows you to get to know someone better by peeking into what they are thinking, struggling with, find humorous, or just share about their latest adventure. Each blog also contains glimpses of their "shape" or passion. What is my passion? I love to cook and serve people. I love to have friends over for dinner and allow them to be our guests in our home. Many of my friends are intimidated when they must cook for someone else. By using this blog, I would like to pass on some cooking ideas that may help one feel more comfortable cooking and invite someone over for dinner. This may also just give you an idea for your own creation. You can also give me ideas or ask about a recipe or idea.

Why do I cook? Both of my parents can cook rather well but neither of them prefer to cook. I would not say it is their "passion." My Dad has his special dishes and my mom likes to create different things out of the ordinary. I think I get my love for cooking and sharing meals from my grandma. My grandparent babysat me when I was younger while my mom and dad worked. My grandma made at least one big meal a day. Many of the people that I am close with now (including my husband) did not know my grandma then. For the last 10 years and until she past away in May, she was sick and very miserable. She was not able to do what she loves and her personality began to change. I choose not only remember her as she was the last 10 years, I remember my cooking buddy that I had for my first 16 years of my life. So back to that... She cooked BIG meals everyday. She always cooked like an army was coming over. It was a good thing, though. People knew that she cooked this way and would stop by to eat without a moments notice. She loved it when that would happen. The more people she had to cook for, the happier she was. Because I was around and apart of that, I think that is where I get my passion to cook for other people. So by doing this blog... I hope to honor her. Recipes soon to follow....