Since Seth isn't a big fan of the traditional "candied yams" dish, I opted for a less sweet version and it turned out great! This is another food network recipe. We love baked sweet potatoes and I think I will make this in their place as a side dish for future weeknight dinners because they are so yummy and pretty quick to make. Next time I make them, I am going to try using melted butter instead of olive oil because I think the flavor would be better. I also combined the ingredients for the glaze before drizzling it on top to save time.
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used 2 large yams and it was just right)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes after cooked
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender.
Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Brined, Herb Roasted Turkey
All of your tips guided me to find this recipe by Emeril Lagasse on the food network website! I used a large food storage bucket to brine the turkey. Make sure you mix the brine before you put the turkey in the bucket. Even though it was kind of a pain to flip the turkey over 1/3 through the cooking time, it really made a difference - silicone gloves would really come in handy for this. Also, I couldn't fit all the stuff into my turkey cavity, so I just tried to get a good mix in there. Mmmm!
Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
1 large orange, cut into 1/8ths
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
Salt and pepper
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 bunch sage
3 or 4 sprigs parsley
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting
To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a nonreactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, food grade plastic storage bag). Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.
Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey (discard or save for gravy if you wish). Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels both inside and out. Place turkey, breast side up, in a large, heavy roasting pan. Rub breast side with orange segments and rub on all sides with the butter, stuffing some underneath the skin. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, remaining orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.
Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
1 large orange, cut into 1/8ths
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
Salt and pepper
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 bunch sage
3 or 4 sprigs parsley
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting
To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a nonreactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, food grade plastic storage bag). Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.
Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey (discard or save for gravy if you wish). Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels both inside and out. Place turkey, breast side up, in a large, heavy roasting pan. Rub breast side with orange segments and rub on all sides with the butter, stuffing some underneath the skin. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, remaining orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.
Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
One of our friends posted this recipe on my personal blog in response to my recipe request and I am popping it up here for all to enjoy! Thanks goes to Angie for sharing!
This is more desert-ish but they are so easy and so good that you could eat them for breakfast, desert, snack, whatever!
5 eggs
1 1/3 cup oil
1 can pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 package instant vanilla pudding
12 - 18 oz. chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tin. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and mix until creamy. Add chocolate chips and stir in.
Pour batter in greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins or until golden brown on top.
This is more desert-ish but they are so easy and so good that you could eat them for breakfast, desert, snack, whatever!
5 eggs
1 1/3 cup oil
1 can pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 package instant vanilla pudding
12 - 18 oz. chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tin. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and mix until creamy. Add chocolate chips and stir in.
Pour batter in greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins or until golden brown on top.
Thanksgiving Slaw
This is one of my family's traditional Thanksgiving recipes that I have never seen or had anywhere else. Don't get it confused with Cole Slaw - they are nothing alike, other than that they both call for cabbage. This is a dish that looks kind of "scary" so I never really ate it as a child, but now I look forward to it every Thanksgiving. Because it is an "heirloom" recipe, the recipe isn't exact - more watch and learn, but here are the basic instructions and amounts! This will make enough for a large Thanksgiving crowd. Try it for Thanksgiving and start a yummy new tradition! Enjoy!
4 heads of cabbage
1 square butter
Lowry's Seasoned Salt
Lowry's Seasoned Pepper
6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
1/2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Melt 1/2 square of butter in a large stock pot. Shred cabbage thinly and add it to the pot seasoning each layer with Lowry's seasoned salt and Lowry's seasoned pepper. Put the remaining 1/2 stick of butter in the pot and close the lid. Simmer on low. If you were unable to add all of the cabbage to the one pot, add additional layers periodically as it cooks down. (Start this process in the morning and let it cook throughout the day).
Whisk cream, milk and eggs together in a large bowl. When cabbage has cooked down to a nearly translucent state, slowly add spoonfuls of cabbage to the cream mixture until the cream has warmed to the temperature of the cabbage in the other pan (otherwise the cream will curdle). When both the cabbage and cream mixtures are about the same temperature, add the cream mixture into the cabbage and stir well. Add vinegar. Serve hot.
4 heads of cabbage
1 square butter
Lowry's Seasoned Salt
Lowry's Seasoned Pepper
6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
1/2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Melt 1/2 square of butter in a large stock pot. Shred cabbage thinly and add it to the pot seasoning each layer with Lowry's seasoned salt and Lowry's seasoned pepper. Put the remaining 1/2 stick of butter in the pot and close the lid. Simmer on low. If you were unable to add all of the cabbage to the one pot, add additional layers periodically as it cooks down. (Start this process in the morning and let it cook throughout the day).
Whisk cream, milk and eggs together in a large bowl. When cabbage has cooked down to a nearly translucent state, slowly add spoonfuls of cabbage to the cream mixture until the cream has warmed to the temperature of the cabbage in the other pan (otherwise the cream will curdle). When both the cabbage and cream mixtures are about the same temperature, add the cream mixture into the cabbage and stir well. Add vinegar. Serve hot.
Sweet Potatoe Casserole
Mix together:
3 sweet potatoes- skin them, then boil until soft & mash
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cups evaporated milk.
Pour ingredients into a sprayed pan.
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
5 Tbl melted butter
1 cup pecans chopped
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes
3 sweet potatoes- skin them, then boil until soft & mash
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cups evaporated milk.
Pour ingredients into a sprayed pan.
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
5 Tbl melted butter
1 cup pecans chopped
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sparkling Cranberry Drink
This is my favorite holiday drink concoction, and it looks so festive for either Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years.
1 bottle (approx. 64 oz.) Cranberry Pomegranite or other Cranberry blend juice
1 bottle (2 liter) 7-UP
1 - 2 cups fresh cranberries
1 - 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 orange, thinly sliced
Place cranberries and sugar in a ziploc bag and shake to coat cranberries with sugar. Place bag in freezer for 1-2 hours or until cranberries are frozen.
When ready to serve, combine chilled juice and 7-UP in a serving bowl or pitcher. Chop 1/2 - 1 cup frozen cranberries in a blender. Add chopped cranberries, remaining whole cranberries and orange slices to juice mixture. Serve!
As another option, you could add pomegranite seeds to the mixture in addition to or instead of cranberries. A little more work and cost, but perfect if you have a pomegranite on hand.
1 bottle (approx. 64 oz.) Cranberry Pomegranite or other Cranberry blend juice
1 bottle (2 liter) 7-UP
1 - 2 cups fresh cranberries
1 - 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 orange, thinly sliced
Place cranberries and sugar in a ziploc bag and shake to coat cranberries with sugar. Place bag in freezer for 1-2 hours or until cranberries are frozen.
When ready to serve, combine chilled juice and 7-UP in a serving bowl or pitcher. Chop 1/2 - 1 cup frozen cranberries in a blender. Add chopped cranberries, remaining whole cranberries and orange slices to juice mixture. Serve!
As another option, you could add pomegranite seeds to the mixture in addition to or instead of cranberries. A little more work and cost, but perfect if you have a pomegranite on hand.
Cranberry Orange Sauce
So all of the credit for this recipe goes to Erin Taylor, but I am posting it to kick off the Thanksgiving recipe call. We made it as a young women's class for our activity this week and it is delicious. The girls weren't very excited about making cranberry sauce (in fact I think their exact response was "ew, cranberry sauce?") but once we got it cooking, the aroma was so amazing and all of the girls loved it!
1 (12 oz.) bag cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans (optional)
Combine all ingredients except orange zest and pecans in a saucepan and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce to meium heat, simmer, stirring frequently, until cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened slightly - about 10 minutes. Mash with a potato masher to crush berries. Stir in orange zest and pecans. Cook 5 minutes more (put the lid on to prevent the mixture from popping all over your kitchen). Set aside and cool slightly before serving.
Makes 2 1/4 cups - which is a lot of cranberry sauce!
1 (12 oz.) bag cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans (optional)
Combine all ingredients except orange zest and pecans in a saucepan and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce to meium heat, simmer, stirring frequently, until cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened slightly - about 10 minutes. Mash with a potato masher to crush berries. Stir in orange zest and pecans. Cook 5 minutes more (put the lid on to prevent the mixture from popping all over your kitchen). Set aside and cool slightly before serving.
Makes 2 1/4 cups - which is a lot of cranberry sauce!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)