Special Edition “Comfort Food for the Mind, Body, and Soul”: The Ultimate Thanksgiving Dinner

 

By Sharon Fox

 

Preparing Thanksgiving Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated at all.  I have put together some very simple and amazing recipes just to make it easy for you.  Watch how your family enjoys this feast! 

 

Brining your turkey before baking/roasting it will guarantee a very juicy bird!  Here is one of my favorite turkey Brines that I just know you’ll love.

 

PERFECT TURKEY BRINE

 

12-14 lb Turkey, thawed or fresh

1/2 gallon vegetable broth

1/2 gallon apple juice

1/2 cup salt

1 Tbsp. EACH: rosemary, sage, and thyme

3 bay leaves

1 gallon ice water

 

In a stockpot combine broth, apple juice, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer.  Stir until salt dissolves completely and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool completely.  Wash and dry turkey inside and out. Place the turkey, breast down, in a large roasting bag and place it in a large pot. Pour brining liquid over it, filling cavity as well.  Refrigerate overnight, turning the turkey every few hours so that the entire bird gets to brine equally.

 

Remove turkey from brine. Drain off all the liquid and pat it dry. Discard brine.  Season turkey with a little salt and cracked pepper. Place it in a roasting pan on a rack and cook at 325 degrees 2-2 1/2 hours, breast down. Turn it over and cook with the breast up for about 45 minutes or longer…until done. Be sure turkey is covered for the first 2 hours. Uncover after that so that you get a nice brown color.  Use pan drippings to make your pan gravy, just add a little thickening and season to taste.

 

 

LIME AND GINGER 

CRANBERRY SAUCE

 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup pure maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lime peel

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Thin lime wedges (optional)

 

In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together sugar, maple syrup, water, lime peel, and lime juice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. 

Stir in cranberries. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger. Simmer, uncovered, about 6 minutes more or until berries have popped and mixture starts to thicken, stirring occasionally. Cool. If desired, garnish with lime wedges. 

 

Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare as directed; cool. Transfer to an airtight container; cover. Chill for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. 

 

Makes 12 servings.

 

 

THE BEST PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES

 

 

3 pounds red new potatoes, unpeeled

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 2 teaspoons

1 1/2 cups half and half

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. parsley

2 Tbsp. Bacon bits

 

Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a 4-quart saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until completely tender. Drain.

 

In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half and butter.Put the potatoes into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix the potatoes for a few seconds on low speed, to break them up. Slowly add the hot cream and butter to the potatoes, mixing on the lowest speed (the last quarter of the cream should be folded in by hand). Fold in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, the remaining salt, and pepper, garlic powder, parsley, and bacon; taste for seasoning and serve immediately. If the potatoes are too thick, add more hot cream and butter.

 

 

GREEN BEAN 

CASSEROLE

 

1/4 cup butter

3 garlic cloves (minced)

2 cups fresh sliced 

mushrooms

6 cups fresh green beans (ends removed and cut in half)

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans low-sodium condensed cream of mushrooms soup

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 (2 7/8 ounce) cans French fried onion rings

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet melt butter and add mushrooms and garlic. Cook while stirring until mushrooms loose their moisture. Set aside.

 

Add green beans to a large sauce pan and pour chicken broth over them. Bring to a boil and cook for 8-10 minutes or until green beans become fork tender. Drain green beans (but do not rinse).

 

In a large bowl combine cream of mushroom soup, cooked mushrooms, parmesan cheese, pepper and onions rings, mix well. Gently fold in green beans. Pour into a greased 3 quart casserole dish. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

 

Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top return to oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

 

TURKEY GRAVY

 

Roast turkey drippings

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

Salt & pepper

 

After turkey has been roasted, pour juices from turkey into a large measuring cup. Skim off all fat, reserving  1/4 cup of it. Discard rest of fat. Pour fat into a medium sized saucepan. Stir in 1/4 cup flour. In measuring cup, add enough chicken broth to equal 2 cups.Turn stovetop to medium heat and slowly pour in juices/ chicken broth mixture.Stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Salt& pepper to taste. Enjoy!

SPICY MAC AND CHEESE

 

Recipe courtesy of 

Sunny Anderson

 

2 cups elbow pasta, cooked until almost al dente

8 ounces Cheddar, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded

8 ounces Colby cheese, cubed

8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, cubed

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

4 tablespoons sour cream

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup finely grated onions

4 slices bread

1 tablespoon butter

Special equipment: 2-quart baking dish

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish.

 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg. Add the sour cream, egg, heavy cream, half-and-half and onions. Pour over the pasta and cover with the shredded Cheddar. Bake uncovered until the top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-size squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the bread cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

 

Makes 6-8 servings.

 

SIMPLE DINNER ROLLS

 

 

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons cold butter

2 eggs

1 cup (about) milk, preferably whole

Softened butter for pan

Melted butter for brushing

 

Combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar and cold butter in a food processor. Pulse the machine on and off until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the flour, but is not completely blended in.

Add the eggs; pulse the machine a few more times.

With the machine running, add 3/4 cup of milk through the feed chute. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more milk if necessary — just a little bit at a time — until a ball is formed that is slightly sticky to the touch. (If it is dry, add another 1-2 Tablespoons of milk and process for another 10 seconds. If too sticky (an oddity), add a tablespoon of flour at a time.

 

Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead a bit by hand.

 

Form a smooth round dough ball, put in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size.

 

When the dough is ready, form it into a ball and divide – divide in half, again and again, until you have 16 medium balls. Shape into rolls.

 

Grease a few baking pans with the softened butter (or cover with parchment). Place the rolls a few inches apart on the pans, cover, and allow to rise for about an hour.

 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, until they’re golden. Remove the rolls from their pans and cool slightly on a wire rack.

 

SWEET POTATO CAKE

 

Praline topping:

 

1 stick butter or margarine

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped pecans

 

In a heavy saucepan, stir together butter, whipping cream, and brown sugar. Cook over low heat just until butter is melted. Pour into 2 8″ or 9″ round ungreased cake pans. Sprinkle with pecans. Pour cake batter on top of pecans.

 

Cake:

 

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix

1 cup mashed sweet potato

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

 

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour over praline layer and pecans in cake pans. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven 40-47 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool 1 hour, until completely cool. (If it’s the slightest bit warm it will ruin your frosting.)

 

Whipped Cream Frosting:

 

4 oz. softened cream cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup to 1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

 

Using whisk attachment, beat cream cheese, vanilla, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until light and creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the whipping cream until smooth. Add remaining whipping cream and up to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar (to taste). Beat until light and fluffy like “Cool Whip”. Spread between layers and on top. Leave sides of cake bare. Use any leftover whipped topping to serve on plate.

 

FRIED TURKEY

 

Fried Turkey has become more popular in the last 5 years than ever before.  This is such a succulent way to prepare the bird and having the right seasonings is the key.  Here is a tasty rub that will insure a perfectly seasoned Fried Turkey!

 

12-14 lb. Turkey, thawed or fresh

16 oz. bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing

1/2 cup cayenne pepper (no, it won’t be too hot)

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup black pepper

1 cup Creole Seasoning

1 Tbsp. onion powder

 

In a medium bowl, combine seasonings with 3/4 of the bottle of dressing.  Rub remaining dressing inside turkey. Rub the entire turkey with this marinade.  Allow it to refrigerate overnight before deep frying.  Let it sit out and come almost to room temperature before frying.  Follow your manufacturer’s instructions for frying.  Here are some great tips:

 

As far as the turkey itself goes, smaller birds work better for frying. Try not to go over 15 pounds.

Because so much oil is flammable, you should never fry a turkey indoors. Place the fryer, outdoors, on a level dirt or grassy area. Avoid frying on wood decks, which could catch fire. You will also want to avoid concrete surfaces, unless you don’t mind oil stains. Always keep a fire extinguisher nearby.

 

Before beginning, (and before you even season or marinate your turkey) determine the amount of oil you’ll need by placing the turkey in the basket (or on the hanger, depending on the type of fryer you are using) and putting it in the pot. Add water until it reaches about two inches above the turkey. Remove the turkey and note the water level by using a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the pot to the surface of the water. Remove the water and thoroughly dry the pot. Now add enough oil to equal what the water level was without the turkey in the pot.

 

Using the candy thermometer to determine temperature, heat the oil to about 325°F and no higher than 350°F. This usually takes between 20 to 30 minutes. Once the oil is hot enough, place the turkey in the basket or on the turkey hanger (follow instructions that came with your turkey frying kit) and slowly lower it into the pot.

 

Now let her fry. With whole turkeys, you can estimate on about three minutes per pound to cook. Remove turkey and check the temperature with a meat thermometer. The temperature should reach 170° F. in the breast and 180° F. in the thigh.

•   Consume cooked turkey immediately and store leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.

•  Never leave the hot oil unattended.

•   Don’t allow children or pets near the cooking area.

•    Allow oil to cool completely before disposing or storing it.

 

“Comfort Food for the Mind, Body, and Soul” is also available in all Barnes and Noble *If you don’t see it on the shelf, order it at the service desk today!

ISBN-13: 9780615453729

ISBN-10: 0615453724Publisher: Southern Hospitality

Books. Log on to http://goodcookin4u2.webs.com for more great recipes.

 

This was printed in the November 6, 2011 – November 19, 2011 Edition