Cooking your Turkey.....early!

Why you might want to cook your Turkey early!

This is an encore post from a few years ago.  The information still applies and I hope it helps you prepare for your upcoming holiday!  It takes one more stressor out of your plans!

Many folks are intimidated with cooking a Turkey.  I certainly was the first time I attempted it. After I was done, I remember thinking....'what was I afraid of?"  

I cooked a Turkey yesterday.  I try to reduce the stress of the actual holiday....so that I can enjoy it as well.    Here is the method I use and find that it works well. I hate being the only one who isn't in a position to 'play' before the big feast.  I decided to do this because my husband carves the turkey before we serve it anyway so the presentation is not a big deal

Yes, I am using my Roaster Oven again.  So, I laid out the rack on the counter. See the little blue box.  In my world, this is a 'must'.  Get the Oven Cooking Bags for Turkeys.  They are totally worth it.

Take your thawed Turkey out of the wrapping.  If you are buying a frozen Turkey, let it thaw in your refrigerator for several days.  This is a very safe method to thaw your bird.   Rinse the bird.

Remove the neck and giblet packets from the neck and little 'butt' opening. Rinse the cavities.  After rinsing, I often salt the cavities.

I cut up onion, apples, and always add citrus.  These help keep the meat moist and flavorful.  

Fill the cavities with these.  You can also add herbs such as Rosemary as well.

Follow the directions on the box of the Oven bags by putting in flour and shaking it in the bag.

Tie the legs closed to keep your content inside the cavity.  You can also use toothpicks to keep the other cavity closed.

Place your Turkey in the bag.  I placed the bagged Turkey on the rack and then carefully loaded it into the Roaster Oven. You can place you Turkey in your Standard Oven at this point as well.  

Put water into your oven as well, set the temperature gauge, put the lid on, and wait until it is cooked.  You hopefully can see the little red 'dot' on the Turkey.  I am a big proponent of using these little gauges.  Why?  they not only ensure the Turkey is cooked, but you may also be surprised at how fast your Turkey can cook not only in the bag, but also in the Roaster.  The combination can cut some time off the process.

On the day of Thanksgiving, I use my Roaster Oven to warm the Turkey meat inside another Cooking Magic bag with a big of water.  The meat is still moist and delicious.  You can make gravy with the drippings ahead of time and warm it either in a crock pot or in a saucepan.  Then I serve it to to everyone!

Consider it!

Countdown to Thanksgiving......The Rolls!!!!

Pumpkin-shaped Rolls for Thanksgiving!  So easy..

I love the holidays....and my house is already sporting my Thanksgiving decor!  As much as I love the holidays, I hate the stress that can accompany them.  Soooo, I will be posting (and planning) ideas for Thanksgiving so that when the big day comes....I can be ready and relaxed.

One of the crowd favorites are.....ROLLS!!!  I have made different types over the years. Some were more preferred than others.  This year, I have something fun for you to try....

You can do this with home-made dough or the 'frozen' option.  Yes, these are the frozen option....let's just say that I was in a hurry!  I let them unthaw for about an hour. Then I used my kitchen shears and made 8 cuts-slits around the roll.  

After making the cuts, cover the rolls with a towel and allow them rise per the directions of your recipe or your frozen-roll dough.

When they have risen sufficiently, use a kitchen tool with a rounded-end. Make an indention in the middle of the rolls.

Here you see my rolls with the circular indention's.

 Brush with egg-white. This gives you a glossy finish and a firm crust.

Oh, and just before baking insert either a walnut or pecan nut or sliver.  I used Almond slivers here.

Baked according to directions.  These are cute and fun!  It is a nice addition to any Thanksgiving table.  So easy and delicious too!

Try it!

In honor of Thanksgiving...

Are you ready for the big day or are you panicked because this big meal is only a few days away?  Personally, I hope you are looking forward to it!

So, I am sharing some of my favorite ideas to help you with your holiday meal. These are from 'meals past', but I still use the ideas, recipes and the like each time I host a big meal.  It is totally doable!

Make a plan:  

Hosting Thanksgiving takes more than food.  Please see this 'to do' list to help you cover your bases.  

Lay out everything ahead of time:

No kidding, make sure you have all the dishes and pieces that you will need. Set them up ahead of time to make sure you have everything and that everything fits.  See this post that shows you the steps we did when we fed over 45 in our home.  I learned a lot.

Cooking the 'Bird':

There is more than one way to cook a Turkey.

• In a Roaster Oven
• In your Grill
• Or perhaps by Deep Frying...which is what Rooster Senior likes to do!

PS...It's crispy and tender.

He sets it up in the back yard and lowers the turkey down while he is atop the ladder.  By the way, he uses a good portion of my stored oil to do this.  So, if you are going to try this, stock up!

Making the Stuffing:

With so many concerns about cooking Stuffing in your turkey, why not try let your crock pot do all the work?  Learn more about this method here. 

What about the Rolls?

• Using your dehydrated Sun-dried tomatoes you can make these delicious rolls!
• Or, try Pull-apart Butterscotch rolls.....they are delish!  You prepare them the night before so you don't have a mad dash on Thanksgiving day!

We can't forget a salad!

• Try a delicious Copy Cat recipe for the Olive Garden Salad.  Easy to do and uses Food Storage Staples.  It is wonderful!
• You will need Croutons as well.  Look at how easy it is to make them and do it ahead of time.  I promise, these melt in your mouth!
• For those who like Pasta salad, give this one a try.  Make it a day ahead so that the marinate has infused in everything.  It is soooo good!

What about Cranberry Sauce?

• This is so simple to do and inexpensive. You can make 12 half-pints of delicious Cranberry sauce for less than 50% of the national brand.  The added blessing is that you have some for long after Thanksgiving when you have a craving for this delicious condiment.  It also makes a unique neighbor gift!

We need a little Dessert!

• When making pies, uses this recipe for the pie crust...it really lives up to its name of "Perfect Pie Crust"!
• Fill you pie crust with Apple Pie Filling that you hopefully canned a few weeks ago. It is still not too late if you have access to apples.  Put them up on Monday or Tuesday so that you have this filling ready to go on Wednesday.  You can make your pies ahead of time as well.

 Please, please don't forget the Why!

Even among the strife of worldly cares, we have much to be thankful for.  President Thomas S Monson shares the following:

We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

Let me express my sincere thank you to each of our readers.  We are grateful that you take time out of your busy day to visit with us.  We are hopeful that the information that we share positively impacts your lives for the better. 

I wish to tell you all that I know that my Heavenly Father lives, and loves us all.  He is all-knowing and all-caring. He knows each of us by name and desires to bless with all that he has as we strive to become closer to him.

May the Lord bless you all this Thanksgiving Season.

Cranberry Sauce....getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Isn't it beautiful!  Cranberry Sauce...from scratch! (If you are wondering what is up with the jar on the far left...stay tuned and I will tell you:)

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  I hate making this wonderful holiday into "Labor day", so I try to do things ahead of time.  This is why I made....and canned...my own Cranberry Sauce.  And...it tastes amazing!

After bringing the water, sugar, and Orange juice to a boil for 5 minutes, add your fresh cranberries.

Bring the combination to a medium boil for 10 minutes. After boiling, take off the heat and add the Vanilla.  I promise the Vanilla makes this sauce just amazing!

This is an optional step, but it is one I like to do.  Some people do not mind Cranberry Sauce with lumps and others like their sauce to be smooth.  I am of the latter group.   So, I am using my stick blender to smooth out the sauce.  This step only took a few minutes.

Put the delightful mixture into clean and sterilized jars.

Place the jars into the a hot water bath.  As I live over 5,000 feet, I processed  these jars for 20 minutes.

Look at how beautiful this sauce is.  I am not only ready for Thanksgiving, but I also have a start on my 'neighbor gifts'.  I also will have this yummy sauce to use anytime I want...and I like that option.  Just for your information, this recipe yields 12 half pint jars.

The Cost...

How much did this cost?  Here is the breakdown:

8 cups of Cranberries:  $3. 59

4 Cups of Sugar: $ 2.28

Water:  free

Vanilla:  $ .31

Total Investment:  $6.17 half-pint jars of Cranberry Sauce

As this blog serves a national and even international community, I will use a national price for the big brand name Cranberry Sauce which is $8.86 for 14 ounces which works out to be $.63/ounce.

This recipe generates about 128 ounces total for a cost per ounce of $.05.  This is over a 75% savings over purchasing it in a can.

Why?

Why would I can it?  It only takes under an hour, it's really delicious, and I like to have it in smaller containers so that I don't waste any when I open it.

Also, you may still be wondering why the jar on the left looks so funny?

It is because the lid was not sealing as quickly as the others, so I turned the jar upside down to help it seal.  It set up and will remain that way until the jar is opened.

Where?

Where did I get the recipe?

I found this recipe on Canning Granny, but found this particular recipe in the comments section.  Here is the recipe....it's a good one!

Leslie's Cranberry Orange Sauce

8-9 cups cranberries

4 cups sugar

4 cups water

2 oranges

1 T. vanilla flavoring, optional

Preparation : Prepare 12 half pint jars, lids, and rings. Sterilize the jars and keep them in the hot water till its time for processing. Make sure to fill your water bath canner and get the water to a simmer.

Cooking: In a large stainless steel add water, sugar, zest and juice of 2 oranges and heat up over medium heat. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add the cranberries and bring back to a boil. the cranberries will begin popping. If you like it whole cranberries and some sauce use a potato masher to smooth the cranberries. If you want it to be just sauce you can use an immersion blender. Cook stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla flavoring. Remove from heat.

Filling the jars: On a dishtowel place your hot jars and using your funnel in each jar using a ladle then fill the jars leaving ½” headspace. Remove air bubbles and refill to the proper headspace with the mixture if necessary. Taking a clean papertowel wet it with warm water and wipe the rims of the jars removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Using your magic wand extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight".

Processing: Make sure your rack is on the bottom of the canner and place the jars in the water bath making sure that the water covers each of the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add hot water to the canner if it doesn't measure up. Cover the pot and turn up the heat under the canner and wait for the water to start boiling. Once the water has come to a boil start your timer for 10 minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move them till the next morning.

Sealing: Some time in the next hour your jars will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess any jars that did not seal.

Try it !!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am practicing what I preach!

Well, they great Thanksgiving Holiday is behind us.  The love for my family only increases as we remember the goodness of our Heavenly Father.   We had many wonderful foods to partake of.  I am sure you did as well.

I chose to 'practice what I preach'.  I used the Perfect Pie Crust recipe to make my pie crusts. I did make one modification...I actually followed all the directions and rolled the dough between 2 pieces of waxed paper.  It really does make a difference.  

I found that my Ulu Knife proved to be invaluable, particularly when dicing vegetables for the stuffing.  It made quick work of the task.

Speaking of Stuffing, I used my grain mill and made cornmeal from my "Dent Corn" that I have in my storage.  I made cornbread from my food storage staples and let it sit out over night.

Because I had lined the pans with foil, I pulled the bread out of the pan and diced it right in the foil.

I cooked the sausage and added the spices (also from my food storage).

Meanwhile I sautéed the onions and celery in butter.   (I have a supply of butter in the freezer and also canned butter.  I keep the onions in my small portable 'root cellar')

I made chicken stock from Bouillon I have in my food storage.  I poured it over all the ingredients for the stuffing.

I placed the contents into my crockpot to make "Crockpot Stuffing" .

I also made Cranberry Sauce, that was very simple to do.

So.....I am not trying to tell you how great I am.  On the contrary, I am trying to show that I had many things already in my storage.  In fact, when I was in line at the grocery store, I had relatively few things in my cart as compared to many of the other shoppers.  I saw carts overflowing with basic cooking and baking supplies.

I am also showing that having items and skills gives you so many options.  I think I only spent about $25.00 on my entire Thanksgiving dinner that fed 8 people.  You can eat very well as well as eat in a very healthy manner by having food storage staples and the skill set to prepare them.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Using your Sun-dried Tomatos...

This may look like a Thanksgiving Dinner....and in a way it was.  However, it is the dinner I cooked for our Young Single Adults for a Family Home Evening. Since many of them are far from home, I decided to make a version of a Thanksgiving Dinner for them...which was done about a week before the actual event.

I wanted to share something that I learned from my sister, Dyana D.  This is her idea...and it is really, really good. I used my Sun-dried Tomatos that I had dehydrated myself.

They don't look lovely, but I cut  up the tomato into small pieces. In this state, the tomato is dry.  (When I want to make soft Sun-dried tomatoes, I put them into a jar with Olive Oil for several days before using).

Put the pieces into the melted butter.  (I found that it worked better to put them into the bowl with the sticks before you microwave the butter for about a minute. They got softer more rapidly).

Drop in your roll (in dough form)

Here you see that I have lined my sheet with Parchment Paper.  I have become a believer in this as it not only makes clean-up faster, but it gives the bottom of the rolls a nice color and texture.  Put your dipped rolls on a cookie sheet to rise.

Lay a sheet with plastic wrap over the top of the rolls.  Spray with vegetable spray.  Then lift the plastic wrap off and turn it over.  Place on top of the rolls.  Do not wrap it tight. The vegetable spray allows the rolls to rise and 'slide' under the plastic wrap until you are ready to bake them.

Here is the finished product. After they came out of the oven, I again sprayed them with the vegetable spray. After cooling off, I placed the plastic wrap back on them to keep them soft until I was ready to serve them.

So, you can see the basket of rolls on the buffet.  I can tell you that they went fast and many of the young men took extras home.....along with some homemade jams.

So, try this next time you make rolls.  They are delicious and everyone thinks you have really done something spectacular. 

Happy Eating!



It's a matter of......Thanksgiving Crafts for kids

(Image courtesy of http://www.hostessblog.com)

Do you have little ones in your home? Will you have little Grandchildren coming to your home for Thanksgiving Dinner? Do you want something fun to do during the week building up to Thanksgiving? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, try any of the following links for lots of great ideas:

http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-craft-decorations/
http://www.bhg.com/holidays/thanksgiving/crafts/
http://www.hostessblog.com/2008/11/thanksgiving-fun-for-kids/
http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/thanksgiving/
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/crafts.html
http://www.makingfriends.com/Thanksgiving.htm
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/thanksgiving/Thanksgiving_Crafts_Projects.htm


If you can't find something here to do.....good luck!

It's a matter of ...... Napking Folding for that special meal

With Thanksgiving coming, you may want to consider doing something to make you table look special for your family and friends. An inexpensive, but very classic way is to fold you napkins in a creative way.

Below is a video of Martha Stewart showing how to do 3 different styles. I have my own issues with Martha....particularly when she often says "You will want to.....". (I mean really, how does she know that I really would "want" to do what she says?). However, she has built her empire on domestic niceties such as this and I like how she shows you that you not only need a starched or stiff napkin, but also how to fold it and use an iron to make it really, really nice.



Finally, I am including a link that shows you how to make many, many different styles of folded napkins that are really simple! Your children or grandchildren would probably love to help you make these! You can also do them ahead of time if you wish. The photo above is from this site. Here is the link:'

http://www.robbiehaf.com/RobbiesKitchen/NapkinFolds.html

Countdown.....to Thanksgiving

(image courtesy of www.theforumsite.com)

TWO WEEKS BEFORE:

• Make a seating chart.

• Work on your shopping lists.Include ingredients for all of your dishes, plus candles, table linens, flowers, etc. Prepare a grocery list by dividing it into two parts: (1) items that can be purchased immediately, and (2) items that need to be bought the day before Thanksgiving.
  
• Begin cooking. Relish will keep in the fridge for a week; gravy freezes well.
  
  Consider hosting a potluck. As the host, you'll take care of the turkey. Two weeks before the meal, ask guests to bring specific dishes, like sweet potatoes, extra stuffing and gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables, dessert, and so on. Request that people bring serving dishes for their contribution and be responsible for its presentation. The best potluck foods are those that can be served at room temperature.
  

ONE WEEK BEFORE:

• Tidy up the house.


• Decorate your home for the holiday.


• Put clean towels in the bathroom.


• Make a final shopping list.Remember ice, cream for the coffee and nuts for nibbling in the living room.


• Save food containers and paper bags.For packing up leftovers and handing them out to guests on their way out. Bags and newspapers also come in handy for making paper turkeys.


• Collect chairs, benches and large pillows.To ensure ample seating for everyone in the dining- and living-room areas. Folding chairs are fine if you outfit them with a seat cushion or slipcover. Small tables are good for guests to place glasses and dishes on. Cover folding tables with a tablecloth.


• Confirm the number of guests who will be attending the holiday dinner.


• Take a look at an online Thawing Video.So you are prepared! Begin thawing frozen turkey by placing it in a shallow tray in the refrigerator. Allow one day of thawing for every 4 pounds of turkey.
  

MONDAY:

• Defrost your turkey (if it's frozen).Remember that you have to allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds if you're going to defrost a turkey in the refrigerator. That means a 15-pound turkey will take three full days, so get started on Monday. If you choose to prepare a fresh turkey, purchase it one to three days before Thanksgiving and store it in the fridge until time to cook.


• SUGGESTION:If you miss that deadline, you can defrost the bird faster in a sinkful of cold water, allowing about half an hour for each pound of turkey and changing the water occasionally. (It will still take 7 1/2 hours for that 15-pounder, so do it after work on Wednesday, then refrigerate it.)
  

TUESDAY:

• Do your final food shopping.


• Make a cooking schedule for Thanksgiving Day.If guests are invited for 5 P.M. , count backward from a 6 P.M. dinner, writing down the time everything goes into the oven or the microwave. Don't forget the dishes that will have to be reheated.


• Prepare and freeze appropriate side dishes and desserts.

WEDNESDAY:

• Set the table.


• Clear out the coat closet for guest coats.


• Clean the guest bathroom.If possible, make it off-limits to the family.


• Take the gravy out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator so it can defrost.


• Decide on a table centerpiece.Flowers or collections of candles work well. Line votive candles down the center so the entire table is aglow. Since it's fall, you could also try an arrangement of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Place pumpkins, gourds and wheat around the house for decorative touches.


• Prepare yourself, too.Today's a good day to decide what to wear and to mentally take yourself through Thanksgiving Day. Don't worry about potential mishaps. Remember that the important thing is that family and friends are together.


• Prepare and refrigerate moist ingredients for the stuffing.Store dry ingredients in a separate container. Thaw pie dough and bake the pie. Set your beautiful table with elegant folded napkins.
  

THANKSGIVING DAY:

• Don't forget breakfast.Your family will be happier sitting down to an afternoon feast if their stomachs aren't completely empty.


• Make the stuffing in the morning. Consider making your stuffing in the crockpot.


• Enlist helpers to set the table before guests arrive.Those who are not setting the table can arrange the vegetable plate or other pre-dinner platters. Encourage reluctant children (and adults) to pitch in by announcing that the worst sourpuss will have to scrub the turkey pan at the end of the night.


• Remove prepared side dishes from the freezer.Just before roasting the turkey, combine stuffing ingredients or place in an oven safe dish or foil.


• Roast the turkey.


• Within two hours after roasting carve meat off bones.Then, chill in refrigerator before wrapping for storage.


• Once guests start to arrive, give each child an assignment.Such as greeting the guests at the door, taking people's coats, making a new member of the family feel at home, or getting the younger kids prepared for dinner.


• The table's set, the guests have arrived, and it's still a while before dinnertime?Suggest that everyone write thank-you notes to family members and friends who couldn't be with you on this night, telling them why you're grateful that they're a part of your life and that you're thinking of them. Have extra stationery, pens and stamps so guests can join in.


• Have a great Thanksgiving!Be sure to send your guests home with leftovers.
  

The Day After
Freeze leftovers if you plan to store them for a long time. Wrap in heavy foil, freezer.

(Source (with some minor changes) is http://www.todolistsoft.com/solutions/checklist/thanksgiving_day_checklist.php)