Only a few days left until that one day of the year when we (maybe) don't count calories and allow ourselves to have a nap in the middle of the day and not keep it a secret!!! Kav and I traveled south (yep south of our beach), to another beach, Naples, to spend an early Thanksgiving with his family. I love Thanksgiving and have always been a HUGE volunteer in the kitchen.....to clean only!! Never have I been much of a fixture at the ole stove for cooking. So Kav thought I had a fever when I volunteered to cook Thanksgiving ALL BY MYSELF for his family.
Well if you know me, once I've said I'm going to do something...I'm gonna do it. So I was in deep trouble. I turned to the trusty Southern Living in the airport on the way down and picked out the menu below. Not to give myself a pat on the back, but OH MY GOSH, it was delicious. My favorite was the Creole Dressing and Crannberry Salsa and Kav's fav was the Collard Greens, Squash Casserole and turkey (he said it was a 3-way tie).
Everyone had a fav, but I "think" they loved it all. We had a tiny bit of dressing left over and that was it. And no one got food posioning today. The Tucker's have decided to keep me around.
So IF I CAN COOK AN ENTIRE THANKSGIVING DINNER ALL BY MYSELF....ANYONE CAN!!!!!!!! (print out these recipes...promise you won't regret it)
Good Luck and Happy Eating. xoxox -celia
APPLE-BOURBON TURKEY & GRAVY
- 4 cups apple juice
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 (12- to 15-lb.) whole fresh turkey*
- Cheesecloth
- Kitchen string
- 4 celery ribs
- 4 large carrots
- 3 small apples, quartered or halved
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (optional)
Preparation
- 1. Stir together apple juice and next 2 ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- 2. Remove giblets and neck from turkey, and rinse turkey with cold water. Drain cavity well; pat dry. Place turkey in a large roasting pan. Dip cheesecloth in apple juice mixture. Wring dry. Cover turkey with cheesecloth; pour apple juice mixture over cheesecloth, coating completely. Cover and chill 12 to 24 hours, basting occasionally with marinade.
- 3. Preheat oven to 325°. Remove turkey from pan, discarding cheesecloth and reserving 3 cups marinade. Sprinkle cavity with desired amount of salt; rub into cavity. Sprinkle desired amount of salt and freshly ground pepper on skin; rub into skin. Tie ends of legs together with string; tuck wingtips under.
- 4. Arrange celery and next 3 ingredients in a single layer in bottom of roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, on celery mixture; pour reserved marinade over turkey in pan.
- 5. Bake at 325° for 3 hours and 15 minutes to 4 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of thigh registers 165°, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices and shielding with aluminum foil after 2 hours and 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Remove from oven, and let stand 30 minutes.
- 6. Transfer turkey to a serving platter, reserving 2 1/2 cups pan drippings. Pour reserved drippings through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup, discarding solids.
- 7. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually add drippings, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring mixture occasionally, 5 minutes or until gravy thickens. Add up to 1/2 cup chicken broth for desired consistency, if desired. Stir in salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve turkey with warm gravy.
- *Frozen whole turkey, thawed, may be substituted.
CREOLE CORNBREAD DRESSING
Ingredients
- 1 (12-oz.) package andouille sausage, chopped
- 8 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 large celery ribs, diced
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 medium-size green bell pepper, diced
- Cornbread Crumbles
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 (8-oz.) package fresh mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups chopped toasted pecans
- 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
- 2 (14-oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
Preparation
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Sauté andouille sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add green onions and next 3 ingredients, and sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in Cornbread Crumbles.
- 2. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms, and sauté 3 minutes. Add sherry, and cook, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half; stir in parsley. Stir mushroom mixture, toasted pecans, and Creole seasoning into cornbread mixture.
- 3. Whisk together chicken broth and eggs; add to cornbread mixture, stirring gently just until moistened. Divide mixture between 1 lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish and 1 lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish.
- 4. Bake dressing at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
GREEN BEANS WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS
Ingredients
- 2 pounds haricots verts (tiny green beans), trimmed
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Preparation
- 1. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.
- 2. Melt butter and brown sugar with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add shallots, and sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vinegar, and sauté 10 minutes or until shallots are golden brown and tender.
- 3. Increase heat to medium-high; add green beans, and sauté 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
WILD RICE WITH MUSHROOMS
Ingredients
- 2 (6-oz.) packages long-grain and wild rice mix
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 12 ounces assorted fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Marsala
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preparation
- 1. Prepare rice mix according to package directions.
- 2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Add mushrooms and salt; sauté 4 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add Marsala, and sauté 3 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir mushroom mixture and parsley into prepared rice.
CRANBERRY SALSA
Ingredients
- 1 (12-oz.) package fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 navel orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
- 1. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
- 2. Pulse orange zest and next 5 ingredients in food processor 3 to 5 times or until orange, ginger, and pepper are finely chopped. Stir into cranberries; cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.
SQUASH CASSEROLE
COLLARD GREENS
For the squash casserole and collard greens, I used secret family recipes, so you're on you own here!
And wash it all down with this yummy twist on a regular-ole mimosa:
CLEMENTINE SPARKLER
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups cava or other sparkling wine, chilled
- 3/4 cup fresh clementine juice, chilled
- Clementine slices (optional)
Preparation
- 1. Combine cava and juice. Garnish with clementine slices, if desired.
and even Annabelle made a new bestie...
(thanks SL...my first Turkey Day menu...for brand new family..off without a hitch)
