Happy Thanksgiving

Wednesday

Thanksgiving RoastedTurkey Just Like Grandma Used to Make

Placing the butter between the skin and the meat helps the meat to stay moist during roasting. It also helps with the browning of the skin when the turkey has not been basted with oil.

Ingredients:

1 (12 lb.) whole turkey, thawed
6 tbsp. butter, divided
4 C warm water
3 tbsp. chicken bouillon
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped fine
2 tbsp. seasoning salt
1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Prepare the turkey by removing the giblets and rinsing the turkey in cold water. Use paper towels to dry the turkey well. Separate the skin from the turkey meat on the breasts by inserting your finger and carefully lifting the skin up to make a pocket. Place 3 tbsp of butter under the skin on each side.

Place the turkey in a large roasting pan being sure the breast side is facing up.

Pour the water into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the bouillon, onion powder and parsley being sure to mix well to combine. Pour the mixture over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle the turkey with the season salt and pepper. Cover the turkey tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake 3 hours 30 minutes basting the turkey with the juices in the pan every 30 minutes.

Remove the aluminum foil and continue roasting for 45 minutes.

The turkey skin should be golden brown and the internal temperature of the breast meat should be 170 degrees when the turkey is done. Remove from the oven and allow the turkey to stand 30 minutes before carving.

Serves 12

Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas

A meal is never quite finished until dessert is eaten. On Thanksgiving that is especially true seeing as there are so many delightful dishes to choose from. Here are some ideas for Thanksgiving desserts your family will love.

The first dessert everyone looks forward to is pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are a favored item during the autumn season. If you have time, fresh pumpkin can be used for the pie. Don’t sweat it if you have to use canned pumpkin. The family will forgive you. Besides, you won’t have to worry about removing all of those stringy fibers.

Did you know that pumpkin is good for more than pie? Use it in muffins with some raisins. Pureed pumpkin can be used to make a pudding type dessert covered with a dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon.

Pumpkin bread is also scrumptious. You won’t even know it contains pumpkin. The sweet bread can be drizzled with a confectioner’s sugar or a lemon glaze or eaten plain, whichever you prefer.

Many fancy sweet potato pie to pumpkin pie. Sweet potatoes go for around twenty-five cents a pound at Thanksgiving so pie bakers can stock up. Sweet potato pie is a long standing tradition in many households for Thanksgiving dinner. Spiced up with nutmeg, cinnamon, and lemon extract, a good sweet potato pie won’t be around for very long.

My personal favorite is apple pie. Apples of all varieties are plentiful for the choosing at this time of year and several types make great pie fillings. Granny Smith apples are a favorite because they hold up well when cooked. They are a bit tart so a sweeter apple in the mix cuts the sour taste of these particular apples. Some suggestions for a more sugary taste are: Gala, Jonathan, or Fuji. Less sugar is needed in recipes when the apples are sweeter.

Apple pies can have a crumb topping like Dutch apple pie or a flaky butter crust. Canned pie filling can be used in a pinch, but it is definitely not as good as one you create yourself from fresh apples.

This year, give yourself a wee-deserved break. Try a few no-bake desserts to supplement the pies, sweet breads and muffins. Pudding is great for the kids. Vanilla or butterscotch instant pudding complements the pumpkin bread you worked so hard to make. Ice cream is the ultimate no-bake dessert. A la mode goes with all pies and cakes on the menu.

What are you fixing to satisfy that sweet tooth this year at Thanksgiving dinner? Add a few easy dessert ideas to the family recipes and make the job easier for you, but still sweet for everyone else.

Thanksgiving Sides with Flavor

We all look forward to eating dinner with friends and family on Thanksgiving Day. The center of the table is saved for the turkey, but it is not the piece de resistance. The supporting players on the table are what we all want to savor. Here are some ideas for making your turkey day sides irresistible.

What about the spices? Spices get our blood boiling, sometimes literally. It is said by nutritionists that eating spicy foods increases our metabolism. We need that on Thanksgiving Day when we tend to eat everything in sight.

One zesty spice is crushed red pepper. You can create your own by stripping the seeds out of hot peppers. It is the seeds that create the mouth meltdown anyway. These yummy seeds go well in or atop sausage stuffing.

Cinnamon and nutmeg are also great for adding flavor. We usually see them as a part of desserts, but they can also sweeten our side dishes. Add both to a bowl of candied yams or carrots for a different treat this year.

Herbs, especially fresh herbs, taste great on vegetables. Blend a few in with the mashed potatoes. Combine your potatoes with garlic and melted butter for a heavenly taste. Thyme or dill added to a cream sauce provides tasty coverage for fresh green beans or asparagus spears.

Instead of using plain water to cook rice dishes, add some bouillon cubes and fresh herbs to the water. While the rice cooks, the herbs infuse flavor through each piece. This also works great when steaming vegetables and boiling potatoes.

We add sage to the turkey for dressing it, but it can also be added to the stuffing. A hint of sage and cracked black pepper in cornbread stuffing complements the turkey and the gravy. All of the spices that you use on the turkey will end up in the essence in the bottom of the roasting pan. Add this concentrated bit of flavor to the gravy to liven up the taste.

What are you planning to complement the turkey on Thanksgiving Day? Whatever side dishes and salads you choose to serve, be sure that they are as good as they can be. Instead of the same old tastes, add a new sensation with a sprinkle of spice. It’ll wake up the taste buds and your guests.

What you don’t want to do when it comes to adding flavor to your side dishes is overdo it. Too much overshadows the natural taste of the food that everyone loves. Remember, herbs and spices are meant to enhance food without taking away from its original flavor.