Tasty Roasted Turkey! Thanksgiving Style

I hosted Thanksgiving this year for the first time, and got to make my first real turkey! I'd practiced on little 3- or 4-pound turkey breasts in the past, but this is the first time I made the whole bird.

The night before, I brined the turkey using a simple method I found on AllRecipes.com.  It involved soaking the guy in a salt-water solution (ratio: 1 cup salt to 2 quarts water).  I used a large crockpot for this.

I covered it with a clean, brine-soaked dish towel and some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge over night.

I neglected to get a decent picture of the finished product this time! Things were a little busy on Thanksgiving Day :-)  As soon as that bird came out of the oven, he was carved and eaten!  But trust me, it was gorgeous - and delicious! Here are some action shots of the carving process (it just fell right off the bone!):




Ingredients

• 1 (12-pound) whole turkey
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons seasoning salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets, or add to pan if they are anyone's favorites.**I washed the turkey and removed the gross stuff the night before, prior to brining.  Then when I was ready to roast the turkey, I removed it from the brine solution and rinsed it all off again**
   
   
2. Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin and breast meat. This makes for very juicy breast meat!
   
   
3. Brush top of turkey with olive oil and season with a little pepper, paprika and herbs of choice (no need to use salt, thanks to the brine!). 
4. Stuff bird now, if desired.
   
   
   
5. Carefully place turkey in prepared (i.e., flour-shaken) roasting bag and set in roasting pan. Don't seal bag yet.
   
6. In a medium bowl, combine the broth with the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the top of the turkey. 
7. Add some veggies (I used baby carrots and a few chopped potatoes) for flavor. 
8. Seal bag according to instructions on package (and don't forget to cut the slits across the top!).
   
   
9. Bake in the preheated oven according to instructions on roasting bag package (mine took about 2-1/2 hours), until internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees F. **Do not overcook! Turkey begins to get tough/dry after it gets past 180 degrees. I learned this on the Discovery Channel the night before Thanksgiving!**
   
   

Allow turkey to cool at least 30 minutes before carving. Be sure to get all the leftover meat off the bones and refrigerated in an airtight container no later than 2 hours after cooking.

Also, as we discovered the "hard way" - if you plan to make fresh gravy from the pan drippings (or, bag drippings), it's a good idea to taste as you go and you will probably need to cut in some water.  The drippings became very salty due to the brine preparation, making for potentially sodium-packed gravy.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Slow-Cooker Meatloaf

I attempted meatloaf a couple years ago and it, well, wasn't great.  I got up the nerve to try it again today and I give this version an A+!  It is adapted from this allrecipes.com recipe (I added a lot more seasoning, as reflected below).

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used Italian Panko)
  
• 2 tsp minced onion
• 1 tsp salt or seasoning salt
  
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  
• 1 1/2 lb ground sirloin or turkey
  
• 1/2 cup ketchup (I used organic)
  
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground mustard powder
  
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) 
2. Shape into a round loaf and place in a 5-qt. slow cooker.
   
   
3. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours (I cooked on high for 3 hours) or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce until well blended.
5. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. 
   
   
   
   

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Kind of like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Slightly crunchier (due to the graham cracker crumbs). Very easy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1-1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tbsp peanut butter

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners sugar, and 1-1/2 cups peanut butter until well blended. 
2. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13" pan.
   
   
3. In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the remaining 4 tbsp peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth (I did this in 45-second intervals, stirring between).
   
   
4. Spread over the prepared crust.
   
   
   
5. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Chicken Paprikash

Our little Hungarian meal...


This is one of those dishes that I never use a recipe for and that I really don't know how to explain. My grandma gave me her best attempt at a recipe for this a couple years ago - and now, like her, I just kind of eyeball it, taste as I go, and basically just wing it.

It's really best when you just don't think too hard about it and make it your own. So please allow me to be a little vague this time...

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Paprika. Lots and lots of paprika.  Hungarian paprika is best.
  
• Minced onion
• Minced garlic
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• Chicken bouillon cubes (if needed)
  
• Black pepper
• Salt, if needed (or seasoning salt)
• **Optional: 1 cup sour cream** (my family has always made it without)
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water (more or less as needed)
• 1 large egg
  

Directions

1. Start a large pot of water boiling for nokedli (Hungarian dumplings, aka spaetzel, aka halushka noodles).
2. Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-size pieces and brown in a large/deep skillet (or a medium sauce pan).  Season with some paprika, black pepper, and the onion and garlic.  Cook until browned.
   
   
3. Add about 3-4 cups of chicken broth (or water + bouillon) - be sure to scrape browned chicken bits off bottom of the pan. mmm!
4. Stir in about 4-5 tsp paprika, and more seasonings according to taste.
   
   
5. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes or so - tasting as you go.
6. While chicken-paprika mixture is simmering, prepare nokedli: Combine flour, egg, and water until you have a pancake-batter-like mixture (add flour and/or water until you get the right consistency).
   
   
7. With an oversized spoon, scoop up some dough, hold it over the large pot of boiling water, and use a butter knife to "cut" off pieces of dough - letting them drop into the boiling water.  Make them as large or small as you like.
   
   
   Note: I have a handy little spaetzel grater that will do this more quickly, but I always end up burning my wrist from holding it over the steam for so long!
8. Once all of the nokedli are in the pot, wait for them to rise to the top and float - cook another 2-3 minutes and then drain them into a collander.
   
   
9. Return the nokedli to the (now-empty) pot, away from heat.  Add a little butter, salt, and pepper if you like.
   
   
10. Carefully pour the chicken-paprika mixture (which will be quite soupy) into the pot over the nokedli. **If you are using sour cream, mix it in with the chicken sauce before pouring over nokedli.**
    
    Stir well. Let this sit for a few minutes so that the nokedli absorb the liquid.
11. Serve in bowls with spoons...and bread for dipping!
    
    
    

So good!