Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine: 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 gallon vegetable stock 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger 1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics: 1 red apple, sliced 1/2 onion, sliced 1 cinnamon stick 1 cup water 4 sprigs rosemary 6 leaves sage Canola oil
Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
Ingredients:
For the Cake
1/2 cup of butter, softened
2/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 envelopes active dry yeast
3 eggs
5 cups of all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
Cream-Cheese Filling:
1 8-ounce pkg. cream cheese
1 c. confectioner's sugar
2 T. flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a few drops of milk
White Icing:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
Colored Sugar
1. Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium mixing bowl. Add the evaporated milk, 3/4 cup of the sugar, tablespoon of ground cinnamon and the salt. Stir so that the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool. Note: whenever I use yeast, I add it in the middle of adding flour, which I did here as well.
2. Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water and stir in the remaining teaspoon sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, until foamy. If the yeast does not foam up it is not live so you’ll have to start over with new yeast and sugar.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the butter and milk mixture. Add the eggs and lemon zest and mix together vigorously, until well blended.
4. Add in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a thick paste–about 3 cups flour. When you have added all the flour, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured wooden board and knead it with your hands, which you have dusted with flour,until the dough is smooth and elastic, about a dozen turns. Or you can do this in a mixer with a dough hook.
5. Place the dough into a large clean bowl that you have sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Turn the dough to coat all sides with spray. Cover the bowl with a thick dish towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
6. Make the cream cheese filling: Combine cream cheese, flour, sugar, vanilla and milk in a bowl and blend.
7. Punch the dough downand divide the dough in two. Roll out each half into a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Brush each rectangle with half of the melted butter and then spread half of the cream cheese filling on each rectangle leaving about a 1/2 inch border all the way around. Roll up along the long end like a jelly roll. Press the roll together at the seam, sealing with water if necessary. Wind the two rolls together, forming one thick piece. On a baking sheet sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray, form the dough into a circle and seal the ends together.
8. Cover with a thick dish towel and allow the cake to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it almost doubles in size.
9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the top of the cake with the egg white. Bake the cake for 35 minutes, until it is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Make the white icing: Combine the sugar and milk in a small dish and whisk until smooth.
11. Allow the cake to cool slightly then drizzle with icing (if you let it cool completely the icing dries quicker and it is harder to keep sugar sprinkles from falling off). Sprinkle the colored sugar in striped patterns over the icing.
From Food Network
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons of Chili powder
2 Tablespoons of Cumin
2 cups sour cream
16 oz. rotini noodles
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper
Directions
In a large skillet, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add the olive oil, peppers, onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Add chili powder and cumin, cook for about 30 seconds. Turn the stove to medium. Add the can of tomatoes. Add the sour cream. Stir until everything is mixed. Add pasta and mix it in.
Cover and cook until pasta is al-dente, about 25 minutes, make sure to stir frequently so the pasta doesn’t get stuck to the bottom.
To serve, top with the cheese.
From A Taste of Home CookingIngredients
potatoes
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic, mincedItalian seasoning
Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until fork-tender.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Line a rimmed cookie-sheet with foil (for easy clean-up). Drizzle a cookie-sheet with olive oil. Put cooked potatoes onto cookie sheet.
Using a potato masher, gently press down on each potato twice until slightly mashed.
Drizzle more olive oil on the potatoes.
Sprinkle potatoes with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and Italian seasonings.
Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes until nice and crisp. Enjoy!
From Better Together
Ingredients
1 pound whole wheat penne rigate
Salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 cloves garlic, cracked from skin and sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 head cauliflower, stem removed and chopped
1 cup chicken stock
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese (3 generous handfuls)
Salt and black pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and reserve two ladles of pasta water.
While water is coming up to a boil and pasta cooks, make the sauce: heat a deep skillet over medium heat with EVOO. Add garlic and cook three minutes, then remove. Add onions and cook five minutes, then add the cauliflower, chicken stock and rosemary. Cover the pan and cook 15 minutes.
Uncover the sauce, add 1-2 ladles of pasta water and mash the cauliflower with the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add the pasta and cheese to the cauliflower and toss to combine. Season the dish with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
From Food Network
Ingredients
1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
Directions
MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.
DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.
From Kraft Kitchens
Split Pea Burgers
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil , plus 1 to 2 additional tablespoons for sauteing
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dry split peas, picked and rinsed
1/2 cup dry brown rice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, plus 1/4 cup for coating
Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large (4 to 6-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper along with a generous pinch of salt. Sweat for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 4 minutes.
Add the broth, peas, rice, coriander and cumin. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to low, cover and cook at a simmer for 1 hour or until the rice and peas are tender.
Remove from the heat and gently pour the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and process until just combined.* Do not puree. Pour this mixture into a bowl and stir in the 3/4 cup of bread crumbs. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground pepper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Shape the mixture into patties and dredge on each side in the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 burgers at a time and saute until brown on each side, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. To grill, cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes per side as well. Serve immediately.
I added curry powder and a tiny bit of red pepper, but it still needed more heat!
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
From Food Network - Alton Brown
