Roasted Turkey December 15, 2010

I’m not the biggest fan of Turkey, however when I do eat one I like a nice juicy and flavourful turkey. That’s why I feel that it is important to brine your turkey for at least a day before you cook it. I also use this recipe to cook a roasted chicken. Comes out really nice. I just don’t brine the chicken.

Since I don’t have enough room in my refrigerator the way I brine the turkey is I get two trash bags, place the turkey and brining solution inside the trash bags and then place this inside a ice chest and cover with ice. Works out great

Juicy Herb Roasted Turkey:

 

Ingredients:

Brine:

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 oranges, quartered
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 6 springs thyme
• 4 springs rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 10-12lb turkey, insides removed

Turkey:

• 1 orange, sliced
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 1 apple, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 springs thyme
• 4 springs rosemary
• 1/2 bunch sage
• 3-4 springs parsley
• 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

Directions:

In a large container or bucket, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water. Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, garlic, rosemary, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water. Place the turkey in the brining solution and cover and refrigerate for 24hrs.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Place turkey in a large roasting pan, breast side up. Rub turkey all over with orange segments. Rub some butter all over the turkey and stuff some underneath the skin. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the orange, lemons, apple, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, turn turkey over and baste with 1/2 cup of stock. I like to also pour a little inside the turkey. Continue roasting with breast side up for about 3 hours or until thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted in the turkey thigh. Baste the turkey every hour with 1/2 cup of stock.

Remove from oven and cover with aluminium foil and let rest for 20 minutes before craving.

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse.

MMMMM Yummy…

I absolutely loveeeeeeeeeee this soup. It is so tasty and delicious. And it’s been perfect on these chilly days that we have been having here in good ole Texas. It’s great by itself or enjoy with a grilled cheese sandwich. I like to use Rosemary Sour dough Bread for my sandwich. It’s nice and crunchy.

 

 

Tomato Basil Soup:

 

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, about 14 leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place tomatoes, juice and garlic in a large stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Place the soup and basil leaves in a food processor and puree. Return to the stock pot.

Stir in the cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat until all the butter is melted. Enjoy!

 

Adapted from allrecipes.

Sesame Chicken December 3, 2010

Every recipe that I looked at for Sesame Chicken required you to batter and fry the chicken pieces. Since this is typically the traditional way you would have Sesame Chicken served to you in a Chinese restaurant. I don’t like frying, so I just marinated and then cooked the chicken. Come out great!

 

Asian Sesame Chicken:

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut in bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame or peanut oil
• 1 teaspoon Chile paste
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions:

In a ziplock bad add the chicken, 1/4 cup soy sauce and 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Toss around a little so the soy sauce covers all the chicken pieces. Place bag in fridge for about 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, remaining soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir frequently so the sugar doesn’t burn.

Dissolve 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water and then stir into the sauce. Stir in the red pepper flakes. Simmer until the sauce thickens and starts to turn more clear. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.

In a fry pan add the chicken pieces and stir fry until all the chicken is cooked through. Add the sauce and stir well to insure all the chicken is coated with the sauce.

Serve over rice and top with the sesame seeds.

Adapted from allrecipes.com.

Warm and Toasty November 15, 2010

Chili is great on a cold rainy night or afternoon. It’s easy to prepare since basically all you do is throw things into a crock pot and let the crock pot do the rest of the work. This chili has a really nice smoky flavour to it and depending how spicy you like your chili you can add more or less of the chipotle peppers.

Fire Roasted Chili:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound top sirloin steak, cut in bite size pieces
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 medium Anaheim peppers (or New Mexico peppers), chopped
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 jar Newman’s Own Sockarooni sauce
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper

Directions:

In a ziplock bag combine the flour and the smoked paprika. Add the steak and toss around in the flour mixture until all steak pieces are completely covered. Heat oil in a large skillet. Once oil is hot add the steak and sear on all sides. Add steak to a large crock pot.

Return the skillet back to the heat and brown the ground beef. Season meat with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the crock pot.

In the left over meat juices add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Cook until softened. Add the Anaheim peppers, chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce. Mix together well. Add all the beans and mix well. Transfer the vegetables to the crock pot. Add the Sockarooni sauce (found on the pasta sauce aisle) and the beef stock. Stir well. Sprinkle with the chili and cumin powder. Stir well. Add the lid and cook on low for about 4-6 hours.

After a couple of hours taste the mixture and decide whether to add more chili powder or more smoked paprika.

Enjoy on a nice cold night snuggled up in a blanket.

Adapted from foodnetwork.

Mac n Cheese Please September 14, 2010

Found this recipe on Noble Pig’s website the other day and thought it sounded quite interesting and yummy. Figured I would give it a whirl. There are a couple of things I would change for next time though. One being, I would use mild cheddar instead of the sharp cheddar. I feel that sharp cheddar is too over powering and I just don’t like the flavour of it. Second change would be using less cheese. I did use less macaroni  than the recipe called for so maybe that was my problem. Overall I think this would be a good dish to take for a family or work pot luck.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese:

Ingredients:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 pound chicken breast, chopped in bite size pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3/4 cup Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce, divided
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2-1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes.  Drain.

Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chopped chicken breast and brown. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until nice and smooth.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and then the remaining macaroni.  Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.  Put the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted.  Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley.  Sprinkle over the macaroni.  Bake until bubbly all over, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Add more wing sauce, parsley and blue cheese on top if you desire.

Adapted from Noble Pig.