Turkey Tips!

Thanksgiving is less than a week away here in the U.S.  Here are some turkey day tips from the fat kid to make your life a little easier!

If you need only enough turkey to make it through Thanksgiving dinner: Buy ¾ to 1 pound per person.

If you want enough leftovers for the long weekend: Calculate 1 pounds (or slightly more) per person. Get leftover turkey recipes and turkey sandwich ideas.

If you need a large turkey: Consider buying two 10- to 12-pound birds and roasting them side by side. Small turkeys cook (and defrost) much more quickly than supersize ones, and they tend to stay moister.

J.J.'s Quick Turkey Guide

Number of diners: 8.

Turkey size (including leftovers): 10 to 12 pounds.

Thawing time (for a frozen turkey): Refrigerator, 2 to 2½ days; cool water (changed every half hour), 5 to 6 hours.

Roasting time (unstuffed): Roast at 425° F for 45 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce temperature to 350° F, and continue to roast the turkey until a thigh registers 180° F, about 2 hours total.

Number of diners: 12.

Turkey size (including leftovers): 16 to 18 pounds.

Thawing time (for a frozen turkey): Refrigerator, 3½ to 4 days; cool water (changed every half hour), 8 to 9 hours.

Roasting time (unstuffed): Roast at 425° F for 45 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce temperature to 350° F, and continue to roast the turkey until a thigh registers 180° F, 2½ to 3 hours total.

Number of diners: 16.

Turkey size (including leftovers): 20 to 22 pounds.

Thawing time (for a frozen turkey): Refrigerator, 4 to 4½ days; cool water (changed every half hour), 9 to 11 hours.

Roasting time (unstuffed): Roast at 425° F for 45 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce temperature to 350° F, and continue to roast the turkey until a thigh registers 180° F, 3 to 3½ hours total.

Number of diners: 20.

Turkey size (including leftovers): 24 to 26 pounds.

Thawing time (for a frozen turkey): Refrigerator, 5 to 5½ days; cool water (changed every half hour), 11 to 13 hours.

Roasting time (unstuffed): Roast at 425° F for 45 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce temperature to 350° F, and continue to roast the turkey until a thigh registers 180° F, 4 to 4½ hours total.

Talking Turkey

Call either of these hotlines to speak with an expert turkey roaster, pie baker, or side-dish maker. Hours listed are for Thanksgiving Day.

Butterball Turkey Talk-Line:  800-288-8372 , 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST; www.butterball.com.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline:  888-674-6854 , 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST; www.fsis.usda.gov.

Classic Turkey Gravy

Ingredients

• pan juices from the turkey and roasting pan
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  

Directions

Strain the pan juices into a fat separator or bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Skim and discard the fat from the surface; set the juices aside.

Place the empty roasting pan over 2 burners over medium-high heat. Add the wine and cook, stirring and scraping to dissolve any bits stuck to the pan, for 2 minutes. Add the butter and melt. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Still stirring, slowly add first the broth, then 1 cup of the reserved juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until the gravy has thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and season with the salt and pepper. Strain just before serving.

Quick Turkey Gravy

Ingredients

• pan juices from the turkey and roasting pan
• 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Strain the pan juices into a fat separator or bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Skim and discard the fat from the surface; set the juices aside.

In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, bring the broth and 1 cup of the reserved juices to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water until no lumps remain. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the simmering broth. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and season with the salt and pepper. Strain just before serving

If your gravy is too thin: Whisk 2 teaspoons cornstarch into 2 teaspoons cold water, or combine 1 tablespoon room-temperature butter with 1 tablespoon flour to form a paste. Whisk into 4 to 5 cups of barely simmering gravy and cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens.

If your gravy is too thick: Add more of the reserved pan juices or warmed turkey or chicken broth, 1 tablespoon at a time. Or try a splash of a flavorful fortified wine, such as Madeira or sherry.

If your gravy is too pale: Try a few shakes of soy sauce, keeping in mind that paleness is only a cosmetic concern, unrelated to flavor.

Happy Thanksgiving, Yo!

Thanksgiving is next week and lets face it...most people don't give thanks but stuff themselves with good food.  This fat kid is thankful for many things whether I say things or not. So before we get to the recipes here is what I am thankful for:

1. Good friends...without you I may go totally insane.
2. People that send me recipes to try! Without you I wouldn't have this blog.
3. Medicare...yeah it has its issues, but it is so much better than no insurance at all!
4. The Food Network...I get a lot of inspiration from there.
5. The internet...it has been keeping me entertained since 1994. Thanks, Mrs. Walker, for the introduction during study hall!

 RumChata® Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus more for the preparing the pan
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup RumChata®
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

 Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and pierce each one 2 or 3 times with a fork. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. Scoop the sweet potato out of their skins and into a medium bowl. Discard the skins. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the butter, brown sugar, salt, RumChata® and pepper to taste. Whisk the mixture until smooth.

Butter an 8 by 8-inch casserole. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pan and sprinkle the top with the pecans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a bit puffy. Serve immediately.

What it s RumChata® you ask?

RumChata® is rum cream made as an authentic replica of the best Horchata you have ever tasted. It is made from scratch using real ingredients - rice, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. This is Real Horchata, not an imitation flavored horchata beverage.

In the western hemisphere, horchata is made from rice, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and either water or dairy. The only way to make 'Real Horchata' is to make it from these ingredients, not horchata flavor. If it says horchata flavor or it does not include not rice, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla it's not 'Real Horchata'.

Now that you know a little more about RumChata® here is a great shot or drink to have while waiting for dinner to cook.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

• 3 parts RumChata®
• 1 part vanilla vodka

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass.

Serve with a piece of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal on top.

My bar serves it sans the cereal and with a splash of pineapple juice I believe.

I haven't tried this but it sounds YUMMY!

Cinnabon

• 3/4 oz. RumChata®
• 1/4 oz. Kahlua

Pour into a shot glass.

Duchess Potatoes

Ingredients

·         2 pounds potatoes (Yukon Golds work best), peeled and cut into chunks

·         Salt

·         1/4 cup heavy cream

·         4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

·         1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

·         1/2 teaspoon black pepper

·         3 egg yolks

Method

1 Place potatoes in a medium to large pot (3 qt) and cover with a couple inches of cold water. Add a couple teaspoons of salt to the water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender (the tines of a fork easily pierce), about 20-25 minutes.

2 While the potatoes are boiling, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside. You will use this butter to coat the potatoes right before they go in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°. 3 When the potatoes are cooked, drain in a colander and put the potatoes back in the pot set over low heat. Allow them to release steam for a minute or so. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and mash the potatoes until the butter has been incorporated. Add the nutmeg, black pepper, heavy cream and continue mashing the potatoes. Once everything is incorporated, add salt to taste and the egg yolks. Continue to mash until the mixture is smooth. Do not over-mash or your potatoes will end up with a gluey consistency.

4 Using a piping bag with a large star point, pipe the potatoes onto a cookie sheet. Alternatively, you can just fill a casserole dish with the mashed potatoes, and use a fork to create lots of peaks on the surface. The swirled edges from the star-point piping bag forms or the peaks of mashed potatoes in a casserole dish will brown nicely in the oven.

The browned parts taste great, so you want to maximize them. Whether you make piped portions or a casserole, paint the potatoes with the melted butter. Bake in the 425°F oven until nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• (or 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

 POUR into pie shell.

 BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

 Pumpkin Bread        

• 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. each nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon - or a teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 c. each granulated sugar and packed brown sugar
• 1 c. oil
• 2 c. canned pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. each raisins and nuts (optional)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add the sugars, mixing well.

Mix dry ingredients with the oil and pumpkin, stirring until well combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, blending thoroughly. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 1/2 x 5 1/4-inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pans. Place on wire rack to cool.

I love pecan pie...I have used ths recipe for the last 12 years.

Pecan Pie

• 1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup - this is one time I go brand name and I prefer dark
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
• 1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen** deep-dish pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust.

3. Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes (see tips for doneness, below). Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.

4. **To use prepared frozen pie crust: Place cookie sheet in oven and preheat oven as directed. Pour filling into frozen crust and bake on preheated cookie sheet.

5. RECIPE TIPS: Pie is done when center reaches 200°F. Tap center surface of pie lightly - it should spring back when done. For easy clean up, spray pie pan with cooking spray before placing pie crust in pan. If pie crust is overbrowning, cover edges with foil.

6. VARIATION: coarsely chopped walnuts may be substituted for pecans to make a walnut pie.