Its never too early for Thanksgiving recipes.. just thinking of the smells of all of my favorites is making my mouth water!! From Top to bottom, here are some loved recipes and Thanksgiving ideas for your family!!
|
It’s hard to document whether the original Thanksgiving feast included turkeys, but the turkey has certainly come to symbolize the American holiday of thanks. The USDA estimates that around 45 million turkeys are sold and eaten during the Thanksgiving holiday. Yes. We gobble up a lot of turkey on Thanksgiving, and most of those are baked in the oven though Fried Turkey is quickly gaining in popularity.
Fresh or Frozen?
The first decision to make is whether to get a frozen or fresh turkey.
A frozen turkey is generally less expensive. The sale prices close Thanksgiving can be amazing, and for folks with big freezers, stocking up on turkeys is a great deal. Turkeys do take up a lot of room both in the freezer and in the refrigerator, so do keep that in mind.
It takes a long time to thaw out a frozen turkey. The rule of thumb is that the turkey needs to be in the refrigerator thawing one day for every five pounds of weight. I generally add a day or two extra for good measure.
A turkey can also be thawed in a cold water bath. Fill the sink or a big pan with cold water and let the submerged bird sit and thaw. This method takes, on average, seven to eight hours. It’s important to change the water as it warms up. You don’t want to taint the turkey and make all the guests sick.
With a fresh turkey, you’re ready to cook immediately. You’ve got to place an order with the butcher though. Don’t expect to walk in the day before Thanksgiving and find a fresh turkey waiting.
Size of Turkey
A monster-sized turkey may look appealing when you’re out shopping. You’re thinking that you’ll make quite a splash with a huge bird. In fact, a gigantic turkey does make a statement. It may also make you curse as well.
Remember that the turkey will be in the freezer and the refrigerator taking up space when you’ve got lots of other items that will also need to be stored. If the turkey takes up half a shelf, then you may be stacking other foods. Trust me. Nothing stacks well on top of a turkey.
The other issue with a really big turkey is that it’s heavy. Seriously, it’s not much fun to wrestle a 25 pound turkey in and out of the oven. My mom (who does have ample storage space) got a huge turkey one year. I won’t quote what she said when trying to get the turkey out to baste. It was not the Thanksgiving grace though.
The bigger the turkey, the longer it takes to thaw and to cook. This may not be an issue at your home, but I’d rather do two smaller turkeys than a huge one. Actually, I’m more likely to do a baked bird and then a Crock Pot Breast. We like the white meat sliced on sandwiches, so the breast in the crock pot ensures that we have extra sandwich meat.
My pick for a whole turkey would be the 12-15 pound range. I’d especially recommend this size for beginners.
First Things First
As I mentioned, you need to make sure the turkey is thawed out. If it’s still a bit frozen, then give it a water bath. It’s really hard to cook a partially frozen turkey through. And, it’s not great to cut into the main dish and see that it’s still bloody.
Take the bag of spare parts out of the cavity. It’s a really bad surprise to find those after the turkey is baked. Also, you can use the neck to make the gravy, and some turkeys come with a gravy pack there in the cavity. In any case, pull everything out of the bird.
Wash the turkey inside and out with water. Pat it dry.
If you plan to stuff the turkey, you’ll want to do that at this point. You can make pan dressing if you’d rather not stuff the turkey. I especially like Southern Corn Bread Dressing. Or, you can plan to have both turkey stuffing and pan dressing.
Many turkeys now come with the legs hooked together with wire. Some also come with a thermometer installed. If you have a plainer bird, then you probably want to tie the legs together. Just pull them together and tie there at the bones. Otherwise, the turkey looks a bit wild as it cooks and the legs splay out.
Lathering up the Turkey
The first step to ensure a good moist turkey is to pull back the skin over the breasts and stick some butter or margarine under the skin. About 4 TBS of butter per side work well. Once you get the margarine or butter in, press the skin back in place.
Rub a little butter all over the turkey and then sprinkle on seasonings. I generally use salt, pepper, and lemon pepper.
Place the bird in a big pan if you’ve not already done that.
If you’re not using stuffing, then you can put some fresh cut orange slices in the cavity. That adds a nice little zing. I sometimes put onion slices inside and also a bay leaf. These are just for some extra flavoring and are not meant to be eaten later. In fact, take the extra flavoring items out before serving.
Get 3 or 4 cups of broth (chicken or turkey) and pour over the bird. This may wash off some of the seasonings on top. That’s fine. Sprinkle a little more on the bird.
Loosely wrap tin foil over the turkey and put it in the oven.
Baking the Turkey
The USDA previously recommended cooking a turkey to a temperature of 180 degrees F but now has lowered that to 165 degrees F. This is the first year with the new temperature recommendation. Stuffing in the bird (which is not recommended by the USDA) is also set at 165 degrees F. So, it’s easier to remember the target temperatures.
With the oven set at 325 degrees F to 350 degrees F, it takes around 3 to 4 hours to cook a 12 to 15 pound turkey. It’s a good idea to check with a thermometer stuck in the thick part of the inner thigh. It’s really hard to tell if a turkey is done just by looking at the outside. It may look nice and crisp and beautiful, but it may not be cooked through.
During the baking, baste the bird with the broth that is in the bottom of the pan. This helps keep the turkey moist.
Remove the tin foil during the last 45 minutes to an hour so that the turkey will brown and look pretty. If it’s getting too crispy or dark before reaching the desired temperature, then stick the tin foil back over the bird.
Now You’re Done and Ready for Your Turkey Dinner
Remove the turkey when it’s at 165 degrees F. The temperature will run a little higher as the bird rests. Letting the turkey rest a bit helps set the flavors, so don’t worry about rushing the turkey right to the table. Take your time on the other dishes. The turkey will be fine.
That’s it for making a basic baked turkey. It sounds more complicated than it really is. Once you’ve made one, you’re set. You can add all types of stuffings and seasonings to suit your tastes. But, this recipe turns out a moist and tasty turkey that looks great on the table.
Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing
Ingredients:
3-4 loaves of white bread (or 5 if you like leftovers)
water
chicken broth
insides of the turkey
2 bunches of celery
1 or 2 onions
2 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp. sage
oysters (optional)
mushrooms (option)
Instructions:
The night before you want to eat the stuffing, break the bread into small pieces (about 1 inch squares) into 2 huge bowls or pots. Let the bread sit overnight to dry out.
The next day, after you remove the insides of turkey, boil them in water in 2/3 qt. sauce pan until cooked (about 20/30 minutes). Remove insides for later use or discard. Keep water and put aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop onion and celery and place into food processor until minced.
Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in large saucepan.
Saute onion and celery until heated through. Do not brown! (Saute mushrooms also at this time if wanted). Depending on how much stuffing you want and how much celery and onion you've chopped, you may have to saute the onion and celery in two parts.
Once cooked, pour the onion/celery mixture directly over the dried out bread.
Pour 1/2 tsp. sage over bread/onion/celery mixture.
Then take your reserved water and pour slowly over bread. The bread will shrink as you do this.
Be careful not to pour too much water in.
Mixture thoroughly and smell/taste for perfect stuffing.
If you need more liquid, open a can of chicken broth and pour over bread. If you need more spice, add more sage.
If you are using oysters, add them now.
Once stuffing is of a consistency that it will stick together and does not look too dry, do not add more liquid.
Either stuff in turkey to be baked in oven, or put in 9 x 13 pan.
If using oysters, it is recommended that you bake the stuffing in a pan so as to ensure the oysters will be cooked through.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. You want the stuffing to have a nice brown crust on top.
Grandma's Turkey and Dressing Recipe
If you are counting carbs or calories this dressing isn't for you.. but if you are looking for a recipe bursting with flavor and good old fashioned deliciousness then this is one you are going to love. Our family has made this for generations and it's always requested. So we usually make it twice a year. So bring out the turkey and get ready for the best dressing you ever ate!
Grandma's Turkey & Dressing
1 lg turkey cooked as directed (save broth)
1 - 9 x 13 in. pan of biscuits,
1 loaf bread
3 c. chopped onion,
2 c. chopped celery,
1 doz. eggs boiled & chopped,
1 lb. butter, melted,
sage to taste (I use about 3 Tbsp.)
Salt & Pepper to taste.
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans if desired
Saute' onion & celery in butter until tender.
In lg. roasting pan combine cornbread, biscuits & white bread all crumbled.
Add butter, celery, onion, pecans & seasonings.
Pour in saved turkey broth adding canned chicken broth to slightly soupy consistency.
Add chopped eggs.
Cover & bake in 400ยบ F. oven for 1 hour.
Uncover and bake 30 - 40 more minutes.
This will thicken as it cools slightly.
Make giblet gravy and enjoy! YUM
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
|
One of our favorite holiday dishes is Southern Sweet Potato Casserole. This sinful dish would work just fine on the dessert table, but we eat it as a side. Sweet Potato Bake is delicious with turkey or ham. Not only is the casserole rich and sweet, it adds some color to the dinner table or at a pot lot feast. This is one of my mom’s specialty recipes, and folks are always asking her how to make this dish.
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
The Basic Casserole
• sweet potatoes (3 or 4 medium potatoes – 6 inches long and 2 to 2 inches thick
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
The Topping
• 1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pecans
Directions:
Boil sweet potatoes until they are soft when stuck with a fork. Let cool a bit. Peel. The peeling basically falls right off. Mash sweet potatoes until nice and creamy.
Add the casserole ingredients to the mashed sweet potatoes. The order isn’t critical. It does help to let the butter get pretty soft or even to melt the butter. Mix everything in well.
Spray a little Pam or very lightly grease a casserole in the 9 x 9 size range. Pour the sweet potato mixture in and smooth even.
Mix the topping in a small bowl. If you’re in a hurry, you can just put the topping on in the order listed.
Bake casserole for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. This crisps up the topping and has the filling piping hot.
Tips:
Sweet Potato Casserole can be put together the night before and then baked right before the meal. Just tuck it in the refrigerator and pull it out the next day. Allow a little more cooking time if the casserole is fully chilled.
This casserole also warms up well in the microwave. You probably won’t have leftovers, but if you do, you’ll enjoy the sweet potatoes re-heated too.
Bacon Baked Beans
|
Grandma could up some mighty fine baked beans. If you’re thinking about a can of beans that you open up, heat and eat, then you’re way off track as far as what Grandma calls Bean Bake. No sir. She wouldn’t have heated up a can of bean and set them out.
She uses multiple types of beans, and she doctors those beans up real good. Her baked bean recipe is a special treat and not just something to fill up with on the side. Fact is, you could make a whole meal on these, but they sure go great with grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.
Bacon Bean Bake
Beans
• 2 cans pork and beans
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 1 box frozen lima beans
(all bean amounts are about 14 to 16 oz or the regular size cans and frozen pack)
Directions:
Cook the lima beans a few minutes (5 or so). Drain water off the lima beans. (Can also use canned lima beans and drain off water).
Mix the beans up in a baking dish. You’ll need a pretty good sized pan – something about like 9 x 13.
Sauce
• ½ pound of bacon (cut in bite sized pieces)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 3 TBS brown sugar
• ½ bell pepper (cut in small chunks)
• 2 stalks celery (sliced in thin circles)
• 1 bottle or can of chili sauce (around 14 oz)
• 1 TBS yellow mustard
• 2 TBS vinegar
Directions:
Combine all of the above in a sauce pan. The order isn’t really important.
Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes on low.
Pour the sauce over the bean mixture in the baking dish.
Cover your bean bake and chill it overnight.
Bake the next day at 350 degrees F for around an hour and a half or until the beans are hot, bubbly and with a little crust on top. Don’t overcook and dry them out.
