Our Thanksgiving - 2013

We have so much to be thankful for this year and we spent the day with good friends celebrating the day.  I wanted to share some fun photos and links to some of recipes we served!

For appetizers the host provided an antipasto platter filled with Italian meats, different cheeses, and delicious olives.  We also served my mother-in-law's Clam Dip, Tex Mex Deviled Eggs, and washed it down with Apple Cider Sangria.

The Hubby and I provided a turkey to roast that we prepared the day before using a Citrus Brine and the host prepared a smaller turkey in an infrared cooker.  This was new to me - he first injected the bird with a delicious marinade then into the cooker it went for a few hours.  It was delicious!

Once both turkeys were done, everyone got into gear!  There were about 20 people, including kids, so we decided to set up all of the food buffet style on the island.  The host and my hubby did a great job carving each of the turkeys.

Another friend was helping with the carving process, but also made sure he could drink his wine as well with his "turkey hands".

The host's mother was in town and made the gravy.

The Hubby and I brought several sides to share including Bourbon Baked Cranberries, Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes with Rosemary & Parmesan, and Popovers.  We also brought stuffing, but sorry, that was out of the box!  Our friends had supplied two different versions of green bean casserole and another family provided scalloped corn.

We shared dessert with our neighbors and they brought a pumpkin cheesecake as well as a pecan pie.  The host and friends also provided pumpkin pie, apple pie, and miniature pumpkin muffins and cinnamon rolls.   

Everything about our Thanksgiving was wonderful.  The food, the friends, the fun.....our hostess' dad even played some acoustic guitar and sang for everyone - it was awesome.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and counted all of your blessings around you.  I know that I did.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes with Rosemary & Parmesan

The Hubby makes a mean Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potato dish - this year for Thanksgiving was no different.  We decided to add rosemary and Parmesan this time around - everyone was very pleased with the result!

This is easy to make ahead - there is always so much chaos in the kitchen right before it is time to eat, having one less person in there helps me keep my sanity a little bit! 

We made these the day before Thanksgiving and warmed them up in the crockpot a few hours before eating.  They were deliciously perfect!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes with Rosemary & Parmesan
Serves 10-12

6 heads of garlic, roasted
5 pounds red potatoes, cleaned, cut into chunks
2-3 sprigs rosemary
3 cups butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper to taste

He roasted 6 heads of garlic earlier in the week and stored in a zip top bag in the refrigerator until it was time to use them.  We sprinkle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper on the garlic heads before roasting. 

Add the cut red potatoes to a large pan and fill with water until covered.  Remove the rosemary from the stems and add to the water.  Boil until fork tender.

While they are boiling, remove the garlic cloves from the heads, cut, and mash into a paste.  You can do this with the back of a knife or a mortar and pestle. 

Once the potatoes are done, drain and put back into the pan.  He mashes them as he mixes in the other ingredients using a wooden spoon.  Add the smashed garlic cloves, the butter, the Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper to taste.  The hubby definitely tastes along the way - add more or less ingredients to suit your tastes!

Citrus Brined Roasted Turkey

A few weeks ago, my brother wrote a guest column for me in the Southeast Valley Ledger.  He gave us pointers around brining your turkey along with a recipe.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked." 

We typically brine our turkey and this year, we followed his recipe.  It was delicious and we enjoyed a juicy, flavorful turkey at our Thanksgiving table.  Do you brine your turkey?  I'd love to hear different approaches to your brining techniques!  This recipe calls for 2 days of brining - plan ahead!

Citrus Brined Roasted Turkey
Recipe provided by Scott Leisure of Leisure Cooking

2 cups kosher salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
Rough cut springs of rosemary
Rough cut sprigs of thyme
10 peppercorns
4 oranges, halved
4 lemons, halved
3 (or more) smashed garlic cloves
2 1/2 gallons ice water
1/2 gallon cold water

Dissolve the kosher salt and sugar in 1/2 gallon of cold water by bringing it to a boil.  Transfer to a 5 gallon bucket and add 2 1/2 gallons of ice water.  Add the rosemary and thyme to the solution.  Squeeze the oranges and lemons into it and add the spent fruit as well.  Finish by adding the peppercorns and smashed garlic into the brine.

Start the bird brining breast side down in the bucket.  If you live in a colder climate, you can usually keep this in the garage, but for those of us in warmer climates - you'll need some space in a refrigerator.  After 1 day, flip the bird.  When ready to roast, rinse and pat dry.  Follow instructions on the turkey packaging for cooking times based on the weight.

Bourbon Baked Cranberries

This is a delicious, easy, make ahead dish that is the perfect compliment to your holiday table!   My brother was recently a guest columnist for me and shared this recipe in the Southeast Valley Ledger.  I added it to our Thanksgiving feast this year and everyone loved it!

Bourbon Baked Cranberries
Serves 10-12
Recipe provided by Scott Leisure of Leisure Cooking

2 12 oz bags of cranberries
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 pinches of nutmeg
1/2 cup bourbon

Combine all ingredients but the bourbon.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Uncover, stir, and bake 10 additional minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately stir in the bourbon.  Cool to room temperature and chill at least an hour before serving.

Apple Cider Sangria

This week, I was fortunate enough to have Frank Palazzolo share one of his recipes with me and I think you are going to love it! 

Frank and his wife Angelina own and manage Nonna Maria’s Ristorante & Pizzeria {named after his grandmother} located in Oracle, AZ.   I can’t wait to make a special trip to Oracle just to check out this restaurant – from the website and the menu, it looks delicious! 

This will be a perfect cocktail for the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.  While I’m not hosting Thanksgiving dinner in my own home, I plan to make a pitcher at our friends’ house where we will be celebrating, to consume while we are preparing the feast and enjoying appetizers.    

Apple Cider Sangria
Makes 1 pitcher
Recipe courtesy of Frank Palazzolo, owner and operator of Nonna Maria’s.

1 bottle of pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
1 cup club soda

1/2 c brandy
3 apples chopped (a mix of red delicious & granny smith)

Fresh Rosemary 3 sprigs

3 tablespoons sugar

Wet the rosemary & drudge through sugar.  Use this rosemary as a garnish and place in pitcher to serve. 

Combine remaining ingredients together in a pitcher and stir, stir, stir. Refrigerate for an hour or so (or longer!) before serving. 

If you are interested in visiting Nonna Maria’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, you can find it at 2161 Rockcliffe Blvd., Oracle, AZ.  It is approximately 15 minutes north of the junction of Highway 79 (Florence Hwy) and Highway 77 (Oracle Road in Tucson). You can visit their website at http://www.nonnamarias.com/ or call them at 520-896-3522.  I understand that it has one of the best sunset views of Oracle. 

Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs

Easter is right around the corner and I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes for deviled eggs.  I found this recipe years ago in the magazine, Southern Living.  This was well before the days of Pinterest so with all other recipes I wanted to keep, I ripped it out of the magazine, stuck it in a sheet protector, and added it to my 3 ring binder of recipes. 

This is a twist on your typical deviled egg recipe adding “Tex-Mex” elements such as cilantro and jalapeños.  I have served this at Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas – or sometimes even just because the hubby loves them so much.  They have always been a big hit – I hope you give these a try this Easter season and let me know what you think!

 

Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs
Makes 12 deviled eggs
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living Magazine

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1 tablespoon diced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 small serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped (wear gloves!)
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Chili powder

Cut eggs in half crosswise; carefully remove yolks.  Mash yolks, and stir in green onions and next five ingredients. 

Spoon or pipe into egg whites halves, note that if you decide to pipe, make sure you use a tip with a large opening.  Sprinkle with cheese and chili powder.  Cover and chill before serving. 

Pumpkin Snowballs

I ran across this cute little recipe in my November issue of Parenting magazine - it looked easy, somewhat healthy, and a great way to finish off Thanksgiving weekend.   There are a couple of modifications to the original.  While getting the oatmeal out of the pantry, I decided to add some wheat germ and then dropped in a couple of more tablespoons of pumpkin puree to balance it out. 

The result?  My boys loved them - as did I and my visiting mother-in-law.  Total prep time was 10-15 minutes (includes time spent defending myself from lightsaber attacks in the kitchen from a 3 year old and 6 year old).    Quick and easy!

Pumpkin Snowballs
Makes approximately 12 snowballs
Recipe adopted from Parenting magazine

1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
5 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar

Combine oatmeal, wheat germ, pumpkin-pie spice, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and raisins in a bowl.  Form into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar.