Autumn,
Corn-Free,
Dairy-free,
Festival/Special Occasion Menu,
from scratch,
Thanksgiving,
Transfat-free,
Turkey,
Wheat-free
Lets Talk TURKEY!
12:58 PM
We have turkey at least once a year, as a general rule. It's actually really hard to get your hands on a fresh one around here... but we FOUND ONE at our local butcher! Ordered it a couple weeks early and it's local, cage-free, bug-and-grass-fed and around $2.75 a pound. worth. every. penny. And not really even that expensive, if you think about it.
14 to 16 lbs of fresh Turkey later, we'll all be in a tryptophan coma on Thanksgiving night. But that's not all! After all the delicious once-a-year meat has been carved off the carcass it's time to make the best soup EVER... using my grandma's time-tested recipe.
First, you have to roast your turkey! No deep fryer for me, please... I want this bird done traditionally, so it comes out of the oven looking and smelling like the masterpiece that it is!
1 stick Earth Balance margarine (I don't screw around)
Meanwhile... you can go do something else while your significant other makes:
Pull the giblets out of the (gross little) bag and put them in a 2.5 quart pot. Add stock to cover the giblets (about 4 cups). Boil for about 45 minutes. Remove giblets and reserve liquid. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in a sauce pan and mix in flour to form a roux. Add stock a little at a time, whisking constantly until it reaches desired consistency. Add seasalt if desired.
And then, everyone gets to eat this AMAZING bird, with gravy... and the carcass is all that's left. WAIT! DON'T TOSS OUT THE CARCASS! You can refrigerate or freeze it for when you're ready to make:
14 to 16 lbs of fresh Turkey later, we'll all be in a tryptophan coma on Thanksgiving night. But that's not all! After all the delicious once-a-year meat has been carved off the carcass it's time to make the best soup EVER... using my grandma's time-tested recipe.
First, you have to roast your turkey! No deep fryer for me, please... I want this bird done traditionally, so it comes out of the oven looking and smelling like the masterpiece that it is!
Oven Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
1 stick Earth Balance margarine (I don't screw around)
6 cloves of minced garlic
1 bulb of fennel sliced(WITH fronds, if available)
2 tart apples roughly chopped (Macintosh are great)
1 cooking onion roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh rosemary
Unwrap your turkey and put it breast-side up in a roasting pan. Remove and reserve giblets (so that your husband can make the gravy). Melt margarine and mix in the garlic. Separate the skin from the top of the breasts (leave skin INTACT) and spread a bunch of the garlic mixture between the skin and breast meat. Do the same to the legs until the garlic mixture has been used up. Stuff bird with fennel, apples, onion and rosemary sprigs.
Put the turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 500f for
30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast
and reduce the oven temperature to 350f degrees. The turkey will be done when the inner temperature reaches 160f. A 14 to 16 pound bird should take a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest,
loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before
carving.
Giblet Gravy
Giblets
Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 cup flour (gluten-free if you choose)
Seasalt to taste
Pull the giblets out of the (gross little) bag and put them in a 2.5 quart pot. Add stock to cover the giblets (about 4 cups). Boil for about 45 minutes. Remove giblets and reserve liquid. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in a sauce pan and mix in flour to form a roux. Add stock a little at a time, whisking constantly until it reaches desired consistency. Add seasalt if desired.
And then, everyone gets to eat this AMAZING bird, with gravy... and the carcass is all that's left. WAIT! DON'T TOSS OUT THE CARCASS! You can refrigerate or freeze it for when you're ready to make:
Grandma's Amazing Turkey Soup
1 turkey carcass
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 bag of frozen peas
1 box of soup pasta (wheat or rice)
Water
seasalt to taste
Get a HUGE pot. I'm pretty sure mine's a 3 gallon pot... but if you don't have that, you may chop your carcass in half and end up with 2 batches of soup. Add Turkey carcass complete with the ingredients that you stuffed it with (fennel, onions, apple...). Add onion, carrots, celery, and peas. Fill the pot with water until it's about 2 inches from the top of the carcass. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook about 2-3 hours. At the very end, with about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve, remove the carcass and pick off any remaining pieces of meat. Return meat to the soup. Add 1 box of pasta. When the pasta's ready (usually only a few more minutes... check the box) you're soup's ready to eat!
Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
Autumn,
Corn-Free,
Dairy-free,
from scratch,
Thanksgiving,
Vegan
Lets get to the ROOT of the matter... Roasted Rosemary Root Veggies!
11:41 AM
A bitter wind has started howling through the pines in my backyard and snow was inevitable. Sustained 20-30mph winds rack those trees, year after year and they still stand tall. Their roots must go just as deep in the soil as their limbs go high up in the air. And there they stand. Rooted.
This time of year we turn to our comfort foods. Our lovely, starchy, delicious, subterranean root veggies!
I can't think of a better accompaniment to a seasonal cozy dinner, or a Thanksgiving feast.
But which roots shall we choose? How about any of them... all at once! Roasted to perfection, with rosemary, seasalt, and heart-healthy olive oil.
Preheat oven to 350f.
Add prepared root veggies to a large bowl and toss with olive oil and seasalt. Transfer mixture to a large casserole dish. Sprinkle rosemary on top. Place dish in over uncovered and cook until you can start to smell baked potato and rosemary! (usually about 45 minutes). It is done when the largest pieces are fork-tender.
I've even made a colorful variation of this recipe for parties using purple potatoes to accent the oranges of the carrot and sweet potato. :-)
This time of year we turn to our comfort foods. Our lovely, starchy, delicious, subterranean root veggies!
I can't think of a better accompaniment to a seasonal cozy dinner, or a Thanksgiving feast.
But which roots shall we choose? How about any of them... all at once! Roasted to perfection, with rosemary, seasalt, and heart-healthy olive oil.
Roasted Rosemary Root Vegetables
1 of each of the following:
large potato, scrubbed and diced
large carrot, cut into "coins"
sweet potato, peeled diced
large parsnip, cut into "coins"
You may also wish to include:
1 turnip, pealed and diced
1 rutabaga, peeled and diced
enough virgin olive oil to coat veggies
seasalt to taste
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Add prepared root veggies to a large bowl and toss with olive oil and seasalt. Transfer mixture to a large casserole dish. Sprinkle rosemary on top. Place dish in over uncovered and cook until you can start to smell baked potato and rosemary! (usually about 45 minutes). It is done when the largest pieces are fork-tender.
I've even made a colorful variation of this recipe for parties using purple potatoes to accent the oranges of the carrot and sweet potato. :-)
Autumn,
canning,
Compost,
Corn-Free,
Cranberry,
Dairy-free,
Festival/Special Occasion Menu,
slow food,
Thanksgiving,
Vegan,
Wheat-free
Cranberries and Compost
12:53 PM
The leaves have all fallen now and a cold front is on it's way in. This afternoon was the perfect time to sneak in ... well, rather, stumble in through the STRONG winds to pay some attention to my compost pile(s)! I turned the leaves into this years pile and spread part of last years on to my new apple tree and raspberry bed. Everything looks like brown little sticks right now, but in the Spring they're going to FLY with the extra boost the kitchen compost will give them.
I try to compost everything, with the exception of meat and really oily leftovers. Although, in the Spring, I plan to try out something called a "Melon Pit" where you bury ANYTHING organic(meat, bones, pine litter from the cat box, any type of leftovers regardless of composition, roadkill LOL) about 3 feet deep in the soil, cover it up, and plant on it the following year. I guess I'll know a couple years from now whether it's a good idea or not! Thus far, composting raw ingredients, bread, and yard waste is working out great for me with minimal effort. I let the rain "water" the pile and I ignore the prescribed ratios of carbon to nitrogen. I just put stuff on there as it occurs for one year and then turn the pile at the end of the season... ignore it for the Spring and Summer, and then spread it on the garden in the Fall.
Here's one of my favorite gardening quotes regarding compost, and life:
"If you are a good organic gardener, looking at a rose you can see garbage, and looking at the garbage you can see a rose. Roses and garbage inter-are." -Thich Nhat Hanh
So, as I mentioned, not too much going on out in the garden right now but what has arrived at the grocery store in the last week is fresh cranberries! They don't stock them year round... usually only around Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year. Then they disappear for the rest of the year.
With Thanksgiving on the horizon I'm looking forward to some awesome home made, super easy, cranberry sauce. And for the Holidays and beyond I like to make homemade Cranberry Jam.
These recipes are Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-Free, Vegan... and friendly to just about everyone, including my 3-year-old picky eater. You'll never go back to eating that weird jiggly stuff out of a can ;-)
Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Keep an eye on the contents , and when they are fork tender, they're done. Transfer contents to a blender and puree. Transfer puree into a large, clean ball jar with a lid. Leave jar on the counter until it seals itself and then keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use. This makes an amazing addition between two layers of chocolate cake or on your toast in the morning.
I try to compost everything, with the exception of meat and really oily leftovers. Although, in the Spring, I plan to try out something called a "Melon Pit" where you bury ANYTHING organic(meat, bones, pine litter from the cat box, any type of leftovers regardless of composition, roadkill LOL) about 3 feet deep in the soil, cover it up, and plant on it the following year. I guess I'll know a couple years from now whether it's a good idea or not! Thus far, composting raw ingredients, bread, and yard waste is working out great for me with minimal effort. I let the rain "water" the pile and I ignore the prescribed ratios of carbon to nitrogen. I just put stuff on there as it occurs for one year and then turn the pile at the end of the season... ignore it for the Spring and Summer, and then spread it on the garden in the Fall.
Here's one of my favorite gardening quotes regarding compost, and life:
"If you are a good organic gardener, looking at a rose you can see garbage, and looking at the garbage you can see a rose. Roses and garbage inter-are." -Thich Nhat Hanh
So, as I mentioned, not too much going on out in the garden right now but what has arrived at the grocery store in the last week is fresh cranberries! They don't stock them year round... usually only around Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year. Then they disappear for the rest of the year.
With Thanksgiving on the horizon I'm looking forward to some awesome home made, super easy, cranberry sauce. And for the Holidays and beyond I like to make homemade Cranberry Jam.
These recipes are Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-Free, Vegan... and friendly to just about everyone, including my 3-year-old picky eater. You'll never go back to eating that weird jiggly stuff out of a can ;-)
Cranberry Sauce
1 (12oz) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup cane sugar
Heat water on high. Dissolve sugar in heated water and bring mixture to a boil. Add cranberries and reduce heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes (until the cranberries pop open). Put in a dish, and chill. Cranberries naturally contain Pectin, so the sauce will congeal on its own while it cools. Serve and enjoy!
Cranberries keep for a few weeks in the fridge, which should give you the opportunity to make some SUPER EASY jam! You don't even need to add Pectin to this recipe b/c it's already in there!
Cranberry Jam
1 package fresh cranberries (12 or 16 oz)
1 large apple
1tbsp Lemon Juice
1 cup white (cane) sugar
Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Keep an eye on the contents , and when they are fork tender, they're done. Transfer contents to a blender and puree. Transfer puree into a large, clean ball jar with a lid. Leave jar on the counter until it seals itself and then keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use. This makes an amazing addition between two layers of chocolate cake or on your toast in the morning.
Autumn,
chestnuts,
Corn-Free,
Dairy-free,
Diabetic friendly,
Thanksgiving,
Transfat-free,
Vegan,
Vegetarian,
Wheat-free,
Winter Squash
Mulching that last rain of leaves and Winter Squash in the kitchen!
11:23 AM
Well, the leaves raining down in the yard made a huge mess and we spent the afternoon mulching them with the lawnmower and spreading them on the garden beds. A great solution to our gardening and landscaping needs, considering a load of wood chips usually puts you back about $300. And we'd probably need at least one, if not 2, every single year to properly tuck in our yard and gardens for their Winter nap.
Sitting on the kitchen table from this week's haul are a few Acorn squash. I wait all year for the opportunity to use this ingredient as I find it tastes best during the cold months of the year. It can be a meal unto itself, or it's lovely served with pork tenderloin. I love serving this to guests as it's pretty to look at as well as delicious.
Sitting on the kitchen table from this week's haul are a few Acorn squash. I wait all year for the opportunity to use this ingredient as I find it tastes best during the cold months of the year. It can be a meal unto itself, or it's lovely served with pork tenderloin. I love serving this to guests as it's pretty to look at as well as delicious.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
3 large Acorn squash
5 tbsp margarine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup cubed squash ( pumpkin, butternut, acorn, hubbard, etc)
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
3/4 cups stale bread, torn into bite-sized pieces (you could use corn or quinoa bread, if you're avoiding wheat ingredients)
2 eggs, lightly beaten (omit if vegan and substitute a little water and oil to moisten the bread)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup chopped nuts (chestnuts are AMAZING in this)
2 cups good vegetable stock
1 cup hot apple cider or sweet white wine
Seasalt to taste
Preheat oven to 350f. Wash whole acorn squash and cut into halves lengthwise (creating 6 "bowls") and remove seeds.
In a skillet, heat margarine ( I use Earthbalance brand Soy based margarine b/c it has NO transfat). Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, cubed squash, and mushrooms. Saute until veggies are tender and your house smells delicious.
Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix bread pieces, eggs, parsley, sage, and chopped nuts.
Add bread mixture to sauteed vegetables and stir to mix thoroughly, then add veggie broth. Continue to mix adding broth (which has been previously salted to taste) as necessary, until stuffing is VERY soft.
Mound stuffing into squash halves and place in a large casserole dish (or 2). Add apple cider or sweet wine to the bottom of the baking dish. Bake in oven uncovered, basting with pan juices every 15 minutes until squash is fork-tender and stuffing is cooked through (about 1 hour... possibly more depending on the size and density of your squash).