Roasted Turkey

March 31, 2010 by
I always cook my turkey this way- breast side down to start, then flip it over to finish. Why? Because by giving the dark meat a head start in cooking, you keep the breast from drying out.  It comes out juicy, tender, and perfect every time. Usually it’s very difficult to keep a large turkey from drying out, but I use a 15 to 20 pounder with this technique with no problems. And the leftovers stay moist as well. If you want to use some more aromatics see note at end, I just wanted to give you a nice basic version you can use as is or jazz up with your personal favorites.
ROASTED TURKEY
15-20 lb Turkey, thawed (or smaller if desired)
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 heads garlic, cut in half
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
kosher salt and black pepper
Remove giblets and neck from turkey.  Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.
Stuff cavity with onion and garlic.  Brush turkey with melted butter and sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper.  Put in a roasting pan BREAST SIDE DOWN. (Yes, you read that right.)
Roast at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours uncovered.
Flip turkey over, so that it is breast side up, the larger the turkey the more tricky, but be careful not to rip the skin if you can help it.   Continue to cook about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  Tent with foil if browning too quickly.
Make sure the temperature reaches 160 degrees. And NO the little pop up thing does NOT count.
Rest 15 minutes before carving.
Wrap leftovers in foil, then put in a ziplock bag and freeze.
NOTE: You can also use thyme, rosemary, or other fresh herbs to stuff cavity, along with a lemon pricked with a fork.
Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey, Holiday Recipes

Roasted Asparagus

March 31, 2010 by
This is my favorite way to serve asparagus. Easy, delicous, and keeps the asparagus slightly crunchy with tons of flavor. Another perfect Easter vegetable dish too.
ROASTED ASPARAGUS
1 bunch Asparagus, the thinner the stalks the more tender and tastier
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
seasoning of choice, I often use herbs de provence*
To prepare asparagus, you need to “snap” off the bottoms. If you bend the stalk, it will naturally break off at the tender point. One way you can do it quickly is snap off one from the bunch, then lay it next to the bunch and cut off at that point.
Lay asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil and seasonings.
Roll asparagus to evenly coat.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Serve hot.
You can also sprinkle with shredded or grated parmesan cheese before baking,
Drizzle with a lemony vinagrette after baking,
Or wrap in prosciutto before baking.
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes

Deviled Eggs

March 29, 2010 by
This is how my mom ALWAYS made deviled eggs, and I have to say it’s the only way I like them. But if you like them with mustard, feel free to add some. (Just don’t tell me you did) : )  And some people like to make the filling super smooth and pipe it in the eggs, but I think this way is texturally better and looks better to me.
For the easiest to peel eggs, an Instant Pot is life changing! My recipe can be found here.
DEVILED EGGS
Makes 12
6 eggs
6 T mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp sugar
dash salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, if desired
Put eggs in a pot, single layer.
Cover with cold water by about an inch and bring to a boil.
As soon as water boils, cover pot and turn heat off.
Leave for 12 minutes, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
Roll eggs gently on counter, and peel. (It’s easiest if you start peeling where the air pocket is)
Rinse eggs and chill.
Cut eggs in half lengthwise, and put yolks in a bowl.  Mash with a fork.
Add mayo, sugar, salt, and pepper.
Use a spoon (or small scooper) to fill eggs.  Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
Sprinkle with paprika and serve .
Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Holiday Recipes

Glazed Ham

March 29, 2010 by
If you need a good ham recipe for Easter, look no further. I make this for Easter every year, along with a few other holidays. It tastes soooo good and the cost is so much better than buying a premade ham.  Around the holidays I can usually find a ham on sale for about 99 cents a pound, so you’re main dish for a large group (or small with leftovers for the freezer) will only cost 10 to 12 dollars. You can’t beat that! And while it might seem like a bit of work, it really is incredibly simple and everyone will love that you made it yourself! So, put it on your holiday list, you won’t be sorry!
GLAZED HAM
10-12 lb Shank Half Ham
1 cup apple cider (or juice)
whole cloves
1 cup brown sugar
Spice Glaze: *This makes enough to coat 2 hams, or have extra to dip at the table
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 T cinnamon
1 T ginger
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 T corn syrup
3 T molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup apple cider (or juice)
Remove plastic cap off the bone if there is one.
Trim fat and skin off, leaving no more than 1/4 inch layer of fat.
Cut a cross hatch pattern, cutting 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Cut in one direction first, then the other.
Insert whole cloves in intersections of cross hatch pattern.
Place ham in a roasting pan or a 9 by 13 pan.
Pour 1 cup apple cider over ham.
Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours.
While ham bakes, make glaze.
Put all glaze ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
Turn heat down and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes.

Let cool slightly.

Remove ham from oven and pour glaze over ham, using a pastry brush to cover it well. (You shouldn’t need all the glaze – I like to leave some on the side and some people like to have extra at the table.)
Continue until the ham is well coated.
Press the brown sugar into the ham, coating well.
Now, turn the the heat up to 400 degrees and put the ham in uncovered.
Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes more, check halfway through and baste with more spice glaze if needed.
Let ham rest for 15 to 30 minutes, loosely tented with foil.
To carve, I like to cut the long sides off, at the side of the bone, then the 2 shorter sides.
Lay cut side down on cutting board and slice.
I freeze the leftovers and use in soups and stews, or we grill the slices and put on burgers, or for breakfast with biscuits, etc.
(I also freeze the bone with some meat left on it and use it for making soup.)
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Pork

Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

March 26, 2010 by
 
 
I came up with this recipe about 10 days ago, and I’ve all ready made a total of… (drum roll please).. THREE times!  I am not usually that repetitious, but it was seriously that good. I love salads, as you all know.  I love all kinds of them.  Last night one of my sisters and her family came over for dinner and I made this, yet again, and it was polished off quite quickly.  And if you need a good side dish for Easter, I think this would be a great one. I hope you like it as much as I do!
 
SPINACH SALAD WITH POPPY SEED DRESSING
 
SALAD:
Baby spinach
Shredded swiss cheese
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
cherry or grape tomatoes
hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Red onion, sliced thin
 
Layer everything in a big bowl, pour dressing over and toss lightly.
 
 
DRESSING:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp honey mustard
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup olive oil
1 T poppy seeds
 
Combine sugar, vinegar, salt, honey mustard, and onion in blender.
Process until smooth, about 15-20 seconds.
With blender on high, add oil in a slow stream.
Stir in poppy seeds. Store in the fridge, shake well when ready to use, if needed.
 
yum…
 
yum..
 
Filed Under: Salad / Dressings Tagged With: ,

Buttermilk Rolls

March 25, 2010 by
 These are so soft and amazing. They are now my go-to roll recipe for holidays. And the best part? The dough can be made up to a week ahead of time and all you have to do the day of is shape, raise, and bake. I’ll be making these for Easter Dinner. And the nice thing is, they make so much you can have them for a few dinners.
BUTTERMILK ROLLS
1 T yeast
3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp salt
6-7 cups flour, more or less
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp baking soda
Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Let proof for 2 or 3 minutes.
Mix the buttermilk, 3 cups of flour, and yeast/water mixture together thoroughly in a large bowl.
Let stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.
Add sugar, eggs, salt, remaining 5 cups flour, oil, and baking soda.
(Add another cup or two of flour if needed, remember this is a very soft dough though.)
Mix well and knead for 7- 10 minutes.
(At this point I put half in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. It will keep for 7 days, and be ready to make rolls whenever you need them. Keep in mind that even half of this recipe makes alot of rolls so you may want to use even less.)
FOR REGULAR ROLLS: Shape into balls (size depends on how large of rolls you want), and place on a greased cookie sheet.
FOR PAN ROLLS: shape as you would regular rolls, but place in a greased cake or pie pan.
FOR CLOVERLEAF ROLLS: Shape three small balls of dough, place in a sprayed muffin cup.
FOR CRESCENT ROLLS: Divide dough into thirds.  Roll out each portion of dough into a circle, aprox 10 inches across.
Cut into 8 wedges.
Roll each wedge up, starting at the bigger end and ending at the point.
Place on sprayed cookie sheets. Let rolls rise until double in size, 1-2 hours. (Dough taken from the fridge will take longer because it will be cold.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
VARIATION: Parmesan Thyme rolls: Brush tops of rolls with melted butter before baking, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme (you could use rosemary or another herb if you want.)
Recipe adapted from The Sister’s Cafe blog.
Filed Under: Bread, Yeast, Holiday Recipes

Green Bean, Basil and Radish Salad

March 24, 2010 by
You probably can’t tell by looking at this picture… but this salad has.. evil powers. Evil I tell you, like I can’t stop eating it whenever I make it. I mean it.
Oh, and I think it would be a very “spring” dish to add to your Easter dinner.
GREEN BEAN, BASIL, AND RADISH SALAD
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots, (or red onion)
2 T sherry vinegar
1 lb fresh green beans
1 bunch radishes, cut into wedges, about 2 cups
1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thin shavings Parmesan cheese
 
Stir the shallots (or red onions) together in a large mixing bowl and let them sit to mellow the raw bite of the shallots.
Boil the beans in a large pot of heavily salted water until just tender but still have some crunch. (Should be just a few minutes.) Quickly drain the beans and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water. Drain again and dry on paper towels.
Add the beans to the bowl with the shallots.  Toss in the radishes, basil, olive oil, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the shaved cheese.

VARIATIONS: in place of basil, add 3 T coarsely chopped Tarragon and top the salad with crumbled goat cheese instead of the parmesan.
Or add 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dill and top with crumbled feta cheese.

SOURCE: The Herbal Kitchen, by Jerry Traunfeld
Filed Under: Salad / Dressings

Cheesy Garlic Bread

March 23, 2010 by
Feel free to change this recipe up however you like. You can use less or more cheese, more mayo to make it creamier, use different cheeses, whatever. I promise, I won’t be offended. : )
 
CHEESY GARLIC BREAD
 
1 loaf french bread
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 c cheddar, shredded
1 c mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c Parmesan, grated
1/3 c mayo
 
Mix cheeses and mayo together. Set aside.
Cut bread in half horizontally, then in half again.
Melt 2 T of butter in a skillet, add garlic.
Put one section of bread in skillet, turn in pan to soak up butter. Let bread brown.
Repeat with 3 remaining sections of bread. (Melt 2 more T of butter for each section of bread, and repeat browning. Don’t let garlic burn.)
Spread cheese mixture evenly on bread.
Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, then broil for an additional 2 or 3 minutes, or until reaches desired browning. Slice and serve hot.
Filed Under: Bread, Quick & Muffins Tagged With: , ,

Celery Soup

March 23, 2010 by
We’ve had a few viruses the last couple of months that just keep getting passed around like a bad joke. This is my go-to dish when we’re feeling under the weather, so it’s been making an appearance lately. It’s also great for cool days, but really, since it’s so light and refreshing we have it in the summer even.
It’s great for a sore throat and sinuses, I think it has to do with that little dash of cayenne.
 
CELERY SOUP
 
6 ribs celery, finely chopped
49 1/2 oz can chicken broth, low sodium if possible
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
dash cayenne red pepper
fresh cilantro leaves, if desired
 
Simmer everything but cilantro together in a pot for 15 to 30 minutes.
Strain out celery, and serve hot.
If desired, put cilantro leaves in bowl and pour hot soup over them.
This will release some flavor into the soup without overpowering or getting mushy.
 
VARIATION: Add 2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables and cook until tender.
Filed Under: Soups / Stews

Conflicted

March 20, 2010 by

Conflicted… is the state of my jumbled mind. I have registered a new “domain name”, which is  mystainedapron.com. The conflict comes from trying to decide if I should incorporate some of my other loves into the new site. Like sewing, quilting, kids crafts, etc. You see, I can’t remember a time when I could possibly have just one hobby or passion.  While I have tried many different art forms, there are of course my favorites. Quilting, sewing, wool felt applique, spinning… yes, spinning. You read that right. Oh, I know spinning isn’t exactly a “popular” thing, but when you have pet sheep as a kid it’s kind of the natural progression of things.. yes, I had pet sheep.  Twin coopworth lambs, Mork(aka porky morky) and Mindy. What was I saying? Oh, focus.
Like I was saying… Do I focus the site on cooking and baking? Or do I include some quilting, sewing. kid’s crafts, etc? Decisions. I should really not be so sleep deprived when I’m making decisions, but that could be years….



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Filed Under: Ramblings