Thanksgiving Turkey

Yummmmm..... Turkey cooked just right is delicious! However, I know many of you have been turned off by dry, chalky, over-cooked turkey. I know because it happened to our family this year. My sister-in-law hosted Thanksgiving, and the turkey was dry despite the fact that she went out and bought the most expensive turkey she could find. The rest of the extended family knows I'm a fairly decent cook, and I was given the "please cook us turkey tomorrow so we can have a good meal" look at the dinner table.

So, I obliged them...

Over the years I have tried and tested several methods. This one has yet to fail me:

ROAST TURKEY
In the bottom of a deep roasting pan place:
2 quartered onions
about 3 celery stalks cut into 2" pieces
a couple of carrots cut into 2" pieces
2 bay leaves
about 1 and 1/2 cup of dry white wine

Rinse your turkey and remove giblets and other assorted body organs. Remove the plastic thing near the butt. Pat turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.

Rub the turkey with a mixture of:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon thyme

Loosely place a quartered onion and a cut up celery stalk inside the turkey cavity. Place turkey UPSIDE DOWN (breast side down) in the roaster and loosely crimp foil to cover. Bake at 325* for about 4-5 hours (depending on turkey size).

During the last hour or so of baking, carefully flip turkey over breast-side up and baste. Continue baking uncovered until done. This will brown the breast and get the skin crisp.

Do not put stuffing inside the turkey during the baking process. It absorbs all of the moisture and leaves your turkey dry and baking is uneven. You will have a burned outside and raw inside. I always bake my stuffing in a separate baking pan basted with the juices from the roasting turkey to give the stuffing a nice brown crunch on the top and flavor.

Red, Red Wine

Yes, this is a cooking blog, but wine and food go hand in hand. Living in the wine country of California naturally exposes me to just about every wine known to mankind.

No, I'm not one of those obnoxious, pretentious wine snobs. They should all be lined up, shot and killed. Don't let anybody intimidate you about wine. All of their phrases and words are uppity, self-important bs. Here's my philosophy: If the wine tastes good to you, drink it. I don't care if it's Two-Buck-Chuck. If you LIKE it, then DRINK it.

Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations for the budget conscious. There are LOTS of delicious wines that won't put you into the poor house. Your real friends won't care how much (or how little) you've spent for a bottle of wine -- as long as it tastes ok. Finding an inexpensive red wine is like getting lucky on a treasure hunt. AND, I have been served plenty of so-called "expensive" reds that I wanted to spit out.

Canning Tomatoes

Our garden is producing an overabundance of tomatoes. I can't let them rot. I decided to give canning a try. I have always been intimidated by the canning process, but gave it a go. Here's how I did it:

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 seconds;
With a slotted spoon, scoop them out and shock them with a quick dip in ice water;
Skins should easily slip off -- remove core.

Get a large kettle full of boiling water;
Place clean canning jars + lids + rings into boiling water and boil for about 5 min;

Using care, remove jars one at a time and fill with skinned, cored tomatoes until about 1/2 inch away from the top. I put in a little fresh lemon juice and salt as well. I also put in a couple of fresh basil leaves. Place lid on; and twist ring on loosely.

Put filled jars back into large kettle of water making sure that water does NOT cover tops of jars (you may have to remove some water). You don't want your jars totally immersed in the water. Water should come up leaving jars sticking out about an inch or so. Cover large kettle and gently boil for about 50 - 60 minutes.

Again, using care, remove jars from kettle and place on counter top to cool. You may want to use a towel underneath to absorb the water. The "popping" sound is music to the ears, as that means the jars have sealed properly. It may take a full 12 hours for all the jars to "pop" so be patient. If the jar does not seal properly, use immediately. You can tell a jar is properly sealed if when pressing on the lid it does not have any "give." The lid should be inverted enough not to allow any air movement from underneath. Just think of a baby food jar. If the baby food jar top "clicks" you know it's not sealed when the lid is pressed; whereas, sealed (unopened) baby food jar will not 'click' when the lid is pressed.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

We eat a lot of pasta at this house. When I run short of time (which is a lot) I will simply boil some pasta and dump some tomato pasta sauce on top. A variation of this is to add about 3/4 cup of cream to the sauce and warm in a saucepan. It makes for a richer, creamer meal that will stick to the ribs for a little longer. The flavor and texture are nice.

Corn on the Cob

Another summertime staple around here is corn on the cob. My hubby grows it in our back yard. It's also readily available at the supermarkets this time of year. However, there is no taste comparison for fresh. Everybody loves it, it's easy to prepare, and it goes with just about any summer meal/BBQ you could imagine.

Last year, when our English friends were visiting, I was preparing corn on the cob in the kitchen. The cobs were quite large, so I simply snapped them in half. CG looked at me in an astonished manner as she tried to half corn on the cob with a knife. It's like sawing a tough log! It was one of those slap-your-hand-on-your-forehead-why-didn't-I-think-of-that-before kind of moments.
The point is that I think of CG every time I snap a corn cob in half.

Here's how I prepare my corn on the cob:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Add a few pinches of salt and about 1/3 cup of milk.
Add corn cobs and gently boil for about 10 minutes.

That's it.
Simple is good.

Fresh Fruit Dessert

Whoa!!! We are on berry overload here. For last night's party I brought a huge caprese salad (which disappeared quickly) from tomatoes and basil from our garden. We were invited to another party tonight. For tonight's party, I'll take advantage of all the fresh berries that are everywhere.

A couple of years ago I purchased a trifle bowl. Why? Impulse purchase, I guess. Anyway, I thought the layers of cake, berries, and whipped cream looked so pretty in the trifle bowl... If you don't have a trifle bowl, use any glass pan/dish you have. The point is to have the layers visible.

FRESH FRUIT DESSERT

Make a pound cake from scratch. The recipe I use is off of the Food Network and is called "Southwest Georgia Pound Cake" courtesy of Paula Deen at www.foodnetwork.com. However, the internet is chock-full of pound cake variations. You can purchase pre-made pound cake at the supermarket if you're desperate for time, but it just doesn't have the same taste and freshness.

Purchase (or pick depending on where you live and time of year) a variation of berries. Today I have fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. If berries are out of season, you can cheat by purchasing a bag of frozen berries.

Whip up some fresh whipped cream. Get the little carton in the dairy section and make it yourself. The flavor does not compare to pre-made. You will need an electric mixer to whip it up. Tip: Use a chilled glass bowl when whipping cream. I like to add a few drops of vanilla and about a teaspoon of sugar to my whipped cream when it's just about done whipping.

After the pound cake has cooled, cut up into portions that will cover the bottom of your trifle bowl or serving dish. Place some berries on top (slice the strawberries as they are just too chunky). Cover with a generous layer of whipped cream. Repeat layers. Garnish with a few berries and a couple sprigs of fresh mint if you happen to have it.

Cover and keep your dessert in the frige until ready to serve. For presentation, do not create the layers too soon before your event. Sometimes the berry colors will bleed and run -- especially if you're using frozen berries. It doesn't effect the taste, just the presentation. OR another serving variation is to just make individual servings on a plate. Solicit a couple of volunteers to help cut the cake, sprinkle some berries on, and top with the whipped cream and serve.

I like to make this dessert as it has a wide range of appeal. Small kids to adults love it. I always take it as a compliment when my food disappears:) It usually does. I love to make people happy with food.

Wow.... I took several paragraphs to say "pound cake, fresh berries and whipped cream." Sorry for the rambling post.... I guess you could say that I'm into cooking.

Friday BBQ

Tomorrow night we've been invited for a bbq dinner party:) I need to get in touch with the hostess, as I offered to bring something. The hostess has visions of me and another lady arriving early to prep food and drink wine. That's my kind of evening. The hostess knows that I love to cook and I don't view her solicitation of helping in the kitchen as commissioning slave labor. In fact, prepping the food, sipping wine, and talking in the kitchen is the best part of the evening.

What to bring, what to bring.... I think I'll bring sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil (caprese salad -- i know it's spelled incorrectly).