Thanskgiving Roast Turkey

I am not a huge fan of turkey, but as Ian and started researching how to make the best turkey four years ago we watched countless food network episodes and browsed the 100+ recipes on epicurious we felt overwhelmed. By chance an Alton Brown, Good Eats, episode came on that explained the scientific process on utilizing a brine for a turkey. It caught our attention and we decided to try it.

We are never going back. Every year we buy a new home depot 5 gallon bucket, and brine our bird.

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) young turkey - thawed
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

At least 24 hours before you want to cook the bird:

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar and peppercorns, in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 24 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes is complete, cover the breast of the bird with aluminum foil. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving.

Carolyn’s Southwestern Chicken Stew

In preparation for my new job, I made a few batches of soup to have for lunches and dinner. One of my all-time favorite stews that my mom use to make for me is below. As kids, we use to always think it was called South Carolina Western Stew... no matter what the name is, it is comfort soup great for cold fall and winter days.

3 lbs chicken pieces, skinned boned, fat removed
All – purpose flour
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
3 14 ½ ounce cans chicken broth
1 14 ½ ounce cans Whole Tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 ounce) Can Tomatoes Paste
16 pearl onions
1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
8-ounce kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced
2 cups new potatoes, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups zucchini, chopped
2 cups yellow squash, chopped
1 (8 ¾ ounce) can corn
Chopped Cilantro

In a bag, coat chicken with ¼ cup flour. Brown chicken in Dutch oven in hot oil; remove and set aside. Drain drippings, except 1 teaspoon from pot. Sauté 1 Tablespoon flour and 2 Tablespoons minced garlic in drippings 30 seconds. Stir in next 10 ingredients starting with chicken broth and ending with red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered, 20 minutes. Add chicken and Kielbasa, cover and simmer 20 minutes longer. Skim excess fat. Add vegetables, simmer, covered 30 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Notes: Great to freeze and eat later.

Fettucine Alfredo

I am trying to get back into a cooking kick and my co-worker brought in a new healthy cookbook. I tried the Alfredo sauce recipe last night and thought it was pretty good. A little more bitter than regular Alfredo, so I added a small bit of sugar to balance it out. I also added more cornstarch and chicken broth to make a larger batch of sauce.

Ingredients
8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 (14.5ox) can low fat, low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook according to the package directions, 9-11 minutes; drain
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter and oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium head. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk in the chicken broth until smooth. Pour the mixture into the saute pan, raise the heat and bring sauce to a simmer. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese until it has melted. Remove the saute pan from the heat and whisk in the yogurt until the sauce is smooth. (add sugar and cayenne to taste)
4. In a large bowl, toss the cooked fettuccine with the Alfredo sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top the pasta with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and serve.

I just sauted some chicken in wine and tomatoes to top the pasta. Overall the recipe is a keeper and since it doesn't use any cream, I may be able to serve it for Heather and not cause issues for her allergies.