thanksgiving

Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing- SRC

November 24, 2014

I have a funny story.

It happened on Saturday, but it all starts with something that happened on Thursday. Kinda. Sorta.

See, on Thursday our wonderful dog walker emailed me asking for me to call her. She wanted to let me know that Kemper’s left eye was all puffy. Not the eye actually, but all around it. Top and bottom lid. My poor bug eyed dog was even more bug eyed. It looked like he was punched. Well, a trip to the vet later, he was having an allergic reaction to something. Nothing in his diet or in the environment changed. Nothing that we could think of. So, he had to get a benadryl shot and keep taking it 3x a day for 3 days, plus pepcid for his stomach as allergic reactions will often upset their stomach. (The things you learn.)

Fast forward 24 hours to Friday night and my stomach starts itching. No big. It’s the winter. My skin is dry.

Then it’s Saturday morning and my feet and hands start itching. My hands get splotchy and a bit puffy, enough to take my ring off. So while Kemper is getting Benadryl dose I take a pill too. What the hell is going on!?!? Anyway, Autumn and I then go grocery shopping. Enough of a distraction for me to stop scratching my palms. By the time we got home it was time for Autumn’s nap so I put her down and then got the perishables away. I was crashing so I figured I’d take a 5 minute catnap, or maybe a 15 minute nap. I’m usually great at getting myself up at a certain time, but I didn’t do so well as I woke up at 10.40. And panicked. Why? Because I had to make mac and cheese to bring over to our friend’s house for 1pm. I sprung up and stumbled into the kitchen while freaking out ‘How did you let me sleep so late? I gotta make mac and cheese. We are never gonna get to Mark and Allie’s on time!!!” “Umm, we’re going there tomorrow…” And so there we were. So I took a deep breath, stumbled back to the sofa and fell back asleep.

And that is why you should buy NON-DROWSY Benedryl. Noted.

Now it’s time to discuss this amazing side dish.

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club post I was given Sarah’s blog Curious Cuisiniere. Sarah shares her adventures; whether it’s in the kitchen, traveling or her recent bakery position. It all makes for well balanced blog with wonderful recipes including the one I chose for this months SRC.

Sarah shares hundreds of recipes, thankfully all very well organized. I enjoyed browsing through them as she shares a unique range of dishes from all different cultures. As I had been focusing on Thanksgiving recipes I picked her Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing as it sounded easy to make – just about 30 minutes- and really flavorful with the layers of flavors from the apples, mushrooms, raisins, and, of course, the wild rice.

This Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. It’s off the beaten path which will make for a tasty alternative to stuffing but goes great with roasted turkey or other fowl. The earthy texture and filling taste of the dish makes for a hearty side for tummy and palette. The wild mushrooms mixed with the apples and long grain rice are a wonderful combination.

I changed things up a bit by using fresh mushrooms, as opposed to canned. But the recipe was so great that there was little personalizing needed. I did garnish the stuffing with chopped pecans and dried cranberries but you can leave it plain. Or you might even want to add some pecans into the rice. I love pecans but Autumn doesn’t do too well when nuts are mixed into things. She just spits them out. ha!

Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing

Makes roughly 2 quarts

Ingredients

3 Cups water
1/2 Cup wild rice
1 Cup white rice
2 Tablespoos butter, divided
1 Tablespoon chicken or vegetable broth
8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, white button mushrooms are okay too
1 medium onion, chopped (approximately 1 Cup)
2 stalks celery, chopped (approximately 1 Cup)
1 medium green apple, cored and chopped (approximately 1 Cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 Cup raisins
3 Tablespoons parsley, dry
1 teaspoon thyme, ground dry
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Process

In a large sauce pan, mix water and wild rice and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered for 5 min. Add white rice, turn the heat down to low, and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender, but not overcooked. Note: You may have some water left over in the pot when the rice is tender, simply transfer the rice to a strainer to eliminate the excess liquid.
Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in 1 Tablespoon butter and 1 Tablespoon chicken broth over medium heat. Cook until browned and reduced in size, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from the skillet.
Add 1 Tablespoon butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the onion and celery. Sautee for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon chicken broth and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the apples, and garlic and sauté an additional 3-4 min. Remove from heat.
Add the onion mixture to rice along with remaining stuffing ingredients.
Stuffing is ready to serve, or be stuffed inside a turkey.

Inspired by Curious Cuisiniere

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Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts this month!

And be sure to check out my 3 years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

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Double Chocolate Pecan Pie

November 21, 2014

MAYDAY PEOPLE!!!

We are now less than a week from Thanksgiving. It’s the Super Bowl of food. I’m sure I could come up with something about how the QB is the turkey and the special teams is dessert, but that would be ridiculous as there are times when I barely understand football and, well, it’s just lame. Oh, look I did it… I’m lame.

…

Bourbon Pecan Pie

November 14, 2014

Tuesday is Autumn’s first birthday. {Que freak out}

So we are hosting her farm themed party tomorrow.

…

Turkey with a Brown-Sugar Glaze

April 8, 2014

My mom is coming up from Florida for a visit and it happens to be Easter weekend. I love cooking for holidays but I’m just not sure what to make for Easter. I know what you are going to say, you’re going to say “But you make ham for Easter!” This is true but we didn’t have turkey on Thanksgiving since we had just brought Autumn home Monday night and none of us were going to whip up a turkey just a few days later. (Side note: our super sweet Chilean neighbor brought us over some food- shrimp cocktail, roasted pork, and rice.)

So I’ve had turkey on the brain every since.

We did do an early Thanksgiving which was awesome but I’ve been thinking about making a turkey recently. It’s probably because I’ve been enjoying the work week more when I have dinner prepped or pre made so we are just assembling or reheating it. A big turkey cooked up on a Sunday would give us plenty of leftovers for lunches and dinners for a few days.

The turkey is really moist as the skin locks in the moisture. Plus the vegetable and the liquid in the bottom of the pan also helps keep the turkey from drying out. Can’t have a dry turkey! That’s the worst.

I always use a turkey with a built in thermometer as I’ve had issues with the done-ness in the past. When I’ve cooked turkeys without a built in thermometer I’ve under cooked them in the past when I’ve just stuck a thermometer in the thigh, received the reading of 165 degrees, took it out of the oven and when I’ve carved it up later I’ve discovered a pink bird. So, do what works for you.Feel free to use both thermometers… why not!?!

The brown sugar glaze is easy to prepare and it gives such a lovely flavor to the turkey. But the best is that it makes the skin sticky and crisp. So when you sneak a piece of skin before you serve it you have to lick your fingers clean of any delicious evidence!

As well the gravy is unlike any other gravy I’ve had before. The gravy is made with the drippings from the pan, leftover graze, and hard cider. The cider really does give it a lot of apple-y flavor but I liked that with the sweetness of the glaze but using stock would be just fine as well.

So give turkey a chance for Easter, or any lovely Sunday dinner. If not, the make it for Thanksgiving and your family will thank you. They will so so excited that you tried this Brown Sugar Glazed Turkey. I swear!

Turkey with a Brown-Sugar Glaze

Ingredients

For the Turkey

12-15 pound turkey brought to room temperature
2 medium carrots peeled, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks roughly chopped
1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
1 orange
herb bundle containing rosemary thyme, sage
1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup of orange juice mixed with 1 cup of hard cider or stock

For the Glaze

2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons of butter

For the Gravy

drippings from the pan
2-3 tablespoon flour
any remaining leftover glaze
1-2 cups of hard cider or stock
sage leaves

Instructions

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan with a rack. Tuck wing tips underneath the body of turkey. Stuff the tukey with the carrots, celery, onion, orange, and herbs.
Carefully seperate the skin of the turkey from the breast and place pieces of butter between the breast and skin of the turkey. Season the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper.
Pour the orange juice mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Roast the turkey for for 30 minutes.
Turn down the oven to 350 and let continue to cook for another 45 minutes before rotating for another 45 minutes.
While the turkey is cooking, make the glaze by combining the vinegar, brown sugar, and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and orange zest.
Brush the skin of the turkey with the glaze after it has been roasting for an hour and 30 minutes at 350. Brush and rotate the bird every 15 minutes until it has completed cooking, when the temperature ofin the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees.
Remove from oven and tent with alumnium foil for at least 30 minutes before carving.

To make the gravy

Remove the drippings from the pan. (I suggest using a baster to do this task)
Let the drippings sit for a few minutes so that fat seperates and you can remove some of it.
In a large skillet pour about a 1/4 cup of the drippings into the pan and add the flour to a paste. Slowly mix in the rest of the drippings with some whole sage leaves.
Once that is all comined mix any remaining glaze. Then add the cider until you have reached the amount of gravy you would like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the carved turkey with the gravy and enjoy!
Inspired by Martha Stewart

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

November 15, 2013

On Wednesday I shared with you some awesome cornbread muffins that I saw featured just last week on Baked By Rachel and just had to make. Let’s call it a craving. They make for a great breakfast, snack, or side for dinner. I just love how cornbread is so versatile like that.

Well, now I’m back with another awesome recipe from Rachel that uses those cornbread muffins as a great base for a side that will grace your Thanksgiving table. You start with the cornbread muffins, or some store brought cornbread, and add some more great flavors to make kick ass Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing. Really, it kicks ass.

But I guess it’s obvious for it to be a great stuffing recipe when you start with cornbread and then add in sausage, sauteed veggies, dried cranberries, and other great aromatics.

I used a plain breakfast sausage for this recipe as I don’t love Italian sausage… shhh don’t tell my Italian relatives! I just don’t like fennel that much!! But if you enjoy Italian sausage then I say feel free to use that just like in Rachel’s recipe. Just be sure to use a sausage that has been removed from its casing.

But now I have a question…

Do you call it stuffing even if you don’t put it in the bird?

I do. I guess it will always be stuffing to me just because that it what I’ve always called it so I associate the food itself more with the name than if it’s actually being stuffed into something.

I hope that you’ll give this Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing (or dressing… depending on what you call it!) a try since it is sure to be a big hit at your Thanksgiving table!

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

5-6 cups cornbread broken into chunks (or 9 muffins)
1/2 lb plain breakfast sausage, like Jimmy Dean’s regular sausage
1 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Process

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Create a single layer of the crumbled cornbread on a large baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until nearly crisp. (drying the cornbread out helps it hold it’s shape/texture)
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces while cooking. Transfer sausage to a large bowl reserving some fat in the skillet.
In same skillet, cook onion and celery with seasonings until the vegetables are tender and nearly translucent. Add the sausage back in. Add the dried cranberries and cornbread, toss to blend the ingredients together. Pour broth over mixture, toss again to combine well.
Transfer the mixture to a greased 2-quart baking dish.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and the top is crisp. Serve immediately.

Slightly adapted from Baked by Rachel