• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

  • Home
  • About
    • About Me!
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosures
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • Exploring
    • Exploring- Florida
    • Exploring- Boston
    • Exploring- Cruises
    • Exploring- New England
    • Exploring- New York City
  • Resources
  • Disney Fun!

turkey

Turkey with a Brown-Sugar Glaze

April 8, 2014

 Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze

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.)

Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-1

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.

Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-3 Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-4

Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-5 Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-6

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!?!

Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-7 Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-8

Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-9 Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze-10

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

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

  1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Pour the orange juice mixture into the bottom of the pan.
  5. Roast the turkey for for 30 minutes.
  6. Turn down the oven to 350 and let continue to cook for another 45 minutes before rotating for another 45 minutes.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Remove from oven and tent with alumnium foil for at least 30 minutes before carving.

To make the gravy

  1. Remove the drippings from the pan. (I suggest using a baster to do this task)
  2. Let the drippings sit for a few minutes so that fat seperates and you can remove some of it.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Serve the carved turkey with the gravy and enjoy!
  6. Inspired by Martha Stewart

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me in your Instagram pic @iamahoneybee

© iamahoneybee

 

Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes, Thanksgiving Tagged With: apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, brown sugar glaze, Everyday Food, gravy, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Recipe, recipe, thanksgiving, turkey, Turkey recipe, Turkey with Brown-Sugar Glaze

Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas

March 22, 2013

Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas

It’s officially spring but mother nature has not yet received that memo. She is being a pain in my butt with the cold and the SNOW that we have been having. I have a love/hate relationship with living in New England as I hate the long drawn out cold weather that mess with us long into March and April. And yet, I just love the spring and fall seasons. Can’t win them all I guess. But at this point I wouldn’t pass up at trip to California to escape this cold weather right now.

Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_01 Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_02

Plus, if I was in Cali I’d sure as hell be attending the Sprint Cup race this weekend in Fontana. A little of shopping in L.A. and a whole lotta fun watching the Auto Club 400 race in Fontana. Of course I would hope for another win for Kasey Kahne because I’m still loving his win from last weekend in Bristol. yay!! But since I can’t cheer him in person I’ll take a mental trip there by making these Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks.

Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_03 Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_04

There is a restaurant near my office that had a summer special when they first opened that I just loved. They made a burger quesadilla that was sooo good! It was so flavorful like a taco but was a totally a burger in a tortilla. I guess it wasn’t a typical quesadilla as it was wrapped up but it just made it so easy to eat. It’s kinda like a quesadilla wrap or a flat burrito. Whatever, it is just good!

Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_05 Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_06

This is super easy to make which is always great when your whipping up a quick weeknight dinner or just distracted watching the race. ha! The burger is so flavorful with all the toppings on top. I picked toppings that reminded me of a California Club with the bacon, tomato, red onion, and avocado. And, of course, a quesadilla has loads of cheese!

Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_07 Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas_08

Don’t wait another year for another Fontana Race to make this burger but your family. This is great anytime for lunch or dinner. 

Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 generous teaspoon adobo seasoning
  • 4 burrito sized flour tortillas
  • 12 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 slices of cooked bacon
  • 1/2 of an avocado, thinly sliced
  • tomato, thinly sliced
  • red onion, thinly sliced

Process

  1. Combine the ground turkey and the adobo seasoning. Form 4 equally sized patties. Make the patties very, very thin and about 4″ across.
  2. Grill the burgers until they are about 2 minutes from being cooked through.
  3. While the burgers are cooking microwave the burrito tortillas for about 30 seconds to make them vary soft and playable.
  4. Place some of cheese in the center of the tortilla. Then add the burger, bacon, tomato, onion, avocado, and cheese onto the burger. Fold opposite sides into center and then repeat with the remaining sides.
  5. Place the burger with the fold sides down back on the grill with a weight on top of the burger to seal it closed. Flip over to other side to warm though to melt the cheese and add grill marks.
  6. Cut in half prior to serving.

____________________

{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

The Auto Club Speedway is a fairly new track in the Sprint Cup Series. Construction started in 1995 and the first Sprint Cup race was in 1997 with Jeff Gordon winning the inaugural race. Originally the race was 500 miles but since then has been shorted to 400 miles. It is the only Sprint Cup race in Southern California, which is just 50 miles from downtown LA.

Track: 2 miles

Shape: D-Shaped Oval

Banking: 11 degrees in the front-stretch, 3 degrees in the back-stretch, 14 degrees in turns

Surface: Asphalt

Capacity: 91200

Race: 200-lap for 400-miles

2012 winner:  Tony Stewart

____________________

Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes Tagged With: avocado, bacon, burger, Burger Quesadilla, Cali Turkey Burger, Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas, cheese, ground turkey, quesadilla, quesadilla burger, red onion, shredded cheese, Sprint Cup, turkey, turkey burger

(Almost) No Baste Bacon Covered Turkey

November 21, 2012

I love 4 things about Thanksgiving: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Dog Show after it, booze, and my mom’s turkey. I don’t actually eat much turkey because I’m poor at planning and self control and get too eager with the appetizers and all of the sides. By the time dessert comes I’m just thinking of P-jams and how those pies need to get away from me!!

Okay, back to the turkey… So while I don’t eat a lot of turkey on Thanksgiving I could not imagine not making a turkey when home for the holiday and eating it the days following Thanksgiving. And since I’ve learned from my parents, the way I make turkey is that it is covered in bacon. Yep, bacon.

 

Covering the turkey gives it a great taste from the bacon, plus your house smells extra awesome. Also, since the bacon is continually rendering on top of the turkey you basically don’t need to baste it. This allows you to put your turkey in & just about forget about it while you watch the parade or freak out at every cute dog in the dog show. You turn the temp down once and later on check on the wings to give them a tine foil cover so they don’t burn, which is when I typically give it a thorough basting and then back in the oven it goes.

 

 

Now truth be told, if you love crunchy skin this might not be the turkey for you. This is all about sealing in the juices with the bacon so the skin doesn’t really get any exposure in the oven. If you want to give this a try and want a crispy skin then I suggest you might remove the bacon and then put the turkey back in with a broiler in low.

(Almost) No Baste Bacon Covered Turkey

Ingredients

  • 1 whole turkey
  • 1 pound of bacon
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2″ long pieces
  • 3 onions, cut into wedges
  • 4 stalks of celery, peeled and cut into 1-2″ pieces
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2 lemons, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 orange, cut into 8 pieces
  • bunch of parsley
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • salt and pepper

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse then dry the turkey completely. Place turkey onto rack in large roasting pan.
  3. Combine the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, lemons, orange, and parsley. Put the mixture into the cavity of the bird and the remaining mixture goes into the bottom of the pan with the chicken stock.
  4. Cut the butter into small pieces and place between the breast and the skin.
  5. Place the strips of bacon over the breast of the turkey and wrap the legs with bacon.
  6. Put turkey in oven. After 45 minutes turn the temperature down to 350. After 2 hours, put foil on the wing tips. Continue cooking until the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees.  When testing, be sure that your thermometer is not touching the bone. Rule of thumb is that it will take approximately 15-20 minutes per pound.
  7. When turkey is done, let stand 20-30 minutes prior to carving. to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the bird.

Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes, Thanksgiving Tagged With: bacon, bacon covered turkey, basting, dinner, no baste turkey, roast turkey, thanksgiving turkey, turkey, turkey wth bacon

Primary Sidebar

EMAIL NEWSLETTER!

Sign up HERE for meal planning suggestions & tips to take a great trip!

Top Posts & Pages

  • Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
    Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
  • Meghan Markle's Zucchini Pasta Sauce
    Meghan Markle's Zucchini Pasta Sauce
  • Easy Pepperoni Pizza Roll Ups
    Easy Pepperoni Pizza Roll Ups
  • Room Review: Cars Family Suite in Disney World's Art of Animation Resort
    Room Review: Cars Family Suite in Disney World's Art of Animation Resort
  • Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
    Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
  • New Haven Style White Clam Pizza
    New Haven Style White Clam Pizza
  • Pistachio White Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
    Pistachio White Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
  • How To: Labeling Your Garbage Cans
    How To: Labeling Your Garbage Cans
  • The Ultimate Weekend Away Packing List for Babies and Toddlers
    The Ultimate Weekend Away Packing List for Babies and Toddlers
  • Churro Waffles with Dulce De Leche Whipped Cream
    Churro Waffles with Dulce De Leche Whipped Cream
collage of recipes of common ingredients
collage of soup stew and chilis bowls

Follow Us

Copyright© 2023 · Brunch Pro Theme by Feast Design Co.

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.