Thanksgiving Dinner

We had made plans to barbecue ribs for Thanksgiving but our plans changed when my sister in law wanted to come over and share the day with us.   It turned out to be a really nice visit and the meal .. although somewhat accidental was scrumptious.  I have always tried to make cornbread dressing and it just never came out as good as Granny's but this year .... I knocked it out of the park!!  YEE HAW and Yeah for me!

I decided this year to buy an electric roaster to clear me some room in the oven so I prepared my turkey the night before and got up at 5:30 a.m. to put it in the roaster.   Surprise to me that the 20# turkey was DONE by 9:15 a.m.   I thought for sure it would be awful by the time noon rolled around but I was wrong.  This is what I did .. tips from The Pioneer Woman in the preparation helped out alot.

Rinsed the humongous turkey inside and out (carefully removing the yukky stuff in the bags).  I then took some Kosher salt (we don't even have the regular stuff in the house anymore) and salted the cavity and outside of the bird.   Into the cavity I stuffed as much carrots, celery stalks, onion and garlic as it would hold (actually about 2 stalks of celery & a handful of baby carrots, one onion quartered and a big bulb of garlic).  Put the turkey in the roaster, turn on to 375 for 2 hrs. then down to 325 until the bird is done.   Use a meat thermometer and when the temperature reaches 165 degrees your bird is done.  In my case it was done in less than 3 hrs.   I just shut the thing down to warm and let it sit until I was ready to carve it at noon.   Don't remove the lid and it will continue to stay moist and tender.   The only thing the roaster doesn't do is brown up the skin but we throw that out anyway so it didn't matter to me.  Once the bird was removed from the roaster I removed both breasts and carved it on my cutting board...  OH MY was that ever easy and tasty too.  I will never cook another turkey in the conventional oven again!!

Thai Salad

I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted.  I've been busy trying out new recipes and watching lots of cooking shows.  My favorites right now are The Pioneer Woman and Trish Yearwood's Home Cooking.   Easy and deliciousness is waiting for you.   So let's start with Trisha's Thai Salad recipe .. so good (and good for you)!  Enjoy...  The only thing I would change is less red cabbage (1/2 of a small head) and more napa.  It just wasn't as pretty with all that red cabbage I put in it.

Ingredients

Thai Salad:

• 1 head Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1 large cucumber, julienned
• One 10-ounce bag shelled edamame, cooked
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 green onions, finely sliced

Sweet Lime-Cilantro Dressing:

• 2 cups olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 avocado, peeled and finely sliced

Directions

For the Thai salad: In a large serving bowl, toss the cabbages, cucumber, edamame, carrots and green onions.

For the sweet lime-cilantro dressing: Put the oil, cilantro, sugar, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper in a large blender and blend until smooth.

Top each serving of salad with 2 tablespoons of the sweet lime-cilantro dressing and 2 slices of avocado for garnish.

Cheesy Potato & Sausage Casserole

This is the ultimate comfort food on a cool fall evening.   We had this for supper tonight and even though it was still 84 degrees out the dish was still comforting!   This is about the easiest recipe I have made in a while but it will definitely be a repeat.

Cheese Potato & Sausage Casserole  - serves 4

2 large baking potatoes (or even leftover potatoes)
Peel, cube and put in a pot of boiling salted water and cook until done.

3-4 of your favorite smoked sausages, cut on the diagonal about 1/2" slices (you can also use hot dogs if you so desire).

1 package shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups but more if you like cheese)
1/2 onion finely chopped but this can be eliminated if you are anti-onion.

Drain the cooked potatoes and rinse well to remove some of the starch.
put in a greased casserole dish, add the onions, sausages and finally the cheese.


Mix well and cover the dish.  Put in a preheated 350 deg. oven for 30 minutes.  

Uptown Meatloaf

This weekend started on Friday night ..  getting home at 6 p.m. and deciding to make a new recipe was not the smartest idea I have ever had but it turned out ok despite it being nearly 8 p.m. before we got to eat!  I took a recipe I found on Pinterest but instead of grinding my own meat (I'm not there yet) I just bought it already ground up.   So here goes ...

UPTOWN MEATLOAF - serves 12

2 lbs ground sirloin (90/10)
1 1/2 lbs ground pork (not the seasoned kind)
1 finely chopped onion
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 lg eggs
1/2 cup V8 juice (I used the spicy kind)

 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups good bread cubes (I used fresh cibatta)
6 oz sun dried tomatoes, chopped

Mix all ingredients well and then flatten out on a sheet of parchment paper.

1lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
big bunch of fresh basil

Over the flattened out meat place the cheese and basil leaves.
Using the parchment as a guide start rolling up the meat to form a loaf.  Seal the ends.

Place on cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400 deg. for 1 hr.   The last 15 min. you can add more cheese to the top.

Let rest for 15 min. before slicing.

I served with a capresse salad and a baked potato and it was yummy.

Slow Smoked Country Ribs

PREP WORK:

At least 1 hr prior to grilling you will want to place some smoking wood chips into a bowl of water.
Set out your country ribs an hour or so prior to grill time so they reach room temperature.
If you have a rub you can add it to your ribs at this time along with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

COOK TIME:  2-3 hrs.

Place charcoal on one side of your grill and heat until coals are beginning to turn white.

Put your ribs on the opposite side of the grill as the charcoal is.  You want indirect heat as you will cook these low and slow.

Once the coals are really hot then you want to take a small hand full of the soaked wood chips (not dripping) and sprinkle them over the hot coals to cause the smoke.   Close your lid and let cook.  Every 15 min. or when the smoke is not longer visible add more wood chips.  You can add more charcoal (a few at a time) if needed.

Ribs should be fall off the bone tender after 2-3 hrs.   The last 1/2 hr. add your favorite barbecue sauce.

Roasted Vegetables

Preheat oven 450 deg

1 Butternut Squash (peeled, cored & cubed)

6 small turnips
1 Lg onion
Asparagus
Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans
Carrots
Parsnips
Cabbage (small wedges)
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Garlic

Cut all veggies into same size cubes and place in 9x13'' pan.  Coat the vegetables with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Make sure the veggies are in a single layer otherwise they will steam instead of roast.

The type and amount of vegetables you use is totally up to you.  I will tell you that these are at their best the first day.  Unlike many recipes this isn't my favorite dish heated up.

Roast for 45 min. - 1 hr or until fork tender.

Pack the Heat with Mac & Cheese

Preheat oven 350 deg

Grease 9x13" pan

1 package elbow macaroni cooked according to directions

2 lbs cheddar cheese (or whatever is your favorite kind) cubed

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 stick butter cut into pats

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

salt & pepper to taste

1 Roasted poblano peppers (remove skin, seeds and membranes)

Cook macaroni according to directions, drain and put in 9x13 greased pan.

In small skillet saute 1 sliced leek and one roasted, peeled, diced poblano pepper.  Saute five minutes adding olive oil as needed.  Set aside

In separate bowl place evaporated milk, milk, eggs, sour cream, salt & pepper and whisk until complete combined.  Pour mixture over the macaroni, add the leek/pepper mixture and mix well.   On top of this mixture place the cubes of cheese and pats of butter.  

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hr.   Remove foil, add smoked paprika and stir well combining the cheese well.   Place back in oven for another 10 minutes.   

This mac & cheese recipe is adapted from Trisha Yearwood's recipe that she makes in a crock pot.  It is the best mac & cheese I have ever eaten but today I wanted something extra to go with our barbequed ribs and roasted veggies.

  I left the camera at school again so I will post Trisah's picture instead.  Just picture it peppered with poblanos...