Thanksgiving

Dr. Sweetpea and I have a yearly tradition of cooking a massive Thanksgiving meal at home for the two of us. We always end up making too much food and eat leftovers for daaaaays but I wouldn't have it any other way. Both of us love cooking and love spending time together in the kitchen so I love that we do this yearly. This is definitely a tradition that we plan on keeping! So without further a do, here is the food that we made for our Thanksgiving meal!

Alton Brown's Turkey

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger

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

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F. Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger 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.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

 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 16 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. 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 or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Extra Crunchy Green Bean Casserole

(Source: Cooks Country) 

TOPPING

1/2         cup panko bread crumbs

1              tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2      cups canned fried onions

CASSEROLE

2              pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3              tablespoons unsalted butter

1              pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin

1              tablespoon minced fresh thyme

2              garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2      teaspoons salt

1/2         teaspoon pepper

1/4         cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2      cups chicken broth

1 1/2      cups heavy cream

1/2         cup dry white wine

FOR THE TOPPING: Combine panko and melted butter in bowl. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until panko is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely, then stir in fried onions; set aside.

FOR THE CASSEROLE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine green beans and 1/2 cup water in large bowl. Cover and microwave until green beans are just tender, about 8 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Drain green beans in colander; set aside.

Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until liquid is nearly evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth, cream, and wine and bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer green beans to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over green beans and toss to combine.

Bake until bubbling and green beans are completely tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with fried-onion mixture, and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Sausage, Dried Cranberry, and Apple Stuffing

(Source: The Hearty Boys) 

1 pound mild bulk breakfast sausage

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups sliced leeks, white and pale-green parts only, cleaned well (about 2 large leeks)

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped celery with leaves

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in boiling water for 15 minutes and drained

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

6 cups boxed bread cubes (I used a 12 oz bag of dried stuffing mix)

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 to 3 cups chicken stock (I used 3 cups of chicken stock)

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Saute the sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage and drippings to a large bowl. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to the skillet and saute until the leeks are soft, about 8 minutes. Mix in the drained cranberries, sage and rosemary. Add the mixture to the sausage, then mix in the croutons and parsley. Next add the chicken stock a little at a time until the stuffing is very moist. Be sure not to overdo it; it shouldn't be mushy. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a casserole dish. (The stuffing can be made to this point 2 days before Thanksgiving, refrigerated.)

Bake in a 14-inch oval or 9 by 13-inch rectangular casserole dish and place, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the center piping hot. Remove and serve immediately.

Classic Cranberry Sauce

(Source: Food Network) 

1 pound cranberries (about 4 cups), thawed if frozen

2 medium oranges

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground coriander (I omit)

Kosher salt

Put all but 1 cup cranberries in a saucepan. Remove wide strips of zest from 1 orange with a peeler; add to the saucepan with the juice of both oranges (about 1/2 cup). Add the sugar, coriander, a pinch of salt and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 cup cranberries; cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool; remove the orange zest. Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

(Source: The Neely's) 

1 head garlic

Olive oil

2 pounds red potatoes, washed well and quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Slice off the very top of the garlic head. Drizzle head with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place on a sheet tray and bake until tender and fragrant, roughly 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the cloves and mash with a wooden spoon. Place potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender and drain. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Meanwhile heat butter and cream until butter melts. Add the roasted garlic and potatoes and mash all together. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.