Showing posts with label thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thanksgiving. Show all posts

Sunday, November 29, 2009

A good bird

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Hope your Thanksgiving holiday was wonderful in every way!
Thanks to those of you who left Thanksgiving traditions...so fun to read and think about as we add to our own! We had a full house and a full table on Thanksgiving day. After changing my mind several times, I finally decided to try the turkey recipe my friend Tegan suggested for two reasons:
1. Tegan is a fabulous cook and has never made anything I didnt like.
2. The recipe required a brining process...something I have never tried. I like to add to my cooking skills and knowledge when I can, and although I was a bit intimidated at first, I was really happy with the results...moist and yummy!

If you arent familiar with brining, check out this article at cooks illustrated:

TheBriningProcessExplained

Here is the recipe link for the Apple Cider Brined Turkey with Savory Herb gravy.

AppleCiderBrinedTurkey

Another new thing I tried this year....homemade cranberry sauce. Man, I had no idea how easy it is to make....and so delish! Most recipes call for boiling the sugar and water before putting in the berries, but I accidentally boiled them all together and it worked just fine! Who knew that you dont need gelatin to make it set up?! Here's what I did:
Boil:
1 8oz bag of cranberries
3/4 C water
3/4 C granulated sugar

Cook at low boil for about 10 min, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 15 min or so. Blend mixture in food processor or blender. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Our final Thanksgiving menu for this year was: (just so that I remember)

Apple Cider Brined Turkey with Savory Herb Gravy
Sausage and Raisin Stuffing
Gruyere cheese broccoli gratin
Becky's corn casserole
Cranberry sauce
Mashed Rosted Sweet Potatos with crunchy pecan topping

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Thanksgiving Traditions

Im wondering what yours are?
The Rader house is about to host Thanksgiving this year, and we want some traditions of our own...besides eating a LOT of good food and having everyone say what they are thankful for:)
How do you spend the time with your family? What are your favorite food traditions?
Does one person cook, or do you have a pitch-in (as they say here in Indy). We call it a pot-luck in Michigan.

I've got the menu almost planned, but Im still debating on how to prepare the Turkey. Im a novice Turkey-preparer. Ive got a few options, but the one rising to the top is an Orange Rosemary basted bird with carrots and leeks. Yum.

Today we (all five of us) stormed Trader Joes and Costco...this was after I sent AJ to the farmer's market for some key ingredients. Shopping the Sat before Thanksgiving is nuts. But it does make me excited for Thursday and wearing my apron all day and having my family fill every corner of the bungalow.

Happy Turkey day preparations! Dont forget to leave a tradition in the comments if you have a fun one to share!