I am moving this cooking/recipe blog to wordpress. You can find me here.
http://forevermissed06.wordpress.com/
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Sorry
Wow. It has been too long. I've been meaning to add more recipes, but I haven't had much luck in that department lately. It's not that I haven't been cooking...because I have. It's that the quality of what I have been cooking just hasn't been turning out the way I had hoped.
At Thanksgiving, for the first time, I used real potatoes (not canned) in my Sweet Potato Casserole - it turned out a little too dry. I also tried Roasted Carrots and Parsnips - I found out that parsnips taste like soap and they need to roast for much longer than 10 minutes. I tried my own version of Wassail and I over killed it with way too many cloves. The brined turkey, however, turned out very, very well. My sister couldn't attend Thanksgiving this year and this was my first Thanksgiving without her, so I guess I just wasn't really feeling the food.
I made some goodies for Christmas and handed them out to a few friends. The Divinity didn't turn out as well as I had hoped and my Coconut Macaroons were way too fluffy.
At a family dinner at my house after Christmas, my Roasted Caprese Appetizer was wonderful, as were the Cookie Brownie Bars. The homemade pizza seemed a little undercooked, but the rest of my family enjoyed it, so I guess I can't complain.
My mom got me many cooking/baking items for Christmas, which I am extremely excited about trying out. I've already used the jelly roll pan and LOVE it. I also got an electric steamer and Dutch Oven that I can't wait to use.
For the few recipes I experimented with that turned out well, I didn't write them down. Shame on me. So, to you, my eerily silent audience: Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. I do hope that I am more diligent in keeping up with this blog in 2010!
At Thanksgiving, for the first time, I used real potatoes (not canned) in my Sweet Potato Casserole - it turned out a little too dry. I also tried Roasted Carrots and Parsnips - I found out that parsnips taste like soap and they need to roast for much longer than 10 minutes. I tried my own version of Wassail and I over killed it with way too many cloves. The brined turkey, however, turned out very, very well. My sister couldn't attend Thanksgiving this year and this was my first Thanksgiving without her, so I guess I just wasn't really feeling the food.
I made some goodies for Christmas and handed them out to a few friends. The Divinity didn't turn out as well as I had hoped and my Coconut Macaroons were way too fluffy.
At a family dinner at my house after Christmas, my Roasted Caprese Appetizer was wonderful, as were the Cookie Brownie Bars. The homemade pizza seemed a little undercooked, but the rest of my family enjoyed it, so I guess I can't complain.
My mom got me many cooking/baking items for Christmas, which I am extremely excited about trying out. I've already used the jelly roll pan and LOVE it. I also got an electric steamer and Dutch Oven that I can't wait to use.
For the few recipes I experimented with that turned out well, I didn't write them down. Shame on me. So, to you, my eerily silent audience: Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. I do hope that I am more diligent in keeping up with this blog in 2010!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
How To Brine A Turkey
So, I’m brining my turkey this year for the first time. I have no idea how it will turn out. I read a lot online about how to do this properly, what not to do, etc. I hope I don’t screw this up!
Plan on “brining” the turkey for about 1 hr per pound of bird. So, since I have a 12lb turkey, I will brine mine for about 12 hrs. It’s much better to brine for too little time than too much! Too long of a brine will make for far too salty of a bird (or so I’m told). Make sure to start with a fully thawed turkey. I thaw mine in the fridge for a few days beforehand so it will be ready when it’s time to brine. I get a CLEAN, unused bucket that will hold the turkey completely and allow it to be completely submerged. The ratio is (or so I’m told) about 1 Cup of Kosher Salt and 1 Cup of Sugar for every 1 gallon of water used. The salt breaks down the connective tissues inside the turkey and helps hold in juices, making it tender and juicy, whereas the sugar helps to counteract the salt, making it not be too salty.
• 1 Turkey (about 12lbs)
• 1 Big Bucket (about 5 gallons, or whatever is big enough to hold the turkey)
• 2 Gallons of Water
• 2 Cups KOSHER Salt (don’t use table salt)
• 2 Cups White Sugar
• 1 Head of Garlic, cut in half
• 1 heaping TBSP Peppercorns
• 1 TBSP Allspice Berries
• 1 tsp Whole Cloves
• 2 Sprigs of Rosemary Leaves
• 2 Sprigs of Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaves
1. Start with a fully thawed turkey. Rinse it and take the giblets and whatnot out of the inside. Also, cut the string that holds the legs together and throw away. Set turkey aside.
2. Dissolve salt and sugar in some of the water, then throw it all and the rest of the water in the bucket. (If you have to dissolve it over the stove, don’t let it come to a boil and make sure it is completely cooled before the turkey touches it.)
3. Add the rest of ingredients to the bucket. (garlic, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves) Give it a big stir.
4. Carefully lower the turkey into the bucket, breast side down. Make sure there is enough water to cover the turkey – if not, simply add a little more. Cover bucket and set in fridge for about 12hrs. If possible, turn one time about halfway through.
5. After the 12hrs is up, take the turkey out of the brine. Rinse it in the sink to get all of the salt water off. Make sure to pat the bird dry with paper towels, especially if you are planning to fry it. (A wet turkey going into a hot fryer is a recipe for a giant fire!) Throw out the brine mixture. It has been contaminated with raw poultry and cannot be used again. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the bucket – set aside if you are planning to use it again next year, and never use it for storing chemicals or anything other than food.
*Remember poultry safety. Don’t touch a surface that has been touched with poultry unless it has been cleaned. When you touch raw poultry, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands afterwards and before touching anything else. And always disinfect the area and the area around where raw poultry has been.
Plan on “brining” the turkey for about 1 hr per pound of bird. So, since I have a 12lb turkey, I will brine mine for about 12 hrs. It’s much better to brine for too little time than too much! Too long of a brine will make for far too salty of a bird (or so I’m told). Make sure to start with a fully thawed turkey. I thaw mine in the fridge for a few days beforehand so it will be ready when it’s time to brine. I get a CLEAN, unused bucket that will hold the turkey completely and allow it to be completely submerged. The ratio is (or so I’m told) about 1 Cup of Kosher Salt and 1 Cup of Sugar for every 1 gallon of water used. The salt breaks down the connective tissues inside the turkey and helps hold in juices, making it tender and juicy, whereas the sugar helps to counteract the salt, making it not be too salty.
• 1 Turkey (about 12lbs)
• 1 Big Bucket (about 5 gallons, or whatever is big enough to hold the turkey)
• 2 Gallons of Water
• 2 Cups KOSHER Salt (don’t use table salt)
• 2 Cups White Sugar
• 1 Head of Garlic, cut in half
• 1 heaping TBSP Peppercorns
• 1 TBSP Allspice Berries
• 1 tsp Whole Cloves
• 2 Sprigs of Rosemary Leaves
• 2 Sprigs of Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaves
1. Start with a fully thawed turkey. Rinse it and take the giblets and whatnot out of the inside. Also, cut the string that holds the legs together and throw away. Set turkey aside.
2. Dissolve salt and sugar in some of the water, then throw it all and the rest of the water in the bucket. (If you have to dissolve it over the stove, don’t let it come to a boil and make sure it is completely cooled before the turkey touches it.)
3. Add the rest of ingredients to the bucket. (garlic, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves) Give it a big stir.
4. Carefully lower the turkey into the bucket, breast side down. Make sure there is enough water to cover the turkey – if not, simply add a little more. Cover bucket and set in fridge for about 12hrs. If possible, turn one time about halfway through.
5. After the 12hrs is up, take the turkey out of the brine. Rinse it in the sink to get all of the salt water off. Make sure to pat the bird dry with paper towels, especially if you are planning to fry it. (A wet turkey going into a hot fryer is a recipe for a giant fire!) Throw out the brine mixture. It has been contaminated with raw poultry and cannot be used again. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the bucket – set aside if you are planning to use it again next year, and never use it for storing chemicals or anything other than food.
*Remember poultry safety. Don’t touch a surface that has been touched with poultry unless it has been cleaned. When you touch raw poultry, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands afterwards and before touching anything else. And always disinfect the area and the area around where raw poultry has been.
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