ROASTING YOUR TURKEY
Below are the directions for the common method of roasting your turkey. Following is the overnight method. I have done the overnight method for over 20 years and the turkey comes out juicy, tender and delicious. An added benefit is that you don’t have to rush to get the turkey in the oven on Thanksgiving morning. One note though, this method is good if you are going to have an early dinner, say by 3 PM. If your Thanksgiving Dinner is going to be in the evening, then follow the traditional method.
Also, most recipes will tell you to roast the turkey with the breast side up – if you do this whatever fat and juices (and there won’t be much) will drip down to the bottom of the bird and into the pan. If you roast your turkey, breast side down, the juices from the dark meat (and there will be plenty) will drip into the breast. Just turn it over 1 hour before completion to brown the skin.
- Remove giblets and wash turkey inside and out.
- Rub with Olive Oil or Butter and a combination of sage, white pepper and paprika (garlic optional), inside and out.
- Stuff if desired. Close the openings to keep stuffing from falling out.
- Truss turkey by tying together the legs and wings.
- Place on roasting rack in pan, breast side down.
- Roast at 325 degrees according to the time table on package.
- One hour before it should be done, remove from the oven and turn the turkey over, breast side up.
- Return to oven and continue roasting until the breast is brown and the turkey is done. (175 degrees on meat thermometer)
- Allow to sit at least half hour before carving. (This will set the juices)
OVERNIGHT METHOD
- Follow directions 1 through 5 above.
- Place in oven set to 200 degrees just before going to bed. (Preferably, not before midnight.
- About 1 ½ hours before serving time, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees and follow steps 7 through 9 above.
TURKEY DRESSING
Mrs. Cubbison’s Stuffing Mix
Sauté all or some of the following in ¼ lb. Butter:
Diced Onion (at least one)
Several ribs of celery, diced
Sliced Mushrooms
You can also add a peeled and chopped apple, a little curry powder (about 3 Tbsps.), raisins or nuts and a couple of beaten eggs.
Do not add any liquid as the dressing will absorb moisture from the vegetables and the turkey.
DO NOT PUT THE STUFFING IN THE TURKEY until you are just ready to cook it.
REMOVE ALL THE DRESSING FROM THE TURKEY AFTER IT IS ROASTED. (If the dressing is left in the turkey, food poisoning can result)
Categories: Cooking for Everyone, Dinner Ideas, Holiday Meals, Holiday Tidbits, Main Tags: Thanksgiving, Turkey Cooking, Turkey Roasting
SAFE HANDLING OF POULTRY
Since Thanksgiving is almost here, most people are probably already purchasing their turkeys and storing them until the big dinner. Here are some guidelines to help you prepare a safe Thanksgiving Meal.
- Wash your hands before and after handling raw Turkey.
- Keep raw turkey wrapped and separate from other foods to eliminate the possibility of cross contamination.
- Don’t return cooked turkey, or any food, to a plate or container that held raw turkey.
- When finished preparing turkey, clean all working surfaces with a solution of one part bleach to four parts water. Leave solution on surfaces for 5 seconds before rinsing well with cold water.
- Cook turkey until juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a fork.
- Cook turkey at 325ºF until the internal temperature of the thigh shows 185ºF on a meat thermometer. The dark meat takes longer to cook than the white meat.
- Never leave cooked or raw turkey at room temperature for more than one hour. Refrigerate it promptly because bacteria that can make you sick grow quickly at room temperatures!
Note: These guidelines apply to all poultry products
Categories: Cooking for Everyone, Holiday Meals, Main Tags: Food Safety, Poultry
PUMPKIN FOR THANKSGIVING!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and while everyone is trying to think of ways to use the turkey leftover from the Holiday Dinner how about different ways in which to use Pumpkin. Pumpkin itself, does not taste particularly good but when you add spices and sugar and cream and eggs it turns into something wonderful. Here are a list of recipes featured in this blog that you can try for your own Thanksgiving Dinner or for Breakfast or Dessert on Thanksgiving Weekend.
When cooking or baking with Pumpkin be sure to use the Sugar Pie Variety. The larger Pumpkins do not lend themselves to baked or cooked recipes.
DOUBLE DUTY PUMPKIN WAFFLES
breakfast-items/double-duty-pumpkin-waffles
Pumpkin Muffins
PUMPKIN MUFFINS made from the
Waffle Recipe
Easy to do, just add a little more flour.
Pumpkin Yeast Biscuits
Ravioli de Zucca
The Ravioli can be made with Pumpkin or Butternut Squash or any Squash of your choice. The dark leaves on top of the Ravioli are Sage.
pies-pastry/pumpkin-pie-in-pecan-crust
Pumpkin Pie in Pecan Crust
The Pumpkin Pie in Pecan Crust looks dark, but it is actually not burned. In this case, the oven was too high and it baked at a much faster pace than it should have. Luckily I took it out before it was actually burned. Everyone loved it and it was gone by the end of dessert time.
To make the Pumpkin Pie in a Pastry Crust, use the same filling recipe as the Pie in Pecan Crust. Simply substitute a pastry crust of your choosing.
For the ultimate dessert try my pumpkin-cheesecake recipe
Categories: Baking, Holiday Ideas, Holiday Meals, Main, Pastry Tags: baking, Dessert Ideas, Fruit, holiday recipes
