Turkey Brine
Alton Brown
1 14-16 pound frozen turkey
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp allspice berries
1 1/2 tsp chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water
Combine the stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice, and ginger in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve the solids and bring to a boil. Remove the brine from heat, cool to room temp, and refrigerate. Combine the brine, water, and ice in a 5 gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey with innards removed breast side down in the brine. Cover and refrigerate 8-16 hours (we do it the night before). Turn the turkey once half way through brining. The next day, remove turkey from brine, discard brine, and pat turkey dry. Then prepare as follows:
Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
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Ingredients
1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets reserved
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 onion, cut into wedges
6 fresh rosemary sprigs
6 fresh sage sprigs
6 fresh oregano sprigs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (approximate amount)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
To make the turkey: Position the rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Place the orange and lemon wedges, onion, and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main turkey cavity. Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the turkey. Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of each the salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts. Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin. Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.)
Cover the turkey breast with foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the foil from the turkey; pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan. Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F to 175 degrees F or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes while preparing the gravy.
To make the gravy: Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the remaining butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.
Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
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Ingredients
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
Brussell Sprouts
Rachel Hall
First I trimmed all the brussel sprouts and then laid them in a 9x13 pan and tossed them all with olive oil until they were completely coated and then with salt and peper. After that I put about 1 1/2 Tbsps of chicken broth in the corner of the pan and then about 1 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinager over the top. Toss again. Then lay 4-6 pieces of bacon over the top of the sprouts. Place in a preheated oven at 425 degrees. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is almost crisp. Then take them out of the oven and remove the bacon. Save it though! Then in a cup or bowl add about 1/4 cup dijon mustard and honey. Stir until smooth and pour over the sprouts. This may be a little too much sauce so just pour it on until it looks like enough and then toss the sprouts until they are coated. Lay the bacon back on top and return to the oven for about 10-15 more minutes or until the very outside skins are browned and crispy looking and they are fork tender. Remove bacon and let cool. After it is cooled crumble the bacon over the top of the brussel sprouts and toss and serve.
Frogeye Salad
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 C pineapple juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 beaten eggs
1 12 oz box acini di Pepe pasta
3 cans mandarin oranges
2 20 oz cans crushed pineapple
1 pint whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp oil, 2 tsp salt (for cooking pasta)
Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan over med-high heat. Gradually add pineapple juice and beaten eggs. Cook and stir until thick. Add lemon juice, stir and let cool. Cook pasta in boiling water (with the oil and salt as listed in ingredients) until tender. Drain and rinse pasta. Add sauce to pasta, stir to coat, and cover in an air tight container overnight. The next morning, add drained mandarin oranges and pineapple, marshmallows, coconut. Beat the whipping cream in separate bowl with vanilla and sugar to taste. Then fold all together until well combined.
Cranberry Orange sauce
3/4 C sugar
1 bag fresh cranberries
zest of one navel orange (about 1 Tbsp)
juice from one orange and water added to make 1 cup of liquid
Combine all in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir often until berries pop and sauce thickens. Transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Mom's Famous Yams
6 medium yams (sweet potatoes)
5-6 tart green apples
1 or 2 large cans pineapple rings
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tsp salt
wash and boil yams in large pot of boiling water until firm tender (not mushy!) about 1/2 hour but prick often with fork to test. Peel and slice into thick slices about 3/4 inch thick. Slice the pineapple rings in half so they look like crescent moons. Peel and slice apples into 1/2" slices. Alternate yams, apples, and pineapple in rows filling up a buttered 9X13 pan. It usually makes 3-4 rows. In a saucepan on the stove, combine butter, sugar, cornstarch, pineapple juice, and salt. Stir together cold, then cook over medium heat until thick and smooth. Pour sauce over potatoes and bake at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours until browned and bubbly.
Famous Swiss cheese Broccoli
1 large plastic sack of broccoli florets (Costco)
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2/3 cups mayo
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dijon mustard
Steam broccoli until just tender. Then lay the florets in little bundles (groups of about 3) on cookie sheet. Pulse the Swiss cheese in a food processor with the blade so the cheese turns into little crumbs rather than shreds. Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl (including the Swiss cheese) and stir until smooth. Spoon a big dollop of the mixture onto each bundle of broccoli. You may want to double the topping because it's amazing! Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees until the tops are golden brown. Serve immediately.
