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Thanksgiving Recipes

Have You Invested in a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Yet?! Here’s Why I Think You Should….

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Ironically, in spite of ALWAYS saying, “You’ll only be as great a cook as your tools and ingredients allow you to be,” I put off buying a KitchenAid stand mixer for years. And years.

The very person who consistently pays more for most ingredients and who grabs every new kitchen gadget that hits the market put off buying something because it, “… seems so high.”

If I didn’t do a great deal of baking, it’d be more forgivable but with a large family, there are always birthday cakes to make, homemade icing to throw together, candies, pies, and whatnot. And that in’t even counting Thanksgiving and Christmas – my annual grand finales!

I knew Kitchenaid stand mixers were gorgeous and knew the brand had one of the best reputations in the business but I  honestly assumed my handheld mixer could do anything it could and I knew it was far cheaper. More on the faulty assumption in a minute.

Earlier this year, my youngest daughter got a Kitchenaid stand mixer (Amazon link) and immediately began to rave about it. She’s one of the rare humans who does as much baking and cooking as I do, so when she recommends something, I listen. I decided to test her Kitchenaid out with something I make each week – Homemade Whipped Cream. My husband and I love it in our coffee (as well as on ice cream, cakes, cookies… heck, I’ve even seen him eat it right out of the bowl).

(Continued Below the Whipped Cream!)

Homemade Whipped Cream

Homemade Whipped Cream (Recipe) 

First of all, I fell in love with the fact that all I had to do was put all of the ingredients into the bowl and that the Kitchenaid did the rest. My right arm marveled at something being beaten without it feeling the burden.

However, if the results had been the same, I would have stayed loyal to my handheld for the rest of my life.

The results were not even remotely the same. My homemade whipped cream has always been delicious but this time it had a MUCH better consistency – a consistency that made it look better and, somehow, even taste better. I remember picking it up with a spoon and thinking how much it looked like store-bought whipped cream. My handheld never did that.

Then it hit me… if the Kitchenaid stand mixer (Amazon link) makes this big of a difference with something as simple as whipped cream, imagine the difference it can make with cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, divinity, fudge… that was it. I was sold.

Yes, a Kitchenaid stand mixer  is more expensive than hand held mixers and, yes, for most of us, they’re somewhat of an investment. But here’s the thing, if the meals we make for our loved ones aren’t worth it, nothing is.

I would never recommend anything to my readers that I don’t absolutely love and use. I’d never suggest you buy something unless I knew you’d love it – I’m just not built that way.

I’m 100 percent certain you will love a  Kitchenaid stand mixer (Amazon link) as much as I do.  From what I’ve read, other stand mixers do not hold a candle to the Kitchenaid brand, so I wouldn’t get sidetracked there, if I were you. Kitchenaid is a household name and experience has shown me why.

See Also: Recipe for the Best Whipped Cream!

KitchenAid

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Homemade Vegetable Broth for Thanksgiving Dressing

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Vegetables for Vegetable Broth

Vegetables Teaming Up for Homemade Vegetable Broth

One of my daughters, Brittany, has been a committed vegetarian since she was 12 years old. It began with eating the top part of tacos while leaving the meat at the bottom untouched and with eating everything on her plate except for the meat. I asked her, very matter of factly, about it one day – not wanting to make a mountain of what may have been a molehill.

Spoiler alert – it was not a molehill.

She adorably told me, “I don’t want to ever eat anything that once had a face.” I told her that it was her decision to make and that I was on her side. If she didn’t want to eat anything that once had a face, no one… and I mean no one… was ever going to make her.

I read up on protein, vegetarianism, health concerns AND benefits, etc. We became black bean burger experts and, truth be told, the whole family surely benefited from the increased veggies in the kitchen. I made certain then and I make certain now that anything I cook for her doesn’t contain any ingredients that once owned a face.

One of the biggest areas of concern (for me anyway as a cook) has been replacing chicken broth in the food I make for her. It adds SO MUCH FLAVOR! Store-bought vegetable broth simply cannot compare. That’s why I prefer to make my own vegetable stock to use for her dressing at Thanksgiving. She’s a huge, huge, huge fan of garlic and flavorful herbs, so I can add those in and give her the layers of flavor she loves.

And no faces.

The recipe below really isn’t a recipe as much as it is a technique because it’s so customizable. If you’re using a vegetable broth for soup or stew, you might want to leave out the sage and replace it with thyme or basil. However, for Thanksgiving stuffing, don’t dare leave out the sage.

While I’ve said (in the recipe below) to simmer for 30 minutes, I actually turn the heat down and simmer for longer. Why? I love for the kitchen to smell like Thanksgiving! Naturally, you can’t simmer too long, however, or your broth will cook away. The house will smell like Autumn Heaven, but you’ll be left with a tablespoon of broth.

Vegetables for Vegetable Broth

Gluten-Free Corn Pudding (or Use All Purpose Flour for the Traditional Version)

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Gluten-Free Corn Pudding

Gluten-Free Corn Pudding

I’ve been tweaking, experimenting, tweaking, planning, and re-tweaking favorite and new recipes for the upcoming holidays.  In our family, real joy is found around the dining room table (holidays, special days, any days….), so I put the utmost thought and planning into the food we’ll be gathered around.

Like most families, we have our traditional favorites that make their appearance on their perspective holidays, but I also love to try new dishes and desserts to keep my adored ones on their adorable toes. I’ve been experimenting with corn pudding the past few months because everyone loves corn and, let’s face it, it’s a must-have for Thanksgiving.

Before I had to give up wheat and gluten, my go to corn pudding called for a box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix (recipe). I’ve been trying since to come up with a recipe to rival that delicious recipe. The one below is as delicious, it’s just different, you know?

I’ll post future corn pudding recipes as well as other side-dish, bread (gluten-free, of course) and desserts here on the food blog in the coming weeks.

After all, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it!


Sous Vide Turkey – The Way to Get a Perfectly Moist Turkey Every Time

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If you’ve been paying attention to food trends lately, you’ve very likely heard of sous-vide, even if you’re not completely sure what it is. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to try the sous vide cooking method.

That’s because undeniably, poultry is where sous-vide shines. Unlike red meat, which can be eaten with a gradient of done-ness so the outside is gray and the inside is pink, with poultry, you need to cook it through. With a larger cut, like turkey breast, it’s impossible to cook the inside without overcooking the outside. Sous vide allows the entire piece of turkey to cook at the same time, so it’s completely, perfectly done. It‘s amazingly flavorful and never, ever dry!

Don’t let the name intimidate you. Sous-vide (soo-veed) means ‘under vacuum,’ a reference to the way food is packed before you cook it using this method. The equipment used to cook the food is called an immersion circulator, so you’d properly say, “I’m cooking this delicious turkey sous-vide,” not “I’m cooking this delicious turkey in the sous-vide.” But I digress. Why are people going crazy for sous-vide cooking? And should you jump on the bandwagon?

The premise behind sous-vide is actually simple. In traditional cooking methods such as dry heat (baking, roasting, broiling, frying, searing) or moist heat (boiling, braising, poaching, simmering), the goal is to get the center of the food cooked to the temperature that you want it to be.

Unlike grilling, here’s how sous-vide works:

Season your food (or even add a marinade or sauce) and place it in the bag you’ll be cooking in. You can invest in a vacuum sealer or just use Ziploc® bags (Brand name bags seems to leak less).

To vacuum seal with a zip top bag, place the item in the bag, then keep the zip top open and lower the bag into the water immersion circulator. Allow the water to press the bag closed, and lower it in until just below the zipper, so all the air is now pressed out. Then, zip the top and remove the bag from the water bath.

Bring the water in the circulator to the temperature that you want your food to be, and then place the bag back in the water bath with the immersion circulator. Cook it for a predetermined time, then remove from the bag and pat dry. The sous-vide cooker circulates water around the pot. The circulation prevents hot and cool spots from forming in the water to ensure even temperature throughout your food. Your food never overcooks. It’s just how you like it, every time.

Note that there are several types and brands of precision immersion cookers ranging in price from about $119 – $169. Many can be controlled remotely via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Kosher.com will review several brands, prices and other accessories in future episodes.

If you already own an immersion circulator or plan to purchase one in time for Turkey day, try this great recipe from Michal Frischman for Kosher.com.

Sous Vide Lemon Herb Turkey

Sous Vide Lemon Herb Turkey

SOUS VIDE LEMON HERB TURKEY

1 2-pound (1-kilogram) boneless, skinless turkey breast, sometimes known as turkey London broil (see note)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspooon salt
2 tablespoons flour

Mix the honey, lemon juice, herbs, salt, and pepper. Place the turkey in a heavy-duty ziplock bag or in a vacuum sealer bag. Add marinade to the bag. For a ziplock, submerge the bag in a bowl of water until just below the opening of the bag so the air is squeezed out, then seal the bag. For a vacuum sealer, set the machine to wet seal.

Place the turkey in a sous-vide set to 143°F (62°C). Cook for four hours or up to eight hours.

When ready to serve, heat oil and flour in a small saucepan. Stir well and cook for one minute. Add the juices from inside the turkey bag and whisk until no clumps remain. Slice the turkey thinly and serve with gravy on the side.

Note: You can follow the same time and temperature for any size turkey you would like to use.

Variation: To cook in the oven, keep the skin on and bone in. Bake at 375°F (180°C) for about an hour or until the thickest part of the turkey breast reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (70°C). Remove and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes

About Kosher.com
Kosher.com is the premier site for kosher cooking and conversation and the place to go for all things kosher food. Less than a year old but a rising star on the kosher food scene, it has thousands of top-quality kosher recipes, articles, tips, and entertaining shows. The site is the ultimate platform for the most diverse collection of kosher recipes.

Check out the kosher.com ongoing cooking series, where they will address choosing the right times and temperatures in sous-vide cooking for a range of different foods, and much more.

You can also rely on recipes for sous-vide at www.kosher.com, at many other online resources, and on the app your immersion circulator is linked to. Over time, you will likely want to experiment and come up with recipes on your own.

Stay tuned for the entire sous-vide series only at Kosher.com. They will have you cooking like a professional chef in no time!

And, you won’t want to miss this Sous Vide Video (http://www.kosher.com/shows/video/155/two-easy-ways-to-start-cooking-next-level-ribeye) –  Watch Chef Gabe on Episode 6 of ‘Under the Hood’, only on Kosher.com. Chef Gabe takes two cuts of ribeye to the next level with his seasoning and cooking techniques. Watch as he sous vides then sears the eye of the ribeye, or Spencer Steak, and then perfectly sears a ribeye crescent. These two ribeye ideas are sure to make your next steak a winner.


Quick and E-A-S-Y Side Dish: Oven Roasted Frozen Corn

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Roasted Frozen Corn

Roasted Frozen Corn

Okay, y’all, this one’s so easy I’m almost embarrassed to post it as a “recipe.” Since I don’t like keeping good things all to myself, I’m going to forge ahead.

  1. Start with a bag of frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw).
  2. Pre-heat the oven to the broil setting.
  3. Spray a cookie sheet with a little olive oil.
  4. Spread the frozen kernels across the pan and drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper.
  5. Broil!
  6. The time you leave them in the broiler is a personal thing. I like for them to have a little more bite to them than the next person might, so I generally take them out after 7-8 minutes.  Others may leave them in there for up to 15 minutes.  It’s a personal preference thing.

This is one of the easiest, cheapest, and downright tastiest side dishes you can make.  The last time I made roasted frozen corn, I went a little longer than the one shown above and I used it in tacos.

Fantastic!

The Best Butter My Kitchen Has Ever Enjoyed: President Butter

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President Butters Collage
Admirably, the French consume the most butter per person globally. How they top us here in the states is mind-boggling, but I tip my hat to them. Knowing they share my passion for butter like few others, I jumped at the opportunity to review Made in France President Butter.

I never knew President even made butter. Of course, I’m well aware of (and a huge fan of) their cheeses – AMAZING in their own right. In fact I just recently bought a President Brie Cheese  that I’m fascinated with.

But back to their butter. Their delicious butter, that is.  (Warning, this review includes tons of pictures, so be sure to continue reading after each picture.)

I was sent the following President butters to review:

  • President Sea Salt Butter
  • President Spreadable Salted Butter
  • President Salted Butter Bar

President Sea Salt Butter

I’m almost as obsessed with sea salt as I am butter, so naturally the first one I tore into was the President Sea Salt Butter.

When you open the little dome-shaped container, you find that the butter is wrapped beautifully in gold paper. So very classy. So very French.

President Sea Salt Butter

The first thing I noticed about the Sea Salt Butter was its great looks. Truth be told, she’s a beauty. The streaks of darker yellow running throughout the paler yellow was striking.  I thought then, “This butter would be GORGEOUS on a Thanksgiving or Christmas table!”

I’m not ashamed to admit that the first thing I tried the President Sea Salt Butter on was my finger. I sliced off a chunk and into the mouth it went.

My first thoughts:

  • Creamy
  • Delicious
  • This is how butter should taste

Beautiful and delicious – how does it get any better?

As for the taste of salt, it was subtle – just as it should be. Detectable? Yes. Over-powering? Not in the least.

The first non-body-part thing I ate with the Sea Salt was Steamed Rice and it was spectacular.  Since I knew I’d be using Sea Salt Butter, I simply didn’t salt the rice after taking it out of the steamer.

President Sea Salt Butter with Steamed Rice
 

The President Sea Salt Butter is out of this world – not only on rice but pasta too. I’m certain it’d be delicious on anything.

Including fingers.

President Salted Butter in a Tub
If you know me at all, you know my obsession with sweet potatoes. I make baked sweet potatoes pretty often – so I was anxious to try out my new favorite butter on one of my greatest culinary loves in the world. So the next night, I baked sweet potatoes and allowed some Salted President Butter to melt down into them before adding the brown sugar.

Off the charts delicious!

When my husband and I were eating supper, he said, “These are the best sweet potatoes I’ve ever had. What did you put in them?”

Funny thing is, I made them just like I always do – the ONLY difference was this time I used President Butter instead of one of the ones I normally use.

I thought it was a great testament to the butter that he noticed without me saying anything.  I knew I had noticed how much better they were this time, but I was afraid I was just being partial to my new found butter obsession. He had no idea the butter was new… so he’s an even better judge than me.

Sweet Potato with Butter and Brown Sugar
I’ve read butter reviews online before where people have either given or taken away proverbial points awarded to a butter based on color.  Apparently I’m in the great minority here because…

  1. I honestly don’t give a very big flip about color.
  2. The little flip I do give is actually TOWARD a more pale color for butter.

The majority of people seem to want their butter to be quite yellow.  Again, I know I’m in the minority here, but I prefer my butter to be paler. If it’s terribly yellow, it just screams “MARGARINE!” to me. But when it pale, it purrs, “Creamy butter…” – with an emphasis on cream.

President butters are incredibly creamy and more delicious than is seemly. It just isn’t right for anything to be this good.

Okay, so where can you find President butter?  I’ve found a few on Amazon (if I didn’t already love Amazon, I would now):

You can also visit President Cheese‘s website and search for stores near you. You can also read more information about President butter and cheeses on their beautiful website.

I’m watching my local grocery stores in the hopes that President Butter will soon be available.  This is exceptional butter and… take it from me… once you’ve tasted it, everything else seems like a distant second.

I HIGHLY recommend getting your hands on some President Butter right away – as in the sooner, the better but whatever you do, make sure you have plenty for the holidays. My mind is buzzing at the thought of President Butter on corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and rolls – to say nothing of the extra creamy goodness it’ll bring to homemade fudge, butter cookies (I think I’m beginning to drool…), casseroles, dressing…

President Butters Collage

Cranberry Salad Recipe

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Jell-Salad with Cranberries

Jell-O Salad with Cranberries, Pecans, and Celery

This morning I was thinking a lot about my mom and how she embraced the holidays. A few weeks before hand, the recipes and cookbooks would cover the table and counter as she jotted down ingredients and made her plan of attack.  I’m now in THAT role, myself.  Funny, we never suspect that we actually will be… until we are.

My mom made a particular Cranberry Salad each Thanksgiving. After I lost her (far, far too soon), I tried to recapture her Jell-O salad each year, but none of them were like the one she made.

Then one summer, I was going through an old hutch and found an old cookbook of my mom’s I hadn’t seen since she moved on to Heaven.  I had forgotten that I even had the cookbook! I opened the book and written on the opening page, in her handwriting were the words, “Cranberry Salad” Pg 15.

The first words to come to my mind were: Thanks, mom.

I turned to the page she told me to turn to and, sure enough, the recipe was exactly the one I was looking for.  I couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted to cry or smile, so I sort of ended up doing both. I did kind of chuckle though because right beside the recipe was one of her nutty backward check marks.  She was left handed, so I guess that explains it, but the woman’s check marks were as backward as backward can be.  I remember teasing her about it and she’d laugh and say that her check marks were “beautiful” and that everyone else’s were backward.

I don’t know. Maybe she was right.

Here’s my mom’s favorite  recipe for Cranberry Salad.  The recipe calls for Cherry Jell-o but I recall she always favored Strawberry, so I went with Strawberry too.

Daughter see, daughter do.

Cranberry Salad

2 (3 oz) pkgs strawberry-flavored gelatin
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Prepare the jell-o as directed on package. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix and chill.

Don’t let the celery throw you – it’s excellent in this salad and you’ll love the crunch.

A word about adjustments for personal tastes: While you need to stay pretty much within reason when working with Jell-O recipes (so they’ll properly set), you can experiment with the amounts of celery and pecans. I typically crust the pecans, but in this particular Jell-O salad, I left them pretty much as they were right out of the bag. I just wanted more texture. I also (in this particular one) added a little more celery for crunch. While I kind of liked the pecans being larger, like this, I didn’t care for the increased celery.

Too much of a good thing can sometimes be a bad thing.

Family Recipes:
If you haven’t already, it’s a great idea to write down (and safely protect) favorite family recipes. If a parent, aunt, grandparent, or uncle makes alterations to a recipe, be sure to write down their exchanges or alterations. Better yet, let them write it down in their own handwriting. It’s pretty special to have handwritten notes and notations from loved ones.

Sometimes they even come with backward check marks. 🙂

Jell-Salad with Cranberries

Easy Homemade Whipped Cream

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Fourth of July White Cake
This is one of my favorite recipes for easy homemade whipped cream (or whipped topping, if you’d prefer).  I use it on pies, ice cream, brownies, lattes… absolutely everything I can think of. It’s a knock out every single time.

This whipped cream can hide a multitude of sins – for example, if you aren’t 100 percent happy with the way your pie(s) turn out – pies can be fickle after all – this cream is a cure all.  It pardons the pie of its every sin.

Something else I love to do with this recipe is use it as cake icing – especially in the summer when I prefer to refrigerate my cakes. I just double the recipe and ta da, best icing ever.

How to Make Your Own Whipped Cream or Whipped Topping

2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Enjoy and don’t worry about the calories until tomorrow.

Also See: Homemade Whipped Cream with Cinnamon!