Butter Roasted Turkey Breasts

Since we had an intimate group for our Thanksgiving meal, there was really no need to roast an entire bird.  Plus, this technique was so great and cooking the turkey quickly, while achieving perfectly golden & crispy skin, all while keeping the meat succulent and moist.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who has had a dried out turkey before.

The bone-in turkey with the skin on will really help to retain moisture also.  So be sure to find the turkey with bone in and skin on.  Then get a big, sharp knife and split the thing right down the center.  Spread it out on a baking sheet with 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 cloves of garlic, and 6 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Then gently lift up the skin and spread butter all under the skin. Rub more butter over every inch of the surface of the turkey.  Then season all sides liberally with salt & pepper.

Roast it in a 425-degree oven for 45-50 minutes, rotating once halfway through.  Cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 160-degrees in the thickest part of the breasts.  Don't be freaked out by smoke coming from your oven -- that is just the butter.  Set it aside for 10 minutes to rest before carving.

This was the best turkey I have ever eaten. No question about it.  The crispy skin was so delicious. Then the meat was moist & succulent. My mother-in-law helped make a gravy with the pan drippings and it really made the dish even more rich.  I used to only like dark meat from turkey; but now I'm a convert. This was that good!

Dressed Up Dressing

In honor of Thanksgiving falling on Chanukkah, I decided to do a version of dressing using Challah bread.  It won't happen for 79,000 more years, after all.

It was also a suggestion of Bon Apetit to use nicer breads to start your dressing. I cut/tore a 1 lb loaf of bread into 1" pieces and spread it out on cookie sheets the night before to dry out and harden.

The next morning I diced 4 celery stalks, 1/2 a medium red onion, 1/2 a medium yellow onion, and one granny smith apple (peeled).  Then I set them aside until later when I was ready to cook everything.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. The add the diced celery, onion, and apples.  Add garlic, sage, thyme, and salt & pepper.  Cook until everything is softened (10-12 minutes).  Then add 3/4 stick of unsalted butter some cayenne pepper, and 1 1/4 cups of low sodium chicken broth.

After the butter is melted, transfer it to a large bowl along with the bread and some fresh parsley.  I also saved the leaves from the celery to add as well.  Then bake, covered, in a 375-degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and finish cooking another 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.

This was fantastic.  There is a real richness from all the chicken broth, butter, and bread. The apple lends some sweetness and a little tart flavor. And the all the fresh herbs & aromatics really make it sing.

I love Stovetop -- but I think it's worth the effort to make this from scratch.

Thanksgiving Feast

This should be like the Super Bowl to a food blogger. An American holiday dedicated almost entirely to eating (I realize that isn't the real reason for the holiday ... but you know what I mean.)  This was my very first time being the cook for Thanksgiving. For 31 years someone else has toiled in the kitchen all day so I could overindulge.  After the day was said & done, my wife asked if I had fun. I honestly said "yes" because it was a real point of pride to be able to lay out a spread of delicious food for my family.

Here is a mosaic picture of all the dishes I prepared yesterday.  Over the course of today and tomorrow I plan to write a blog entry for each dish.

I used our "Gourmet" cookbook and "Bon Appetit" magazine to help with the recipes. None of the recipes were my idea; but I did make a few minor additions based on what I thought would be good.

The biggest piece of advice from Bon Appetit was "Make. A. Damn. Plan."

My dad always said that timing was the hardest part. I laid out all the recipes first and made a shopping list. Thankfully we only had to go to the store once and weren't forced to make any last-minute trips to get forgotten items.

Then I listed the times for each dish to see which should be started first. I numbered them in order and had a gameplan. The next best thing I did was do as much prep work as possible in the morning.  I spent probably two hours slicing, peeling, seasoning, and even par-cooking items.  I wanted to have all my mise en place done so when the hectic part of the cooking started I would be ready to go.  It was a HUGE help, let me tell you.

But we all know the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  The very first thing I worked on a 8:30 AM on Thanksgiving day was my Brussels sprouts salad. About one minute in a sliced about a 1/8" piece of my right thumb clean off.  It literally landed in the bowl without any blood.

After throwing that away, cleaning & bandaging the now throbbing wound on my dominant hand, I set to work slicing and dicing without the use of my thumb.  I often admire chefs on "Chopped" or "Top Chef" who persevere through adversity like this. It wasn't easy. But I wasn't going to let something like that derail an entire day.  (It turns out it makes it hard to type as well -- in case you were wondering.)

Doesn't that look worth it?  I know it was.

Herbed Pot Roast

While it isn't officially winter until December 21st, I might beg to differ based on the current temperatures. So what could be better when you come home from a long, cold late-November day than to be greeted by the aroma of a cozy pot roast that has been simmering away all day?  This takes a little planning ahead. But if you're willing & able to start a dish before you leave in the morning, then you can walk in to a dinner that's ready to go when you get home.

Slow-cooking is a great way to tenderize a more modest piece of meat and really build a great depth of flavor.  I wasn't a huge fan of pot roast when I was a picky child, but this adult version really hit the spot for my current taste pallet.

Take a big 2-3 lb piece of meat and lightly cover it in some all purpose flour. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Get a really good sere on both (or all) sides.

Slice up a bunch of yellow baby Yukon potatoes in half.  Then quarter an onion, and use about half of a bag of baby carrots.  Toss them all into a slow cooker with 14.5 oz of low-sodium beef broth.

Add six sprigs of fresh thyme ... and my addition of some fresh rosemary. I figured potatoes are so good with some rosemary, so why not?  Season the veggies with pepper and a little salt.  Set your meat on top and turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for at least 8 hours.

(morning)

(evening)

Look at the difference there!  The veggies have softened up a ton, the flavors have bubbled & steamed together, and the meat is fall-apart tender.  Discard the herbs.  Set the meat & veggies (carefully) aside on a plate to rest.  Then transfer the beef broth to a sauce pan and add 2 Tbsp of butter and bring to a boil.

Let it reduce and thicken. Then skim off the fat that rises to the top.  Tear apart your pot roast with a fork into slightly larger than bite-sized pieces.  Here's where I tried to take this humble dish and make it a little more upscale. Arrange the meat & veggies around a flat plate.

I have been trying to work on my plating. I hope that looks as cool as I think it does. It's sort of Jackson Pollock.  But I thought it would make a more impressive presentation. Then I carefully spooned on the reduced sauce and served it while everything is still warm.

The potatoes are so velvety soft they almost melt in your mouth. The herbs & seasoning have really made everything taste rich and vibrant.  The pot roast is almost like a beef brisket you would get at a great BBQ place after they have smoked it all night. It was broken down so nicely by all the steam and beef broth while it was simmering away all day long that it just falls apart when you pick it up. I think this was a great dish to warm you up from the inside on a cold (winter) day.

And the best news is that we have leftovers to heat up later!

Israeli Couscous with Brussels Sprouts & Chick Peas

I get recipe ideas from all sorts of places these days ... but even I probably wouldn't have guessed I would get this one from Instagram. That's right folks, that #hashtag obsessed, one-click photo editing website that all the kids are using. But it was a darned good photo. And it actually had a description of the ingredients.

I was just a list, though, so I had to come up with the portions and directions myself. I started by quickly sauteeing some Brussels sprouts in olive oil with a seasoning blend of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper

I also had another pot of boiling water going to cook some Israeli couscous. (Some of you may remember I bought those recently, and sort of fell in love with them.)

Next I added some diced red bell pepper, sweet corn, and lemon juice.

Look at those great colors!

Finally, I finished it off with chick peas (or garbanzo beans) and a little Parmesan cheese.

Serve it with salt to taste, and some crushed red pepper flakes.

Yum. I knew I was having broasted chicken and wedge potatoes (with beer) for dinner the next night; so I felt like I needed to have a healthy dinner full of vegetables. This hit that nail right on the head. There was a great balance of salt, heat, and acidity. The sprouts actually provided a nice textural break from all the other softer ingredients, which was sorely needed. I think this worked really well.

So kudos to my Instagram inspiration. And I'm glad I found this dish and gave it a shot. #ImitationIsFlattery

Gameday Chili

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope this picture illustrates just how tasty this dish was. Because I got several really good compliments on it. One person was so impressed that it caught her off guard when I said it was the first time I had ever made chili.

Whenever I'm out at a restaurant, I never think to order chili. And until now I had never thought to make it myself either. But I always like it when I have the opportunity to eat it. My friend's family usually has a chili cook-off during football gameday and it's something I really look forward to.  So why haven't I tried to make it before?  Maybe I though there were secrets that chili cooks keep too close to the breast.  So I turned to my trusty Food Network cookbook to help me get started -- and then I added my own twists.

It starts simply enough by browning some ground beef with diced onion and minced garlic.  Add chili powder and oregano.  Chili powder makes sense, but I never would have thought to use oregano.  I added crushed red pepper flakes, Spanish paprika, and brown sugar as my own additions.

Then deglaze your pan with a bottle of Mexican lager. Beer & chili are a match made in Heaven, right?

Next, stir in tomato paste. Bring it to a boil, and let it simmer until it has reduced & thickened.  At this point I transferred everything to a slow cooker.

This next step was an interesting instruction, and it requires you to be careful so you don't make a huge mess.  Take a 14.5 can of whole tomatoes and add them to your chili base by crushing them through your fingers. This will give you a more rustic feel than using diced tomatoes. But be careful you don't squirt them all over the place! I learned that the hard way.  (Oops.)  Add the liquid from the tomato can as well.

Drain and rinse some kidney beans. I opted to use both white & red for some cool color effect.

The next twist came from my wife's suggestion: one jar of salsa. There is a great depth of flavor already in those tomatoes & onions, so it's almost like cheating to add it to your chili. But it will really amp up the flavor. Finish it off by adding 1 cup of chicken broth.

The recipe says to bring it to a boil and you can serve it as soon as 8-10 minutes later. But I let mine stew and bubble away for hours so it greeted our guests with a wonderful aroma when they walked in the door on gameday.

We had a little topping bar. You can use sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, tortilla chips or Fritos ... and maybe even some pickled jalapeno peppers if you feel so inclined.

I think it was a great hit. I hope the pictures show how great it was. And maybe this description can help give you a few ideas you may not have tried before with chili. And I only needed 525 words.

Cheesy Bread Pudding

"Maybe you could re-purpose this as a bread pudding some night?"

My wife is a pretty smart lady. And I have to give her all the credit for this dish.  Since the fall has officially brought the colder & darker evenings to the Midwest, we decided to have a nice cheese & broccoli soup one night to warm us up.

When my wife poured me this little leftover portion of soup, she made the comment above about turning it into a savory bread pudding. We also had a fresh loaf of roasted garlic bread from our soup night.

So now you have the basic idea: cut the bread into cubes, and bake it with the rich & creamy cheese soup.  But what else should I add to the party?

Pickled jalapeno peppers? Sure, why not.  I like a little heat.

Cherry tomatoes? Check! They add a nice sweetness and some acidity.

Next I separated the whites from some green onions. I added the whites into the bread pudding for some texture and another level of flavor. Save the green portions to top the dish at the end.

I also added some thin pieces of honey ham to add some more salty deliciousness to this rich dish.  I have to add a little pork to something like this. The flavors all seem to work so well together in my opinion.

I stirred everything together in a large bowl with some black pepper. Then I topped it with a little sharp cheddar cheese and put the whole thing into the oven to melt everything together and let the bread soak up all those other great flavors.

It hit a lot of the high flavor notes you would want.  There is a sharp taste and bite from the onions, heat from the peppers, salt from the cheese & pork, and sweetness & acidity from the tomatoes. It was a rich, gooey, hearty, warm dish to enjoy on a cool fall night.  Great idea, honey!

Pork Chops with Apples & Onions

Inspiration can come from many different places. Sometimes I will just walk down the aisles of our grocery store and wait to see what calls to me. Other times it's something fresh we get from the Farmer's Market. More often than not lately, the recipe ideas have been delivered to our mailbox once each month courtesy of Grandpa Gary buying us a subscription to "Bon Apetit".  But this recipe was actually on our grocery store Hy-Vee's website as a great idea for fall ... and I had to agree. It is a good idea. I have apples almost every day of my life, and their flavor is never better than during the fall.

This recipe also makes use of apple cider to ramp up the fall flavor. You'll start by pan-frying pork chops in olive oil, seasoned on both sides with salt & pepper.

Remove the chops and set them aside on a plate. Then saute down some sliced onions in the same pan for a few minutes until they soften and brown. Then add sliced, tart apples (peeled) like Granny Smith.  Cook them down a few more minutes with some thyme.

Next, add dijon mustard, apple cider, and chicken broth to your pan to deglaze.  Bring it to a boil and stir until it thickens. I added a tablespoon of butter to add to some richness and a nice glossy finish to the sauce.

Add your chops back into the pan to let the flavors all get to know each other. Serve immediately.  I think this was a good dish because there is some sweetness from the slightly-caramelized onion, then tartness from the apples, and some bitter earthyness from the mustard & thyme. It was rich and pretty darned tasty.

I served it with my now famous Brussells Sprouts for a great fall meal.

By the way, I found out after the fact that a lightness setting got changed on my camera and that is why there is a slightly yellow tint to all these photos. I apologize. I think I have it fixed going forward.  Check back soon for my first stab at chili.

Celery Salad with Dates, Walnuts, & Parmesan

There was a time in my life I wouldn't go near anything like this. And I doubt I would have ever imagined the day would come when I not only made this salad -- but I picked out the recipe too!  The description says it hits every flavor note: bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and spicy.  And it also fits with my current intentions to eat healthier and lose some weight.

Start with 8 stalks of celery, with the leaves separated. Then slice them very thinly along a diagonal and toss them into a large bowl.

Toast 1/2 cup of walnuts with salt & pepper. The recipe called for toasted almonds, but I burned them ... TWICE!  It turns out you shouldn't try to toast almonds that have already been sliced. They burn really, really easily. So if you do want to toast almonds, use whole nuts. But I think this was a happy mistake.  The walnuts were a really nice touch.

Also slice 6 pitted dates into smaller chunks.  Toss them into the bowl along with the celery leaves, toasted nuts, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1/4 cup olive oil.  Stir it all together well and then add Parmesan cheese (either shaved or dried) and crushed red pepper flakes.

So you see: the celery is bitter, the lemon juice is sour, the dates are sweet, the Parmesan & nuts are salty, and the heat comes from the crushed red pepper flakes.  Your mouth should be jumping all over the place!

If the celery is a bit too out there for some of you, the rest of the salad would be just as good with some other leafy greens. But I happen to think the thinly sliced celery gave a really nice textural crunch.  I ate a ton of the salad and I actually liked it quite a bit.  Score one victory for celery.

Pasta with Chorizo & Chickpeas

Sometimes I find a recipe that I am really looking forward to. I thought this would be good for both me and The Mrs because I love spicy sausage, and she loves chickpeas.

You start by sauteing down some diced shallots in olive oil for a few minutes until they become a little translucent (about 2-3 minutes).

You can find chorizo at almost any grocery stores these days. I'm not even sure it's considered an "ethnic food" anymore with as prevalent as it is now.  But if you can't find it, you could substitute spicy Italian sausage ... but trust me, make the effort and find some chorizo.

Add the chorizo to your pan and toss in some crushed red pepper (and a little Spanish paprika if you're taking liberty with the recipe like I did).  Cook it down until the meat is cooked through (about 5-7 minutes).

Add 2 Tbsp of tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. I was so proud of our kitchen when we finally found this squeezable tube in our grocery store. It is way more convenient than the kind in a tin can.  Next add 2 cups of low sodium chicken stock and simmer it for 10-20 minutes until it has reduced.

Drain & rinse a can of chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) and add them to the reduced sauce.

Meanwhile cook some pasta until it is almost done. Then drain, but do not rinse, the pasta. Finish cooking the pasta in your sauce, while adding 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water.  This will help to bind the sauce to your pasta and make it even more flavorful.

Finish it with fresh parsley, lemon zest, and some Parmesan cheese.  I really liked this dish. I was pretty proud of myself -- but it wasn't my recipe. I did find it, though, and manage to follow the directions to make it taste delicious. I'm very confident that you all could too.

The spicy sausage really makes this dish sing.  There is a nice textural crunch from the chickpeas, plus I think they add a whole other dimension that I don't often find in a pasta dish.  I think it was great. I'm glad I found this one. And I will be keeping that recipe for a long time.