Cooking a turkey

 Natasha's Kitchen

12 lb turkey, (Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*
Salt & Pepper, for the inside and outside of the bird

For the Flavored Butter

1 cup unsalted butter, softened, (2 sticks)
2 Tbsp olive oil, not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle top
4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon, plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
6 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
1/2 Tbsp salt, I used sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

.75 ounce container fresh rosemary*

.75 ounce container fresh thyme

.75 ounce container fresh sage*

ADD Paprika

For the Stuffing

1 large onion, quartered (no peeling)
4 garlic cloves, halved (no peeling)
1/2 bunch parsley
1 lemon, quartered

Remove thawed turkey* from the fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. Remove the neck and bag of giblets and pat dry turkey with paper towels. Let it sit in a roasting pan lined with paper towels to soak up any excess water. Fold the wings behind the turkey so they don't scorch in the oven.

Seasoning, Stuffing, and Tying up a Turkey

Amy likes to cook the turkey in a turkey roasting bag to  help keep the juices in.

• Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
• Make Flavored Butter – In a medium bowl or in a food processor*, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash /stir with a fork until well combined (the lemon juice doesn't easily stir into butter but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes).
• Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey; being careful not to tear the skin.
• Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.
• Pat skin dry and rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
• • Stuff turkey cavity with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Use kitchen string to tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.

  How to Roast a Turkey

  • Prep – Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom).
  • Make Foil Shield – to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You'll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
  • Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drum stick; deep into the dark meat. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for 20 min.
  • Baste – Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
  • Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it's fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven*).
  • Rest Turkey – Transfer turkey to serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep the drippings from roasting pan for turkey gravy. Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.
• Cook at 430 for 20 min and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally.

Corn Chowder with Bacon

 Recipe Tin Eats

CORN (CHOOSE ONE)

• ▢4 ears of corn
• ▢4 cups / 750g / 1.5 lb frozen or canned corn , drained

SOUP:

• ▢1 tsp butter (or oil)
• ▢250g / 8 oz bacon , chopped
• ▢30g / 2 tbsp butter (use 3 tbsp if bacon is lean)
• ▢1 garlic clove , minced
• ▢1 small onion , diced (or half large onion) (yellow, brown or white)
• ▢5 tbsp flour
• ▢2 cups chicken broth , low sodium
• ▢3 cups milk (I use low fat but full fat will work too)
• ▢600g / 1.2 lb potatoes , cut into 1 cm / 2/5" cubes (about 2 large)
• ▢2 sprigs of thyme OR 1 tsp dried thyme
• ▢3/4 cup cream (Note 1)
• ▢3/4 cup shallots / scallions , green part finely sliced
• ▢Salt and finely ground pepper to taste
• 
  
• • Cut the corn off the cob. This is how I do it: Place a small ramekin in a large bowl. Place corn on the ramekin then cut the corn off. See video. Keep naked cobs.
  • Place 1 tsp butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove onto a paper towel lined plate. Leave fat in pot.
  • Lower heat to medium high. Add 2 tbsp butter, once melted, add garlic and onion. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
  • Add flour and mix it in. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  • Add broth, milk, potatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Break naked cobs into 2 or 3 and add into the liquid. Put the lid on and simmer for 25 minutes (adjust heat so it's simmering energetically but not bubbling like crazy or super gently).
  • Remove lid, remove corn cobs. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked to your taste.
  • Stir through cream and 3/4 of the bacon and shallots. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining bacon and shallots.

  Recipe Notes:

Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Servings: Serves 4 Source: Iowagirleats.com

INGREDIENTS

1lb chicken breasts (do not use frozen,) cut in half if large

1/2 small onion or 1 large shallot, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme*

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 large or 2 small bay leaves

2 Tablespoons butter

6 cups gluten-free chicken broth

3/4 cup wild rice-brown rice blend (I recommend Lundberg Farms)

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients into a 6-quart crock pot then cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Rice should be done around the same time. Shred chicken then stir back into soup and serve (soup will thicken as it cools.)

NOTES

Depending on the type of rice you use, it may not be cooked through at 4 hours. If that's the case, shred chicken then keep in the refrigerator until rice is tender, then stir into soup and let warm for 5 minutes before serving.
*1½x the recipe, use less thyme than called for
Can make on stove top. Cook rice separately and add rotisserie chicken at the end.

Maple sweet potato chicken

From Molly cash- she said, "This is so simple and really delicious. Every time I make it I wonder why we don’t have it more often."

• 1 lb Chicken Tenders ( I used chicken thighs)
• 1 Yellow Onions, small, cut into strips
• 2 Sweet Potatoes, cut into thin pieces, try cutting them in bigger chunks next time
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup Pure maple syrup ( I only had brown sugar)
• 1 tsp Salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1/2t Garlic powder
• 6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, or can use dried ( I didn't have)

Preparation Steps
10/25/18- delicious

1. I covered the outside chicken (and stuffed under the skin) with brown sugar, salt, garlic, pepper. Then in a iron pan, I browned each side on the stove top. Not necessary, but I like crispier chicken.
2.  Toss chicken, potatoes and onions in olive oil. Put in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle all other ingredients over the top. Bake at 425 for 45-60 mins.

Herb Roasted chicken

From one of my favorite cook books- Better Homes and Gardens from 2002 (12th edition)

 3 1/2lb chicken
2 T butter/oil
1 chopped onion (sauteed on stove top)
2 cloves of garlic
1 t basil
1/2t salt
1/2t ground sage
1/2t thyme (didn't have)
1/4t lemon pepper or pepper (didnt have)
1/2 t paprika

I oiled the inside of the crockpot.  Added chicken and poured the seasonings on top of the chicken.  Added 1/2c water, poured inside of the chicken.

Katie helped by washing & cutting the cauliflower, then put all the herb seasonings on top of the chicken in the crockpot and helped clean up the counters and floor.

Put on high for 3 hours
or you can roast in oven 375 for 1 & 1/4 and 1 &1/2 hours.  Let sit 10 min b4 cutting.

Served with Roasted Cauliflower and a Green Salad


I served with Potato Wedges

9/22/19   Made this again. Turned out amazing. I put the seasonings on both sides of chicken, put chicken in a oven bag. Oven at 300 degrees and left for church at 10am and roasted it in oven till 12:30. It was perfect.
I served Mashed potatoes, salad, and rolls

Cooking a turkey

1 turkey
1 turkey cooking bag
1 cookie sheet or roasting pan

There are so many opinions about how to cook a turkey. Some say start at 425 others say start at 275 and some say baste and other say that dries out the turkey, whatever, either way it will turnout cooked. The thighs take the longest to cook so make sure their temperature is 170°-175°

1/2/19 I decided not to brine this time.
1 onion
5 celery leaves chopped
sage, thyme, oregano, onion powder, 5 garlic cloves (1 t powder), salt and pepper
5 bay leaves
oil
I put the turkey in a turkey bag, then separated the skin from the meat on the breast top and sprinkled salt and oil. Then added all the above additions around the outside of the turkey, then added more salt and oil to the outside of the turkey.

275 for 3 hours
Then take out the turkey and Smear the butter mixture all over the skin, in crevices, etc so that it's totally covered. Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh, increase the oven temperature to 350, and return the turkey to the oven, basting every 30 minutes for an hour to 1 and 1/2 hours.

Brine-
1c salt
2 oranges
1/2c any type of vinegar (red wine, white or apple cider)
3 bay leaves
1 chopped onion
1/2c chopped garlic

Fill a large pot with water, dissolve the salt in boiling water.  Add all ingredients to pot and boil 5 min.
Put turkey and the brine in a bucket, let sit at least 3 hours, preferably overnite.  I put the bucket with the turkey inside, outside in the backyard and covered with a tower of snow and left overnite. (I think next time put turkey in fridge or bucket ice, just not outside)

In the morning- drain the liquid and reserve the onion, garlic, bay leaves to roast in the oven with the turkey. Put turkey in the turkey bag, then sprinkle the onion, garlic, bay leaves around the turkey.

To roast the turkey, put chunks of butter on turkey. Sprinkle with sage, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Roasted on 200 degrees for 4 hours, then 350 for 1/2hr -1 hour.  Open the turkey bag the last 1/2 hour to crisp the skin.

At about hour 4 of cooking the turkey, I wanted to make the gravy b4 the turkey was finished cooking.  So I opened the turkey bag and used a measuring cup to get the drippings (turkey juice).  But, some of the turkey drippings, dripped on to the bottom of the oven and started a fire in the oven.  I had to turn off the oven, pull out the turkey, take off the bottom oven shelf, and put new aluminum foil under the heating element, where the fire started.  Then resumed cooking the turkey. Phew.....

I put the drippings in a pan to cook. The drippings were surprisingly bland, so I added garlic powder, rosemary, sage, oregano, salt and pepper. Then to a separate bowl whisked cold water and flour and slowly added to the pan to thicken the  gravy.

the Brine seems to really moisten the turkey, not add much flavor.  Everyone loved the turkey especially my nephew- Porter, who is a picky eater, So at least he had something desirable to eat.

Goes well with- Cranberry Sauce, Mashed potatoes