Perfect Brined Turkey

I brined our fresh turkey that we had for Thanksgiving this year and it turned out to be the BEST whole turkey that I had ever prepared for my family. So...I decided that I would brine our CHRISTmas turkey, too...only instead of letting it brine for 24 hours, I let it stay in the brine solution for 48 hours. Oh.My.Goodness! It was so incredibly moist you can not believe it!

It takes a little more planning to get the bird brining 2 days before you are going to roast it, but trust me, it is WELL worth the extra prior planning! I will never again cook a whole turkey any other way!

BRINE for turkey:


1 (16 lb.) fresh turkey
1 cup kosher salt
3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
4 cups hot water
4 cups cold water
1/4 cup whole black peppercorns
1 (1 oz.) package of fresh thyme

Mix sugar and salt together with 4 cups hot water in a food-safe container large enough for your turkey.  Stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.   (I used a 12 quart stockpot.. Just make sure that your container is large enough for your bird to fit in and still be able to cover it with the lid.)

Add 4 cups cold water and mix well.

Add 1/4 cup peppercorns and the bunch of fresh thyme.

Place turkey in the container. Add enough cold water to completely cover the turkey.  Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours.


Preparing Turkey for roasting:

Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch of thyme
1 large bunch fresh rosemary
3 medium size onions
1 whole head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 lemon, halved
1/2 stick of butter, melted
8-10 red potatoes, halved
2-3 heads of fennel, cut into wedges
8-10 carrots, cut into 2" pieces
Approximately 1/2 cup of olive oil

After turkey has been in the brine solution for 48 hours, remove and drain well.  Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and liberally salt and pepper the INSIDE of the turkey cavity. Be generous!


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stuff the inside cavity of the bird with one onion that has been quartered, the halved lemon and the head of garlic that has been sliced crosswise.

Brush the outside of the turkey with the melted butter and liberally salt and pepper the outside of the turkey. Don't be afraid to be very generous with the salt and pepper!

Secure the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings up underneath the body of the turkey.

Peel and slice the remaining onions, toss them with about 1/4 cup olive oil and spread them all around the turkey in the roasting pan. *

Roast the turkey for 1 hour.  While the turkey is roasting, cut up the carrots, potatoes and fennel and toss in a zip-loc bag with 1/4 cup olive oil. 
After the turkey has been roasting for one hour, scatter the carrots, potatoes and fennel all around the turkey in the roasting pan and continue cooking for an additional 2-2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you stick a knife between the thigh and the leg. *

Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover it with a tent of aluminum foil for 20-30 minutes.

Give the vegetables a good stir and return the roasting pan with the vegetables to the oven and continue cooking while the turkey is resting.

Slice the turkey and serve on a platter with the roasted vegetables.  If desired, thicken the pan drippings with cornstarch and add about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar for some delicious gravy!

* Tip: I cut up my 2 onions ahead of time and place them in a zip-loc back with olive oil.  I do the same thing with my carrots, fennel and potatoes and then all you have to do is pull them out of fridge and scatter them around the turkey when it is time to add them to the turkey.

"Almost Guacamole" Dip

I LOVE Guacamole, but even though avocado is considered a "healthy" fat, it is still high in fat.

Since my family loves asparagus, when I ran across this recipe using asparagus instead of avocado, I had to try it! My husband LOVED it and he doesn't even like guacamole!

The best part is that you can eat all of this you want because it doesn't have the high fat content of regular guacamole.

2 (10.5 oz.) cans of asparagus cuts, drained thoroughly

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped, drained thoroughly (1 cup)

1 medium red onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (or 1-2 teaspoons dried cilantro)

2 Tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

approximately 6 drops Tabasco

Dash of pepper

Tortilla chips

Place asparagus in food processor. Cover and blend on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

In medium mixing bowl, add all remaining ingredients except tortilla chips.

Add asparagus and blend until well-combined.

Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours for the flavors to blend.

Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms

These are a delicious little appetizer or "finger food" for the holidays! They are just the right size and there is no way to stop at just one! They keep calling you back for more! ENJOY!

1 lb. pkg. of hot sausage **

1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese or neufchatel cheese

2- 16 oz. packages medium mushrooms

Crumble sausage in skillet and brown thoroughly over medium high heat.

While sausage is browning, remove stems from mushrooms and clean mushrooms well with a damp paper towel to remove all loose dirt.

Drain browned sausage thoroughly. Place in food processor and chop sausage until very fine.

In medium bowl, combine sausage and cream cheese and mix with a fork until well-blended.

** Can also add several dashes of ground cayenne pepper for a little extra spice if you use Regular sausage, or if you want even the Hot sausage to be a little spicier.

Spoon sausage mixture into mushroom caps - mounding slightly.

Place on cookie sheet or in baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes or until mixture bubbles.

Serve immediately on a serving dish with appetizer toothpicks!

Note: These may also be prepared ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake and serve.

MiMi's Favorite Grilled Corn On The Cob

4 ears of corn on the cob

Cooking Spray

Salt 

Pepper

Pull back the husks on each ear of corn, leaving them attached at the base of the ear.

Remove all of the "silks" on each ear of corn.

Spray each ear of corn with cooking spray and then season with desired amount of salt and pepper.

Pull the husks back up to close each ear of corn and then tie each ear tightly with a piece of cooking twine.

Place on hot grill for approximately 20-30 minutes (or until desired doneness) -- turning often.

While the corn is grilling, gather the remaining ingredients that you will need for toppings for your corn.

Sour Cream

Mayonnaise

Parmesan Cheese

Chili Powder

1 Lime

Mix together equal amounts of sour cream and mayonnaise. 

Slice lime into 8 slices. 

Place all toppings - mayo/sour cream mixture, Parmesan Cheese, Chili Powder and lime slices in small containers for serving.

Remove corn from grill when cooked to desired doneness.

Pull back husks to expose corn. 

Coat each ear with mayo/sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and Chili Powder. Squeeze lime juice all over corn.

This combination of toppings is just to die for!  You taste a combination of salty, spicy and sweet in EVERY bite!

I guarantee you'll go back for seconds on this one!

Oven Roasted Broccoli

I LOVE roasted vegetables!  I like to roast eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and squash and I am sure that if you follow this blog for very long, you will see more roasted vegetable recipes.

This week we had roasted broccoli with dinner and it was so yummy I decided to share with all of ya'll.

Oven roasted vegetables are so healthy and so simple to make! Perfect for a weeknight dinner when you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

1 red onion

2 cups broccoli florets

3-4 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pepper
Peel onion and cut into wedges.

Cut broccoli into florets.

Spread broccoli and onion on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss broccoli and onion to coat with oil.  Season well with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes or until broccoli and onion are tender and cooked to desired doneness; stirring half way through cooking time.

Rice With Black Beans

This is one of those quick weeknight dinners that can literally be prepared in minutes.  My family has always liked Rice and Beans and this recipe is so simple you can't help but like it!

Serve this with some Mississippi Cornbread or some Southern Buttermilk Cornbread and you've got an entire meal in minutes!

1 Tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cups Instant brown rice, uncooked

Chop onion.

Mince garlic.

Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until tender, but not browned.

Stir in stewed tomatoes.

Rinse and drain black beans.

Add beans to tomato mixture.

Add water and dried oregano and stir thoroughly.

Stir in rice. Return to boil; reduce to low heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until heated through.

Remove from heat. Let stand approximately 5 minutes. Stir and serve.