Thankgiving Roll

So I was calling this Thanksgiving Sushi, but Jana said that was misleading because the only thing sushi about this is the fact that it's round. So she renamed it Thanksgiving in a bite :).

Anyway, it was a hit and really easy.

Thanksgiving Roll

1 chicken breast (yeah, that's right. Chicken. I couldn't find a turkey breast cheap enough)
1 tsp rubbed sage
2/3 cup craisens
pie crust
1 pkg Stovetop Stuffing appetizer

Boil chicken breast in a small pan with the sage until cooked through. Remove from water, let cool and shred. Meanwhile prepare stovetop according to directions. Mix craisens in with chicken with a little water and microwave for 30 sec.

Roll pie crust out to 3x9 inch square. Put a layer of stuffing down on the pie crust and press until flat, leaving a about 1/4 inch on the long edges. Place shredded chicken and craisens down the center. Gently roll the crust so that the stuffing folds around the chicken. Gently press the edges of the crust closed and place on a baking pan seam down. Bake @350F for about 25min, or until crust is golden brown. Slice in to rounds with a sharp serrated blade and serve.

Turkey a la Christopher

With me stuck at home this year I will be attempting to recreate Chris's fantastic turkey from the Sib Thanksgiving dinner last year. In order to do this right Chris recommended you have the following tools at your disposal:

An injector
A meat thermometer
Heavy fin foil
A turkey roaster

Make sure your turkey is completely thawed out by the night before. Clean out the turkey and remove the plastic ties on the legs. Chris recommended going to the food network and learning how to properly truss a turkey. I tried to make the link but couldn't get it to work so here is the address.

www.foodnetwork.com/how-to-truss-a-turkey/video/index.html

Now that the bird is ready to go, we can get ready to do the injecting. You will need:

A bundle of fresh rosemary, thyme and sage
1 stick of butter
1 bottle of dark beer (he recommended using a Belgian White like New Moon)

Simmer these all together for 1/2 hour. Cool. Inject all over the bird until the solution is gone. Cover and let the turkey rest overnight.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Give the bird a good rubdown with canola oil. Take a large piece of tinfoil and fold into a triangle. With the tip towards the legs, mold it to the turkey making sure you completely cover the breast. Remove it and set aside. Make sure the rack is in the lowest possible position. Put the turkey in the roasting pan with the breast toward you and cook for 30 minutes. This will seal up all those puncture holes that were made during the injection and help keep the juices inside the turkey while it cooks. Recover the turkey with the shield. Lower the heat to 350 degrees. Cook until the thermometer inserted in the breast reads 160 degrees and inserted in the leg reads 180 degrees. This can be anywhere from 2 1/2-3 hours for a 20 bird, but he stressed you shouldn't be relying on time, you should only have that be a guideline and check with the thermometer. Let the bird rest for AT LEAST 30 minutes before carving. He recommended giving yourself an extra 20 minutes just in case you need more time to cook. Delicious.

Chris's French Bread Stuffing

Chris made this stuffing last year for our sibling Thanksgiving (best eva!) We all loved it and I'm hoping to do it justice for Jana's family this year.

French Bread Stuffing
Three loaves of French bread cubed and dried (maybe even slightly toasted)
3 quarts chicken stock
9 eggs
3 bundles parsley chopped
1 celery bundle cleaned and trimed. and chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter
fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme bundled together
3 medium onions diced


Melt butter in large skillet. Add onions. Add spice bundle when onions begin to soften. Remove spices when you can smell them strongly. Add half parsley. Add celery when onions translucent. Meanwhile, mix stock and eggs together.

Pour butter and stock over bread and then add the other half of the parsley. Gently fold together so bread and stock and parsley are mixed, but preserving the integrity of the bread cubes. Bake 25 min or so @350F. Serves 20 (or so)

Chris made it clear that this stuffing could stand on its own, or as a base for other ingredients. We talked about adding currents, cranberries, sausage, pecans, etc. (ooooo... Sun-dried tomatoes...)

Raspberry Butter

I just gave myself quite a scare thinking I had lost this...so I am blogging it. This is the Carriage Court's recipe for Raspberry Butter. Even though the restaurant is closed I believe the recipe is still being served in either the Lion House or The Roof. So it is kind of secret (except for the fact that I published this on the family blog)! ;)My source recommended whipping the butter with a paddle if you have one. I don't, so I just use beaters.

Raspberry Butter

1 lb butter (at room temperature)
8 oz honey
8 oz raspberry preserves (I use frozen raspberry jam)
1 tsp vanilla

Whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the honey and whip again. Add the raspberry jam and vanilla and whip again.

Totally easy (and totally boring) chicken noodle soup

So my kids love Cambell's Chicken Noodle, but it's too expensive to go through 4 or 5 cans every time we have it for dinner (didn't soup used to be cheap?) so I created my not quite as boring substitute.

Chicken Noodle Soup

4-6 cups water
chicken bouillon to taste (I use the powder, not the cubes, so I just estimate)
Noodles
chicken (canned, precooked and diced or shredded... whatever)

Boil the water with the chicken bouillon. Add the noodles. I used garden rotini pasta and added angel hair that I had broken into 4 pieces after the rotini was al dente. I added the chicken last. The amount of water you use is up to you. If you want more broth, just add more water.

For some reason, my kids love this. If it was just me, I would do more. Maybe add some veggies. But Erika begged for more of this for days. I think my taste and my kids' tastes are different on a very fundamental level.

Hawaiian Pork

I made this last week and kept meaning to post it. It is a recipe of my friend's and was not only easy, but it turned out amazing!

5 lbs boneless pork butt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pieces fresh ginger, grated
liquid smoke, a few drops
1/4 C soy sauce (I would use the low sodium)
1 clove garlic crushed

Spray the inside of your crock pot and put the pork inside. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the meat. Cook on high for 5 hours. If using an oven, wrap up tightly in tin foil and bake at 350 for 5 hours. NO PEEKING!!! Shred and mix into the remaining liquid. Serve with rice.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Two nights ago I decided to make a ham & cheese strata. I overheard from the other room Megan saying in what I am certain she thought was a quiet voice, "I didn't like mine...where did you put yours?". Brian the good man, just ate it in silence. So all day yesterday the dogs have been snacking on it. I informed Bri of this and he reminded me that they will also eat their own throw up. Ahem. Anyway. I made this last night to redeem myself.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cans chicken broth
3 C cooked wild rice
1 package cream cheese, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
Tony Chachere's seasoning to taste
pepper to taste

To begin, I cooked the rice in the rice cooker and used the steamer to take care of the chicken at the same time. Then I sauteed the onions and celery together in chicken broth. From there, I just added it all together and simmered until the cream cheese was melted. Very yummy. I think my family's faith in me is restored! ;)