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.