Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My family hosts the big meal which means I get to be the chef :). I have been making the Thanksgiving meal for the last four years and continue to tweak and attempt to perfect each dish. I love getting in a morning workout and then spending the rest of the day cooking away and listening to music until the guests arrive.

The turkey of course has to be the star of the show. For that I have been using a recipe from Giada the last few years in which you stuff the bird with citrus (orange and lemons) and onions. In addition you massage the turkey with a mixture of melted butter and herbes de provence which keeps the skin moist and gives it great flavor. I simplify the recipe a bit (see below) to keep the ingredients simple and cost-effective. These amounts are estimated based on the 21 lb turkey we had this year.

Recipe
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

3 oranges (cut into wedges)
3 lemons (cut into wedges
1 large red onion
8 Tbsp. butter
2-3 Tbsp herbes de provence

Directions:

After cleaning the turkey (see directions on Food Network for more), I stuffed it with the citrus and onion. In addition I put leftover citrus and onion wedges in the bottom of the roasting pan. I then roasted the turkey for 350 degrees for almost 6 hours (depending on the size of the turkey) and throughout that time I poured chicken broth in the bottom of the roasting pan and continously basted the turkey throughout. I kept a piece of foil over the breast of the turkey for most of the cooking time so that it did not burn.




Rather than make mashed potatoes I make scalloped potatoes based on a Rachel Ray Magazine recipe. I followed this one pretty closely, but rather than using *gruyere cheese I used a simple colby jack that we had on hand.

Recipe
(Adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine)

2 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Salt
3 pounds baking potatoes, preferably Idaho, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated (about 3/4 cup) *see above
Pinch cayenne pepper
Black pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Place a rack in the top half of the oven and preheat to 375°. In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups water with the milk, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender but still slightly firm, about 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer half the potatoes to a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish; arrange the potatoes in an even layer.

Sprinkle with half the cheese and the cayenne; season with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Pour the heavy cream evenly over the top. Bake the scalloped potatoes until golden and crisp on top, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Stuffing: I kind of threw together stuffing loosely based on a recipe that I had which includes italian sausage, apples, onions, fresh rosemary, and packaged stuffing. If you want more info on that let me know and I can figure out the amounts!

Cranberry Salad: My mom has a great cranberry salad recipe that we have each year that is very basic but fresh and delicious. Here's a quick run through:

Chop fresh cranberries (1 package) roughly in a food processor. Then mix those with about the same amount of crushed walnuts (crush by putting them in a large baggie and smash using a rolling pin). From there you want to make strawberry jello on the stove top with a cup of sugar. Put all of those ingredients in the dish you want the jello served in and as a last step mix in a large can of crushed pineapple (with the juice). Cover and let refrigerate until set.

Green beans: I tried out a roasted green bean recipe with garlic and shallots but didn't love it. If you have a recipe you like please share!

The meal:

Relaxed Dinner Party

I had some friends over last night for dinner and wanted to make something cozy and delicious, but not too complicated! For me this often times means pasta and red wine :) ... you can't go wrong with that combo.

For the pasta dish I tried out a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but did make a few modifications (noted in the recipe below). Overall I really loved this recipe and think it was a hit with my guests! The great thing is that you can prep it beforehand and just pop it in the oven when you're ready. I served this with a simple spinach salad to lighten the meal up.

Recipe:
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis @ The Food Network)

• 1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese (I used low-fat)
  
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used dried basil)
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)
• 5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows

**Note, I added a package of frozen, thawed spinach to the turkey mixture

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts (and frozen spinach) and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Arrabbiata Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped (I didn't have pancetta, but the sauce was still great)

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta (if you have it, otherwise just skip this step) and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Yield: approximately 6 cups