Happy Thanksgiving!!!

If you don't enjoy reading about what's cooking at our house as days go by, then this might not be a post you will enjoy as I plan to tell you all about the Thanksgiving meal on our menu :) Indeed I wish all of you could be here to partake of it in person but alas I realize that can't always happen just because I want it to.

The Menu Looks Like This:
Roasted Turkey
Baked Ham
Green Bean Casserole
Butternut Squash Puree
Mashed Turnips
Collard Greens
Whole Wheat Bread Stuffing with Barley
Turkey Gravy
Fresh Sourdough Bread
Baked Apples

The turkey is a 20 pounder and no, we won't eat all of it but yes, we will have plenty of leftovers for my turkey frame soup with stuffing dumplins. After all, that is the goal :) The bird goes into the roaster so my oven is free for the ham. I mix softened butter with fresh sage, thyme and poultry seasoning then rub it all up under the skin. I rub more butter on the outside of the skin and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. I set it aside to await the stuffing mmm mmm good!

The turkey cooks covered and I baste it about every half hour or so, more or less. I want the skin to be crispy and brown so basting helps make this happen. The butter on the outside of the skin helps too but I think it's the basting that really does the trick. In any event, I know the turkey is done when the leg bone comes out of the bird with no resistance. If the breast meat is a little dry, well, that's why you make gravy. Me - I'm a dark meat eater so I load my plate with the leg and thigh meat and even though I put gravy on it, it's not necessary. The dark meat stays tender and juicy! Oh, and I suppose you can tell it's done when the stopper thing pops out! What is that thing called anyway? lol

For the stuffing I make my own breadcrumbs with 4 or 5 slices of whole wheat bread. I cube it, season it with seasoning salt and garlic powder then slip it into a 250 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When it comes out, it's dry enough to crumble and ready to become stuffing!

I cook the barley in chicken broth then mix it together with sauteed onions and celery which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. I chop an apple and some walnuts and into the mix they go. I crumble and cook some sage flavored sausage and combine it with the barley. I melt about half a stick of butter and then mix everything together until it just holds together when you get a handful of it. Now - stuff it into the cavities of the bird. If all of it won't fit, wrap the remainder in foil and set it in the oven to cook by itself.

From the bird comes the giblets which are not to be wasted in this house - oh no!! They are rinsed and dropped into a pot of water where they will boil down until the meat pulls from the neck bone. Once done, I'll pick a little meat off the bone and maybe chop the gizzard but mostly I want the flavored water for my gravy. It's like gold. Gravy from a jar you say? PA-LEEZE say it ain't so!! LOL Just kidding! However you see fit to make your gravy is fine with me - just don't expect the same here :) hahahahaha

While the turkey roasts the ham gets ready for cooking. It's so easy it doesn't even need directions. Basically, open the bag, pour juices into your roasting/baking pan, add the ham, cover and cook as directed. If you want all the surrounding fat to be browned nicely, when you have about 20 minutes of cooking time left, uncover the ham. That's it! I've known people to use pineapples and cherries and glazes of all sorts but for us, right out of the bag seems to be just fine :) :)

For the green bean casserole, I make it the old fashioned way with french  style green beans, cream of mushroom soup and Durkee (or now French's) fried onions. This is such a Thanksgiving classic I can't imagine a dinner without it. I do make it frequently throughout the year as it is so quick and it goes a long way when you have company. I've seen the ads and commercials where they use regular green beans but we all know that those beans just don't do it justice. They don't take on the flavors like they should. It has to be french style beans, hands down, no questions asked, done deal. Right?

Next up, Butternut Squash Puree. Now this recipe can be simple or complex but you know me, I'm going with simple. I split the squash longways and remove the seeds and pulp. I put a little pat of butter in the cup of the squash and sprinkle it with a very small amount of olive oil, plenty of salt and a pinch or two of ground cayenne pepper. I top it off with some nutmeg and slide it into the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees. Depending on the size of the squash, it could take longer. This dish is made the night before as it's one of those that is best the day after. Perfect. That works for me!

When the squash is fork tender, take it out of the oven and let it cool. When you an touch it, using a spoon, you want to scoop out all the insides of it that you can. Using a hand mixer or blender or whatever you have, blend in a little splash of evaporated milk and a tablespoon of melted butter (optional). That's it! Some people like to swirl in sour cream...I'm not a big fan but you could certainly try it. I do like to swirl in some maple syrup, sorghum or sometimes even honey just to sweeten it up a bit. The options are endless!

Mashed turnips are just like mashed potatoes but with a much smaller amount of milk. You'll notice the turnips are very watery so draining them is a must. I drain them, press them and drain them some more. I even put them back in the hot pot so some of the water will evaporate but I still find them to be a bit watery. The trick is to get them to take on the flavor more than the texture of potatoes. I use the masher Aunt Karen gave me when I first moved into my apartment back when Jarrett was a baby. I had no idea how to cook and she knew it. I guess she also knew I'd sooner or later have to learn and a masher would come in handy. I have used it more times that I can count and wouldn't trade it for the world!

When you begin the mashing process, add plenty of salt and pepper and however much butter you think yours need - mine need about 3 tablespoons! lol! Cheese is a good option here and I've found that velveeta or shredded cheddar work well - you want something really cheesy tasting because turnips can have an unexpected little bite to them unless seasoned well. Turnips mash easier than potatoes and because of that, I don't even need my mixer - I can just mash with the masher and stir in the rest until I like how it tastes. This is so simple! Even someone who is not a big fan of turnips will like this recipe - it really does seem as if you're eating potatoes but you aren't filling up on all that starch...give it a try. Let me know what you think?

Collard greens bring bright color to the Thanksgiving table and when they're fresh from the garden, they bring nutrients beyond compare. Collards to have to be washed over and over again. If you have the time, it's a good thing to try and wash over each leaf, front and back, with your hands. This helps get the grit from where it deposits in the veins of the leaves.

The collards I'll be cooking came from my CSA basket so I know they were fresh picked on the farm that day. I also know the farmers don't have endless hours to be cleaning the greens so unlike the grocery store greens, these may have the occasional bug as well as the grit from the ground where they were planted. Do not be alarmed :) The farm produce has been certified "Naturally Grown" which is similar to organically grown but less expensive to maintain. In short there are no pesticides used on any of the vegetables so some bugs do come along from time to time. I'll save the explanation of Naturally Grown vs. Organically Grown for another day or you can reference them via Google if you so choose.

After rinsing the greens, I like to remove the hard stems running up the middle. Parts of the stem will get tender in the cooking process but unlike turnip greens, the stems from collard greens tend to stay tough. They are easy enough to remove as all you need do is fold the leaves together and grasp the stem end in one hand and the leaves in the other. Gently tear the leaves downward until the stem comes free. Easy as pie!! LOL

You can chop your collards or leave them whole. I find them easier to eat when they have been chopped  up. They don't have to be perfect, heck, you can even tear them into pieces if you don't feel like breaking out the knife! Drop them into salted, cold water and add whatever meat you are using for seasoning. I like to cut a bit of the fat from the ham and drop that in, maybe some ham bouillon, some uncooked bacon, whatever you have on hand that you would normally season beans with, will work with greens.

I always add a splash of vinegar and even a little bit of sweetener. I let the greens come to a boil and then turn them down to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. They'll be tender way before this time expires but I want them tender and tasty and I find a low, slow cook works best for collard greens. There are many ways to cook these greens and it seems everyone has their own flavorful recipe. Feel free to share it with me as I'm always open to new ways of cooking the beloved greens that are the bounty of the fall harvest!

Whole Wheat Bread Stuffing with Barley. That sounds pretty boring like it is but rest assured this stuffing will stand the test with it's sweet and savory flavor and wholesome goodness aplenty. I make my own bread crumbs so I know for sure they are whole wheat. If you don't have an aversion to white breads, feel free to use that instead but you will suffer the loss of some of the best nutrients available found in whole wheat.

I cut the bread into cubes, season them with seasoning salt, garlic powder, pepper and poultry seasoning. Slide them into a 250 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are hard enough to make crumbs when crushed. While that goes on, heat water or chicken stock to a boil and add the barley so it can cook for about 45 minutes. I used pearl barley. It has more flavor and more of the original grain so you know what that means... yes, more nutritional value! You can cook the sausage while all of this goes on or take care of that the night before - that's my preference. I saute the onions and celery the night before too. That smell is the first real sign of the Thanksgiving feast to come!

What is it about that combination that smells so reminiscent of the holidays? For me, it's likely the memory of my Mom cooking it for her stuffing way back when we all lived at home.  It's a soft scent but clearly unmistakable and one that makes holiday cooking complete...for me :)

So the barley, onions & celery, sausage and bread are ready to come together. Mix them up with one egg and season however you see fit. If you like, add a chopped apple and some chopped walnuts. It's all optional at this point. Get it all mixed together and stuff the bird!! I stuff both ends...there's usually enough for both ends and still some leftover to go into the oven by itself. Of all the things on the menu for Thanksgiving, the stuffing takes longest to prepare but it is by far the most worthy of your time. There's just nothing like the stuffing that comes from the bird. It's all stuck together and moist from the juices dripping on it and the flavor can't be beat! Dressing is good, don't get me wrong, but stuffing ROCKS!!! LOL!!

Wow - after that, it's kind of hard to move on to the gravy hahahahaha but move on I must so here's how I make mine. Pour the drippings into a cup or bowl or bag or whatever you have available to set in the freezer so the fat can separate from the real juice. Keep in mind, whatever you season your turkey with will be the flavor of your gravy too. Once separated, discard the fat or give it to your dogs :) They'll love it! Or, you can refreeze it and use it for seasoning other dishes in days to come. Can you believe they actually sell chicken fat in a jar in the grocery store? Why go to that extra expense when it so easy to render it out yourself? That will be a subject for another day too...

So you have your drippings and you have the water from cooking the giblets. The amount of gravy will be dependent upon the amount of juice you have so I can't give you exact measurements here. I mix Wondra gravy flour into the cooled water from the giblets until it makes a slurry - which just means all the lumps are gone LOL I heat the turkey drippings in a pot and then slowly whisk in the slurry making sure it combines well as I add it.

Once all of the slurry has been added, let the gravy come to a boil, stirring or whisking constantly - and I do mean constantly otherwise, you'll find you have a bunch of mush on the pan bottom instead of it turning into thickened gravy...trust me - it happens! hahahahahahaha You can add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning or whatever you like at this time but in most cases, if you seasoned your bird well enough, the drippings will be seasoned well enough too. For me, I like to pour gravy over the turkey, the stuffing and the taters, or, as in our case, the turnips!

I have to admit I cheat on the fresh bread. It is fresh, but it comes from a bread maker. I use that thing all the time! You just add the mix, plug it in, set the timer and away it goes. Three hours later you have fresh baked bread that is hot enough to melt butter in just a couple seconds!! Pour your gravy over that and taste it, would you? Okay - I'll do it for you! hahahaha Bet my Mom and Neccy would do it in a heartbeat! The bread maker was given to me and I have no idea what it cost but I do know this, it would have been worth it to buy it because it is simply irresistible when that bread comes from the maker. The cabin smells like the Merita Bread Factory... lol!!!!

Sauteed apples will be dessert if we have any room left at all. I don't remember the recipe off the top of my head but it was simple ingredients like sweetener, cinnamon, and something else I can't think of right now. The sliced apples get soft as they cook and they release their natural sweetness into the liquefied sweetener. Not much sugar or splenda is needed for this one. Sorry I can't remember the recipe...I've only made it once.

After all that food you need to take a walk but who in their right mind does? LOL Not us, that's for sure. We'll sit around and watch a little tv and then maybe gather up enough strength to take some scraps to the dogs. Once I get up and moving again, it's "let the clean-up begin!!" It would be too much on me to try and make my turkey stock the same day so everything goes into bags or bowls and into the refrigerator or freezer for another day. But as I'm putting it away, the recipes are flowing through my brain for what's to be cooked in the days to come.

The days are shorter now and darkness begins to set in around 4:00 in the afternoon. When that happens, it doesn't take much to get us to go to bed. In fact, it's hard to stay up even knowing we have no business going to bed that early. The roosters have crowed their goodnights to us and are resting comfortably in the tree outside the front door. The dogs have full bellies and are napping in the leaves that surround their house. The temperature drops quickly and the heater gets turned on in the cabin. Try as we might, we can't stay up much past 6:30-7:00. If you've been here, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And it's just those things that we find we are thankful for...

I know I've told a few of you already but because so many of you ask how our animals are doing, it's best you know that we have just Colt, Ruger and the roosters and horses. The old dogs, Smith and Wesson, have passed on and we miss them dearly. We hoped they would make it through another winter but we also kind of knew it was unlikely to happen. They sure were some good ole' boys and they made the farm what it is just by having lived there. They were 15 years old and lived very spoiled lives, never knowing what it was like to live in a city or near a main road or highway. They never saw an ambulance or even a tractor trailer. They knew only the woods and pastures of their home and since they stayed so long, it seems they must have loved it. May they both rest in doggy peacefulness.

We can only be thankful for having them while we did and enjoying their antics as much as we do Colt and Ruger's antics. Those guys keep us on our toes and while they were only around Smith and Wesson for about 11 months, they learned a lot from them! They sit when told, they never step foot in the house even with all the doors wide open. They come when we call them - for the most part - and they love affection. We'll tend them as well as we did Smith and Wesson and they'll be a joy to us for years to come.

The deer are out in numbers and I finally saw the 6 point buck that Darryl and Wally told me about. Yes, there he stood right in the front yard, about 10 feet from the big oak tree. Oh sure I took a shot at him and, of course, I missed.  It wasn't for lack of trying! I think I was just too nervous. Wally said he'll back and I won't be so nervous next time. Gosh I sure hope so. People are beginning to think I'm too chicken to shoot one and that's just not the case! I'll show them - one of these days lol!!

I did have the pleasure of seeing some young deer at play in the yard. The evening was closing in on us and I noticed there were two deer in the back yard eating grass along the edge of the woods. I watched them until they ran off and then went back to cleaning the kitchen. A few minutes later, Wally called me into the living room to look out the front door. Well there were 5 or 6 deer eating grass and a couple of them were quite young. Those youngsters took to jumping and kicking up their heals like nothing I've ever seen before! It was such a sight to see and one I'll probably never see again and I couldn't take my eyes off of them. The one little deer would jump up and bring all four feet together before coming to a landing again. I asked Wally if he thought maybe the little guy was showing off for the females but he said it was more likely he had just learned he could jump and was going to keep doing it just for the sheer pleasure of being able to. Sounded pretty good to me.

They jumped and kicked and played for a good half hour before they all ran off into the woods as they are known to do. No - I didn't take a shot at any of them. They were too young and having too much fun! Their mommas were tempting...hmmmmm

The basket deliveries are over for the year and I feel healthier for having eaten all that came from them. I'm already looking forward to next year but content knowing the farmers have provided well for us and will do so again come spring. I was very excited to see the baby beets in the basket and I roasted just a few night before last. I couldn't imagine that I would like them any better than I already did but as it turns out there was quite a bit more to like! Roasting them brought out so much more sweetness than I ever knew existed. Give it a try - what if you find you do like beets after all????

Hey everyone, enjoy your holiday and remember our soldiers out there making things safe for us while we pig out on Thanksgiving Day! Sorry to cut this short, believe it or not I had lots more to say but duty calls :)

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1900 - 1944