COOKIE CHRONICLES - Craving Chocolate Chips

Hello, Ms. Chips!

What's one of the most popular goodies on your cookie plate year after year?  In our house, it's Chocolate Chip Cookies, hands down.  There's just something very special about them....recalling childhood days of cool cups of milk and crunchy/chewy morsels packed with chocolate bits; a year-round cookie that never falls from favor and is an absolute MUST for the holidays!

There are about a ka-zillion recipes and adaptions - ranging from simple to extraordinary.  Each person, each family has their own likes and dislikes. For the most part, we can agree on one thing...Chocolate Chip Cookies rule!

Someone recently asked the question -  
What's the difference between Toll House and regular Chocolate Chip cookies? 
After some research and with much thanks to the Nestle website, here's the answer:

Chocolate chips ready

They are one in the same!  These cookies were invented in the 1930s by Ruth Wakefield of Cape Cod, who was making a batch of Butter Cookies for the Toll House Inn, the hotel she and her husband operated.  She cut up bits of a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar into the Butter dough, thinking they would melt completely, but they didn't.  Instead, those chips became chewy and yummy, retaining their self-hood amid the oven's heat.

The resultant treat was an instant sensation and soon the Nestle company was contacted by Ruth and started making chocolate bits for the home baker with Mrs. Wakefield's recipe on the back.  This is a very abbreviated version of the tale, for a more detailed version go to http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/tollhouse.htm

Choco-Jalapeno Cookies

Through the years I've experimented with and had the opportunity to sample several interpretations of Mrs. Wakefield's invention; including but not limited to Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Peanut Butter Cookies, Choco-Mint Chip Cookies, Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies (made with chunks of candy canes) and even Chocolate Chip Jalapeno Cookies. Personal favorite? The Jalapeno, of course!  I wonder what Ruth would think of all these variations.

For Christmas baking, I usually stick to the basics.  Plain CC (Chocolate Chip).  Due to dietary considerations I use Splenda.  This year, I'm trying some Crisco Butter flavored vegetable shortening too - no transfat....another dietary adaptation.

Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening

This Chocolate Chip recipe involves use of Crisco's Butter Flavored Vegetable Shortening. Mom used original Crisco in her Chocolate Chip Cookies years ago. She'd use butter or margarine in many of the other cookies, but for some reason always went to Crisco for her 'Chippers.  I remember her teaching me about measuring the stuff into a metal measuring cup.

I'm using "regular" brown sugar here, partially because I couldn't find any Splenda Brown Sugar in my local stores, and partially because I'm not sure how the sugar substitute will work with the Crisco.  I'll do a little research and report my findings to the blog....naturally this will involve a recipe, so stay tuned!

One important thing to remember - If you're hoping to substitute Crisco Butter Flavored shortening for butter or margarine, just follow the suggestion printed right on the product! 


CRISCO CHOCOLATE CHIP 
or TOLL HOUSE COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1 1/4 cup firm packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening
2 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

Double spoon method

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Cream Crisco and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, add egg, beat until mixed in, add vanilla and milk. Mix together.  Add to dry ingredients and mix until fully blended. Add chocolate chips a bit at a time, making sure to distribute them easily throughout the dough.  Let dough rest a few moments.

Using the "double spoon" method, put 1/2 to 1 spoon of batter per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheet, spaced about 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, 11 to 13 minutes for crunchy cookies.  This recipe makes about 3 dozen.  Recipe doubles easily.

As usual, feel free to share your ideas, thoughts, memories and recipes here via the comments box.
And as always....Enjoy!

Crisco Chocolate Chip Cookies

  

COOKIE CHRONICLES - Sugar Cookies Secrets and Two Recipes

Crank up the Holiday music, it's time for our cookie bake-a-thon!

Christmas (or Holiday if you prefer) cookies are very special, very magical things....from plain to fanciful decorated cut-outs, Sugar Cookies hold a firm place on the plate; one not to be taken lightly.

Although they may seem easy to make, don't let their simple ingredients and recipe descriptions fool you!  It's ever so easy to overwork the dough, especially when making the cut-out variety!

Hand stirring to avoid over work

How does dough get overworked?  Too much handling.  Everything from your hands' heat to over rolling can cause lots of changes within that complex system of ingredients that are trying to mesh together!  Flour's gluten wants to be sticky, fat wants to attach to everything, sugar wants to dissolve...so does salt but they each do their own thing in the process.  In short, that bowl of stuff sitting before you is alive with interaction!  The trick is to make it work for you, not against you.

One thing that helps is to let your cookie dough rest.  I like to separate the dough into two or three balls after it's been mixed, then put the dough in the fridge for about 1 hour before rolling anything.  When rolling time comes, only take one ball out at a time that way the rest remains fresh and retains its workability.

Read your recipe BEFORE beginning the process.  Gather all your ingredients and tools so everything is right at hand.  If the recipe says, sift...sift!  Some say the alternative to this chore is taking 2 Tablespoons out of the measured flour.  Sometimes this works, sometimes not.
I like to play it safe.  So for me, sifting is a lot less trouble than serving sub-par cookies!

If you want to use something like Splenda please know that it will affect your recipe.  Not to discourage using substitutes if you need them!  I found an article that's interesting and educational...a little food for thought so to speak. They experimented by making marshmallows with regular sugar vs. making them with Splenda.  You can read the article via this link: http://www.sheharaw.com/Files/Splenda%20Paper.pdf


Some sugar substitutes are also available for brown sugar.  I've tried Splenda's version, because that's what the household uses so am most familiar with it's proclivities.  I'd appreciate any input about other substitutions, including natural, vegan and so on.   

CONVERSION INFO -
"Regular" Sugars to Splenda substitutes

Granulated White Sugar - 1 cup   -
Splenda Granulated Sweetener - 1 cup
Granulated White Sugar  - 1/3 cup -
Splenda Granulated Sweetener -  8 teaspoons

CONVERSION INFO -
"Regular" Sugar to Splenda Sugar Blend (sugar/Splenda blend)
Granulated White Sugar -  1 cup - 
Splenda Sugar Blend  - 1/2 cup
Granulated White Sugar -  1/3 cup -
Splenda Sugar Blend - 8 teaspoons

CONVERSION INFO -
"Regular" Brown Sugar to Splenda Brown Sugar Substitute
Brown Sugar - 1 teaspoon -
Splenda Brown Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Brown Sugar - 1 cup -
Splenda Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup

Thanks to Splenda's website for the info: http://www.splenda.com

Butter vs. margarine vs. shortening?  Hmmm....depends.  Some people can't eat butter, some can.  Some can't abide by anything but margarine...others could care less.  Some swear by shortening like Crisco, others wouldn't touch it with a ten foot spatula.  Where does that leave me?  I've done it all three ways and usually make my choice based on two things: 1) what results do I want? and 2) budgetary considerations.

Result-wise, something like Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening works pretty good, in most recipes.  However I've had some problems combining it with Splenda.  It didn't work at all well, and the resulting taste was nothing like the Sugar Cookie I was expecting.  This combination requires some additional experimentation.
  
Margarine works fine too, providing it's a type that's labeled "good for baking," or something like that. Some margarine is really just for "spreading," rather than cooking or baking.  Read labels!

Butter may burn easier than margarine, but for something like Butter Cookies I'm a purist.

Sprinkles, icing or plain?  Personal choice wins out here.  Have a good time, that's what counts most.  Some folks make a little intention and add a dab of jam or jelly to the center of each round.  Some like to crumble bits of hard candy into the batter and make drop Sugar Candy Cookies. There are a lot of things to do with a good, basic recipe.  The main thing is to have fun!

I'll start with the Non-Sugar Cookies because that way the household can have some cookies to munch on while the others are baked. 

Splenda

SPLENDA Non-SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup unsalted butter*, softened
1 cup SPLENDA^® Sugar Blend
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
           *butter or margarine


Method
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer in a medium mixing bowl until creamy.
Gradually add Splenda, beating well.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Wrapped dough

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate mixing bowl.
Gradually add flour mixture to Splenda/butter bit, beating until blended.
DON'T OVER MIX!
Place dough on a lightly floured work surface.
Divide the dough in half; pat each half into a circle and wrap with plastic wrap.
Chill cookie dough for one hour or until slightly firm.


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Take the dough from refrigerator, one portion at a time.
Roll each portion to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
Cut with a cookie cutter, and place on lightly greased cookie sheets.
Sprinkle with decorative candies or colored sugars, if you want.
Bake in preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned.
Cool slightly on cookie sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Not every Christmas (or Holiday) cookie on my plate will be made with Splenda, but it's sure nice to be able to have some available for folks who can't eat sugar!

Okay, now for the "regular" ones.....with a little bit of the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" playing in the background....(didn't Neil Sadaka write that one? Rumor has it that Don Kershner wanted the Monkees to record the song, but was ousted from Colgems before that happened.)

Then it's back to holiday music and the continuation of this baking frenzy!

Sugar Sugar

SUGAR, SUGAR COOKIES
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt


Method
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).  
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. 
Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter, round is fine too. 
Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. 
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely. 

Sugar, Sugar Cookies

 As always, please feel free to share your recipes on this site....just use the comments box!  Naturally you'll receive full credit and I promise to even try the recipes you send.  For now, Enjoy!

COOKIE CHRONICLES - 'Tis The Season! Cookie Bake-A-Thon PROLOGUE

Blog wallpaper - last year's Bourbon Cookies

December 1 marks the start of a major cooking frenzy in our house.  I know what you're thinking....didn't we just go through one of those with that Turkey Day thing?
Yes, we did.
But hey!  I didn't invent the holiday schedule! Like everybody else, yours truly is merely a cog in the machinery.   So with wheels still spinning from the previous endeavor, we're off to the races again!

Christmas (or Holiday if you prefer) cookie baking time is a feat of planning, imagination and even a bit of fun. Through the years I've developed a mental checklist to help bring sense through the chaos.

1) Make a list of the cookies that "worked" the previous season.  Decide which ones you want to make again.
2) Make a list of recipes you want to try. It can be fun to add some variety to your cookie plate. Be realistic though.  If the recipe is complex (like the Bourbon Cookies) be mindful of how much work will be involved and be sure you're able to commit to it!
     The holidays are a busy time and unless you have an army of kitchen elves around you may stretch yourself too thin and be too exhausted to enjoy the season.

Allergy alert!

2 a) Some suggest making cookies with similar ingredients to help keep the costs down.  This is a good idea, but remember that if you're baking for someone with gluten or nut allergies or diabetes for example, you'll still have to buy the right fixin's for the job.
     Be sure to include these and any other variations in the budget!
 2b) Be very sure not to allow nut and non-nut cookies to intermingle. Some people's allergies are so severe that even a bit of nut dust can send them to the hospital!
    Clean all tools and utensils thoroughly between batches!
3) Make a list of all the people and events that will be needing your cookies...include what you know about likes and dislikes, allergies and other dietary restrictions too, if possible. See item #2a. 
4) Clean the kitchen - make sure the oven has recovered from its time with the turkey! (There's nothing like a bit of burning charred guck on the oven floor to ruin the flavor of a perfectly good cookie!)
5) Take inventory of your ingredients. See items 2 and 2a.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

6) Make sure your baking equipment is in good working order.
6a) Make sure you have enough waxed paper, release spray or other anti-stick agents of preference, cooling racks, potholders and storage containers.
     For the "main storage," I use coffee cans with their snap on lids.  Each cookie type gets stored in its own can and I label each can. This makes keeping stock and gift-making time a lot easier! I even make a can for the "pogens," those odd-shaped Chocolate Chip and amputated portions of Gingerbread People that are an inevitable by product of the process. These come in handy for household snacking.  They can even be ground up in the food processor and used for making things like pie crusts.  No lie! A Pogen Pie Crust recipe will appear in an upcoming blog entry.
7) Make sure cookies are thoroughly cooled and dry to the touch before storing!
7a) Put waxed paper between layers of cookies that are filled or in any other way have a tendency to get sticky.
7b) Don't pack stored cookies tight!  It's better to use more than one container than to have an entire batch ruined!
8) Look at the calendar...plan baking accordingly - plan for shipping dates, party dates, etc.
9) Consider making this a group or family event.  Kids love to bake, so do some adults.  Besides, it could help cut work-time in half.  Baking parties can be fun!
10) Relax. Plan baking for a time and day when you can really enjoy the process. Spread it out over several days or evenings if you can.
11) Reserve some cookies for yourself!  Your family will love you for it!
12) Consider holding a cookie swap! It's a great way to compare notes and get ideas for your next Cookie Extravaganza.
I'm sure there are other things that can be put on the list, so please feel free to send your ideas!

Anyway....with recipe books, notes and a few cook books serving as "wing men," I began my holiday baking earlier today with a large cup of coffee while taking an inventory of supplies.

After the review it was apparent that we needed to restock. Food store time again!  Thanksgiving had taken a major toll on the staples, but that was to be expected.  While writing the shopping list I thought about which delicacies would be made this season. 

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

"These cookies will be more than 'hostess fare,' they will be gifts for friends and family."  I mused.
I've been kind of planning for months but as the sun lifted itself over our city's skyline I sorted through the ideas and came to some final conclusions. 

First thoughts of course - what worked and what didn't work last year.
One thing's for sure, the Bourbon Cookies were a big hit with the adults!  The Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin and White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cranberry ones satisfied everybody and the Sugar Cut Outs had all the kids happy...admittedly the older crowd loved them too. All these went to the final list....although I have been re-thinking the Bourbons and may do a drop cookie with a Bourbon/Chocolate drizzle if time gets too dear.

Gingerbread People are essential. If time gets too tight, I thought,  I may opt to make Ginger Snaps rather than Gingerbread People, but will cross that bridge when I get to it. 
Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter are a Holiday necessity, at least in my household.  In truth, I could keep our larder stocked with these varieties year 'round and there'd be no complaints!

My sister requested Pizelles (those Italian anise cookies made with a special press or iron). I don't have a real Pizelle Iron so when the time comes I'll be using our ancient waffle iron.  Stay tuned to this blogsite for further details and coverage of the event. Including pictures!

As you can see, there's a lot of work ahead and a limited time to get it all done.  But with a little planning, a little attention to detail and a lot of humor the whole Cookie Bake-A-Thon can be a beautiful thing.

As always, please feel free to share your ideas, recipes and memories on this site.  Just use the handy comments space below each blog entry.  You'll be properly credited, I promise.  Try to include a photo of the finished product if you can.

And above all else.....Enjoy!

HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS - Turkey Soup

Leftover holiday turkey

Just when you think you're done with all that turkey business, along comes the question of what to do with the leftovers.   There are pot pies, stews, casseroles, and sandwiches....croquettes, salads and so on. 

The most common use of leftover turkey, most notably the odd wing, orphan leg and that old Pope's Nose? Soup.  Lovely, warming, wholesome soup. King of comfort food, a dish for any season, there's nothing like a steaming bowl of the stuff to make you feel cozy when ya need it most!

Everybody has their own version of the stuff; some like it creamed, some like it hot and spicy....there are as many variations as there are people in the world; here's just another version to add to the pile.

Broth and veggies

Make sure your stock pot is deep enough for the job, because the very first thing you need to do is boil the carcass. Soup making is not pretty work.  Done right, some parts of the process can be downright yucky!
But done right, you end up with a wonderful soup rather than a flavorless liquid with junk floating around in it.

I usually take the meat off the bone before putting the turkey away after its first serving.  Years ago folks left the cooked meat on the bone, put a damp towel over it and put it in the fridge, but in these days of CSI and forensic science, we've come to know it's not such a good idea. 

Anyway, once done with the dismantling I'm usually dog tired so I wrap the bones in plastic and put all the meat in containers and put everything in the refrigerator until the next morning. 

That's exactly what I did this time, too.  After our Thanksgiving feast, Jack cleared the table while I dissected the remains, then stored it all in the fridge for the next day. I mean, heck!  After three plus days of prepping and cooking, a good night's sleep was in order!  Besides, the L-tryptophan was kicking my butt!


This morning I woke feeling pretty good for someone who'd been on a cooking jag for the previous several days.  While the coffee brewed I began by pulling the bones out of the fridge and putting them in the big stock pot, filled the pot with water and put it on a back burner for a long simmer.

Broth set aside to cool

While that was going on, I chopped veggies and put them aside in covered bowls in the fridge. Then I enjoyed a couple cups of coffee and a piece of Sweet Potato Pie for breakfast....one of my favorite breakfasts!

As the carcass simmered, it filled the house with that great turkey aroma!  Two hours later those bones were cooked and the base broth was done.  I removed the big pieces by hand, reserved the still-useful pieces of meat and threw the bones away.   Then I strained the broth and poured it into a tall storage container and set it aside to cool.

I pulled out the veggies, including the ends which were reserved too, and began the rest of the process. 

I've seen lots of people make soup. Most of the time they just toss everything together with some broth and let it rip.  That's perfectly fine....but I like to go the extra distance for the extra flavor. To me cooking is more than just heating things to a palatable point....it's about textures and flavors and dimensions and finding the best ways to bring it all together.  

Veggie ends browning

First things' first.....seasoning the soup pot.

Wing bits browning

I took the veggie ends and scraps and put them in the pan along with some grape seed oil and let them brown on all sides.  The brown bits that develop in the pan are good sources of flavor. Then I added the wing bits and browned them.

Straining the pan seasoning brew

I added a bit of water and let this simmer for about 20 minutes, then removed the big pieces and poured the liquid through a strainer.  This liquid is dark and concentrated and contains a great deal of the flavor that forms the backbone of this soup.
I shudder to think of all the yumminess that would have been lost by skipping this step! 

"Hard" veggies added

While this cooled, I added the "hard" chopped veggies (carrots, turnips and potatoes) to the still warm stock pot along with some grape seed oil.
I use grape seed oil sometimes because it doesn't add much flavor and is lighter than other oils. 

Skimming fat from broth

 Anyway, as the vegetables browned, I skimmed the base broth made from the carcass.  Because it had cooled, all the fat had risen to the surface and was easy to remove.  What remained behind was lovely and slightly gelatinous.  Perfect.

Skimmed broth

Then I added this broth and the darker reduction made earlier to the still browning vegetables and let it come up to temperature. I added some previously browned and chopped onion, celery and garlic at this point, too. Anything for a bit of taste!

Jack came down the hallway to see what was going on.  "Smells good in here!" he said, licking his lips.  I smiled, turned down the heat and covered the pot so it could simmer for about 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes

When this cooking time was done, I opened the stock pot and smiled.  It looked and smelled great!  The coloring was a rich, golden brown....vegetables done but not mushy.  It was time for the next installment; a hand full of broken up angel hair noodles, soft veggies (mushrooms, cooked peas),  the left over turkey....and, since it was available, stuffing that I rolled into tiny little balls.   

Pan covered loosely to simmer

After tasting and seasoning, a little salt and pepper, a little poultry seasoning and a dash more garlic, I covered the pan loosely and let it simmer for another fifteen minutes.

Mmmmmmm, good!

The object here wasn't so much to cook anything further as to allow the flavors to mingle.  Fifteen minutes is about the maximum simmering time you want to give the soup at this point.  Any longer and the turkey begins to dry out!  Then, after a final tasting and seasoning, you're done!

It's soup!

 Well, that's my version of Turkey Soup...a little complex, but worth the extra effort.
As always, please fee free to share your ideas, memories and recipes.
Enjoy!




 

HOLIDAY RECIPE - Stuffing, Cooking and Serving

After two days defrosting, a great bath and rub down with herb butter and a 12 hour soak in orange juice and bourbon, the turkey was finally ready to be stuffed and cooked.

Stuffing

But before writing about that, I thought it a good idea to talk about the stuffing itself.  As mentioned previously, I used a combination of breads made for a family dinner.  These included Cornbread, Wheat/Oat and Walnut breads.  After breaking the breads into pieces and adding dried spices and herbs (listed in previous blog entry), I let it cure in the pantry for a day so the bread could get a little stale.  That's critical to good stuffing.

The night before the bird was to be stuffed, I chopped onions, celery and apples, browned them and added them to the bread.  Next I browned some bulk sausage....guess where that went?  After that, I took some of the basting juice made by simmering giblets, added some butter and poured it into the bread mixture.  After mixing it around so that everything got a little of it, I recovered the stuffing and put it into the fridge for the final leg of its curing.

Good morning, Turkey

Preparing roasting pan

While all that rested I prepared the turkey pan - actually little more than a glorified lasagna pan- by first misting it inside with some release spray. Let's be honest, no matter how many layers of wrap you use to line it, that foil's gonna leak somewhere and pan drippings are bound to accumulate underneath.   This step makes clean-up a lot easier.  Nothing sticks!
Anyway, after that I lined the pan with aluminum foil -shiny side up-and coated it with release spray too.  Then it was time for the brown paper.

Paper rubbed with herb butter

"HOLD THE PHONE," I hear some saying,  "Brown Paper?"
Yes. Brown paper is another very important element in this process.  It is the defining difference between this recipe and any other version of making roast turkey.  It is also how my mother and her mother before her did it.  Roasting bags, aluminum foil, parchment....they all have their place, but to get a turkey that browns as it cooks but stays moist, there's nothing like a sheet of brown paper, greased on one side only with some of the herb butter, to make magic.

Once all that was ready, I came back to the turkey. I moved it near the sink, put on some plastic gloves and carefully opened the bag. A wonderful smell came forth. Citrus, spices, whiskey....a true bouquet! 

Turkey coming out

After reserving the marination liquid, I removed the plastic bag and discarded it then positioned the turkey so that smaller cavity could be filled.

First I rubbed it with some of the herb butter, then filled the space loosely with stuffing.  Rather than sewing the turkey closed, I opted to simply fold the extra skin under.  Because the stuffing was loose, it would be able to swell without causing undue pressure, so I didn't think the bird would spring much of a leak.

Before turning said turkey to its other side, I rubbed some herb butter on the underside and sprinkled it with some extra garlic, poultry seasoning and garlic.  Then I flipped the bird....so to speak.

Stuffing the large cavity

I repeated the herb butter rub, making sure to lift the skin over the breast and giving it a rub, too.  I filled these pockets loosely
with stuffing, rubbed the cavity with herb butter and filled it too.
I'm never sure just how much to make, but as it turned out there was just enough stuffing for the job.

Ready for roasting!

Rather than sew the front closed, I put half an orange in the opening, then crossed the legs over it and trussed them together with some thick thread.  Then I transferred the turkey to its roasting rack in the specially prepared roasting pan, rubbed more herb butter on the breast, legs and wings (the parts that weren't tucked under). After a final spice sprinkling, I enveloped the turkey in its paper and put it in the 320 degree oven for about four and a half to five hours.

The beauty of this method is that you don't have to baste a lot.  But I'd recommend about two to four bastings through the cooking time, and if your oven is slow like mine you might consider raising the oven temp by five to ten degrees.  Also if your oven doesn't heat evenly make sure you turn the turkey a couple times during the roasting.

NOTE: Remember that when you open the oven door, you loose heat.  So keep the openings to a minimum, keep 'em quick and make allowances in your cooking time for any time the door is opened for more than 3 minutes.   Believe it or not, you can loose up to 100 degrees for each minute that door is open!

As time passed, the house filled with an incredible aroma!  Sweet.....savory.....turkey!

Wylie T. Katz, turkey fanatic

The cat kept coming into the kitchen every few moments, sniffing the air around the oven and licking his chops. Although we don't as a rule give Wylie table scraps, turkey is one of those things that he just absolutely loves....well, let's be honest - he's a turkey fanatic!  So when it comes to the holiday meal we always give Mr. W a little treat.
He wouldn't have it any other way. 


While the turkey cooked, I tended to lasts minute things. Jack wanted mashed potatoes, so that needed being done.  But truth be told, they weren't  to be "mashed," per se.
They were to be whipped with my trusty, ancient hand mixer-featured in an earlier blog entry.
But first, those spuds had to be cooked.

Whipped potatoes

The potatoes went into the microwave after a thorough scrubbing, de-eyeing and slitting.  Since there were 15 medium and small taters, I figured it would take about 15 minutes on HIGH to get the job done.   I know there are folks who insist the only way to make mashed potatoes is to boil them after peeling.
That's a fine way to do it, too.  I just like getting all the flavor and it's more accessible by baking, steaming or 'waving.  Too many times veggies are "overboiled" and their tastiness gets lost to the boiling water. So if you do opt for this method, be careful.
Anyway.....

That underway, I ran down my check list. Beverages were chilling. Check. Cranberries chilling. Check.
The yams had been done the day before, so that just needed reheating. Check. The cole slaw was done and only needed to be set on the table. Check.

The table.....THE TABLE!!!!!

Jack set the table

It was time for that to get done. Jack pulled the table out from behind some microphone stands and opened it out in the middle of our dining room/recording studio.  I handed him one of his mother's wonderful table cloths and smiled as he pointed to the little china cabinet with our special dishes and offered to set the them 'round.  What a sweet guy!  Check!

I just sat down with a glass of sparkling cider when the oven timer chimed. Turkey time at last!

Both Jack and Wylie stood in the kitchen doorway as I opened the oven and liberated our main course from its dark, hot chamber.  There was only one word to describe the aroma as I peeled the brown paper away from the golden brown bird....."succulent," or as Jack put it, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

Squeezing orange juice over turkey

While the turkey rested, I put the yams and some of our home made dinner bread into the still hot oven for a bit of warming.  I also put the bowl of potatoes in with a pat of butter on top of them, just to make sure they were warm too.
Then I drizzled orange juice over the resting bird, just for fun and double checked the meat thermometer.

It had been a perfect 180 degrees when first put up, and after sitting for fifteen minutes it was still within range.  Time to  carve and present.  But first I grabbed a bowl and filled it with the stuffing. "Mmmmmmm" I heard from beneath me. Apparently the cat approved, too.

Carving the bird

Carving was easy.  First the legs and wings then the breasts. I didn't cut the whole thing down right then, we were all way too hungry for that!

So I covered the rest with a damp towel then a sturdy pan lid.  The former to keep it moist, the latter to keep it away from Wylie.  After that, everything was brought to the table and we sat down to eat with a prayer of hope for those who were not so fortunate as us, and a prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings we've been given.

To say the least, the meal was fantastic-this according to both Jack and Wylie, and in truth I had to give it a thumbs up too.

Labor intensive?  Completely!  Time consuming?  Absolutely! 
Worth it?  You betcha!   But hey! If you've ever eaten a dry turkey you know how miserable it can be!
This turkey always comes out moist and flavorful....that's true of both the dark and white meat.  This is a guaranteed moist turkey!
 
Please feel free to share your Turkey recipes here, and don't be afraid to try this recipe for yourself. Let me know any discoveries and modifications you make.  I'm always anxious to learn more.  Enjoy!

HOLIDAY RECIPE - Turkey with Stuffing Dinner TURKEY PREP

To begin at the beginning is to truly begin, so here it is.

Little City Meats

We begin with the bird....star of the show, piste de resistance, center piece of this culinary celebration....the turkey.  Arguably, fresh is always best but is not always possible.  We have a great little meat store down the street, Little City Meats....it's my dream to one day order a fresh holiday turkey from that place!  
Hey. Dreams do come true!

But until then I went as usual to the local Safeway to take advantage of their special Five Dollar Turkey sale.  Unfortunately they didn't have any of them left, but had a few in the next higher price range. So I got a 19.85 lb Tom Turkey for $9.00!  Frozen, yes...but affordable.  Yay!  While there I trolled the aisles for any other deals and came home with most of the meal shopping done with ten days to spare!  The remaining ingredients were picked up the following day at our local green grocer and  Foods Co. market. No muss, no fuss.

Meanwhile, back at the flat.....
While the turkey hibernated in our freezer for seven days, other preparations were underway.
I made bread....lots of bread....different varieties of bread....for Jack's family's Thanksgiving dinner and our own pending feast, and planned to use some as the bread for our stuffing.  As the time drew nigh, I collected the designated stuffing breads and broke them into pieces and stored the breads in a deep container. This mixture included cornbread, walnut bread and wheat/oat bread.

Stuffing packed to cure

One secret to good stuffing is hard or stale bread, so I left mixture in the container, but loosely covered so it could "stale up."  I didn't want the breads to get "bored," just laying around languishing so I added some of dry spices so they could start developing flavor.   
     These spices included a bit of poultry seasoning of course, a dash of extra sage, dried celery leaves, dried onion flakes, dried garlic flakes, thyme, a dash of pepper and salt (optional). Naturally, seasoning is a very personal thing...each to their own! Please use spices that suit your tastes.
     Once this was done, I set it in the pantry to dry-cure.

I made apple pie and apple sauce for Jack's family's feast and still had time on my hands, so used it to catch up on the blog.  I also took this opportunity to make the herb/butter rub that would be used in the marination of the turkey.  I put some butter in a container, added fine-chopped garlic, onion, poulty seasoning, sage and thyme and mixed it all together then put it in the fridge for a little blending time.

Then, at long last, it was time to begin the turkey process!

First thing was to defrost the thing.  I'm old school on this...a standard take it out of the freezer, put it on a cookie sheet on the bottom shelf of the fridge and let it do its thing for two days, kind of girl.
So that's what I did.

Sink prepared

While that happened I took the time to really clean the kitchen, stem to stern. All this began with a thorough wiping and sweeping. That took the better part of day one.
Day two found me concentrating on the sink, stove and other work surfaces.  Preparing the sink, particularly, took a lot of TLC.  After scrubbing it with cleanser and rinsing with hot water, I went in for the kill with a coarse salt and vinegar wash followed by another hot water rinse.  No self-respecting germ or bit of dirt dared show its face after such an onslaught of purification!

Turkey taking a bath

Then it was time for the turkey to come out of its wraps, face the world and have its Grand Bath. I always inspect the critter, inside and out, looking for things like freezer burn or discoloration.  I also use my nose....sniffing for any signs of purification.
Satisfied that all was fine, I continued by pulling out the package of giblets and neck that had been nestled within the turkey's large cavity, then  put the main body in the sink and turned on the cold water.   NOTE: cold not hot water, this is very important!    

Turkey covered and soaking

There were a few bits of ice inside the cavity, so I decided to let Mr. Gobbler soak in the sink for about 30 minutes.  Since we have a cat who is a turkey fiend, I covered our soaking friend with a couple of cookie sheets while I started the giblet basting broth and gravy base.

The giblets (heart, kidneys and liver) and neck (that long thing) are very useful!  There's a lot of flavor in those goodies and I was determined to unlock that yumminess, so put them in a pan of water on the stove for a good, long simmer.  Soon the house was filling with that familiar, rich, wonderful aroma!

Piercing pathways for flavor

Then it was time to check the turkey's condition, which by then was completely thawed.  I removed the bird to one of the towels, emptied the sink and then rinsed the bird inside and out before patting it dry. Then I pierced the turkey all over, inside and out, to develop "pathways" for flavor.

Now comes one of the most important parts of the process, getting the turkey ready for marination.
I took the butter out of the fridge and opened the lid.  Mmmmmmm!
 
Starting from the inside, I rubbed that bird from stem to stern with the herb butter, making sure to lift the skin along the two breast sides and rub some in there too.  Pretty much anywhere that could have butter rubbed onto it or into it, got it.   Then I sprinkled additional herbs throughout and on top of the turkey.  Same rule of thumb; if it could be spiced, it was.

Then it was time for a very important decision; what liquid or liquids should I use for the marination?

Any body can soak a turkey in wine; I do it all the time.  But gee whiz!  I wanted to do something different!  I saw the remaining oranges from Jack's sister sitting in a basket and began feeling twinges of inspiration.
There was some bourbon in the cupboard. Bourbon does something wonderful to to food, it goes well with oranges and I felt like doing something wild.  Before thinking twice, I added a healthy cup or thereabouts to the marinating bag.

Marinating in the bag

Once that was done I closed the bag and tied it tight, set it breast side down in a large bowl then started it on the first of many hours of marination in the refrigerator.  Four hours later I turned it breast up for another four hour fridge soak.  I did this rotating several times during the 12 hour marination.

NEXT INSTALLMENT: Stuffing and cooking the bird.

As always, feel free to share your recipes here....simply write them as comments, include your name and email....I'll be most happy to give credit where credit is due!  And above all else, Enjoy!