A FEW OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES
In no particular order...
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Smoked Turkey
Before you can spend all day smoking a turkey, you have to brine it the night before.
Our smoker can only handle about a 13 pound turkey, but this recipe can be used with much larger birds.
Using a fresh turkey is great, but a frozen ones work just as well.
Brine Ingredients:
2 cups of water
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Worceshershire sauce
1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns
12-15 chopped garlic cloves
2-3 tbs chopped fresh ginger
2 tbs ground coriander
2 tbs onion powder
Several fresh rosemary sprigs
2 gallons ice water
Brining Instructions:
Place all the ingredients except the two gallons of ice water in a big stockpot and bring to a slight boil, stirring well. Let cool, and then add all the ice water.
Place the turkey (or other meat) in a large container and pour the brine mixture over it. As you can see from the above photo, I used my blue cooler, and now it can never be used for anything else. It worked just fine, but in retrospect an inexpensive 5 gallon plastic bucket might have been a better choice.
Chances are the container is too big to fit in the fridge if you're a doing a large bird, but keep the turkey as cold as possible while brining.
Soak for at least 8-9 hours, but don't leave it longer than 12. Start the process in the evening and it will be ready the next morning.
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it well, both inside and out, so that the meat is not too salty.
Pat it dry and place it in a disposable foil roaster.
Baste the turkey with a little coat of butter or oil (I like to use a mix of both).
It is now ready for smoking.
Smoking Instructions:
Follow the instructions for your particular type of smoker--we have a Weber Smokey Mtn. model.
Once you have the charcoal going and the coals have reached 225 degrees, add a handful of wood chips (soaked in water over night so they won't burn too quickly) on top.
Place a tray of water on the lower shelf, then put the turkey on the middle rack and cover with the lid.
Smoke until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. For a 10 pound turkey this takes about 6 hrs, and for a 13 pound one it's about 8 hrs. This works out to be roughly 30 minutes per pound, but timing depends on a number of factors.
It's important to not let the coals burn down too low or the temp of the smoker will fall. And refrain from taking off the lid as much as possible for the same reason. Let the turkey come to room temperature before placing it in the smoker, as a cold one takes significantly longer to cook.
Cover the legs and wings with foil after a few hours to prevent them from drying out, and cover the breast as well for the final hour or two.
Once the internal temp has reached 165 degrees remove the turkey from the smoker and let it rest for half an hour. Then enjoy!
I made this for our 2014 Gloog Party, and it went over really well.
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And speaking of Glogg:
This recipe originally comes from my father's friend, who is of Swedish extraction. He got it from his father, who got it from his father... It is a beverage meant to be drunk on cold winter nights.
My Dad and his friend would have a big party every year where they would make this with much fanfare, and in more recent years my husband and I have taken over the annual duty. Several of our friends enjoy it so much that they make their own batches of Glogg.
2 parts ruby (or plain port)
2 parts tawny port
1 part inexpensive vodka
Blanched almonds, cinnamon sticks, raisins, cloves and cardamon seeds
Small box of sugar cubes
Put everything except the vodka and sugar cubes into a large cauldron (or stock pot).
Heat the mixture until in barely starts to boil.
Then using a metal sieve, place a number of the sugar cubes in the sieve and pour enough vodka over to soak.
Turn down the lights and play Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, and feel free to shout prayers and incantations to the Norse gods. Horned helmets and braided blond wigs may also be worn.
Carefully, light the sugar cubes from the TOP (lighting from below the sieve ignites the surface of the sacred brew). Have a lid for the cauldron at hand to smother any flames if necessary.
Continue adding cubes a few at a time while gently pouring over the rest of the vodka to keep it burning & caramelizing.
Once all the vodka has been added, leave the mixture to slowly simmer for a little while and then remove the majority of the cardamon seeds, which will be floating on top.
Ladle into mugs and start imbibing while the brew is still hot, and enjoy!
Even better, have a big bottle of last year's concoction to serve, as this will have matured into a delightfully enjoyable libation. Glogg ages beautifully.
What is not drank immediately can be decanted into the empty port bottles, being sure to include some of the cinnamon sticks, cloves, almonds and raisins in each one, since they will assist in the aging process.
Some tips:
Don't use more sugar cubes that necessary so it doesn't become too sweet.
Crush a few of the cardamon seeds as you add them to the brew, but too much cardamon can overwhelm the other ingredients.
You can use as much of the cinnamon sticks, cloves, almonds and raisins as you like.
You may want to try making a small batch or two before doing so in front of a big audience, as it can get a bit messy
My father is a wonderful artist and always draws beautiful labels to put on the refilled bottles, which are always in great demand.
Using a half-page shipping label works really well for the drawings, and I've included a few examples of them above.
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is straight from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, where it is listed as the best cookie of 1935-40. I have an old copy of the cookbook, which dates from 1963, but I also have a much newer copy that is not as fragile. It's not hard to find in bookstores, and is full of other great cookie recipes.
I usually refer to the Holidays as 'Cookie Season', and chocolate chip cookies are the ones that I always make every year. I pretty much have the recipe memorized.
2/3 cup of butter and vegetable shortening (a combo of both, neither of them melted, totaling 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of good quality chocolate chips
Mix the butter and vegetable shortening, both sugars, egg and vanilla thoroughly with an electric mixer.
Stir the dry ingredients together and blend in, then add the chocolate chips. Then place rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Nuts or toffee pieces can also be added to the cookie dough, but please, please, never add raisins to this. It's just wrong.
In regards to using both butter and shortening, they both have qualities that you want--butter gives the lovely flavor, and the shortening helps to give it a nice crispiness. But don't melt them as this will make the cookies heavier. Use butter and shortening at room temp.
You can use the dough right away, or place it in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for several weeks. It even freezes pretty well. If you are baking a batch with cold dough, add a minute or two to the cooking time.
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Spatchcocked Roast Turkey
Explain spatchcocking
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Tomato Sauce
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Mashed Potatoes
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