Making Tuesday Tasty-Herb-Roasted Turkey

It's almost Thanksgiving!! Yay!  I absolutely love Thanksgiving and it is my favorite holiday. I've been hosting it for my family the last few years because I love it so much. I generally try to go simple and delicious with my bird and usually do a version of this recipe every time.  I generally will also rub olive oil on the skin of the bird for a nice golden, crisp skin.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 12-14-pound turkey, giblets and neck removed, at room temperature for 1 hour
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 medium onion, quartered
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Set a rack inside a large roasting pan. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Rub bird inside and out with salt and pepper. Place turkey on the rack in the pan. Using a fork, mix butter, lemon zest, rosemary, sage, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub herb butter over top of turkey and inside cavity. Place onion, orange, and lemon inside turkey cavity. Tuck tips of wings under bird (this prevents them from burning during the long roasting time). Pour 4 cups water into pan. Roast turkey, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Baste turkey with pan juices; add more water if needed to maintain at least 1/4" liquid in the bottom of roasting pan. Continue roasting turkey, basting every 30 minutes and tenting with foil if skin is turning too dark, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165°F (juices should run clear when thermometer is removed), about 2 3/4 hours total. Transfer turkey to a platter. Tent with foil and let rest for 1 hour before carving.

*recipe courtesy of epicurious.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Thanksgiving Turkey

Ok, so the focal point of most tables during Thanksgiving will be a gorgeous turkey! Here is one recipe I've come across to make the most of your Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity; ditch the liver and save the rest of the giblets for gravy. Dry the turkey with paper towels, then season inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill the turkey with aromatics like chopped onions, carrots, apples and herbs, then place breast-side up in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Tent with foil and roast for 2 hours (for a 10- to 12-pound turkey; add an extra 15 minutes per pound for larger birds). Remove the foil, baste with more melted butter and crank the oven to 425 degrees F. Roast for another hour or until the meat at the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Let rest while you make the gravy.

*recipe/photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Healthy White Chili

I made this the other day based off of Ellie Krieger's recipe. I adapted it a little to my liking and what I had on hand.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 Poblano peppers fresh or small can of green chili's found in the grocery store

2 stalks celery

1/2 to whole medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 lb. ground turkey

Black pepper to taste

3 to 4 cans of Navy or your favorite beans(I used 2 cans Navy, 1 can black bean) If you want more beans add the 4th can.

4 C low sodium chicken broth, veggie broth, or beef broth.

Preparation

Sautee your pepper, celery, onion, and garlic together until tender in the olive oil. Once done, add your turkey and cook through. Once turkey is cooked through, add your rinsed beans and broth to the pot and simmer for about 15 to 25 minutes. The combo will combine in flavor and thicken slightly.

Serve. You can top with cilantro, sour cream, lime, and my favorite hot sauce! Anything to boost that Southwest flavor!

*photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com/Lucille Bluth*

Making Tuesday Tasty-High Heat Turkey

It's November so I'm gonna start things out right! A classic Turkey prepared and cooked on high heat. Whenever I cook poultry on high heat it turns out succulent and delicious. As long as you cover it properly in the beginning, make sure there's water at bottom of the pan and, and let it rest, you're going to have one beautiful bird! Not to mention shaving off precious time in the cooking process.

Ingredients

16-18 lbs fresh whole turkey

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh black pepper, to taste

3 cups as needed chicken broth

Directions
1. Dry a 16 to 18 lb. turkey inside and out with paper towels.

2. Oil the turkey inside and out with any kind of vegetable oil (olive, canola, etc.) using your hands.
3. Cut away any excess skin around the opening of the cavity and wedge a fork inside the cavity to open it further. Leave the fork in to keep cavity open.

4. Rub spices, herbs, or just pepper all over the bird with your oily fingers.

5. Place the turkey, breast side down on a rack in a large metal roasting pan.

6. Cover the top of the turkey, including legs and wings with greased foil.

7. Pour ¾-inch of chicken or turkey broth in the bottom of the pan. As the turkey cooks, check the liquid every 45 minutes and add more in case it evaporates.

8. Cook the turkey at 500° to 525° for 2 hours.

9. Remove foil, stuff the turkey with cooked stuffing and return it to the rack breast side up.

10. Cook the turkey 30 to 45 minutes longer until an instant-read thermometer stuck deep in the thigh reads 175°.

11. Let the turkey rest at least 20 minutes, this allows the meat to reabsorb its juices.

Suggestions to go along with this cooking process. If you salt or over salt you will be taking the juices from the bird. Find a large enough pan to fit the bird in and put it on a rack so it's not "stewing". Allow the heated air to flow around the bird and cook it properly. Don't baste the bird because it breaks down the lovely caramelization on the bird as well as uses up the pan juices that would be later used for gravy. Don't cover with cheesecloth because it prevents browning and color to the bird.

**This recipe I've used is taken courtesy of Recipezaar/kiwidutch. Photo courtesy of Recipezaar**