Thanksgiving Recipe Contest!
OK ladies and gents Halloween is behind us and we are looking toward thanksgiving so in the spirit of the Holiday We are holding a Thanksgiving Recipe contest. The rules are these recipes must be real recipes that your family uses or has used in your Thanksgiving Celebrations Or a Celebration popular in your country (Don't want to leave anyone out) So no coping Recipes off the internet!!!!!
The recipes will be judged on originality, Ease of preparation and of course how much it makes the judges mouths water. The prizes will be paid in game room bucks! So make sure you check out the new Game Room!
1st prize 20 thousand game room bucks and bragging rights!
2nd prize 10 thousand game room bucks
3rd prize 5 thousand game room bucks
this contest will run until Thanksgiving day so get those recipes posted!!!
SOUTHERN STYLE CORNBREAD DRESSING
you will need to adjust the amount of dressing to the amount of people served but it is basically the same no matter how bit or small amount made
1. homemade biscuits and cornbread(no canned biscuits/no sugar in
cornbread) buttermilk recipes are my favorite
2. crumple up biscuits and cornbread seperately into bowls and let set out
overnight to become a little stale
3. mix cornbread (60%) and biscuits(40%) (biscuits help hold dressing
together)
4. chopped celery and chopped onion added next. good rule of thumb is you want to get both in each bite of dressing.
5. add salt and black pepper to taste(yes you can sample the mix before
cooking to make sure of proper seasoning)
5. most important add rubbed sage(careful as this is an overpowering
spice. generally adding about 1 tsp for about 1 gal of dressing.
6. add red pepper flakes to mix (this according to taste or can be left out.
7. add enough plain chicken broth to dressing. just enough to moisten for
stuffing being placed into turkey. more broth for dressing being cooked
in pan in oven as you do not want this to dry out.
8. cook about 30min in oven or inside of turkey until turkey is done
9. serve with giblet gravy
GIBLET GRAVY FOR SOUTHERN STYLE DRESSING
1. remove giblets from your turkey(save liver for adding later) and simmer
in about 1 1/2 quart of slightly salted water with thin slices of onion
and celery leaves. after about 1 hour add liver and cook another 20 mins.
2. remove giblets and let cool. chop giblets into small pieces and strip neck
of all meat possible, discard bones.
3. you will need 2 hard boiled eggs. peeled and sliced into strips. discard yolk
4. using 1 cup of water from cooking the giblets, first let cool and add 1/4
all purpose flour, shake well until blended
5. bring remaining giblet water to a simmer and add flour water mix and let
simmer slowly until it thickens(if it does not thicken, you will have to add
flour mixed with cooled giblet water)
6. salt and black pepper to taste.
7. add chopped giblets and boiled egg to simmering water and turn off
8. serve over dressing
Honey Brined (Smoked) Turkey
Ingredients for Brine:
1 Gallon Hot water
1 Pound Kosher Salt
2 Quarts Vegetable broth
1 Pound Honey
1 7 Pound bag of ice
1 (15-20 pound Turkey)
Vegetable oil for rubbing
Directions:
Use a new lawn and leaf bag to line a 50-60 Quart cooler (cooler will retain scent of brine if you do not do this)
Combine hot water and salt in large dutch oven or stock pot, Stir until salt dissolves. Stir in the honey and vegtable broth (you may need to heat gently to get honey to completely dissolve). Pour mixture into lined cooler and add ice and stir. Place turkey in brine, Breast side up and cover with cooler lid. Brine overnight or up to 12 hours.
Remove Turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird with the vegetable oil and stuff if you choose.
Place in 400 degree oven and bake one hour. After one hour if the skin is golden brown, place aluminum foil over breast areas and continue cooling per package instructions or until internal temperature is 160 degrees. . Let sit 30 min, carve and enjoy
For those who would like to do this on a grill to smoke it:
Preheat grill to 400 degrees, place soaked wood chips (hickory work great) in the smoker box if you grill came with one, or make a tray out of double thickness aluminum foil making sure you turn up the edges all around. Place this direcly on the charcoal, or on the metal bar over the gas flame if using a gas grill. Set Turkey over indirect heat and follow the above directions to check after 1 hour. After one hour also replace the wood chips with a fresh batch, Continue cooking for recommended amount of time or until internal temp reaches 160. Let sit for 30-60 min.
Carve and enjoy!
(really isn't as complicated as it sounds :))
This turkey comes out very moist and flavorful, Even the breast meat that tends to be on the dry side.
Have a good Thanksgiving everyone.
From Russia w/ Love... or something
The following is a version of the recipe that my family has used for generations. It’s not really a “Thanksgiving” recipe as Russians don’t celebrate the holiday. Of course living in America now my family does so I guess it just became the appropriate dish for my grandmother to start making decades ago.
Turkey (Approx. 4-4 ˝ hrs):
Turkey (approx. 15 lbs.)
1 ˝ lbs. Bacon (regular bacon, don't use sugary or maple smoked)
Salt / Pepper
Stuffing (15 minutes):
1 ˝ lbs. Pecans or Walnuts (either one creates a different but distinct flavor, I myself prefer walnuts)
3 lbs. Liver (calf)
French bread cut into cubes (remove crust)
Bread crumbs (amount depends on the mixtures consistency)
˝ - 1 cup Milk
5 eggs (beaten)
Celery (three stalks, medium slice)
*Sour Cherries 2-3 cups (optional, if you can find em’ I recommend)
*Raisins1-1 ˝ cups (you can use raisins instead of cherries as well)
Salt / Pepper
To make stuffing:
Chop up the nuts into small pieces and set aside. Sauté the liver for about 3-4 minutes just to brown it. Put liver into blender and lightly blend. Be careful you want to lightly blend and chop it’s not a margarita so don’t go crazy :-) You want it to have a consistency like hamburger so if you own a grinder like I do this works better.
Put the chopped liver in a bowl, add nuts, bread, milk, eggs, celery, *cherries, and mix by hand. Add breadcrumbs based on desired consistency but it should be somewhat wet, imagine moist meatloaf.
The bird:
Obviously clean the bird, inside and out. Place the stuffing mixture inside the turkey and either “sew” it closed or stick skewers through it in an X pattern to close it. Salt / Pepper the bird. Cover the whole turkey with bacon; legs, back, breast, etc. Then tie with string just as you would say a stuffed loin. Stick a meat thermometer into the breast area. Roast in oven, covered in foil, at 400⁰ F for 45 minutes.
Reduce heat to 375⁰ F and continue to roast for 3 hours. At this point you need to also start basting the turkey every 15 or 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue roasting and basting until the thermometer reaches 175⁰ F. prick the thigh and if the juice is clear the turkey is done.
Drain juices into a bowl and slap in the freezer while turkey is resting for about 10-15 minutes. After resting cut the tie string, pull out the stuffing. Take the bowl from the freezer with the drained juices and remove the fat layer that has formed at the top, use the juices to pour over the turkey.
