Thread: 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!!!

Ok guys our judges for this contest are DwarvenChef, gssixgun, icedog, and ZethLent each Judge will select a recipe from the entry's that they find most intriguing and prepare it as part of their meal and report back the winners will then be selected from this group. I know we have so great cooks on here so lets get those family recipes submitted and have some holiday fun!

one to get us started

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen cranberries, thawed
• 2 oranges, juiced and 1 orange zested
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the cranberries just begin to burst, about 15 minutes.

Complete Dinner:
1) Ask nice girl out on a date
2) After many dates, confirm that she can cook
3) After a fun courtship, get married
4) Watch football, drink beer, and wait for dinner to finish cooking
5) Take trash out and help clean up so step 4 happens again.

I think we have a winner, well done Slarti' verry funny!

Sourdough pecan dressing:


1lb loaf of bakery sourdough (not presliced), diced into 1/2" cubes, put on a cookie sheet, brushed with melted butter using a pastry brush, (~3tblsp) (can do this after slicing but before reducing to a dice if you want to simplify application and don't mind gloves/greasy fingers), sprinkle with 2 pinches of kosher or coarse sea salt, toasted in 300degree oven for 5-15minutes (until color just starts to change)

1 large white onion, minced
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

(saute individually (or together but added at intervals if you are a regular cook)) in a further tbls butter on med high heat finish with a pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted pecans, processed or chopped finely

1 1/2 tsp dry thyme leaves
1/2 tbls fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbls fresh chopped sage leaves OR 1 tsp dry chopped sage leaves (not ground)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tbls honey or 1 tbls molasses

Mix Dry ingredients and slowly add:

1 pint fresh chicken/turkey stock heated + 1/4 cup melted butter

Until stuffing binds

Stuff into:

1 small chicken skin or large turkey breast skin (Use the stuff that was inside to make the required stock if you like)

Punch holes in skin with clean nail/boning knife/turkey kit needle/whatever and sew closed with butchers twine

Heat large cast iron skillet. Sear the bundle on all sides.

Place bundle in roasting pan

Insert roasting thermometer, set alarm to 175 degrees
Put roasting pan into 350 degree oven until alarm goes off.

Remove, serve as haggis.

Apple Cider Doughnuts
Adapted from Lauren Dawson at Hearth Restaurant
Makes 18 doughnuts + 18 doughnut holes (suggested yield for a 3-inch cutter; my larger one yielded fewer)
.
1 cup apple cider
3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil or shortening (see my explanation in the post) for frying
Toppings (optional)
Glaze (1 cup confectioners’ sugar + 2 tablespoons apple cider)
Cinnamon sugar (1 cup granulated sugar + 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon)

Make the doughnuts: In a saucepan over medium or medium-low heat, gently reduce the apple cider to about 1/4 cup, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed (with the paddle attachment, if using a standing mixer) beat the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until the eggs are completely incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the reduced apple cider and the buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Add the flour mixture and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper and sprinkle them generously with flour. Turn the dough onto one of the sheets and sprinkle the top with flour. Flatten the dough with your hands until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use more flour if the dough is still wet. Transfer the dough to the freezer until it is slightly hardened, about 20 minutes. Pull the dough out of the freezer. Using a 3-inch or 3 1/2-inch doughnut cutter — or a 3 1/2-inch round cutter for the outer shape and a 1-inch round cutter for the hole from a set like this, as I did — cut out doughnut shapes. Place the cut doughnuts and doughnut holes onto the second sheet pan. Refrigerate the doughnuts for 20 to 30 minutes. (You may re-roll the scraps of dough, refrigerate them briefly and cut additional doughnuts from the dough.)
Add enough oil or shortening to a deep-sided pan to measure a depth of about 3 inches. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees. Have ready a plate lined with several thicknesses of paper towels.
Make your toppings (if using): While the cut doughnut shapes are in the refrigerator, make the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar and the cider until the mixture is smooth; make the cinnamon sugar by mixing the two together. Set aside.
Fry and top the doughnuts: Carefully add a few doughnuts to the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan, and fry until golden brown, about 60 seconds. Turn the doughnuts over and fry until the other side is golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain on paper towels for a minute after the doughnuts are fried. Dip the top of the warm doughnuts into the glaze or cinnamon sugar mixture (if using) and serve immediately

remember guys these need to be recipes you actually use in your home. Keep em coming everyone!!!!!!!

1. 12 to 14 lb thawed or fresh turkey
2. deep fryer with about 4 gallons pure peanut oil heated to 350 f.
always cook outside, never inside house or garage(after all this is hot oil)
3. inject turkey with cajun injection sauce (creole butter is best)
make sure to inject into breast and legs and an any other thicker pieces
of meat. let marinade for about 30 mins.
4. sprinkle the outside and inside of the turkey with cajun spice
5. slowly lower turkey into hot oil and cook for about 3 min per pound. when
turkey begins to float is a good sign you are about done. raise turkey out
of oil and check internal temp by inserting temp gauge into breast. should
be 180f inside breast.
6. slice and enjoy. all of the turkey meat will be moist and after tasting it
cooked this way never want another baked turkey
NEVER STUFF TURKEY WHEN USING A DEEP FRYER/make sure to remove giblet bag from inside turkey!!!
NEVER EVER TRY TO DEEP FRY A FROZEN TURKEY. this will cause a reaction you really do not want to see

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