A Minnesotan Christmas Eve Meal

I have had free reign on my cooking creativity for quite a few months now.  My sous chef (slash dining companion) has an adventurous palate and an open mind - a quality that rates extremely high on my list.  He may give an honest opinion, but at least he'll be open to guinea pig status.  (In turn, I promise takeout if my food sucks.)

So my mom sent me an email a few weeks ago saying she didn't have any good ideas of what to make for Christmas Eve meal at her fiancee's house.  I automatically jumped at the chance to design a menu.  Visions of stuffed mushrooms, simply simple sweet potatoes, rosemary bread rolls and the like danced in my head.  I had an extravagantly delicious meal mentally planned... and then I was brought back down to earth.  Mom informed me that mushrooms were not liked and sweet potatoes were not preferred.  This was my Minnesotan family, and unfortunately adventurous palates are not part of their personalities.  So I was tasked with designing a menu that I felt proud of while suiting the rather bland taste buds of my family. 

Enter the dilemna of chefs trying to cook for a group of people.  I'm not the first to encounter such a challenge, nor will this be my last.

I enlisted my mother as a trusty sous chef (and dish washer) and away we went:

• Slow Roasted Turkey and Sausage Apple Stuffing 
• 12 pound Turkey was slow roasted at 325 degrees for 4.5 hours.  Slow roasting requires less basting than higher temps.  I stuffed the turkey with the stuffing, and put the rest into a casserole dish - it went in with the turkey for the last 30 minutes.

I was busy cooking, so I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but I can assure you my turkey and stuffing looked semi similar to this one.  (Righhhhhhhhhhhtttt...)

• Buttermilk Parmesan Mash Potatoes 
• I made these as is.  Although I would have preferred to use a potato masher to make these, my mom's fiancee didn't have one.  Against my will, I was forced to use a beater to mash the potatoes.  Use extreme caution - over beating potatoes with a mixer/beater can result in potatoes that have the consistency of glue.  Also, be sure to use warm milk - it keeps the potatoes from getting too starchy.  Milk can be room temperature or simmered before adding to potatoes.

• Broccoli Au Gratin with Parmesan Toasted Breadcrumbs 
• our Burnsville Cub Foods didn't have Gruyere cheese, plus I thought it might be too much for my family's limited palate, so I used a mixture of grated parm and mozzerella.  I used a considerable amount more than the recipe called for as well - probably a cup.  I also toasted the breadcrumbs in a skillet - melted butter, add breadcrumbs, small amount of grated parm, keep it moving.  Added a delicious crunch. 

Excellent stuffing making an appearance in the background.

• Spicy Green Beans 
• this was my favorite dish.  Probably because it was so clean (my mom tells me I eat clean, and after this Christmas feast, I feel like crap and totally believe her).  I added a PINCH of crushed red pepper and sauted with the garlic.  This added a perfect amount of kick - not overbearing, but enough flavor. 

• Holiday Mac 'n' Cheese
• created from a mix of this and this.  Basically, I made a Roux (mix of flour and mix, whisked well) and I whisked the heck out of it until it was boiling, then continued to boil and whisk for about two minutes until it was thick.  Once it was thick, I removed from heat, added a ridiculous amount of medium cheddar, mozzerella and a chipotle jack.  (In a Kelley world, I would have used a blue, a gouda, and other exciting cheeses, but again, MN family - God love 'em.)  Then I had my mom earn her keep, put some back into it and stir away until then were melted.  This was my most disapointing dish.  After Marry Me Mac 'n' Cheese, this toned down "safe" dish just didn't make me want to marry myself.  Actually, I probably wouldn't have even made out with myself drunk at a skeevy bar.  Regardless, my  mom liked it and she was happy, so all was right in the world.

Overall, I think I did pretty well.  My mom was a HUGE help.  I have always wondered why anyone might possible need a double oven... and yesterday I learned why they come in handy.  Sweet Baby Jesus.... I had a mild panic attack thinking of my 4.5 hour turkey taking up the entire oven.... how would I possible heat my other dishes?  But I tented the turkey after I pulled it out to keep the heat in and threw all the other dishes in the oven for 30 minutes while my mom's fiancee carved the turkey.  In the end, all was warm, all was cooked.

Success!

Turkey and Spinach Curry

I found this recipe in the New York Times, and I modified it. I had already used some of the leftover turkey to make this dill soup. Now it was time to try making a curry dish.



Ingredients:
2 T peanut oil
1 t ground ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 t turmeric
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t cayenne
1 c chopped tomatoes
1 c coconut milk (unsweetened)
Salt
Pepper
6 oz of fresh baby spinach, trimmed, chopped
2 c leftover Thanksgiving turkey
1/4 c Frank's Hot Sauce
Cilantro, chopped
White rice

Start by heating the oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Add the ginger, garlic, and onions until they are soft. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. If you are a spice wimp, cut back on the cayenne. Stir for one minute.Add the undrained tomatoes and coconut milk. I used some tomatoes that I had in the freezer. Toss in a dash of salt and pepper. Boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes.

Now, add the spinach and turkey. The spinach will wilt. After 5 minutes, check to make sure that the turkey is warm. Stir in the hot sauce (only if you like spicy food). Serve over white rice. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.

Check to see if it needs more salt. Serve!


Next time that I make this, I'll probably add some cashews and mushrooms.

Turkey soup for your turkey leftovers

I whipped up a soup with the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. I did a quick inventory of the BF's fridge and came up with this concoction. It was very delicious and flavorful. The dill added a unique flavor twist.

Ingredients:
4 cups (32 oz) of chicken broth
About 1/2 cup of chopped green pepper
2 baby red potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup corn (frozen)
½ cup of chopped onions
Pepper
Salt
2 cups of turkey (roughly chopped)
1 tablespoon of dill

Start by bringing the broth to a boil in a big pot or Dutch oven. Next, I added about ½ cup of chopped green peppers. I used some that we had in the freezer from the BF’s aunt’s garden. (If you are a wimp about spices, I would wait to add the peppers toward the end of the recipe. I think that the recipe was quite spicy because I added the chopped peppers at such an early stage. ) Toss in the cubed potatoes, corn, and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Next, I added the turkey and dill. I let it simmer for about five minutes. Check the turkey to make sure that it’s warm, and serve!

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

I think about food, oh, 97% of my day.  In the morning, I am already thinking about lunch... during lunch I am thinking about what I want to eat  for dinner.  Most of the time I dream about things I want to eat, like meatball subs, pad thai, steak and cheeses, etc.  You know, things that I could totally indulge in, except if I did it with any regularity, I would need an entirely new wardrobe.  Gotta stay at fightin' weight!

One afternoon I had a burger craving and the recipe below was born.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• green onion
• onion
• garlic
• soy sauce
• cheese
• egg
• bread crumbs

Start by chopping up some garlic, onion and some green onion.  You don't need much - this will be working into your ground turkey.

BEHOLD!  A mini food processor!  Santa Mom brought me this for Christmas last year and this was, very sadly, the first time I have used it.  I guess I was previously intimidated by it.... looked like a lot of clean up for minimal results.  In fact, this thing's blade had seen more action cutting my finger in moving it all around the last  nine months.  

In went the garlic, onions and soy sauce and down went the button.  AMAZING.  I can't believe I haven't used this thing before.  What a little powerful chopper!  Given my studio size kitchen, with extremely limited counter and cabinet space, this perfectly replaces a much larger food processor.  

Once you've minced and chopped, work into your ground turkey.  Add in some bread crumbs and egg.  These two ingredients will act as a binding agent to keep your burgers from falling apart.  Mix only enough properly mix.  Because of the lower fat count (than beef), ground turkey tends to get tough and dry out in cooking.  Form into very, very thin patties.  I used a spatula to press down and my fingers to properly form the edges.

Transfer your flat turkey patties to a broiler pan.  Cover with your favorite chopped cheese.  I used a manchego.  I love cheese, so I piled mine high.  You stuff a burger by stacking two burgers on top of each other and pinching the edges together, much like you might do a calzone.  Be sure to leave a bit of room around the edge of the burger like I did. 

A cheese free perimeter if you will.  :)

These are the final products - cheese goodness stuffed inside.  Broil on high, with a layer of tin foil covering them.  This will keep the burger tops from over cooking, but allowing them to cook all the way through.  I broiled them covered for 20 minutes, flipped for 10 and broiled them uncovered for another 10 minutes, until golden brown.

These babies went in between some low calorie sandwich thins, a side of steamed asparagus and some relish.  Instant weekday dinner!