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Friday, November 29, 2013

Savoring Leftovers - The Good, the Bad, the Weird.

I will admit that, like pizza, I prefer the day after leftovers to the original meal.  I will say, however, that the turkey this year was one of the best ever - the brine recipe I used is a keeper!  I also ended up brining the bird for 48 hours instead of overnight.  One advantage of our present climate is that it is cold enough to make the great outdoors an extension of the refrigerator.

I've got the carcass (not mine, the turkey's) in my big stock pot, simmering away with roasted vegetables.  I've got a pile 'o leftover bird waiting a white chili makeover (tomorrow - I've got the day off today).  There was no stuffing for this girl, but there was no lack of delicious food for me to choose from.  And how did the the meal pan (pun intended) out?  Here's a review of my recipe adventures:

Turkey - New brine recipe is GOOD.  Basically - two quarts of apple juice (I used unsweetened, natural), one cup of kosher salt, one gallon of water, five pounds of ice cubes.  Dissolve the salt in the juice/water combo, put your turkey breast down, put ice cubes on top and add more water to submerge, if necessary.  I brine my turkey in a giant zip loc bag in a cooler.  You could skip the bag and just use a cooler, but I find it easier to clean everything.  Plus I usually have to transport the turkey for cooking, so it works out much better.  We roasted it without adding anything else, although my sister popped half a large onion and half a head of unpeeled garlic in the cavity.  I am using both in the stock.

Cranberry Relish - Last year I made it with fresh, unfrozen berries.  It was better. This year I made it with frozen berries.  GOOD (but better with fresh berries).  The recipe is Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish (the famous, Pepto Bismol pink relish from an NPR personality's mother).  It is an unusual recipe but we all love it.  

Carrot Mash - A hands-down GREAT recipe.  I will make this often.

Mincemeat Pie with Gluten Free Crust - Mincemeat was GOOD (if I do say so myself, it being homemade).  The crust was BAD. This was the first time I have been disappointed in a Gluten Free Mama mix.  It was difficult to roll out, so it ended up thicker than I like.  This made it tricky to bake - and even with my handy silicone crust protector, the edges were toast (and not in a good way) by the time the top browned sufficiently.  I may tweak it a bit, as I have four more mixes.

Now, for the WEIRD.  The Gluten-Free and Vegan Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bars.  Somehow, I missed the fact that they were not baked.   And the reference to "Vegan" should have raised an eyebrow.  But I was so focused on the Pumpkin and Gluten Free, that I missed the warning signs.  Once I got over the shock that it was not baked, it still sounded promising - with a crust that included dates, oats, coconut and pumpkin seeds.  However, the filling/topping, being pumpkin puree with no binder, sat atop the crust like weird, cold pudding.  I will not make it again.  Surprisingly, I have loads left.  The chickens will be dining well...

All in all, it was a great meal, made more so by the inclusion of family - those at the table, and those that couldn't be with us, but were in our thoughts and fond remembrances.  There is so much for which I am thankful.  I hope everyone had the day they desired.

9 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

sounds like you had a wonderful holiday!

Susan said...

Jaz - I did, and I am still enjoying it! Hope you had a great holiday, too!

Leigh said...

This is the second blog I've read this evening that included an entire Thanksgiving menu. Now I'm hungry!

It's also the second blog that mentioned brined turkey. Now I must try! Thanks, Susan for the recipe. It's bookmarked!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

The carrot mash sounds different. I'll have to look at that one. What type of mint did you use?

Susan said...

Leigh - Happy Belated Thanksgiving! I can't recommend brining a turkey more highly. It makes ALL the difference, in my opinion. I liked this recipe best, since it doesn't add sugar.

Susan said...

Kristina - There's just enough mint in it to enhance the flavor of the carrots - I used my garden variety of mint, whatever it is. Luckily, I remembered to cut some and put it in water before our temperatures plunged into the single digits!

Unknown said...

I always make Indian Pudding, I much prefer it to anything pumpkin :(

Fiona said...

What a wonderful meal you must have had.....I found it interesting you make the Pepto Bismol relish too! My husband and I love it...however the first Family dinner He took me too it made a statement. {Second marriage and he has a big family] We are still not sure if it was because it I brought it or it was the color but we were the only people to eat it and took it home....sad for them good for us! I use onions, Garlic Cloves and chunks of parsnip to fill the turkey cavity, I also dry it and rub the interior with sage and my own dried basil before I put the whole onions etc inside the bird. My husband and I are very much enjoying your blog!

Susan said...

LHB - I am going to have to try Indian Pudding. I've heard a lot about it, but have never had it.