Thanksgiving Turkey

I love the holidays!!! All the good things are made this time of year!!

This here is my take on Thanksgiving turkey!! Not stuffed or dried out, but tender, juicy tangy turkey that will even taste good cold!!

Two bottles of Criollo Mojo marinade (Goya makes a great mojo marinade)
13-18lb turkey
two oranges
two limes
two lemons
one thickly sliced onion (sweet)
one small round plastic trashcan
Adobo seasoning (Goya)
One apple for aromatics

Rinse and clean turkey. Save the packet that comes within the turkey for gravy. Generously season the turkey with the adobo. Set the turkey aside.

Shake the mojo marinade to loosen up the bits that settle to the bottom, and pour one container of the the marinade into the small trashcan. Add the chopped onion, and set the turkey on top of the onions breast down. Cut the citrus in half and squeeze all over the back of the turkey, and then use the other container of mojo and pour it also over the back of the turkey. Put the lid*** on the turkey and set someplace cool (I use my deck) and marinate anywhere from 24-48 hours,turning the turkey every 12 hours.

Turn oven on 500 degrees. Remove the turkey from the marinade and disregard the marinade. Line a roaster pan with foil and set the turkey in the roaster pan the the wings tucked in. Add the apple sliced in half into the mouth of the turkey. Rub generously with olive oil and bake in the oven on high heat until the turkey browns, about 25-30 minutes (keep an eye on it cause the mojo marinade has vinegar in it, and with the citrus, it can easily burn. You want a nice mahogany color).

Once browned, turn the oven down to 325 degrees, cover the turkey with foil and bake the turkey for 3-3 1/2 hours. Once done, do not cut it right away!!! Let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Use the yummy juices leftover in the roasting pan to make giblet gravy!!

Giblet gravy- Rinse the innards that is in the packet under cool water. Put a cup of water into a sauce pan and season with the adobo, black pepper. Boil until the innards are well done, about 20 mintues. Drain and pull the meat of the turkey neck, and finely chop the rest of the innards. Put back in sauce pan. Using a strainer, pour the turkey drippings into the saucepan, about 2 cups full, and in a glass mix 4 tbls of flour with 1/4 of water in a glass, and pour the mixture into the saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil until thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve alongside the turkey.

***My lid for my turkey trashcan is very tight!! Make sure you purchase a trashcan that has a snap on lid!!!

Sweet Potato Pudding

Sweet potato pudding, sweet potato casserole, sweet potato fluff!! Soo many different names and variations on this awesome casserole. Well, here is my version. Smoot, sweet, with a hint of pineapple and whiskey. Toasted marshmallows just sets it off!! Gosh, my mouth is watering!!

Ingredients:

4 large sweet potatoes or yams

1 stick of butter (yeah, I said butter)

1/2 cup of white sugar

1 can of crushed pineapple

1/2 cup of brown sugar (gotta mix the brown and white, don't act shocked)

2tsp of vanilla

2tsp of nutmeg

2tsp of ginger

1 egg

2tbl of cinnamon

2 miniture bottles of whiskey (1 for you to drink and one for the recipe, smile)

1/2 cup of milk

one bag mini or regular marshmallows

Preheat oven to 375. While the oven is preheating, scrub the potatoes under cold running water, and then wrap in foil. Put in the oven for 1-2 hours or until they feel soft to the touch.*** Remove from the oven and set aside to let cool enough to handle, but not too cool (or you can be like me and take skin off while hot. I am crazy like that).

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl with the stick of butter and mash first. Then, here is the fun part, put the mixture in either a blender or use your stand mixer (I used my trusty mixer for this part). And beat for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides. After the 5 minutes, add your sugars and egg, clean your beaters off if you have to get rid of the strings. Add the milk and beat again until smooth, anywhere between 5 upto 15 minutes ( I am talking babyfood consistency).

Sir in your spices and the whiskey, pineapple, pour into a greased 13x9 casserole dish or, a greased round casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Add your marshmallows and either broil low for 5 minutes or throw that sucker back in the oven at the 350 temp until the marshmallows are nice and golden and to your liking.

***The skin should pull away easily if they are done. If not bake them longer until it is.

You can add alot to this!!! Pineapples, sauteed apples, coconut, they all go good in this recpie.

Cake Honey Butter Cornbread

This cornbread is the mother cornbread of all cornbreads!!!! Soft, moist, sweet, dense, just like cake!!! Great for dinner or desert!! Once you make this delicious cornbread, you can put the box Jiffy Cornbread to bed!!! Enjoy!!!

Dry ingredients:

2 cups of flour

2 cups of cornmeal

1 cup of sugar

2 tbl of baking powder

1 tsp of salt

Wet ingredients:

5 eggs

1 cup of oil

2 1/2 cups of milk

Butter, honey of course!!!!

Grease a 13x9 inch pan. Set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients first in one bowl, in another bowl, mix the wet ingredients until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well blended (don't overmix it).

Pour into the greased pan, bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cornbread!!! Once you remove it from the oven, top the cornbread with pats of butter and let it melt over the cornbread. Then squeeze some good quality honey over the top. DON'T BE STINGY WITH THE BUTTER OR THE HONEY!! YUMMY!!!!!

This Summer

I have done soo many things this summer!! From going to Vegas to Colorado!! This has been one of the best summers ever!! Posting pics soon of my adventures!! Even got to taste Pinks hotdog in Vegas!!

Banannas Foster

I SO love cooking with liquor!! It adds such great taste to things once it is cooked down. This dessert is no exception. The rum, bananas, butter and brown sugar do the trick!. Scoop this lovely desert on top of some vanilla bean ice cream or even pound cake, and you have yourself a winner!!


Bananas Foster

Ingredients:
Bananas (not too ripe)
1/4 cup of rum (I love spiced rum)
1 cup of brown sugar (light or dark)
One orange
1 stick of butter

Split the bananas long ways and squeeze the orange juice all over them (keeps them from getting brown). Set aside

In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat, add the brown sugar, and turn up heat to medium high. Stir!!

Add sliced bananas to pan and DO NOT STIR (yes, I put this in caps for a reason).
Over the medium high heat, add in your rum. Once the flames hit, remove the pan from the heat and let the flames die down.

Serve over a good quality vanilla ice cream or pound cake. YUMMY!!

Long Wait

Gosh I need to do a better job at updating this blog!! I have soo many recipes to share, from my fried chicken, yummy meatloaf, and not to mention my marinated turkey!!! Wow! Let's get started!!

I'M BAACK!!!!

Sorry I have been away for soo long!! Good food and recipes to come!! Yum!!