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Grace

Thanksgiving Recipes....

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Readers,

 

Every year I try to find a new recipe to add to my "annual standards" at Thanksgiving. This year I need some new recipes for side dishes that incorporate vegetables.

 

Do you have a special recipe that's a crowd-pleaser? Are you willing to share it here?

 

I'd love to hear it!

 

Thanks,

 

Grace

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My favorite food is anything bar-b-qued

 

So for the Thanksgiving holiday I'll BBQ a turkey

 

It gives the guys something to do and helps us to stay out of the way while all the rest of the preparations are going on inside

 

1 Turkey

1 Bar-B-Que (A Weber Kettle Style works best)

1 pint Real Maple Syrup

1 pint Clarified Butter or a container of Squeeze Parkay Margarine

2 cups olive oil

2 Popup thermometers

1 Oven thermometer

 

 

Start the coals in a coal chimney or coffee can

Place a rectangular aluminum pan in the center of the BBQ to catch the drippings

Add about a 1/2" or water to the pan

When they are ready set the BBQ up with the coals lining the inside diameter of the BBQ

 

Olive oil the turkey down and place the pop up thermometers as instructed into the turkey

 

Place the turkey right on to the BBQ grill lined up with the drip tray

 

Cover the BBQ and let it go for about 30 minutes

 

Start another can of coals

 

After the 30 minutes baste the turkey liberally with the butter and syrup

 

Check the temperature

 

It should be about 275 degrees

 

 

If it's too hot adjust the vents on the BBQ

 

Cover again and wait another 30-45 minutes and repeat basting with butter and syrup

 

It should take about 15-18 minutes per pound to fully cook or until the pop ups pop

 

It comes out with the crispiest golden brown skin

 

A slight smoke flavor with a hint of sweetness

 

It's the best

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Hey there!

 

Just got back to my computer tonight -- been out of commission for a few weeks. BBQ turkey....WOW!

 

Speaking of turkeys, I just heard an interesting trivia tidbit today: There is only one country that eats more turkey than Americans.......Israelis!! (Maybe because it DOESN'T taste like chicken and it's cheaper than lamb!)

 

Thanks for the input! Here's one for leftover turkey:

 

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of mace

dash of nutmeg

1/8 tsp. thyme

dash of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning

3 T. melted butter

1 cup milk

1 small onion, grated

2 cups cooked, finely diced turkey

 

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, mace, nutmeg, thyme and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Stir in melted butter and milk. Add the grated onion and cubed turkey and beat until smooth. Heat your griddle until a drop of water hops around the surface. Grease the surface with vegetable shortening and fry a few tablespoons of batter at a time. Serve with cranberry sauce, gravy or butter and syrup. Enjoy.

 

Sounds weird but is very tasty!

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I know Thanksgiving Day is past now, but I eat turkey at other times of the year besides this particular day and thought I'd throw this out there.

 

Turkey Shashlik

 

Take your whole, thawed turkey, and remove all the bones. I have seen a couple of different television cooks do this (like Jacques Pepin and Wolfgang Puck), and they made it look easy, but it takes practice. I learned that the younger, and smaller, bird that you buy, the easier it is to do this. The larger the bird, the more of those long, "toothpick" type bones there are in and around the leg area. And they are a pain to deal with. So, I don't recommend doing this with an older or larger bird. Especially, I've found, the Tom turkeys (male) have more of these support bones in them to help hold up their larger frames and heavier weight.

 

This would also work if you have a butcher who will cut the bird up for you, either with or without the bones, into shashlik sized (approximately 2 inch square) cubes. If you buy a boneless turkey, that would also be easy, but what's the fun in that (I'm a glutton for punishment/tedius, time consuming work).

 

You'll need:

 

1 turkey (Cut up into cubes per above)

1-2 Large white onions (or to your taste)

Worchestershire sauce

1-2 Large lemons (or to your taste)

Salt (I like Kosher best)

Black pepper (I try to use fresh ground)

 

Note: I also try to leave as much of the turkey skin on as possible, it doesn't work as well without it, especially on the white meat.

 

Chop onions in to a large chop. The smaller you chop the onions, the better the flavor is transferred to the meat, but you are not left with much onion to fry up for a side-dish if it's chopped too small.

 

I like to get a pot or sealable container that is large enough to hold the entire amount of turkey in it.

 

Then, in even layers, sprinkle some onion on the bottom of the pot, put a layer of the turkey pieces, squeeze some lemon, sprinkle some "what's-that-there-sauce", salt and pepper to your taste. Repeat the layers until you run out of turkey. If you run out of onion before you do turkey, cut up some more.

 

If you like your shashlik heavily seasoned, heavily season this the same way. I've found the turkey holds up well to the seasoning.

 

I've gotten fancy with the seasonings before, and it didn't work as well flavor-wise. I've found if you stick with the basic 5 shashlik seasonings, I've gotten the best results.

 

You'll need to cover and refridgerate this at least overnight. If you want this the same day, I recommend marinating this from at least the morning unrefridgerated. I have taken this on camping trips, by freezing the marinating meat into ziplock gallon bags. They work as ice-chest coolers until they defrost.

 

To cook, prepare your bar-b-que and grill as you normally would. I have cooked this with and without skewers, both worked fine. With skewers (shompree) seems better, but I think that's just mental. Cook until done, your call.

 

I do recommend that , if you're using skewers, you keep the white and dark meat on separate skewers. The white seems to cook at a different rate (a little faster), but that may be that it's dry-er when overcooked and I want to take it off a little earlier so that it stays moist.

 

I have done this several times, and most people are surprised by how good it is.

 

Another cooks note; I leave some of the smaller pieces with bones intact, like the wing piece that has 2 skinny bones in it. Removing the meat from these pieces doesn't leave a real good piece to skewer, I just do my best skewering around the bones.

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I have a quick and easy vegetable side dish.

 

You will need...

 

1 onion (diced)

3 zuchinni (round slices)

4 tomatoes (diced)

 

dice up the onion and cook until transparent ( I use Pam), add the round slices of zuchinni cook until slightly done, add the tomatoes and heat thru until zuchinni is soft. If you feel you do not have enough liquid, just as some water. Squeeze 1/2 to 1 whole lemon and add salt to taste. I like using Kosher Salt.

 

For a diffrent taste add herbs. I have used dill, thyme, rosemary and basil. All used seperatly add a unique flaver. But my favorite is dill.

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ligonier, B)

 

I've tried Turkey Shaslik...it was great. At first, we were laughing that it must be the 'other' white meat...then they let us in on the secret!

 

Bravo!

 

Sada :D

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