Thanksgiving Part Two

Now on to the ham, turkey and dressing. I wanted to stuff the turkey with it but everyone talked me out of it. I think it tastes better that way but didn't want to give my guests food poison. The ham came from Honeybaked Ham and was super tasty. I just wanted to show off my plate!

The boys carved the turkey before I had a chance to take of picture on it. I found a brine recipe on Allrecipes that got rave reviews so I decided to give it a go. Glad I did. It was moist and tasty.

Turkey Brine (from Allrecipes):

1 gallon vegetable broth
1 cup sea salt
1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried savory
1 gallon ice water

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water. Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine. Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.

I did keep the drippings. I put it in a stock pot over medium high heat and added a packet of gravy mix. I whisked it till it was thick and put it in the gravy boat.

The dressing is a recipe handed down to me from my mother. She found it in a magazine when it was time for her first Thanksgiving. My mom knows it by heart so I am not sure which magazine it came from!

Mom's Stuffing/Dressing (from memory):

2 (6 ounce) packages cornbread stuffing mix
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet add butter, onion, celery, and seasoning and cook till onions are translucent. Add sausage and brown; drain. In a large bowl mix cornbread stuffing and meat mixture. Add desired amount of chicken broth till mixture is moist. Transfer mixture to a medium baking dish. Cover, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.

Healthy Lasagna

I am not sure where I found this recipe. If it is yours please let me know so I can link back to your blog. I want to give credit to the person who gave me this super yummy, healthy lasagna alternative. My husband loved it so much that he had seconds! Using ribbons of squash is brilliant. I used the side of my cheese grater to cut the ribbons and it didn't work as well as I wanted it to. I have since purchased something else to use but have not tried it yet. I used the recipe calculator on Sparkrecipes.com and came up with the nutrition information that is at the bottom of the post. Serves 6. :)



Healthy Lasagna:

1 lb ground turkey
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
salt
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large squash
2 cups tomato sauce
1 c grated Mozzarella
Freshly grated Parmesan

In a skillet cook the turkey, red pepper flakes, salt to taste, onion & garlic until the turkey is cooked through & the onions are translucent.

Using a peeler, slice the squash lengthwise into thin ribbons.

Spoon just enough tomato sauce onto the bottom of a baking dish to coat it. Lay 1/3 of the zucchini slices on top of the sauce overlapping as you go.

Spoon 1/2 of the turkey mixture on top of the zucchini. Then top with 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce & sprinkle with 1/4 c of mozzarella. Add another layer of zucchini slices, using 1/2 of what you have left) then the rest of the meat, 1/2 the remaining sauce & 1/4 c mozzarella. Use the last of the squash slices to make one more layer. Top with the remaining tomato sauce & mozzarella & then some grated Parmesan.

Bake for 45 - 60 minutes until the cheese is melted & brown & the sauce is bubbly. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes before slicing & serving.

	Fat: 14.3g
	Carbohydrates: 13.8g
	Calories:296.3
	Protein: 30.1g

Recipe Exchange: Mar-A-Largo Turkey Burger

It was time for the next recipe exchange and I got Mar-A-Largo Turkey Burgers. It is a recipe from Oprah that she found while dining at Mar-A-Largo, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach. Click here for the original recipe. I loved this burger. It was not what I was expecting at all! I did cut the recipe in half and still came up with 6 big burgers.

Mar-A-Largo Turkey Burger:

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with a side of Mar-A-Largo Pear Chutney (recipe below) and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.

Mar-A-Largo Pear Chutney:

1 Anjou pear, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cups Major Grey's Chutney
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins

Preheat oven to 350°. Toss the diced pears with the cinnamon and salt. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Cool and mix with the chutney and currants or raisins.