Thanksgiving: Turkey Brine Recipe

November 17, 2011 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Fickr (Paul Townsend)

Though our family chooses to make a turkey each Thanksgiving, I know some families prefer to serve a ham or chicken. The recipe I am sharing today works great for a turkey, and I would definitely try it for a chicken as well. For the ham, I would bag it like I plan to do with our turkey next week.

For those seeking a different baking option for the bird this year, try brining. I received the below recipe from a friend, who could easily run his own restaurant. When I need help tweaking a recipe, I contact him for a solution. His recipes are always a huge hit.

With his permission to share, here is my all-time favorite recipe for that tender, moist, and delicious turkey:

Turkey Brine

Tuesday

If preparing the turkey on Thanksgiving Day, then begin defrosting the turkey on Tuesday or 2 days prior to meal time. Though there are a number of ways to defrost the turkey, I prefer to soak it.

1. Place turkey in a large pot, tub, or tote.

2. Add enough cold water to cover it.

3. Replace the water, if needed.

4. Check the turkey to see if it is soft.

5. Put in refrigerator if the turkey is fully defrosted.

Wednesday

1. Place the defrosted turkey in the large pot, tub, or tote.

2. Fill the container by gallons with enough warm to lukewarm water to cover the turkey. Paul uses a milk jug to add the water by gallons.

3. Add these ingredients:

½ cup pickling or kosher salt per gallon

½ cup brown sugar per gallon

5 bay leaves

2-3 Tablespoons of peppercorns

6 crushed cloves of garlic (With about 20 cloves per garlic, just break apart the whole and use 6 of them)

5-7 oranges, squeezed and tossed into the mixture

Other spices that can be added are basil, poultry seasoning, and thyme

4. Allow the brine to seep the flavored water into the bird for 12-24 hours prior to baking.

Thursday

Preparing the bird

1. Remove the turkey from the sticky, slippery brine mixture.

2. Drain the mixture from the bird.

3. Be sure the giblets and other guts have been removed.

4. Place bird on roasting pan.

5. Insert meat thermometer.

6. Preheat oven to desired temperature (I follow the recommendations attached to the turkey packaging.)

7. Measure out foil to “tent” your bird to prevent burning the outside, but do not “tent” it at the beginning of the baking time. I find getting the tent ready while the pan is cool saves so much time working around a hot turkey and hot pan.

Baking the bird

1. Put the turkey in the oven.

2. Check it between ½ and ¾ of the baking time.

3. Tent the bird when the outside is golden brown.

4. Carefully, remove the turkey when the meat thermometer indicates bird is thoroughly cooked.

5. Allow bird to cool before carving.

Though this option takes a little time each day for three days, the results are definitely worth it. In using time wisely and working around your other responsibilities, this option will give you a fantastic turkey to share with your friends and family. Just remember to start early in your preparations. Happy planning!

Question: When will you begin your Thanksgiving preparations? Please add your answer to the comments.

2012 Quick Tip Week: Butter Bread Before Toasting

May 10, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Our week of quick tips is over halfway complete.

If you missed any of the four quick tips from this week, you can click on these links:

#1 – Designated space for “to be filed” paperwork,

#2 – Use disinfecting wipes for quick cleanings,

#3 – Keep your brainstorming notes, and

#4 – Power off your phone.

The fifth tip comes from my children’s food preferences.

Quick Tip #5: Butter Bread before Toasting

In teaching my children to eat the entire slice of bread, including the crust, I have learned to keep the crust soft.

When bread gets toasted, the hard crust makes eating difficult. With their little mouths, my children enjoy soft bread with melted butter.

To keep the crust soft and still get a light toast to the bread, I butter the bread before toasting in my toaster oven. The butter keeps the entire slice of bread soft, and my children willingly eat the entire piece of bread.

This little tip helps to save our family money since my children are receiving the nutrients from the entire slice of bread without wasting food.

In using time wisely, I butter bread before toasting. By eating the entire slice, my children do not need extra slices which saves me money, energy, and time.

As you feed your picky children, who do not like the hard crust on toast, butter bread before toasting. If your children are like mine, then they may eat the entire slice which will save you money, energy, and time. Happy savings!

Question: Do your children eat the entire slice of toast?

3 Quick Meals for Busy Weeks

May 17, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Fitting in meals around shopping trips, school obligations, and soccer games is a game in itself.

On these busy nights, I plan quick meals to feed my family. Sometimes finding 30 minutes to cook is tough, but with 10 minutes of preparation in the morning or afternoon, I can serve my family a healthy supper at the busy dinner hour.

To give you a peek into our household, here are three quick meals I make on busy weeks.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Afternoon Prep

Since frozen meatballs only need about 3-4 hours to simmer, I start preparing this meal after lunch.

Taking about 5 minutes, I place the frozen meatballs in the crock pot, add a jar of spaghetti sauce, and sprinkle in the spices – oregano, basil, and parsley. I then stir the ingredients, turn the crock pot setting to low, and leave it until dinner time.

Dinner Prep

Within 15 minutes, I can boil the water and make the spaghetti noodles. While the pasta is cooking, I fix a bowl of salad and make the garlic bread.

For the garlic bread, I butter the bread, sprinkle with garlic powder, and toast in the toaster oven. Buttering the bread before toasting keeps the bread soft, so my children will eat the entire slice. 🙂

Marinated Grilled Chicken

Morning or Afternoon Prep

During my morning or afternoon routine, I defrost 3-4 chicken breasts for about 10 minutes in the microwave. When complete, I slice the chicken breasts in half (horizontally) which makes 6-8 thin chicken breasts.

I add a bottle of teriyaki marinade to a gallon-size Ziploc bag and add the chicken. After closing the bag, I place it in a bowl (to catch any leaks) and put it in the refrigerator.

Dinner Prep

When the grill master (my husband, Paul) preheats the grill, I start the stuffing on the stove top and the vegetables in the microwave. While the food is grilling and cooking, we set the table. Within 20 minutes, dinner is ready, and we sit down to eat.

Smoked Sausage with Sides

Morning Prep

Transfer the smoked sausage link(s) from the freezer to the refrigerator.

Dinner Prep

Start the pasta (parmesan linguine, mac and cheese, or alfredo rotini) and the frozen vegetables cooking. Then I slice the defrosted sausages and cook in a skillet on the stove top over medium-heat. Within 15 minutes, dinner is complete and ready to be devoured.

By feeding my family using quick meals like spaghetti and meatballs, marinated grilled chicken, and smoked sausage with sides, I can serve my family dinner on busy nights while using time wisely.

A little preparation in the morning or afternoon eases the time constraints at the dinner hour. With a few quick meals, you, too, can survive busy nights while using time wisely. Happy cooking!

Question: What is a quick meal enjoyed by your family?

Fantastic List of Ingredient Substitutes

June 14, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Has this scenario ever happened to you? You wrote out your menu and grocery list, went shopping, and your week is on track. Then your plans change, and you need to make a dish for work or to help a family in need.

You piece together a plan and start to prepare the dish only to discover that you are missing one ingredient. In using time wisely, you don’t want to go to the store or find a neighbor that has a spare cup of sugar. What’s a girl to do?

For those of you cooks, who can change the recipe to fit what you have on-hand and the dish comes out perfectly, you might not need this list. But the bakers, who tend to ruin the entire dish when making a substitute, will appreciate this tip.

I found the following fantastic list of ingredient substitutions originally presented by Mary Jo in Denver, Colorado through the Krazy Coupon Lady network:

Eggs (baking) – applesauce, mashed banana, yogurt.

Eggs (cooking) – mayonnaise.

Ketchup – 1 cup = 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 tsp. vinegar and 1 Tbsp. sugar

Prepared Mustard – 1 Tablespoon = 1 Tbsp. dried mustard, 1 tsp. water, 1 tsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar.

Hot Sauce – Three-quarters tsp. cayenne pepper and 1 tsp. vinegar.

Red Wine – Beef broth, apple cider, vinegar, or just plain water.

Milk – Thinned out yogurt, water, cream, half-and-half.

Buttermilk – One cup of milk plus 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for five minutes after mixing.

Sour Cream – Plain yogurt, drain water off in a sieve.

Soy Sauce – Kosher salt and granulated sugar dissolved in hot water.

Vinegar – Lemon and lime juice or white wine.

Bread Crumbs – Cracker crumbs, oatmeal, or matzo meal.

Cottage Cheese – Farmer’s cheese or ricotta cheese.

White Sugar – Brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, honey or corn syrup.

Jam – Canned fruit drained and mashed.

Baking Soda – Baking powder but triple the amount.

Molasses – Three-quarters cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp. cream of tartar (per cup of molasses).

Mozzarella – For pizza or lasagna, jack cheese and Parmesan.

Pepperoni – Salami.

Allspice – Half tsp. cinnamon, quarter tsp. ginger, and quarter tsp. cloves (per teaspoon of allspice).

Beef or Chicken Broth – Bouillon mixed with 1 cup of boiling water or vegetable broth.

Butter – Margarine, shortening or lard.

Unsweetened Chocolate – 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa plus 1 Tbsp. shortening or vegetable oil.

NOTE: When I first read Mary Jo’s post, dated June 5, 2012, I starred the post in my Google Reader. Later, I clicked the link, and the post was gone. Since it was a great article to which I cannot link, I copied and saved the article. Now you can read Mary Jo’s article Put Me In, Coach: Hit a Savings Home Run With Recipe Substitutions from my unedited copy.

As you continue using time wisely and prepare to feed your family, reach for this list of substitutes when your plans change. I know this list will save the day for me because one of my favorite marinade recipes calls for soy sauce which I ran out of twice last summer. (I did stockpile, but we still ran out more than once. :-)) Happy saving!

Question: What substitutions would you add to this list?

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