How to Intensify the Flavor of your Turkey Recipe

With all those turkeys out here on Thanksgiving, there are many people who prefer having the flavor little more intense. This is something that I found while surfing the net last night. If you want to intensify the flavor check out this video, which gives the perfect clue as to how to do that. Make sure that you don't over do with intensifying the flavor, since there's a good chance that you may turn out to be a flop with the trash recipe.

Tags: cooking a thanksgiving turkey, thanksgiving roast turkey, thanksgiving turkey flavor, how to cook turkey

Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipe: Lobster

Wish you all a very Happy Turkey Day. But here I'm going to talk something apart from turkeys. wondering what? Just read on. It may be of a highly beneficial for you!

The legend has it that the pilgrims and their Native American guests had lobster. You know what they probably did have and didn't have but we have on thanksgiving? They had the wild fowls and didn't have pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes! Anyway how if you hold the spirit of Thanksgiving food high, commemorating the first Thanksgiving feast? I found this recipe online and I'm preparing it for my gang. It says, it'll be fantastic as an appetizer. It would really be nice having a special Lobster recipe as a side dish from the heavy turkey.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lobster meat
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 6 leaves butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 head of Boston lettuce

Direction

Step 1: Cut lobster meat into medium size pieces.
Step 2: Cook wine, juice, oil, and zest for 2 minutes in a wok over medium heat.
Step 3: After a couple of minutes increase the heat to medium-high. Add the pieces of lobsters.
Step 4: Stir fry until lobster is opaque and turns golden brown. Chill for 1 hour.
Step 5: Put the lettuce leaves in small bowls and top with lobster mixture.

Tags: thanksgiving foods, food for thanksgiving, thanksgiving side dishes, thanksgiving side dish, thanksgiving menu

How to Safely Cook a Turkey

Wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving

Ok, now your turkey is ready and you're ready to have your guests, I hope. Here's how to cook your turkey safely.

Roasting a whole turkey is not all that a big deal, so long as you take special care when handling the raw poultry. It's really important to take all the necessary precautionary measures when handling and cooking it. It is essential to wash your hands properly before and after handling the raw meat. Make sure that your utensils and surfaces are cleaned well. Wash the raw meat properly with hot water. I always do that because it is the first step to destroy certain bacteria.

Remember that it's not a good idea to keep the raw poultry out of the fridge for long. So after washing it properly store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it. But for the frozen turkeys meat you need to see if it is completely defrosted before you start cooking it. The correct temperature and appropriate cooking time is really vital as it destroys the bacteria and prevents you from having food poisoning. Check out my post entitled “Prevention Tips For Thanksgiving Turkey Bird Flu” where I've mentioned about the correct temperature for cooking turkeys.

Here's something about the roasting time for the turkeys. The general rule is the larger the bird, the longer should be your cooking time.

Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey

2 ¾ hrs to 3 ¼ hrs for 6 - 8 lbs turkey
3 hrs to 3 ½ hrs for 8 - 12 lbs turkey
3 ½ hrs to 4 hrs for for 12 - 14 lbs turkey
4 hrs to 4 ¼ hrs for for 14 - 18 lbs turkey
4 ¼ hrs to 4 ¾ hrs for 8 - 20 lbs turkey
4 ¾ hrs to 5 ¼ hrs for 20 - 24 lbs turkey



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Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey

2 ½ hrs. to 2 ¾ for 6 - 8 lbs turkey
2 ¾ hrs to 3 hrs. for 8 - 12 lbs turkey
3 hrs to 3 ¾ hrs for 12 - 14 lbs turkey
3 ¾ hrs to 4 ¼ hrs for 14 - 18 lbs turkey
4 ¼ hrs to 4 ½ hrs for 18 - 20 lbs turkey
4 ½ hrs to 5 hrs for 20 - 24 lbs turkey

Tags: holidays 2007, Thanksgiving recipes, thanksgiving turkeys, cooking thanksgiving turkey, holidays to turkey, cooking a thanksgiving turkey

Prevention Tips For Thanksgiving Turkey Bird Flu

According to the report as laid by the American Turkey Council, the chances of getting avian flu by eating Thanksgiving turkey are "probably less than one in four." That means two out of a group of eight would probably be afflicted to the disease. Don't worry! This was the story of Thanksgiving 2005 -- you might not have forgot.

According to poultry experts in the College of Agricultural Sciences, we don't have to worry about avian flu virus this Thanksgiving in America. So that's one more reason for us to be thankful this year. But the story doesn't end here. Avian flu has been observed in birds on the other continents, although it isn't the thing for us, said Mike Hulet, associate professor of poultry science. So Why taking chance? Let's play safe. Here are some tips to avoid being affected with the Thanksgiving Turkey Bird Flu.

One single tip is to cook your turkeys properly. Gregory Martin, an extension poultry educator in Lancaster County and the other food safety experts recommended that the temperature should be:

• 180 degrees in the thigh.
• 165 degrees at the center of the stuffing.
• 170 degrees in the breast

If you really want to extend your menu with some of the special turkey recipes, visit eatturkey.com.

I hope this simple tips will help make your Thanksgiving a real blast.




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Tags: Thanksgiving Turkey, Thanksgiving 2007, When is thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 2006, American Thanksgiving

Sweet Potato Casserole For Thanksgiving Feast: Free of Allergen

I just dropped by A Homemaking Journey, when I came to know that Shiloah and Dawn have recently been diagnosed with food allergies. I was thinking of some of the cool recipes for those who are suffering from food allergies. Here's one of them. This is slightly less sweet version of the the traditional sweet potato casserole and you can try this out to make your Thanksgiving a perfect blast.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 medium sized sweet potatoes
• Brown sugar -- 2/3 cup
• Orange juice -- 1 cup
• Salt – as per requirement
• Allspice -- 1 tea spoon full
• Nutmeg -- 1/2 tea spoon full
• Allergen-free marshmallows for topping

Direction:
Step 1 – Start off with oiling the skin of the potatoes and pierce them in several places.
Step 2 – Roast the potatoes at 400^o F until the potatoes become soft and you can see oil caramelizing in the pierced areas.
Step 3 – When cooked fully, let them cool down to room temperature and peal off the skin to get the flesh out.
Step 4 – Add the orange juice, brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice and a couple of pinch of salt in a casserole dish.
Step 5 – Stir the mixture well and mash the sweet potato chunks with a fork. Smooth the whole mixture evenly throughout the casserole dish.
Step 6 -- Top the whole surface with a layer of marshmallows.
Step 7 – Cover it up and bake it for 20 minutes.
Step 8 – Put another layer of marshmallows toppings and bake it for 10 minutes more at 350^o F. When the marshmallows topping begins to turn golden-brown and melt take it out and serve hot.

Have a fun filled Thanksgiving 2007.



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Tags: thanksgiving feast, thanksgiving dinner, thanksgiving 2007, thanksgiving day

Thanksgiving Meal: Making the Turkey Stock

You need to make Turkey Stock for the gravy. If you don't have the recipe for Turkey Stock you should read the recipe on Epicurious - Turkey Stock Recipe.
This is a chicken stock variation from VideoJug. You can use the same to make turkey stock too.

VideoJug: How To Make Chicken Stock
Tags: turkey stock, thanksgiving meal

Counting Down To Thanksgiving -- Three Weeks

Friends! Just three weeks more to grill the Thanksgiving turkey. It's really becoming tougher and tougher for me to resist my temptation for the roasted turkey on the Trukey Day.

If you've already prapared the Thanksgiving budget, then it's for sure that you have also chalked out the Thanksgiving dinner plan or Thanksgiving party plan. Whether you know it or not, it's now the perfect time to spare a thought over the Thanksgiving Invitation issue. Otherwise you will be too late and may end up with mess in haste, when it comes to the Turkey Day. Just follow a few simple steps to mark a name of yourself in the hearts of your special Thanksgiving guests.

• Decide how many people you can afford. Considering your pre-formulated budget and the space are of utmost importance.
• Make a list of the guests that you want to invite to join you at your Thanksgiving feast.
• Decide whether you want to include kids in your Thanksgiving party or adults only. If you are going to invite kids you may have to be very selective regarding fooda nd make necessary arrangements for some games and fun.
• As soon as you've prepared the list, give it a second glance as you may want to exclude somebody or replace somebody with any other person.
• Spare a thought on Thanksgiving invitation cards. This is the most neglected part of the story, despite of its immense importance. No point wasting time and money in making your own invitation cards, since it's a good idea to invite people online using the pre-designed invitation ecards.
• Choose the one that suits your Thanksgiving celebration theme and see what wonder you can make by this.

Tags: Thanksgiving Invitation, Thanksgiving Planning, Thanksgiving Feast, Thanksgiving Dinner

Pumpkin Scarcity Pulls Up Pumpkin Price

The pumpkin scarcity will be giving a hard blow to Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. The drought and the scorching heat has adversely affected the pumpkin harvest this year. So the supply is not going the meet the 2007 demand level for pumpkins. If you are a real pumpkin fan, I'm sure that you'll not mind paying some extra dollars for special thanksgiving dinner. But again there's a good chance that you may be disappointed if you're looking for pumpkins after Halloween. This is because a huge lot of pumpkins would be exhausted on Halloween. Pumpkin patch owners are going to out source pumpkins to meet the demand. So don't worry .. just loosen up your budget a bit.

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Tags: Thanksgiving 2007, thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving Pumpkin pie

How to Plan A Thanksgiving Party

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Planning for something in advance is what my mom always preferred, as that helps her more organized and less stressed when it comes to Thanksgiving Day. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you can start planning a good thanksgiving meal. A few easy steps are just enough to surprise your special guests on Thanksgiving. Here's how to plan a proper Thanksgiving party:

Step 1: Start off by figuring out how many guests you want to invite. Consider the size of your home and your ability to cook for that number.
Step 2: Plan for a perfect Thanksgiving decoration for the party. This doesn't cost much. Design some thanksgiving plate mats, fold the napkins into turkeys, make thanksgiving wreaths and use thanksgiving paper chains.
Step 3: Plan a thanksgiving menu, keeping in view the tastes of your guests. You have tons of yummy recipe ideas to surprise your guests. Choose the ones that best suit with the guests and the occasion. If your guests are traditionalists they would like dishes such as turkey gravy, pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, etc.
Step 4: It is a great idea to balance your heavy, starchy Thanksgiving classics with lighter dishes too. This will make the meal more enjoyable.
Step 5: There will be leftovers but don't worry. Thanksgiving leftover recipes to get some inspiration ideas about what to do with thanksgiving leftovers.



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Tags: Thanksgiving Party

Thanksgiving Meal: How to make Cranberry Sauce

One thing I really love about Thanksgiving is the homemade delicacies. There's nothing like the taste of mother's home cooked food. Sometimes the little things matter more than the big ones! For example, I can't imagine myself having a Thanksgiving dinner without Cranberry sauce. And no, not the shouting and yelling of 'cranberry sauce' in a Tenacious D concert. I'm talking about the best condiment that goes with Thanksgiving turkey.

Sure you can get it by opening up a can but where's the fun in that? For those of you who still opt for the can I recommend you watch this video.

I found it on Cooking.com - it's a more fruity version but I think it'll be totally delicious, with all the zest and fruits in it!

Tags: Thanksgiving dinner, cranberry sauce

Thanksgiving Appetizers Before Thanksgiving Menu

Hey folks the Canadian Thanksgiving is going to be on October 8th. They have it earlier than us. Your thanksgiving dinner has to start with something special. And to keep the hungry crowd at bay and wait for those late relatives or guests, appetizers are the best. And who would not love Deep Fried Mozzarella as a starting dish just before a big meal? And what's more amazing with this is that, they're not so heavy and they're not that difficult to make either. So just watch this video and you can have it on your thanksgiving dinner menu!

So just have a watch on this video and make your thanksgiving a perfect blast.

VideoJug: How To Make Deep Fried Mozzarella

Tags: Thanksging dinner, Thanksgiving Recipe, Thanksgiving Meal, thanksgiving Menu

Counting Down to Thanksgiving 2007

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School is full on and mid terms are getting ever closer. Before you know it, it'll be the holiday season and we'd all be panicking for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and parties. If you've decided to stay at home and have your Thanksgiving dinner there's a couple of things you can do weeks (and even a month!) in advanced. This way when the big day comes you don't have to do everything all at once and you're less stressed out.

Here's the countdown to Thanksgiving Dinner 2007:

(Thanksgiving falls on Monday 8th of October for our Canadian neighbors so I've included a plan for them as well.)

One Month to Turkey Day:
September 8th (Canadians)/October 22nd (one week before Halloween in the US) : Make your turkey stock and freeze it. You're going to need this for the turkey gravy.

One Week to Turkey Day:
October1st for Canadians and November 15th for Americans: Make Cranberry Sauce and Refrigerate it. Ideally you should have your turkey or have booked by now.

Three Days to Turkey Day:
October 5th for Canadians and November 19th for Americans: Defrost the turkey by putting it out of the freezer into the refrigerator.

Two Days to Turkey Day:
October 6th or November 20th: Make pastry dough for pumpkin pie. Dips and/or other appetizers that you can make ahead of time.

One Day to Turkey Day:
October 7th or November 21st: Bake bread for the stuffing. Chop the vegetables. Make dinner rolls, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.

Turkey Day:
Make stuffing and mashed potatoes. Cook the turkey 5-7 hours before serving it (cooking time depends on the size of the bird and the size of the bird depends on how many people are coming. The general rule of thumb is one pound of bird per person and the cooking time should be 20 minutes per pound.)
Serve the appetizers when the guests arrive.

After cooking the turkey pour the dripping nto a bowl to make gravy. Make gravy, bake any stuffing that didn't get into the turkey. Reheat the mashed and sweet potatoes and the dinner rolls.

Did I leave out anything? I'll be posting the recipes and how to go about cooking all this stuff so stay tuned!

Tags: Thanksgiving Dinner, Thanksgiving meal, Thanksgiving Meal Planning

A Special Thanksgiving Side Dish – Sweet and Tangy Broccoli Salad

When those Pilgrims were celebrating the first Thanksgiving, they had wild turkey, corn and squash on the menu. But in the modern day menu? We can have the traditional meal or you can be a bit more adventurous. One thing that you can really experiment on is the side dish. Surprise your guests with a sweet and sour broccoli salad. It's something that I've been thinking of doing. You can also try this out for your guests too.


Ingredients

• 4 cups broccoli flowerettes
• ½ lb bacon (fried and chopped into small pieces)
• ½ cup cheddar cheese (grated well)
• ½ onion cut in slices
• Kraft's Miracle Whip salad dressing

Direction



Mix all the ingredients well and add a cup of Kraft's Miracle Whip. Take 5 to 6 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons of vinegar – mix well and pour it into the combination and mix thoroughly. Chill it before serving. This serves four.



Isn't this an easy recipe? Plus you don't have to cook! It'll great for thanksgiving too. Try this out on thanksgiving and surprise your guests. Razzle Dazzle Recipes came up with a good assortment of salad recipes for all occasions – especially for Thanksgiving. You can find a lot more Thanksgiving Salad Recipes there.


Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Share with your loved ones some special thought and hearty Thanksgiving wishes.

Tags: Broccoli Salad for Thanksgiving, Special Recipes for Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Feast

How To Make Thanksgiving Roasted Turkey

Fall is on its way and I cant wait to soak in the festivities of the season. The foodie that I am - I love the holidays for the delicious treats. I wait all year long for the Thanksgiving Turkey. Last year was quite a feast - a large roasted one at the dinner table simply send me into raptures. As much as I love to eat , am quite a cook myself (my wife wouldnt acknowledge this though!!). I love going through books and surfing sites that offer new recipies. Heres a simple roasted turkey recipie for all my food loving friends -

Thanksgiving Roasted Turkey

1 turkey (approx. 16 to 20 pounds)

Stuffing of your choice

First, thaw your Thanksgiving turkey in the refrigerator, giving some time to get the giblet broth ready the day before roasting the bird. The turkey legs are to be removed from the leg sockets or skin crossing the tail. If needed, you may also take out the leg clamps from the body. Now, you also need to remove giblets and neck from the body cavities of the turkey. Just before roasting, you need to spoon in the stuffing into the body cavities of the Thanksgiving bird. But do not put more than 3/4 cup stuffing per pound of turkey. Do not pack the stuffing too hard, or it will not get sufficiently hot by the time of cooking. Now you can tuck the legs back under the band of skin or reset legs into the sockets. You can also tie legs together with string if you find the leg clamp removed. Now place the Thanksgiving turkey on a shelf in a shallow roasting pan with its breast side up. Fix a meat thermometer into the center of a thigh muscle so that the bulb doesn't touch the bone. Now cover it with foil, allowing some space between the turkey and foil. Tighten the foil over the drumsticks and neck. Roast it until the meter of the oven reads 180 degrees F and juices start oozing out. It takes about 4 to 5 hours for a stuffed bird. Now put the bowl containing the extra bit of stuffing in the last half hour of roasting. Remember to remove the foil in the last 30-45 minutes to allow the turkey turn a yummy brown. Here, your Thanksgiving turkey is ready now ! Take the turkey out from the oven and keep it covered loosely in foil before serving hot.

Heres wishing good luck for your cooking endeavours.