My Boyfriend Dated A Chef

The traditional turkey dinner is probably one of the easiest dishes to prepare and yet, when the task is placed before us it seems like such a chore. Here is a quick guide to making your turkey holiday dinner a success. And, don’t forget the stuffing! Stuffing is one of the most important parts of a turkey dinner…other than the hot apple pie. To avoid the worry of salmonella or E. coli from invading your turkey dinner, cook the stuffing separately. Stuff the turkey right before presentation and no one will know the difference.

Stuffing serves 8. Stuffing recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS:
Turkey
Turkey - It is recommended you allow 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per adult for a generous serving with leftovers. For children, allowing 1/2 pound per child should be sufficient.

vegetable oil or butter

Stuffing
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, cut into 1/4 1/4-inch dice (about 3 cups)
6 stalks celery with leaves, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 (14-ounce) package seasoned bread stuffing cubes
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. dried sage, crumbled
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups hot chicken or turkey stock

PREPARATION:
Turkey
If the turkey is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance or COLD water the night before.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare the turkey, put on a pair of rubber gloves and work over a clean sink. Remove the neck from the body cavity and the giblets from the neck cavity. Drain the juices.

Wash the turkey down under cold water and place in a roasting pan, breast side up, with a rack for circulation below it. I don’t have a special turkey rack so I steal it from my toaster oven.

Rub the turkey down with butter or oil.

Cover the top of the turkey with tin foil and insert a thermometer in the base of the breast so you can read it. Be sure not to touch the bone.

Cook turkey based on size - 15 minutes per pound. When your thermometer reaches 185°F, the turkey is done. **Make sure to remove the tin foil during the last 30-45 minutes of cooking.

Cook the stuffing separately.

Stuffing
In 12-inch, heavy skillet over moderate heat, heat butter until hot but not smoking. Stir in onion and celery, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (Vegetables can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before continuing.)

Transfer to large bowl and add stuffing cubes, parsley, celery salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir in 11/4 cups hot stock.

Preheat oven to 350°F and butter 3-quart casserole or 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Transfer stuffing to dish and drizzle with 1/2 cup hot stock. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 10 minutes longer.

Serve immediately.

Absolutely amazing salad. So many delicious flavors and so simple to make. I even put the leftovers in a warmed tortilla for lunch the next day! I wish there was more. This will definitely be made over and over again.

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 lb green beans
1 red onion, chopped
3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
4-6 small radishes, thinly sliced
2 3/4 oz feta cheese (drained weight), crumbled
1 tsp. oregano
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS:
Steam green beans for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

In a large bowl add, steamed beans,  onion, cilantro, radishes, feta cheese, and oregano.

Mix the vinegar and olive oil together in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Toss gently to mix well.

Serve on a plate, with tomato wedges. Can be served warm or chilled.

Here’s the baked sweet potato fries recipe that complimented the Steak and Fennel Sandwiches so nicely. Soft and sweet on the inside, spicy crunch on the outside!

Makes 4 servings. Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites.

INGREDIENTS:
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. Stay small to get the best results.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. They should all be glistening. Sprinkle remaining herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.

Place the fries on the baking sheet making sure they are not touching. Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. Be careful because at this point they’re quite soft. Cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Never eat a burger without fries again! Baked, not fried, this recipe for Parmesan Steak Fries is so easy to make. Nothing against fried food. I love it as much as the next person but if I can cut out the dripping fat content without sacrificing taste, count me in!

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Great Food Fast.

INGREDIENTS:
3 large egg whites (video below on separating an egg white from an egg yolk)
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
3 baking potatoes (8 - 10 ounces each)
1 ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 teaspoon salt until frothy. Cut each potato into 6 long spears; add to the egg whites, and turn to coat.

One at a time, lift the spears out of the egg whites, shaking off the excess; working over a plate sprinkle with Parmesan cheese until coated (do not shake off excess). Place on a baking sheet. I coat mine with a light layer of cooking spray.

Bake, without turning, until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with ketchup or bbq sauce or my favorite a combo of the two!

TIPS + TRICKS
Separating an Egg White

When I’m not in the mood for cooking and I want something super quick and delicious, I pull out the raviolis and a jar of vodka sauce. With a few minor additions to the sauce, these raviolis are fantastic as a main meal or even as a side. I am a firm believer that not everything has to be made from scratch with hours of slaving over the stove to taste good.

Serves 2-4.

INGREDIENTS:
1 package raviolis (I used the lobster + crab meat raviolis from BJ’s Wholesale Club - they are fantastic)
8 oz. vodka sauce (Francesco Renaldi makes a good sauce)
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

PREPARTAION:
Prepare raviolis according to package directions.

While raviolis are cooking, in a small saucepan combine vodka sauce, light cream and grated cheese (leave a little cheese for garnishing) over medium heat. Continue to stir while sauce is warming so it will not burn. When it starts to bubble, remove from heat.

Serve sauce over raviolis. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

Basmati rice is a long grain rice with a delicate flavor. It is light, fluffy and free flowing, rather than clumpy and sticky like the crap gathering dust in my cupboard.  It is the perfect rice for the asian and indian dishes that I will be sharing.

The reason for the basic side dish start is because I bought basmati rice in a burlap bag and no directions were attached. It took me a few tries to perfect the cooking of it and so I’m sharing.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 teapoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon lime juice

PREPARATION:
Wash the rice thoroughly with your hands. Basmati has so much starch clinging to its grains. 

Bring water, oil and lime juice to a boil.

Add rice, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Do not stir, uncover or disturb rice until it is finished.