Thanksgiving II

To round out our Thanksgiving Holiday, Craig and I had Hang, Frank, Bill, Mike, Carrie, and little Blair over for a round 2! Frank looks forward to cooking a turkey every year and this was his chance. He showed up Sunday morning with his turkey brined and ready to go! He bathed the turkey overnight in a saltwater bath of citrus fruits, herbs, spices and the secret special ingredient...soy sauce! Frank expertly cooked the turkey at 500 degrees for 30 mins., just to brown the skin. Then he covered it with a triangular piece of foil and baked it at 350 for about 3.5 hrs. He didn't open the oven even once...what patience! It all paid off because it was the BEST turkey any of us have ever had. Seriously. He gave some credit to Alton Brown, but really, it was all Frank.

To add to the feast, I made Sausage and Sage Stuffing and Apple Crisp.

Sausage and Sage Stuffing courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

I used a loaf of Sourdough instead of Italian. I also used Mild Italian sausage which a gave it a little kick! I cut the bread into about 1-1.5 inch pieces. Craig said he liked the larger pieces of bread.

The Apple Crisp was my own recipe...it was awesome served with vanilla bean ice cream and warm caramel sauce!

Apple Crisp

12 medium Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored, diced

6 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 stick butter, cold, cubed

Topping

1.5 c. oats

1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 stick of butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Divide the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon into 2 skillets. Cook on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes until soft. (If you do not cook the apples through in this step, you will end up with liquid in the bottom of the apple crisp.)

3. Spoon apples into a buttered 4 qt. casserole dish and dot with 1/2 stick of butter.

4. Mix dry topping ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Then mix in melted butter. Sprinkle on top of apples.

5. Bake 45-50 mins until the top is brown and crisp.

6. Serve with ice cream and warm caramel sauce. Serves 8-10.

Hang's contribution was a delicious Green Bean Casserole. She said she got the recipe from Paula Dean, but I know Hang put her own special touches on it! She also made some incredible mashed potatoes which she diligently peeled for Craig. Also some canned corn :-)

Craig's contribution were some artfully crafted deviled eggs which served as our appetizer and cranberry sauce which went so well with the turkey.

Ah, what a way to end the Thanksgiving Holiday! Back to work tomorrow!