Soy Sauce Brined Turkey

Its time for Thanksgiving! Time for pigging out on tons of yummy, tradition-laden, foods.

Funny thing is, until last year, I wasn't really a fan of the Thanksgiving turkey. For most people, the turkey is the highlight of the Thanksgiving meal. For me, well, give me a steak or ham any day. That's not to say that I grew up eating dry, bland, turkey. I didn't! Every year, my dad would pull out the old charcoal webber grill to grill/smoke the turkey. It would always turn out moist with great smokey-ness. While I liked the taste of it, after one or two bites, it was enough for me.

When I had a chance to make a turkey for myself and Chris last year, knowing I didn't have a charcoal webber to use, I had to figure out how to make a turkey myself.

Luckily, I happened to catch this on the food network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/altons-turkey-brining-secrets/866.html

Ah yes. Alton Brown explaining the importance of brining a turkey. Always good eats, always good science. I was determined to use a brine on my turkey. But then I stumbled upon this:

 http://gastronomyblog.com/2010/11/16/soy-sauce-brined-turkey/

I'm not even going try to pretend I came up with this recipe or pretend that I made enough alterations to allow me to post it myself. Just go to the Gastronomy Blog, follow the directions, and ta-daa! A perfect, juicy, flavorful turkey.

I have used this recipe three times, about to use it again this year. I love it.

I hope you do too!

Let me know what you think!

Thanksgiving for two! Yummm!

General Tso's Chicken

I don't about you, but I love Chinese food. I could eat it every day. Unfortunately, take-out Chinese food isn't very healthy, especially my favorite dish, General Tso's Chicken.


After much searching and tasting, I have found a great recipe for homemade General Tso. It doesn't require deep frying and you can adjust it to your tastes. We like this so much, and I made it all the time!


This recipe can be made with chicken breast, tenderloins, thighs, shrimp (very good), pork, or tofu (never tried pork or tofu, but I bet it would be good). Its good over rice or noodles. You can add as many veggies as you want, but I usually just stick with broccoli. I have made it with broccoli, carrots, cabbage, broccoli slaw, corn, onions, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, edamame, etc.


General Tso's Chicken

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 head steamed broccoli (or other veggies)
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
• hot pepper flakes (optional)
• sesame seeds (optional)
• green onions, chopped, for garnish
• hot rice, for serving

Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and water (if you like it spicy, add red pepper flakes and/or siracha). Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Dredge the chicken in the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Cook the chicken in the olive oil until browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Using a paper towel, wipe the skillet clean. Add the sesame oil and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer mixture for 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the chicken back into the skillet, toss to coat with sauce, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.
• Serve garnished with green onions, hot pepper flakes (if desired) and sesame seeds (if desired).

The chicken gets a nice crisp crust that mimic deep frying without all the fat

Sauce, simmering

Yummm!

Saltwater Taffy

I don't know why I was struck by the sudden urge to make taffy, but I was. And the feeling continued for several weeks.

Taffy is funny stuff. I've never been a huge fan of taffy, but if its offered to me I'll always accept. I think I've bought it a few times, but its never a huge draw. I'm more of a chocolate girl.

I think what made me want to make taffy is the process of pulling the taffy. Having to stretch and fold the taffy over and over was really appealing. Plus, I have enjoyed experimenting with various forms of sugar work (i.e. marshmallows, syrups, etc).

To prep for this taffy-pulling-extravaganza, I found a friend crazy enough to possibly be burned my molten sugar. Ariel was the perfect candidate. Plus, she said we could make it in her kitchen (which is a plus because I've been known to make a mess or two). I also watched the Good Eats episode on taffy, you know, just in case.

Disregard our haggard appearance. We had done hot yoga just hours beforehand.

Saltwater Taffy

yields roughly 1 1/2 pounds

adapted from lorannoils.com

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

Various extracts or flavoring oils (we used peppermint and cherry+lemon)

food coloring, optional

Prepare a shallow heat safe pan by lightly buttering it. If you plan on dividing the candy into multiple batches, prep 2-3 small pans. Have your flavorings and colorings nearby with buttered spatulas ready to stir.

Sift together the cornstarch and sugar and add to a medium thick-bottomed sauce pan (if your pan doesn't have a thick bottom, place another pan underneath. The two layers will help diffuse the heat, making it more uniform. Also, if it overflows, it won't be onto your stove burners... always a plus). Stir in the corn syrup, salt, butter and water. Place over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Once it comes to a boil, cover and cook for three minutes (turn down the temp a little so it doesn't overflow). Remove the lid and then clip on your candy thermometer and cook to 260°F.

Once the syrup hits 260°F, remove from heat and add your flavors/colors and mix well (don't inhale if you're using extracts. Unless you have a cold and are working with peppermint extract... that shit will clean out your sinuses so fast!). Then pour into your prepared pan. If you're doing multiple batches, divide the syrup between the pans and add the flavorings (we used 1-2 Tbsp of extract in each pan, but use less if you are using flavoring oils as they're stronger) and colors and then mix well.

After the flavors were mixed, cooling
Allow the candy to cool until until solid enough to handle and then butter your hands lightly and begin pulling!

You want to stretch out the taffy, bring the ends together to form a loop, stretch and repeat. Over and over. Do this for about 15-20 minutes until the taffy has a creamy, satiny appearance. All this work will incorporate air into the candy, making it soft and chewy. The more pulling the better it will be.

After pulling, roll the taffy into long ropes, and quickly snip with oiled scissors. Keep the pieces separate so they don't stick together. Roll them in squares of waxed paper to store.

Here is the taffy, just before pulling

In the beginning of the pulling process

After pulling, rolled out to cut

All cut up, really to wrap

Ta-Daa! We ended up with "shirley temple" and peppermint flavored taffy

In the end, this taffy tasted great and was pretty easy to make. We didn't pull it long enough, so its pretty hard, but its great for sucking on before it softens up.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

This recipe is a family favorite. We always had it as a Thanksgiving treat, and just like the pumpkin pie, my dad was in charge of making it. 

This pie is classic, sweet, and, oh yeah, chocolately.

Yes. I said chocolately. Our family always takes these types of things to the next level. Its like blinging out a pie. With chocolate chips.

Without further ado:

Pecan Pie
1 9in pie crust
4 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 large eggs
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark cane or corn syrup
1 cup broken pecan pieces
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then blend them into the butter mixture. Sift the cornstarch and salt into the mixture, and then add the vanilla extract. Blend in the cane syrup, followed by the pecans (and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips). Stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour into the pie crust, and float a few whole pecan halves to make a pretty design. Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees, then reduce temp to 300 degrees for another 30 minutes, or until center looks firm. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ta-Daa!

The recipe is good for impressing in-laws, guys, southern ladies (Paula Dean), and co-workers.

Happy Halloween! Glowing Frog Egg Drinks, Jack-O-Lantern Rice Crispy Treats, and Evil Bananas

Happy Halloween everyone!

I'm not a big Halloween person. I don't get dressed up. I don't decorate. I carved pumpkins two years ago and was all ready for trick-or-treaters, but no one came (I was very sad). But I do love Halloween foods and seeing little kids get all crazy for the holiday.

I was babysitting this weekend and I thought, "what would be more fun but to have a mini Halloween party ourselves?"

Spooky!

Glowing Frog Egg Drinks:

Clear (or nearly clear) drink (I used Diet Sprite - no sugar)

Club Soda (with quinine)

Bubbles/Tapioca pearls (see my post on bubble tea drinks)

Big straw

Black Light

Put the bubbles on the bottom of the glass, fill most of the way with selected drink and add a good splash of club soda. Under a black light, club soda glows blue. Makes for a great party drink (can be made in an adult version). Plus, the bubbles freaked the kids out.

Quote of the night, from a very honest 5 year old, "Amy, are you evil?"

My reply, "little bit."

After they enjoyed their drinks (half the kids braved the "frog eggs") we made rice crispy treat jack-o-lanterns. I meant to bring orange food coloring, but I forgot. Oh well. These were still cute!

Rice Crispy Treats (adapted off the side of the box)

1 bag of large marshmallows

1 stick of butter

1 box of rice crispies

Melt to butter and marshmallows in a large bowl (Microwave, 2 minutes, stir half way). Add food coloring (optional). Carefully stir in cereal with a spatula or large spoon. Cool and make into pumpkins, either on wax paper or in hands. Use icing or sprinkles to make faces. Press the rest into a 9 x 9 pan to eat later.

Happy Pumpkin!

 The story behind the bananas:
I love this blogger called the Bloggess (bloggess.com). She tagged an idea that she wanted to do with her daughter that showed love notes sent to kids by writing on a banana. They're meant to be sweet and encouraging. Until the Bloggess discovered it. She wrote fun notes such as "act normal. you will be contacted with further instructions momentarily" on her husbands banana.

All you do is take a toothpick and gently write into the skin of just under-ripe bananas. As the banana ripens, the message will darken, leaving fun messages to whomever gets the banana. Muahahaha!

I find this incredibly hilarious.

Happy Halloween!!!

Mini Pumpkin Pie

Today we had a psychology brown bag meeting and I like to bake something as an incentive for people to attend.

Seeing that it's fall and because I love pumpkin, I decided to make mini pumpkin pies.

I didn't have much time, so instead of making pie crust and forming it into little tarts, I just picked up phyllo dough shells as a substitute.

Gold crust, creamy filling

Mini Pumpkin Pies:

3 packages of phyllo shells (45 pie-lets total), thawed

2 eggs

3/4 brown sugar

1 can (16oz) pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger (ground)

1/4 tsp cloves

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and place shells into mini-muffin pans or straight onto a baking sheet (I prefer the mini-muffin pans because it keeps them from tipping over). Beat the eggs lightly, and then add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Once the oven is up to temp, fill the shells to the top, and carefully put into the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the filling doesn’t jiggle too much when the pan is shaken. Cool completely, then refrigerate.

This recipe makes quite a few, but they won’t last long

 So yummy!

Now, this filling recipe makes way too much for just 45 shells. A good solution is either making 90 mini pies, half the filling ingredients, or take the left over filling and bake it in custard cups (425 degrees for 15 minutes, then another 25-35 at 350 until its firm in the center).

Spaghetti Squash and Puppy Chow

So I decided to take a risk and buy a spaghetti squash to make dinner. I kept reading about how easy it was to make and how it was so tasty. Now, I'm not a big fan of squash, except sweet uses of pumpkin, but I had recently, successfully, used a butternut squash to make fries (they tasted like sweet potato fries so it wasn't a huge leap), and I was feeling adventurous.

I saw the giant pile of squash at the supermarket the other day so I bought myself a large spaghetti squash.

How did I know which of the squash in the squash pile were spaghetti squash?

That's how.

On a quick side note, you could really mess up some novice cooks by swapping all the produce stickers. "Hey, I thought this was a hot house tomato, but the sticker says yellow onion... hmmmm."

How did I know I picked a good squash from the bunch? No clue. I just picked the prettiest one from the pile. There is probably some trick to picking a good one (heavy for its size, sounds hollow, I don't know), but just go with your gut.

After you bring your squash home (and possibly fielding a few questions from the cashier), prep is simple.

1. Disregard the instruction on the sticker that use just used to identify your squash. Its done enough.

2. Place the entire squash (yes, the whole thing. No, you don't have to poke holes in it but it can explode (I've had that happen and it makes quite the mess) into the microwave and cook for 8-10 minutes.

3. Use oven mitts to remove the squash from the microwave and carefully cut it open with a large knife. The skin should be pretty soft after cooking. Let the squash cool (or burn your hands. That's what I did).

4. Use a fork/spoon/any other utensil to remove the seeds and attached strands just like you would with a pumpkin.

5. Use a fork (yes, a fork this time) to pull apart the flesh of the squash. It should easily come out in long strands. If it is still hard in places, place flat down on the plate and microwave for another minute or two. Its not critical for it to come out perfectly. 

6. Use paper towel to pat as much liquid from the squash flesh as you can.

7. Take all the squash strands and put them in a non-stick skillet and cook with a little EVOO and garlic. Keep moving it around to get it cooked through.

8. Meanwhile, heat up whatever sauce you want to use. I used jar spaghetti sauce with polish kielbasa (its a Hansen family thing), but it would also be really good with sausage or ground beef. Or you could just go simple and toss it with garlic, oil, and parm.

Cooking it up

Yummm!

Surprisingly, this was a hit with both Chris and I. The squash really has an al dente angel hair texture and works great with the spaghetti sauce. I read that it only has about 60 calories per cup (I got about 5 cups out of my one squash) and is very high in vitamin B. 

I will definitively be making it again soon!

Puppy Chow:

I was feeling pretty good about myself and my healthy dinner last night so I decided to balance it out with this yummy treat.

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

~9 cups chex cereal (I prefer crispix)

1 1/2 - 2 cup powered sugar

First, melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips together in a large glass or plastic bowl in the microwave. Mix in the chex mix, then pour it all into a large ziplock bag. Add the powered sugar, close the bag, and shake it up until all the pieces are covered. 

Then, just gobble it up!

Puppy Chow: Not for Puppies.