KiloPatches
Senior Member
HEY EVERYONE!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!
This is KiloPatches' Guide to YOUR Holiday Festive Feast, with my own self-taught recipe brought to your table (virtually speaking). I am using this blog entry (previously a thread, now condensed to a blog) to sort of record about my cooking as I go because I have entertained for Christmas and Thanksgiving many times and everyone seems to agree my recipe is Legendary. Even my father, who reveres my late mother's cooking agrees my turkey is better than her's. So I will share my self-taught cooking secrets with you, dear Bell Tree!
Sadly, no one is celebrating Christmas with my common-law boyfriend, Dustin (and our two cats, J'zargo and M'aiq) and I this year, so its just us. So I thought I would invite you to our home and company to enjoy it with us since our families neglect us.
I developed this recipe (Canadian) Thanksgiving of 2009 - our first thanksgiving together as a common-law couple. And I just made it up on the spot as I went. I brought over a few friends who weren't going home (from university to visit their families) and decided, "let's start a tradition!" and so I did. And it was the best darn turkey anyone had ever had! A success!
SHOPPING LIST: 3-4 DAYS IN ADVANCE
- a frozen Butterball, unstuffed turkey (your choice of size, depending on how many you are entertaining, I usually go with 4-5Kg and thaw for 3 days, but if you want a bigger turkey you are going to need to thaw it for longer)
- an Aluminum disposable Turkey Baking Pan, preferably deep
- 2 Boxes of stuffing mix (as a side dish) - I use Brownberry brand (you can add orange juice instead of water to add flavour - it tastes excellent!)
- 2 boxes of packaged mashed potatoes (or if you have time, make them from scratch)
- 2lbs of fresh baby carrots
- fresh celery stalks
- a carton of Campbell's Chicken Broth (900ml)
- Vegetable Oil
- Woodland Natural Liquid Hickory Smoke Flavouring (***secret ingredient!***)
- Canned Cranberry Jelly
- Powdered Gravy Mixture (I buy Swiss Chalet Mix, a Canadian rotisserie chicken restaurant that serves awesome gravy and sauce)
- Pillsbury Dough Rolls
- Spices (I either use Mrs. Dash or Specialized Turkey Seasoning)
- Pumpkin Pie
- Whipped Cream
- Egg Nog
PREPARE:
Thaw turkey in the fridge for 3-4 days, according to the directions and how many kg your turkey is. Mine was just under 5kg (8-11lbs), so I thawed for 3 days.
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:
- Turkey Baster
- Glazing Brush
- Meat Thermometer
- Flavour Injector
Here is a picture of some of the supplies you will need:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius).
Begin by clearing the sink and washing it, and your hands thoroughly. Take off any jewellery and cut open the packaging off the turkey in the sink so any juices drain. Rince the turkey with warm water, especially if if feels slightly frozen still and hang it upside down to drip dry for a few seconds. Find the bag of giblets and take it out and throw it out (or use it if you know a recipe for it). Fine the neck in the cavity and remove it (I sometimes boil it into a soup and eat it but generally I toss it too).
Here is where my secrets come in:
Use your hand and run your fingers under the skin of the turkey as deep as you can, over the breast and over the thighs. Fill a glass with vegetable oil and taking the glazing brush and glaze under the skin of the turkey and use your hand to make sure its thoroughly spread underneath. Then use the glazing brush to glaze vegetable oil over the skin of the turkey so the skin doesn't dry out.
Take your spices and sprinkle spice under the skin and over the skin. It should look something like this:
Transfer your turkey over to your roasting pan. Dump all 2lbs of baby carrots in with your turkey and surround it. Take 4-5 celery stalks (or more if you like) and cut them in to 3 inch long pieces, trimming the stem and leafy bit off. You should be able to cut each stalk into thirds. Throw your celery pieces in with the carrots. Then take your carton of chicken broth - ignore what the Butterball instructions say about not putting the turkey in water - this is called a brine! Dump 3/4 of the carton into the roasting pan with the turkey, carrots and celery. Grab your Hickory Smoke Flavouring. Sprinkle that stuff all over the turkey, carrots and celery. Get lots in the brine too. The flavour will evaporate and infuse with the turkey and the veggies. Take your Flavour Injector, soak up some of that delicious chicken broth/hickory brine and inject it into the thigh and breast of the turkey for added mouthwatering flavour.
This is what it looks like before putting it in the oven:
My turkey will need to be cooked for 2&3/4 - 3&1/4 hours until the thigh is 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees Celsius)
Baste every 45 - 60 minutes in with the baster and brine.
This is my one hour in shot:
Latest pic of a peek inside the oven!
@ 160 degrees! Almost done!!!! Next up is the Mashed Potatoes and Stuffing and Gravy!
Exciting!
Mashies, Stuffing and Gravy:
Final Product:
Pillsbury Dough Rolls before they were put in the oven:
Take the turkey out of the pan and you are left with a delicious side dish of hickory smoked-infused veggies:
And finally the dinner feast was complete:
The works of side dises:
Tender, juicy, cooked to perfection!
His plate:
My plate:
Next up dessert:
Served Right:
THANK YOU FOR JOINING DUSTIN AND I THIS CHRISTMAS! <3
Sincerely,
Katherine (KiloPatches)
This is KiloPatches' Guide to YOUR Holiday Festive Feast, with my own self-taught recipe brought to your table (virtually speaking). I am using this blog entry (previously a thread, now condensed to a blog) to sort of record about my cooking as I go because I have entertained for Christmas and Thanksgiving many times and everyone seems to agree my recipe is Legendary. Even my father, who reveres my late mother's cooking agrees my turkey is better than her's. So I will share my self-taught cooking secrets with you, dear Bell Tree!
Sadly, no one is celebrating Christmas with my common-law boyfriend, Dustin (and our two cats, J'zargo and M'aiq) and I this year, so its just us. So I thought I would invite you to our home and company to enjoy it with us since our families neglect us.
I developed this recipe (Canadian) Thanksgiving of 2009 - our first thanksgiving together as a common-law couple. And I just made it up on the spot as I went. I brought over a few friends who weren't going home (from university to visit their families) and decided, "let's start a tradition!" and so I did. And it was the best darn turkey anyone had ever had! A success!
SHOPPING LIST: 3-4 DAYS IN ADVANCE
- a frozen Butterball, unstuffed turkey (your choice of size, depending on how many you are entertaining, I usually go with 4-5Kg and thaw for 3 days, but if you want a bigger turkey you are going to need to thaw it for longer)
- an Aluminum disposable Turkey Baking Pan, preferably deep
- 2 Boxes of stuffing mix (as a side dish) - I use Brownberry brand (you can add orange juice instead of water to add flavour - it tastes excellent!)
- 2 boxes of packaged mashed potatoes (or if you have time, make them from scratch)
- 2lbs of fresh baby carrots
- fresh celery stalks
- a carton of Campbell's Chicken Broth (900ml)
- Vegetable Oil
- Woodland Natural Liquid Hickory Smoke Flavouring (***secret ingredient!***)
- Canned Cranberry Jelly
- Powdered Gravy Mixture (I buy Swiss Chalet Mix, a Canadian rotisserie chicken restaurant that serves awesome gravy and sauce)
- Pillsbury Dough Rolls
- Spices (I either use Mrs. Dash or Specialized Turkey Seasoning)
- Pumpkin Pie
- Whipped Cream
- Egg Nog
PREPARE:
Thaw turkey in the fridge for 3-4 days, according to the directions and how many kg your turkey is. Mine was just under 5kg (8-11lbs), so I thawed for 3 days.
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:
- Turkey Baster
- Glazing Brush
- Meat Thermometer
- Flavour Injector
Here is a picture of some of the supplies you will need:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius).
Begin by clearing the sink and washing it, and your hands thoroughly. Take off any jewellery and cut open the packaging off the turkey in the sink so any juices drain. Rince the turkey with warm water, especially if if feels slightly frozen still and hang it upside down to drip dry for a few seconds. Find the bag of giblets and take it out and throw it out (or use it if you know a recipe for it). Fine the neck in the cavity and remove it (I sometimes boil it into a soup and eat it but generally I toss it too).
Here is where my secrets come in:
Use your hand and run your fingers under the skin of the turkey as deep as you can, over the breast and over the thighs. Fill a glass with vegetable oil and taking the glazing brush and glaze under the skin of the turkey and use your hand to make sure its thoroughly spread underneath. Then use the glazing brush to glaze vegetable oil over the skin of the turkey so the skin doesn't dry out.
Take your spices and sprinkle spice under the skin and over the skin. It should look something like this:
Transfer your turkey over to your roasting pan. Dump all 2lbs of baby carrots in with your turkey and surround it. Take 4-5 celery stalks (or more if you like) and cut them in to 3 inch long pieces, trimming the stem and leafy bit off. You should be able to cut each stalk into thirds. Throw your celery pieces in with the carrots. Then take your carton of chicken broth - ignore what the Butterball instructions say about not putting the turkey in water - this is called a brine! Dump 3/4 of the carton into the roasting pan with the turkey, carrots and celery. Grab your Hickory Smoke Flavouring. Sprinkle that stuff all over the turkey, carrots and celery. Get lots in the brine too. The flavour will evaporate and infuse with the turkey and the veggies. Take your Flavour Injector, soak up some of that delicious chicken broth/hickory brine and inject it into the thigh and breast of the turkey for added mouthwatering flavour.
This is what it looks like before putting it in the oven:
My turkey will need to be cooked for 2&3/4 - 3&1/4 hours until the thigh is 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees Celsius)
Baste every 45 - 60 minutes in with the baster and brine.
This is my one hour in shot:
Latest pic of a peek inside the oven!
@ 160 degrees! Almost done!!!! Next up is the Mashed Potatoes and Stuffing and Gravy!
Exciting! Mashies, Stuffing and Gravy:
Final Product:
Pillsbury Dough Rolls before they were put in the oven:
Take the turkey out of the pan and you are left with a delicious side dish of hickory smoked-infused veggies:
And finally the dinner feast was complete:
The works of side dises:
Tender, juicy, cooked to perfection!
His plate:
My plate:
Next up dessert:
Served Right:
THANK YOU FOR JOINING DUSTIN AND I THIS CHRISTMAS! <3
Sincerely,
Katherine (KiloPatches)
