Some things that happen in life are the work of fate. I mean, for no reason, there’s some unexpected connection, an unexplained event. That’s how it happened with for me tonight with John Legend and his recipe for Mac ‘n Cheese.
It is COLD here in Billings. Seriously cold – below zero temps, strong winds. The kind of weather that begs for spring now that Christmas and New Year’s are over. Also begging comfort food. I had not gone grocery shopping since Richard and I returned from the holidays in Indiana, so my mind was reviewing what I remembered was stored in the refrigerator and pantry.
I love these cookies! They’re crunchy, crumbly, made with ground almonds and orange zest. I found this recipe in a 2001 edition of Martha Stewart’s Holiday Cookies: 100 Favorite Recipes.
Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate and caramel and cheesecake as much as anyone. But during the holidays, cookie trays and dessert tables seem to be inundated with uber-rich treats. I think of almond orange cookies as sort of a palate cleanser. The crunch of the ground almonds and the crispy sugar coated edges lend a tasty background to the orange zest. These cookies are buttery, and not too sweet.
Growing up, our family was incredibly spoiled at Christmas time. My mother, Shirley, and my paternal grandmother, Grandma Szewczyk, excelled at baking. Because Grandma Szewczyk lived directly across an alley from us, we were doubly blessed.
My mom’s walnut roll was a Christmas must have. My grandmother would make one filled with poppyseeds – makowiec. Poppyseeds to Polish folks are believed to bring good luck, so it is traditional to serve the poppyseed variation at Christmas and New Year’s. Over the years, Grandma deferred to my mother’s walnut roll, but continued to make her more than fair share of baked goodies.
Yes, we still have turkey. Uh oh – hope I didn’t make you roll your eyes . . . Yes, another turkey recipe: Turkey Enchiladas in Mole. Never had mole? Boy, are you in for a treat!!
Turkey Enchiladas in Mole
I’m crazy for this recipe. My ex-mother-in-law, who taught me everything I know about Mexican cooking, made these for me when we visited her in Colorado Springs one Christmas. She went all out for dinner, but the real treat was the next day, when she used leftover turkey to make enchiladas. Oh my, my mouth is watering.
My Polish grandmother made this traditional bread throughout the year. We lived directly across an alley from her house, so Grandma was always bringing over freshly baked goodies. Chalka was one of our very favorites. It’s fabulous warm out of the oven or toasted for breakfast with lots of butter.
Somehow, I grew up taking much of the food we ate for granted. Polish food, like sauerkraut and kielbasa, we knew were ethnic foods, but this raisin bread I didn’t realize was part of a traditional Polish Christmas Eve or Wigilia, I stumbled onto a great website Polish Christmas Eve Supper Recipes – Wigilia As I read through the recipes, several we ate throughout the year. My grandmother and dad would go mushroom hunting near our home – dry them, and save them for soup or added to sauerkraut. I remember having uszka (“little ear” dumplings) just once, when my grandma’s sister came to the United States from Poland for a year. We ate very well. I remember how excited my father was, because the two sisters, his mother and aunt, were busy in the kitchen making many of the foods he remembered from his childhood. My dad also loved chalka. He would ask me to make it for him, when he and my mother would come to visit. And he asked me sometimes to use dried fruit rather than raisins, like the kind of candied fruit used in fruit cake.
My house is smelling so good today! And the Packers and the Vikings are in overtime! It’s a happy Sunday afternoon.
It’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Regardless of whether I’m cooking for the two of us or for a houseful of family and guests, I always manage to have more ideas rambling around in my gray-haired head than I have people to eat. The luxury this year is that I’m trying a few different menu items. One of them is this make ahead turkey gravy. If you’re a Thanksgiving newbie, make ahead gravy will be a lifesaver. If you’ve been around the block once or twice like me, It’s so nice to have this part of the meal finished. After three hours and a few simple ingredients, you’ll have a flavorful, rich, deep brown turkey broth for gravy and to transform servings of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes into a Thanksgiving masterpiece.
I’m using my grandmother’s Guardian Service roaster – I love this roaster. I sprayed the bottom with vegetable cooking spray. Add two turkey legs, or you could use turkey wings, salt and pepper the poultry, four stalks of celery with leaves each cut into thirds, a large onion cut into quarters peel intact, and four large cloves of fresh garlic. Drizzle the mix with a little olive to promote browning. Put the roaster into a 375°F oven for two hours.
Take the roaster out of the oven. Can you see all the rich, deep brown drippings on the bottom of the roaster? That’s what’s going to make this stock beautiful. Add six cups of water or a combination of chicken stock and water, and bring it all to a boil on the stove for another hour. Guess what? The house smells like heaven, and I’m rapidly getting into the holiday spirit.
Allow the liquid to cool for a little bit. Using a strainer, drain off the liquid, and there you have it.
At this point, you can go ahead and make the gravy to store in the refrigerator – just warm it at meal time. Or you can transfer the stock into a container, and wait until Thanksgiving to make the gravy. I’m going to store the stock, so I can add drippings from the bird to make even more gravy. I figure you can’t have too much gravy. This way, too, I can remove the fat from the stock.
You know what I did with the turkey leg meat? Turned it into turkey tetrazzini!
Let’s Make Gravy!
To put it all together, make a roux in a large saucepan with 4 Tablespoons melted butter and 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, so the raw flour taste cooks out. Add 2 cups of the turkey stock. Stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup of milk or cream, a teaspoon of apple cider (for a little tang) or a Tablespoon of cognac or brandy (for a richer taste). Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Heat the gravy until it is bubbling. Stir, turn down the heat, and keep warm on the stove, until you’re ready to serve. Don’t worry if a film forms over the top. Just whisk the gravy, and it will dissolve.
Make sure the gravy has a pourable consistency. If it is too thick, add a little more turkey stock. If it’s too thin, here’s a trick my mother used. She put 1/4 cup of warm water in a small glass jar with a lid, and added 2 Tablespoons of flour. Secure the lid, and shake until the flour is dissolved. Slowly drip into the gravy, whisking constantly. Add just enough of the flour slurry to reach the desired consistency. You may not need the whole jar.
As the tension mounts on Thanksgiving Day for serving, the gravy is always the last mealtime item to prepare. Give yourself a breather with Make Ahead Turkey Gravy!
Get a head start on Thanksgiving with this rich and yummy make ahead turkey gravy!
Author: noblepig.com
Recipe type: Thanksgiving
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
2 turkey wings or turkey legs
4 ribs of celery, each stalk cut into thirds
1 large onion, cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled, peeled or smashed
6 cups water or 3 cups water and 3 cups chicken stock
For The Gravy
4 Tablespoons melted butter
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups turkey stock, strained and defatted
½ cup whole milk, half-and-half, or cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar or 1 Tablespoon cognac or brandy
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a dutch oven or small roaster, place the turkey wings or legs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chopped vegetables and garlic. Roast for 2 hours.
Remove roaster to the stove top. Add water/chicken stock. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for one hour.
All the liquid to slightly cool. Strain the liquid into a large bowl. Line the strainer with cheesecloth or paper toweling.
Pour into a storage container, and refrigerate until ready to use.
To Make The Gravy
In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Add flour, and whisk together. Cook the butter/flour mixture for a minute or two to cook out the raw taste of the flour.
Add the turkey stock, and whisk until thickened.
Add milk, cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Keep warm on the stove until ready to serve.
If the gravy is too thick, add a little more stock. If it is too thin, in a jar, shake together ¼ cup warm water with 2 Tablespoons of flour to make a slurry. While whisking the gravy, slowly add the slurry until the desired consistency.
What to do with over ripe bananas? Well, we all know there’s lots! Rather than banana bread or muffins, I wanted to make a cake. I also love New York style crumb cake, so this cake was a perfect fit. Wow! Banana Pecan Caramel Crumb Cake is awesome. It’s a denser cake than you would expect, but not too heavy – nicely moist. The addition of toasted pecans makes for a tasty sweet crunch. My husband and I both loved it. After dinner for dessert or in the morning with a cup of coffee – it’s an all around perfect cake. Cake for breakfast? Sure – go for it! And don’t forget the caramel drizzle! (more…)
Richard and I eat pizza about twice a month. He doesn’t care what’s on top, as long as there’s meat. I LOVE Italian sausage, so that’s the meat default in our house. Very, very rarely do we order pizza out. I think it’s much more economical to construct our own, and then I can add as little or as much as I want. I understand restaurant pizza is convenient. We’re just always disappointed in the way it tastes.
About a month or so ago, I was shopping at World Market and found this cute package of Hong Kong Style Egg Noodles. I don’t know what makes them “Hong Kong Style,” but because I love noodles of all shapes and sizes and because they were reasonably priced, I couldn’t resist. These are sweet little nests of very fine noodles. I love shopping at World Market – I’m always surprised by something newly stocked in the international food aisles. My pantry and my daughter’s pantry are filled with many irresistible finds, but that’s another story.
In the mood for something different for dinner? Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken should be in everyone’s recipe quiver. And you’ll have an excuse to buy a jar of blackberry jam. Hooray!
I’ve not thought about using quinoa as the vessel for a casserole, like you would rice or pasta. But I came across this recipe a few months ago at Bakeaholic Mama, and it’s become one of my favorites. Simply said, Carrie, aka Bakeaholic Mama, is a genius. A healthy combination of quinoa, spinach, cheddar cheese sauce, topped with a buttery, crunchy panko bread crumbs makes this casserole an excellent choice as a main or side dish.
These ribs are phenomenal! I mean, who doesn’t like juicy, “fall-off-the-bone,” savory pork ribs? To begin, I used a spicy dry rub called “Soul Dust” I found at Kayotic Kitchen. I was attracted to this rub, because it uses turbinado sugar, which I just happened to have in my pantry – don’t ask me why. Turned out, the rub is very fragrant and spicy. The smell as the ribs are baking is out of this world. I wonder if there’s a candle out there that smells like this – I’d buy it in a heartbeat. To me, there’s nothing better than the smell of pork and garlic baking in the oven. I just love it! And because these ribs are slow baked, the porky-rib smell wafts through the house for hours.
What to do with over ripe bananas? Well, we all know there’s lots! Rather than banana bread or muffins, I wanted to make a cake. I also love New York style crumb cake, so this cake was a perfect fit. Wow! Banana Pecan Caramel Crumb Cake is awesome. It’s a denser cake than you would expect, but not too heavy – nicely moist. The addition of toasted pecans makes for a tasty sweet crunch. My husband and I both loved it. After dinner for dessert or in the morning with a cup of coffee – it’s an all around perfect cake. Cake for breakfast? Sure – go for it! And don’t forget the caramel drizzle! 
