Turkey Time

After trying many different turkeys we've found our favorite. A Lemon Bacon Turkey. Seriously you can't go wrong with bacon. This turkey comes out so moist and delicious that my husband actually enjoys eating the white meat! The post is long, but it gives the full details, so try it out some time and enjoy!

Lemon Bacon Turkey (Stuffing and Gravy)

• 20-24 lb. Turkey (adjust recipe for smaller turkeys)
• 4-5 Lemons
• ¾ Loaf Day old French Bread (or whatever bread you like to use)
• 1 Lg Onion
• 10-12 Cloves Garlic
• Salt & Pepper (or favorite seasoning mix- I like McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• 3 Stalks of Celery
• 3 Carrots (or 10-12 Baby Carrots)
• 1/3 Cup Butter
• 5-6 Cups of Chicken or Turkey Stock
• 5-7 Strips of Bacon
• 3-5 Tbl. Flour

Prep: (This can all be done the night before if you prefer)

• Slice Bread into bite size cubes and lay out on tray to dry [This needs to be done the night before!]
• Make sure turkey is defrosted.
• Slice 3-4 of the lemons for nice thin circular slices, quarter the other lemon (Remove seeds).
• Finely Dice Onion and Mince Garlic
• (In a small container combine ½ of the onion and about 7-8 of the minced cloves of garlic, add S&P or your own seasoning mix)- this is the base for the rub.
• Finely chop celery and carrots.
• (In a larger container combine celery carrots and the rest of the onion and garlic, and add seasoning)- this is the base for the stuffing.

Pre-Oven Prep: (Best done the morning of)

• Add ½ Cup of Stock to the Rub Base.
• Add dry bread to Stuffing Base. Melt 1/3 Cup butter and add to stuffing base with 1 ½- 2 Cups of Stock (depending on how dry or soggy you like your stuffing). Stir to combine and add more seasoning if needed.
• Before I start touching the turkey I like to set everything out that I will need.
• So grab a dish for the neck and the giblets (which I spray lightly with non-stick and sprinkle with seasoning), turkey twine (if your turkey doesn’t already have the little leg locks on it).
• I also grab a 5” square piece of foil and about 5 toothpicks (we’ll talk about this later) and some paper towels to pat dry the turkey and a small sharp knife.
• Grab turkey pan and roasting rack I usually put this on top of a cookie sheet to avoid spillage in the oven.
• Set up a clean working surface for the turkey, I like to use a large cookie sheet. 
• Put everything you need (including the Rub, Stuffing and rest of Stock) in arms reach if you can so that it’s easily accessible.

Turkey Time:

• Remove turkey from packaging.
• Remove giblets and neck from either the neck cavity or the main cavity. Rinse giblets and neck and place in prepared pan.
• Rinse (with cold water) and pat dry turkey, both inside and out.
• Start with breast side up. Right near the cavity opening make slits in the skin on each side of the bird (long enough to fit your hand in, but on the edge so the skin doesn’t rib on the top). Take about ¼ of the rub and work it in between the breast and the skin on both sides. Then slide in 3-4 slices of lemon on each side.
• Next stuff the bird. I start with ½ of the quartered lemon and put it all the way in the back of the cavity (if the lemon mixes too much with the stuffing the stuffing will be really lemony). Then fill the rest of the cavity with stuffing, and end with another quarter of a lemon. [Some turkey experts say not to stuff your turkey for safety concerns, but as long as all my stuffing ingredients come straight from the cold fridge I haven’t had a problem- your call.] I usually have a little left over stuffing that I will use in a bit.
• Replace the legs in a leg locks (or tie with twine). Here is where I use the foil. I stick one end of it under the leg locks and use the toothpicks on the other end, so that cavity opening is completely covered (essential since I will the flipping the bird over). I sprinkle a little seasoning over the top of the bird.
• Flip the turkey over and repeat the rub process on the thighs. (Make a slit, work in the rest of the rub, slide in lemon slices all between the skin and the meat). Sprinkle a little more seasoning over the top. I place the rest of the stuffing in the neck cavity and attach the skin with a couple of toothpicks (make sure to remove the toothpicks, before serving).
• Pour 1 ½ - 2 Cups of stock in the bottom of the roasting pan and place the turkey (BREAST SIDE DOWN) on the roasting rack.
• Put turkey on the bottom rack of a 325 degree oven. Cooking times depends on the size of the turkey, but with a large bird, stuffed I plan on 4 ¾ hours- 5 ½ hours. Check out the FDA website for turkey cooking times and safety tips.
• I roast the giblets in the oven for the first hour the turkey is cooking, just sprinkle a little seasoning on the top. My husband likes them as his appetizer.
• At half way through (2 ½ hours for a 24 lb. turkey), remove turkey from oven and flip it so breast side is up. (I wrap hot pads in foil to put on each end of the turkey and usually enlist the assistance of my much stronger husband). Return to oven.
• When there is about an hour left. Remove turkey one more time (which does increase cooking time just a bit) and lay the strips of bacon across the top the bird. (If you want to be healthy don’t add the bacon, but really if it’s the holidays, splurge a little, it tastes delicious)! Return to oven
• When time is up, check with a meat thermometer. It should read 165 degrees in the thickest part of the meat. When temperature has been reached remove from oven. Place turkey in a different pan or a cutting board (with indentations, because there will be juices). Scoop stuffing from both cavities (discard foil and toothpicks) and put into an oven safe pan.
• Cover turkey with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.
• I like my stuffing a little crispy, so I put it under the broiler for about 5 minutes.

Gravy:

• In a sealable container put flour and about a cup of stock. Shake vigorously until flour dissolves. Pour about ½- ¾ of the juices left in the roasting pan into a sauce pan (I don’t add any butter or oil, because there is enough bacon drippings in the juices).
• Over medium heat bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add about ½ of flour mixture, stirring constantly, until gravy thickens.
• Slowly add more of the flour mixture until you’ve reached desired consistency.
• Season as needed.

                                                                 Happy Thanksgiving!!



Pause in Posting

Sorry about the serious pause in posting, but it's going to continue.

We moved, and finally got settled in,

but then I found out I was pregnant.

Which means my love for food has turned into a love-hate relationship.

I can't even watch food shows on TV.

So once this kid comes out. I'll be back!

Homemade Hummus

I love hummus and I love being able to make it cheaply whenever I want, instead of spending a lot of money for a very small container of it. Plus, I needed to use up some of those Chickpeas in my cupboards before we moved.

Hummus

• 1 Can Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) (Reserve a 1/4 C liquid from can)
• 1 T Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic (Minced) - I use 3 or 4 cloves.
• 1/2 t Salt
• Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
• 2 T Olive Oil

This is quick and easy to make if you have a food processor (just put it all in and blend- save the olive oil until the very end). But, I don't have a food processor, or a blender, so it takes a bit of arm strength. I find a potato masher works really well to mash up the chickpeas, use a little of the liquid you reserved as needed for a creamier consistency. Add tahini (I find the tahini in the cultural food isle, it's a bit expensive, but it lasts for a very long time and I can get numerous batches of hummus out of one container). Add garlic, lemon juice and mix all together. Add the olive oil last. The texture is a little smoother if you have a food processor, but it tastes just as good without one.
I really like it with pita bread and grilled chicken, but I've also used it as a spread on sandwiches and burgers. Tasty!

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

We are moving, and with the joy of moving comes trying to figure out what to do with all the stuff in the cupboards. Pack it up into our small moving space or try to eat as much of it as we can; it looks like we're doing a mix. A few weeks prior to moving I sat in front of the cupboard, pen and paper in hand, and tried to figure out what tasty meals I could make using mostly what I had on hand, and having to buy very little, so the next month or so of posts is some of what I came up with.

Ever since I started making hummus, I have a stock pile of garbanzo beans. I buy the bulk box once or twice a year from the warehouse store, which satisfies my hummus fix, but now I don't want to have to box up and travel with this many beans, and although I love hummus, I can't eat it everyday, so I tried out this recipe. I got the idea for this recipe here, and then made a few of my own changes with what I had in the cupboard.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

• 1 Can Garbanzo Beans
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves (grating it works really well)
• 1/2 T Cumin
• 1/8 T Chili Powder
• Dash of Salt
• Parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour olive oil in a pan, mix in garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Toss in drained garbanzo beans. Bake about 30 minutes (it creates a nice aroma in the house). Garnish with parsley once cooked.
Pretty simple and pretty tasty. Next time I'd like to try it with the feta, I love feta!

Easter Feast

With Spring's arrival and the remembrance of the Resurrection, Easter has always been celebrated in my home with food. Whether it's a large family gathering, or just our small family (like this year), the food is always tasty.

This year we decided on braised lamb shanks (the major factor in that decision was that they were better priced at the store then any other cut of lamb). Lamb (which my husband loves) has become somewhat of an Easter tradition. Braised lamb shanks, cheesy potatoes, salad and sourdough bread made for a tasty meal.

Braised Lamb Shanks

• 4 Lamb Shanks
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 Med. Onion (roughly chopped)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Can Tomatoes
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 T Italian Seasoning
• 2-3 C Broth ( I had turkey broth, so that's what I used)

I looked up a few different recipes, and after checking the cupboards for what I had, I came up with this recipe. Heat a large pot on the stove with olive oil. Season shanks with salt & pepper and brown in pot (this may have to be done in stages if all the shanks won't comfortably fit in the pot at once). Once browned remove from pot, add onions and garlic, allow to soften, then add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Return shanks to the pot and add the broth. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Simmer 2-3 hours.

Once the meat is falling off of the bone, remove shanks. Turn heat in pot to high, allow the liquid to reduce. I added a couple of Tablespoons of flour (mixed with half a cup of water) to the pot to help thicken the sauce. Then return the shanks to the liquid. Ready to Serve.

Cheesy Potatoes

• 4 Medium Potatoes
• 2-3 C Broth (Once again I had Turkey broth, so that's what I used)
• 1 T Butter
• 1 T Flour
• 4 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 C Sour Cream
• 1 Can Mushrooms
• 1/2 C Cheddar Cheese

This is a true Tasty Cupboard meal. I had Potatoes and Turkey broth and wanted to use both, so this is what I came up with. Cube potatoes (I peeled off half of the skin, but left half on, I like a bit of the skin) and boil potatoes in broth until soft, but not yet mushy. Remove potatoes and separate from broth. Put potatoes in an oven safe pan. Melt butter in the pot, over low heat, add flour. Once combined add  half of the garlic, salt, pepper, and slowly stir in the leftover broth. Allow to simmer 5 minutes. Temper sour cream (stir in a little broth to the sour cream), then add to sauce. Heat through. Chop mushrooms and sprinkle over potatoes as well as the rest of the garlic. Pour sauce over the potatoes and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

We added a salad and homemade sourdough bread rolls (recipe to come), and had quite the tasty Easter feast.

Easter cupcakes are the traditional dessert for our family, but I wanted to try different ones this year. I went with this recipe I found here. They were delicious. I wasn't quite as fond of the frosting, but I think that was because I didn't quite follow the recipe (don't substitute margarine for the butter here). I'll try it again the right way sometime, and let you know how it turns out. Overall a fantastic Easter feast. We hope you had a Happy Easter as well!

Pulled Pork!

Pulled pork is a tasty and affordable way to feed the family. Pork shoulder isn't that expensive, and it's even better when it's on sale. For my family of three a five pound pork shoulder roast can feed us three different tasty meals.


Cooking the Roast:
Day one will take a little bit of time to cook and prep the meat, but any extras can make quick, tasty meals for one to two days afterwards.

• 4-5 lbs. Pork shoulder Roast (A pork shoulder roast can be bought bone-in or bone-out, it doesn't really matter for this recipe. I buy the bone-in, but that's only because my husband likes to get some of the meat right off of the bone.)
• 4 Cups of Chicken Broth (Alternatives: what ever flavor broth you have, chicken bullion, or water)
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Dehydrated Onions
• 1 Bay Leaf (Seasoning is to your taste, so use what you like and what you have, garlic and onions are my basics)

In large pot combine all ingredients, and then add water until roast is covered by at least a half an inch. Bring to a boil, and the reduce heat. Simmer covered for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Low and slow! Pull out roast, and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of the broth in the pot. Shred the pork (easiest way is to cut the roast into manageable pieces and then use a couple of forks and your fingers to shred it into bite size pieces.)
Now you have Pulled Pork, just portion it to the number of days it will feed your family and then each day season as you choose. My favorite ways to use the pulled pork are listed below.

Pulled Pork Tacos

• Pulled Pork
• 1 Can Tomatoes (Diced)
• 1 Can Diced Green Chilies (these are my favorite addition to any Mexican themed dish)
• 1/2 Medium Onion (Chopped)
• 2 Garlic Cloves (minced) (Can substitute garlic powder and dehydrated onions).
• 1/2 C- 1 C reserved broth (substitute: chicken broth, water)
• 1 T Cumin
• 1 T Oregano
• 1/2 t Black Pepper
• 1/2 t Chili Powder (Substitute for all of the seasonings: packaged taco seasoning, I usually throw a bit of the taco seasoning in anyways, I like the way it tastes. Remember to use what you already have.)
• Salt to taste

Add a little of the broth (enough to cover the bottom the pan) to a saute pan. Saute onions on med-high heat until soft, add garlic, then pulled pork and all seasonings. Drain tomatoes and chilies and add to pan. Add broth to the pan (as much as needed so the meat doesn't dry out). Saute 5-7 minutes until heated through and the seasoning is covering all the meat. (Add more seasoning if it's not tasty enough for you.)
Spoon into taco shells or tortillas and top with your favorites. I like, cheese, cabbage, guacamole (homemade if you have the stuff), sour cream and salsa.

BBQ Pulled Pork

• Pulled Pork
• 1/2 C Reserved Broth
• BBQ Sauce (your favorite)

Pour Broth into a pot at med-high heat. Add pulled pork and stir in 1/4- 1/2 C of BBQ Sauce. Heat through, about 5 minutes. Add a bit more sauce once it's on the plate. Add whatever sides you have. I like it with mashed potatoes. Put the meat on a bun and top with shredded cabbage.

Pulled Pork is also great on top of homemade nachos or homemade pizza. Any other ideas?

Spinach Pesto Chicken Pasta

This is a true cupboard meal. I needed something quick to make for dinner and I didn't have much in the fridge to go on, so to the cupboards, and the freezer. If you have fresh ingredients it may make the recipe a bit better, but it was quite tasty just as is.

Spinach Pesto Pasta (my measurements are approximate)

• 1 C Frozen Spinach (cooked)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (minced)- We love garlic, so we went a bit overboard, if you're not as garlic crazy as us 1-2 cloves would work just fine.
• 3-5 T Olive Oil
• 1 T Dried Parsley
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Can Chicken
• 1/2 lb Fusilli Pasta
• lemon juice

Cook pasta according to package. I happened to have fusilli pasta which worked really well, because there's all the twists in the pasta to capture the pesto, but whatever you have in the cupboard will work!
Cook and drain the spinach (this step would be unnecessary if you're using fresh spinach). I am also lacking a food processor, so chopping skills are required. Finely chop spinach and garlic. Mix in parsley, salt and pepper, then stir in oil.
Drain pasta, and toss in the pesto, I added a bit more olive oil so that it wasn't too dry. Drain canned chicken add to the pasta. Garnish with just a little squeeze of lemon juice (it really brightens up the pasta and adds another taste dimension).
This easily took less then 30 minutes to make, mostly just the time it takes to cook the pasta, and it was tasty. My husband, who is not too big on pasta, loved it (probably due to the amount of garlic).

Salmon Cakes

This is a family recipe, I got it from my Mom, who got it from her Mom, who we believe got it from her Mom. It's quite easy, but very tasty.

Salmon Cakes

• 1 Can Salmon
• 1 Egg
• 6-10 Soda Crackers (smashed)
• 1-2 Celery Stalks (chopped finely)
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/2 Lemon

Mix all ingredients together. Form into 6-7 small patties. Spray non-stick spray on skillet at med-high heat. Brown on each side (usually about 4 minutes per side). Drizzle with lemon juice. I was missing some ingredients tonight and did not want to go out in the snow storm, so I left out the celery, and used bread crumbs and potato flakes instead of soda cracker. It was a bit drier then normal, but worked well with lemon juice or a bit of your favorite fish sauce. I used the white sauce I had with fish tacos.

Simple Cole Slaw

• 1/4 Head Cabbage (Shredded)
• 1/2 C Onion (Finely Chopped)
• Italian Dressing

Mix all together. Allow to rest in refridgerator (at least 20 minutes) for best flavor.

I also had a lot of potatoes, and wanted to try something different. I used Chef Anne Burrell (from the Food Networks) Pommes Chef Anne Recipe, try it out here.

Fish Tacos

I was craving fish tacos, so using what I found in the cupboards we had a tasty lunch. This recipe is highly susceptible to adjustments (a different kind of fish, lime instead of lemon, fresh cilantro) I just used what I had like usual.

Fish Tacos

• 4 Tilapia Filets (I really like the frozen filets, that come in the bulk pack, good for 2-3 different meals, and they were on sale last week)!
• ½ Cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 t Garlic Powder
• 1 t Pepper
• ½ t Salt
• ¼ t chili powder
• Tortillas (4 Flour, or 8 corn)
• ¼ Head of cabbage
• Salsa

Mix the Bread crumbs, garlic, pepper, salt and chili in a shallow dish. Slice tilapia filets in half. Coat filets with bread crumbs. In a medium-high pan on the stove, sprayed with non-stick spray (or a small amount of oil), cook fish. (My filets were thin so it only took about 3 minutes per side).

Sauce

• ¼ C sour cream
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 t cilantro (I only had dried, but fresh would probably work better)

Mix ingredients together.
Layer on a warm tortilla, white sauce, then fish filets (for the flour tortillas I used two of the sliced filets, for each taco), and top with cabbage and salsa (I just had store bought salsa, but it tasted pretty good). Serve with lemon wedge. Yum!

Tasty St. Patrick's Day

To celebrate our Irish heritage we ate a lot of food (most of which was not Irish, but still a nod to our ancestors), and used a lot of green food coloring.

We started the day with Green Eggs and Ham (ok it's more of a nod to Dr. Seuss then Ireland, but it's a family tradition and my son really liked watching normal food turn green).

Green Eggs and Ham

• Scrambled Eggs with added green food coloring
• Ham- here we just added left over pulled pork to the eggs (it's what I had on hand)
• Melt Jack Cheese (just because I like cheese)

Not the most appetizing look, but fun and tasty!

Corned Beef and Cabbage- Dinner was a bit more tradition, yet just as easy

• Corned Beef (I use the packaged brand that includes the spice packet)
• Water
• Cabbage

Place beef, spice packet and water in a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, allow to simmer for about 2 hours. Add cabbage leaves the last 20 minutes (this is a good time to add potatoes (quartered) and chopped carrots if you want to make it an easy one pot meal). Remove meat and allow to rest 10-15 minutes.

This year I decided to do a potato casserole instead of just adding them in the pot.

Potato Casserole (I got this recipe from my Mom)

• 8-10 Medium Potatoes
• 1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
• Dehydrated Onions
• Sour Cream
• Parsley
• Grated Cheddar Cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Boil potatoes whole with the skin on. Once cooked, allow to cool and then remove skin and cube into bite size pieces. Mix with soup, onions, sour cream, parsley, and a bit of the cheese, salt & pepper. Top mix with the rest of the cheddar cheese. Fits in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45minutes.

This all made for a very tasty meal!

Dessert- I started out with one dessert, but my sweet tooth and imagination took over, so there are 2.

Green Pudding- Ok this is beyond easy and can be accomplished many different ways, but I found instant vanilla pudding mix in the cupboard, so we just followed the directions, added a few drops of green food coloring. It was a hit with my little guy!

Shamrock Cookies
I used the same Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Recipe I use to decorate Christmas cookies (thanks for the recipe Mom)

1 C sugar
1 C butter (softened)
3oz Cream Cheese (softened)
1 t vanilla
1 Egg Yolk
1 1/4 C Flour
1/2 t salt (I use a bit less, or it's a bit too salty for me)

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and cream well. Add vanilla and egg yolk, blend together. Blend in flour and salt. Here I mixed in a few drops of green food coloring. Then chill the dough.
Roll dough out and cut into desired shape. (I don't have a shamrock cookie cutter, so my imagination went to work. I printed out a shamrock shape in a couple of different sizes and traced and cut the shape into cardboard. I used the cardboard shamrocks as guides as I traced on the dough with a small sharp knife. It took a little time and work, but it was fun, and it solved the no cookie cutter dilemma).
Bake at 400 degrees 5-7 minutes (depending on how thick you cut the cookies) on a lightly greased cookie sheet. They can burn quickly, so keep an eye on them.
I also found cream cheese frosting in the cupboard, added a bit more green food coloring, and had tasty cookies.

So not very Irish, but a very tasty nod to our Irish roots. How do you like to celebrate St. Patty's Day?

Welcome to Tasty Cupboard!

During college I realized I love tasty food, but because I couldn't afford to eat out at yummy restaurants, it was time to learn how to cook. Years later I still love good tasty food and the budget is still tight, but I've finally learned a couple things about cooking. Cooking for me is no longer just about eating tasty food, but about finding affordable, tasty ways to feed my family. Now my aim is to use what's already in my cupboards to concoct fun, tasty meals. Some meals are quick and easy, some a bit more complicated and time consuming, but all can be made at home with some kitchen basics. Come join me on this tasty quest, check out my ideas and tips and share some of your own!