Thanksgiving Dinner – Homestyle

I prepared my very first Thanksgiving dinner ever. Since I was married in 2005, we have spent Thanksgiving with DH’s parents. This year, they took off to visit some of their children who live in another state, so DH and I had my sister and her DH over for Thanksgiving dinner. I thought I needed to chronicle the event for posterity’s sake (and so that I can remember what I did the next time I do my own Thanksgiving – which might be a while).

I was freaked out about cooking a turkey (DH always complains about dry white meat). So I looked up online “How to cook a thanksgiving turkey.” Well, then I came across this site. Howtocookathanksgivingturkey.com. Pretty straightforward, that one. So I checked out the website, and decided I would cook my turkey that way.

It’s been snowing here lately, and we’re a one car family (DH rides his motorcycle when the weather is good). So I hadn’t been able to do regular grocery shopping, not to mention Thanksgiving shopping.

The morning of Thanksgiving, I had to run out to the store to pick up pumpkin, pie crusts, a roasting pan, and a digital thermometer, among a few other things. Even getting the turkey in late (around 10am), we still started eating Thanksgiving dinner around 6:30pm – not too bad for a first Thanksgiving dinner, if you ask me!

A word about pies – if you don’t have pie tins, round cake pans work okay. But get some pie tins. Oh, and remember to put the pies on cookie sheets if you don’t want pie filling all over the bottom of your oven.

Note to self – do Thanksgiving shopping well in advance, and prepare the turkey the night before. The end.
Oh yeah, and buy some pie tins. You’ll need those next year...

On our Thanksgiving menu:

-Roast Turkey
-Gravy from the turkey drippings
-candied sweet potatoes
-stuffing
-mashed potatoes
-green bean casserole
-blueberry pie
-apple pie
-pumpkin pie (which turned into pumpkin bake due to my lack of pie tins)

Roast Turkey
Above, I linked to the site I visited to learn about cooking a Thanksgiving turkey. Next time I think I will try cooking the turkey upside down (breast side down). Word on the street is that it makes for more moist white meat since all the juices drip down into the white meat.

Probably my best tip for you? Invest in a digital food thermometer. I’ve mentioned a food thermometer previously on this blog, but I think it is absolutely critical for getting a moist turkey. The #1 reason I’ve read about for dry turkey is over cooking the turkey. You should remove the turkey from the oven as soon as the turkey reaches a safe internal temperature (from the USDA’s website, that temperature is 165 deg F). So keep your thermometer on hand and make sure to check that turkey.

Another thing I did was wrap the turkey in tin foil. This was per my MIL’s instructions when I called to ask her about roasting a turkey. She lines her roasting pan with one long strip of tinfoil down the long end of the pan, with a foot or so of tinfoil hanging over the sides. Then she lines the pan across the short way with two overlapping pieces. Then she plops the turkey in there and folds it up. It worked well for me.

The last tip is to let the turkey rest after you take it out of the oven. That way the juices all soak back into the meat.

Even our leftover meat has been good.

Gravy
I think because I seasoned the turkey really well (see the turkey website) I didn’t have to add much to the gravy. I started with a little butter and cornstarch (you can also use flour), let that get all bubbly, then added the turkey drippings. I did add a little salt and pepper at the end. Just stir it while it boils for a while until it thickens up.

Candied Sweet Potatoes
4 medium sweet potatoes or yams
4 TB butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
Boil the potatoes until tender; drain. Peel and cut into fourths lengthwise. Put the butter and sugar in a heavy skillet and heat, stirring occaisionally, until melted. Add the potatoes and turn until lightly browned. Add the water, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 10-15 minutes.

These were the best candied yams I had ever had. And I love simplicity in food – no pineapple or marshmallows for me.

Stuffing
I made the bread cubes myself by putting pieces of bread in the oven on super low heat (like, 175 or something) for about an hour. Then I cut them into small cubes and used them as the cubes in this recipe.

1/4 lb butter                               4 c dry bread crumbs
4 TB finely chopped celery           1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 TB finely chopped onion            salt to taste
sage, rosemary and thyme (or poultry seasoning) to taste
1/2 c. chicken broth (optional)

Melt the butter in a skillet and stir in the onion and celery. Cook over low heat until the onion is soft. Add bread crumbs and toss to coat. Add the salt and pepper and seasonings. If you want a more moist stuffing, add the chicken broth.

DH and I had gotten in a little argument about the stuffing the evening before Thanksgiving. I like to make things homemade from scratch (then I have more control over what my family is eating). But DH couldn’t seem to describe to me how he wanted me to make the stuffing, so I was almost prepared to go buy some Stove Top. I’m glad I made it from scratch, though, because I loved it, and he loved it (so did my sister and her DH). I think next time I may leave it in the pan a little longer.

Mashed Potatoes
These were pretty easy. DH doesn’t like the peels in his mashed potatoes, so he peeled them. Then we boiled the potatoes for about 10-15 minutes. The most important step in mashed potatoes is to put them back in the hot pot on the burner after you drain them. That helps all the extra water to evaporate do you don’t have soggy mashed ‘taters. I actually turn the burner off and then just put them on top of the still-hot burner. If you have a gas stove, you’ll just turn the heat down way low. Now mash the potatoes with a little warm milk and some butter. Decide how lumpy you like them. If you like them really lumpy, just use a fork or a hand masher to mash the potatoes. If you like them smooth (like DH does) I put mine in the KitchenAid and beat them that way. You could also use a hand mixer to get them more smooth. If you like whipped potatoes, you’ll want to use more milk and butter and beat them on a high speed.

Green Bean Casserole
This was my sister’s dish and it was absolutely amazing. None of that Cambell’s and French Fried onions – completely from scratch, this casserole was to die for. She’ll be guest posting soon with more details, and then I’ll link up here.

Blueberry Pie
pie crust (both top and bottom)               1 c sugar
4 c fresh or frozen blueberries                 1/4 tsp salt
3 TB flour                                               1 TB lemon juice
1 TB butter
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line the pan with pie crust dough. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the blue berries and lemon juice and mix well. Dump the blueberry mixture into the pie, dot with the butter, and cover it with the other pie crust. You can do a lattice top, a regular top, whatever, just make sure you cut vents in the top. I cut a heart shape out of the middle of my pie and placed it overlapping the heart shaped hole. It turned out really cute. (My son called it the “heart pie”). Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 F and bake 30-40 min until the top is browned.

Apple Pie
pie crust (both top and bottom)              1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c sugar                                               1 1/2 TB flour
1/2 tsp salt                                           6-8 large, firm, tart apples
1 tsp cinnamon                                              (Braeburn are best)
2 TB butter
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a pan with the pie crust dough. MIx the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour in a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice the apples (I peel the apples, then use a corer/slicer, then slice the slices so they are a little thinner). Toss the apples in the sugar mixture, then dump them in the pie crust. Dot the apple mixture with the butter, then cover with the other pie crust. Again, cut vents in the top. I just did four little teardrop shaped vents in the center of the pie like a flower. Bake the pie for 10 minutes and then lower the heat to 350 F and bake 30-40 minutes longer until the top is brown. (You can cook this pie with the blueberry pie in the same oven – just don’t forget the cookie sheet under the pies!)

Pumpkin Pie
pie crust (just for the bottom)                1 1/2 c. cooked or canned
1 c sugar                                                        pumpkin
1/2 tsp salt                                           1 1/2 c evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon                                1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp ground ginger                            2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp cloves
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a pan with the pie crust. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth. Pour into the pie crust. Bake for 10 min, then lower the temp to 300 F and bake for about 45 minutes or until the filling is firm.

There you have it. Our Thanksgiving dinner. Sorry I don’t have pictures. Next time I’ll be sure to take pictures and post them. I hope this helps someone trying to cook their very first Thanksgiving dinner (or... your first good one!)

In Defense of Food

This month’s theme is going to be based on Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food. I am going to check the book out tomorrow from the library, read it, and then write a review, and base my discussions this month on his book.

Feel free to chime in in the comments. If you have read, or are reading this book, what are your thoughts? Let’s learn from each other!

The Healthy Soap

I found out today about this really cool way to wash. Use a soap that grows on trees. Yes, you heard me right - soap nuts.

In fact, they are eco-friendly, good for you, and CHEAP!

I have been using a free and clear detergent for years. I know even the regular detergent isn't good for you, but I just don't have the $$$ to really do much about that. Soon that will change.

The soap nuts also naturally soften fabrics, so that means away with dryer sheets.

I am going to try them out and see how they work for my family. I imagine they will work pretty well (a friend in my neighborhood uses them, so if they work for her, I can’t see why they wouldn’t work for me).

If you read my last post, you know we’re doing a big switcheroo at our house this year. Add to that list – switching detergent for SOAP NUTS!

5 a day

I have decided to start planning meals around the vegetables that we will eat for that meal instead of planning vegetables as a "side dish." Vegetables have always taken the back seat when it comes to meals. Or I guess you could say the side seat! Well, no more! We are bring vegetables to the front. From now on, our main dish is going to be vegetables, with a side of grain and a side of meat.

About 1/2 of your plate should be fruits and vegetables at each meal, 1/4 should be meat/protein, and 1/4 should be grains. Something tells me that is rarely the case at most people's meal time.

Tonight I made roasted veggies. I just chopped up a bunch of veggies that I bought at the farmers market yesterday - Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, white potatoes, broccoli, and onion. Tossed them with olive oil, vinegar, and some spices, and roasted them in the oven for about 45 minutes. The were scrumptious. As a "side"I grilled some chicken breasts and cooked a few cups of brown rice. It was the perfect meal for a cool evening, and very filling.

See how many more vegetables you can incorporate into your diet by making the focus on the veggies!

I'll try to post "veggie-spotlight" menus in the next few posts.

Healthy Family Tip #2

Fruit Basket!

No, I'm not calling you a fruit basket - I'm telling you to get one! It can be a bowl, a basket, a box, whatever works for you and fits your decor ;)

Make sure it is big. Think big salad bowl - and then get something even bigger. I got my fruit bowl at Ross for $8. It's a pretty big bowl (although once my kids start getting older I may need a bigger one... or just another one!) I can fit a 3-lb bag of apples, 6 bananas, 4 oranges, a few kiwis, 2-3 peaches, and a grapefruit in my bowl. I only keep the kiwis in the bowl if they aren't quite ripe when I buy them.

Keep this fruit bowl somewhere easily reachable by everyone. I love that our Little Guy will ask for a fresh piece of fruit when he wants a snack - "Apple!" "Banana!" Even if he can't see the particular fruit, he knows it is in that bowl.

What I keep in my bowl and why:

- I keep a 3-lb bag of apples in my bowl because apples keep the longest and are the most portable - you can always grab an apple on your way out the door and not have to wonder about how you're going to eat it.

- Bananas are next - almost as portable as an apple, but they don't keep quite as long, so I don't keep too many - I just make sure to buy 5-6 each week. (I also keep these on hand because Little Guy loves bananas - and apples, actually... ) If they do start getting overly ripe, I toss them in the freezer and make banana bread when I have enough.

- Oranges aren't always in the bowl, but I like them if I can find good ones. They keep almost as long as the apples, but they're harder to eat since you have to peel them, and then wash the sticky off your hands when you're done. But that citrus sure is good. I try to buy 3-4 each week.

- I usually only buy one grapefruit. It's a nice little zing in the morning when I want something light to settle my stomach before I eat a real breakfast. I eat half and then saran-wrap the other half and stick it in the fridge for another day.

- I usually don't buy peaches, because they haven't really been good here yet, but I bought some today because they looked great! I only bought 4, since I have so much other fruit already. They were a little on the hard side, but when I got home most of them were a little mushy - Little Guy was helping load the cart at the store, and I forgot that the peaches were getting banged with cans of beans and jars of peanut butter. Poor peaches - well, they're still good - just a little soft.

- I always buy kiwis (at least 3 or 4) because they are so darn cheap here. And I love kiwis - especially in a fruit salad, which I LOVE to make! Fruit salads are great and easy to make. The only hard part is not making it too big!!

- Right now I also have a mango in my fruit bowl because it was only $.50 - I couldn't pass it up. It was a little hard, so it's also softening in my fruit bowl!

So there is the scientific breakdown of our family's fruit bowl! It's not hard to keep a fruit bowl, and when you keep all the fruit out where you can see it, it's easy to eat it!

When you want a snack, just think fruits or veggies first! If you're still not satisfied, then go for the cheese and crackers - but getting those fruits and veggies in first will most definitely benefit your health.

Healthy Family Tip #1

I am starting a collection of easy things to do to keep your family healthy. Some of these ideas came from Zonya's cookbook, but they are things that we have implemented to keep our family healthy.

Here is Healthy Family Tip #1

Keep a tray of fresh veggies in your fridge.

- make it easy to get to; if it's hidden behind last week's casserole and the carton of eggs, no one will touch it, and the veggies will go bad.

- I try to replenish mine in the morning, and then again after lunch, if it needs it.

- put it out while you're getting lunch and dinner ready to encourage healthy munching - and really, who cares if your kids spoil their dinner by eating fresh veggies?!

- Some ideas of things to keep stocked on your tray - broccoli, carrot sticks, celery sticks, sugar snap peas, cherry/grape tomatoes, sliced bell peppers (of all colors), cauliflower, cucumber slices, etc. 

- If you're the type that is on-the-go (college kids, got a husband that works all day?, etc) make a sandwich baggie version of the veggie tray. When you slice up all the veggies, divvy them up into sandwich baggies. On the day you go grocery shopping, take a few minutes to slice up veggies for 3 or 4 days. Store them in a tupperware container (no lid) to keep them in place in your fridge. On your way out the door in the morning, grab a sandwich baggie full of veggies - think of it as your own portable vegatable garden!! You then have healthy snacking power all day long!

Keeping Your Produce Healthy

I found this cool article about some new research they're trying out that may help keep your produce good for you as it travels from the plant to the warehouse to the grocery store.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150660.php

The main topic is getting lettuce to be better for you, but at the end they mention using the technology to keep nutrients in other plants longer. And it's completely "natural" since they're using UVB light, which is some of the same light that comes from the sun (and as they mention, missing in northern growing climates).

We'll see if it really ends up being good for you.

Whole

After (very successfully... for at least a week) doing our cleanse, Russ and I have realized how much we really enjoy eating whole foods! We feel so much better lately (we cleansed for one week, and for the last week, we have been eating LOTS of whole foods). We eat more fruits and veggies, and less of everything else. My lunches consist mostly of salads.

Hold the dressing... I make my own.

I've been learning how to shop for whole foods to make it worth it to eat them. And strangely enough, I actually spend just about as much money on food now as I did before. I just buy more produce and less of everything else. And all the other stuff I do buy is canned veggies, beans and fruit or frozen stuff. And a little meat - which we're starting to transition over to ground turkey and only buying beef for things like steaks and stew meat. 

I'd forgotten how GREAT it feels to be eating whole foods. We eat more tuna and chicken than any other meat (with some salmon thrown in here and there) 

I shop once or twice each week now, instead of only on pay day and then once in between when we run low on milk or whatever. This is because we're always eating fresh produce! And it feels great!

I won't go into all the benefits of eating whole foods right now, but there are SO MANY! Eventually I will write about how to get your family to eat more whole foods, and how to plan meals so that you're eating more whole foods. Keep checking back for more on our whole food success!!

The Low-Sodium, Low (bad)* Fat Dressing

Let me tell you how I dress my salads - it makes me feel like I will never EVER buy a commercially produced salad dressing again! (except a nice wholesome, whole-food Ranch dressing for Russ to dip his veggies... that boy has to have his ranch)

Becca and Russ' Never-fail, Yummy-licious, low fat, low sodium salad dressing:

1/2 T. flaxseed oil (find it in the refridgerated supplement section of your local health food store - Whole Foods market, The Good Earth, etc)

1-2 tsp garlic powder

1-2 tsp lemon juice

I don't measure - I just squirt some flaxseed oil over the salad, pour in a whole capful of lemon juice (if I'm making salad for two... half the cap if it's just for me) and shake in some garlic powder. I read in my Fat Flush Cookbook that one way to cut down on your salt intake is to over-stimulate your tastebuds with flavors like garlic and lemon. Well, why not just do both!? It sure works for us (at least on salad!) and the flaxseed oil moistens the salad just enough that you don't feel like you're eating rabbit food.

And while I'm on the topic of salads - making a salad is OH SO EASY if you have the right ingredients on hand all the time...

I keep a bag of romaine hearts in my fridge always. I get the pack with three hearts. When I get down to my last heart, I head to the store to buy some more. I'm starting to get in the habit of shopping once or twice a week instead of only on payday. It has been encouraging me to eat more fresh, whole foods. 

So tear up a few leaves of romaine hearts for your base. Then I chop up some green onions or part of a big onion (if I don't have any green onions). I add a roma tomato, chopped, and then half an avacado. For protein on top, I use canned tuna (I send Russ to school with the green stuff in a tupperware, and the tomato chopped up in its own small container, then the little single serve tuna packets so he can put it all together when he's ready to eat it). But you can use some kidney beans, grilled chicken or whatever protein you like.

There you have it - a complete, whole food lunch/dinner whatever meal. And it's a good 300 or so calories. Add yourself a whole wheat roll or bagel and a glass of juice or milk, and you've got yourself a well rounded meal!

*I amended this post to say low BAD fats, because technically 1/2 T. of flaxseed oil has 7g of fat (which is not low fat by any means). The point is, flaxseed oil is mostly full of GOOD fats, and Omega fatty acids (which are not only NOT bad fats, but are very VERY necessary fats). So yeah, flaxseed oil is actually very high in GOOD fats. But one 1/2 T. of flaxseed oil packs a good 60 calorie punch. Just for those of you who are calorie counters :)