Mindi's Sausage Bread

My husbands sister makes this delicious bread every Thanksgiving - either for brunch or as one of the appetizers before dinner. We all LOVE this bread - but since it's just the 5 of us in my house and we wouldn't get to dinner if this was on the table before the turkey was ready, we've decided to promote this delicious baby to be the star at the brunch table on St. Nikklaus Day.
Mindi's Sausage Bread
1 1/2 lbs Jimmy dean Sausage (ground)
2 Rhodes frozen bread dough loaves
Mozzarella cheese
12 slices of provolone cheese
2 t garlic
2 T EVOO
2 T Butter

Leave bread out the night before. Brown sausage and set aside. Saute garlic in butter and EVOO. Roll out bread dough (on a floured surface) into approx 9x13 rectangle. Brush half garlic mix over bread. Add one layer each of sausage, provolone and mozzerella. Roll up. Brush with remaining garlic mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly and then slice as you would bread. DELISH!

Thanksgiving Feast

Alright - I've done it. I know it's several days after Turkey Day - but I've done it. I posted all my Thanksgiving recipes and I honestly loved every single one of them and plan to use these same recipes again next year.

I truly am sorry that I didn't post these recipes prior to Turkey Day - but I had to test them out to make sure I could put my guarantee on them - especially b/c we are talking about the most important meal of the year.

PLUS, you can always use these recipes for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years, a special Sunday dinner - or an amazing surprise dinner for your spouse or another loved one!!

First up: Appetizer Tray
Main Course: Sausage and Herb Stuffing
Decadent Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving Rolls
Patty's Beet Salad
Alton Browns Super Tasty, No Fuss, Time Tested, Totally Foolproof Bird (with a bonus section from Bobby Flay about how to carve your turkey.)

Since I've already posted about this tried and true blue fav - I won't repost. Just follow the link for Decadent Mashed Potatoes and then join me in my crusade to bathe in a vat of this decadence.
And another shot of Patty's Beet Salad - seriously delish. My 7 year old pickiest eater son usually has this salad sans the beets or the Feta (gorgonzola is preferred - but when you are dealing with kids - it's the best substitute) Anyway... said 7 year old tried these (warm off the grill beets) and exclaimed that they were his new fav veggie. BOO YA!

Appetizer Platter

My husband is the greatest short order breakfast cook in the universe. Breakfast is his gig. The kids know that M-F it's toast, cereal and yogurt but when Saturday, Sunday or a holiday roll around - Daddy brings out the big guns and it's a breakfast lovers dream!

I really should've taken a pic of breakfast - this year for Thanksgiving we had the usual - omelettes, pancakes and bacon.

Since I planned to eat dinner around 4:30 - I wanted to do a light snacky lunch. I set this platter of yummies (no assembly required by me!) on the kitchen table and everytime my little peeps came by - they'd grab a little snack.
We had: pear apple slices (Costco - cheap and delicious!), cubed cheddar and mozzerella, carrot sticks with ranch dip, green olives and raw asparagus wrapped in cream cheese and ham. Yummy and light.

There was another layer of asparagus/ham rolls before I took the pic - but my kids are just too fast for me. And yes, I did just say kids and asparagus in the same sentance:)

Sausage and Herb Stuffing

UPDATED: it's now 2019 and I've done Thanksgiving for 9 years now - so we're in a sweet spot. My son (now 16) makes the dressing, my 11 year old makes the mashed potatoes, my husband does the smoked turkey and I'm just left with the rolls, gravy and brussels sprouts - it's a breeze! I should also mention my mother in law also makes a traditional turkey and stuffing (with the giblets) and my sister in law makes a salad and does the sweet potatoes.

Sausage and Herb Stuffing
16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 1/2 pound loaf)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced bok choy
3 bins of sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs sweet sausage and spicy sausage
1 cup chicken stock

*try using 1/2 stick more butter, poultry seasoning, 2 t fresh rosemary and 2 T fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, bok choy, mushrooms, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.

In the same saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

Add the chicken stock to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm.

A FEW NOTES:
In doing my research, all the 'foodies' on the food network, cookbooks, etc. The 'newschool' way of thinking is NOT to stuff the turkey. Logic being that stuffing the bird brings down the temp of the oven, and by the time the stuffing is done, the turkey has been over cooked and is dried out. SO... I followed the rules and was VERY pleased with the outcome.

*I used a great cheat this year. My local grocery (Harmons) has stale bread already diced up for you! I bought 2 bags.

**I use bok choy instead of celery due to an allergy

Thanksgiving Rolls

I have also posted about my sister Megan's Famous Rolls - which are very similar and also delish - but after making BOTH my and my sisters recipes on 3 separate occasions - the verdict is in and I came out on top (thank you Kenny and Davis families!) I also prefer this recipe b/c it doesn't have eggs in it - and 2 of my kids have egg allergies... I should also tell you that I made 2 dozen (what this recipe yields) they were hot out of the oven as we sat down to dinner and were gone by breakfast the next morning (that's only 2 adults and 3 kids under 7 folks) Thanksgiving Rolls

2 T yeast

3/4 c warm water

2 2/3 c warm water

1/4 c sugar

1 T salt

3 T vegetable oil

7 - 8 c flour

Dissolve yeast in 3/4 c warm water. Add this to the rest of the water in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingred except flour and mix together. Add flour 1 c at a time and stir until you have to use your hands to mix. Knead dough for about 5-8 minutes, adding a little flour at a time to help dough not to be too sticky. Flour your hands as well as the surface you are working on. Place in bowl and cover with a dish towel, let rise about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and divide in half. With a rolling pin roll out one of the dough balls into a circle about 12" in diameter. Spread dough with melted butter. Cut into 12 pieces. Roll each wedge from the fat end inward. Repeat with other dough ball. Place crescents on cookie sheets, 12 to a sheet. Cover with dish towel and let rise until double (about 1 hour). Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter.

Alton Brown's Super-Tasty, No-Fuss, Time-Tested, Totally Foolproof Bird

You are totally sold right? I didn't even make up that Recipe name - that is what it's actually called!!
I know I am totally posting late - but this is the first year I've done Thanksgiving dinner all by myself - so I wanted the recipes to be tested and guaranteed delicious before posting - keep this one in mind for Christmas, a fancy Sunday dinner or a nice surprise for your loved one's birthday... def making this turkey again!!!

Alton's Super-Tasty, No-Fuss, Time-Tested, Totally Foolproof Bird
1 14-16lb turkey (he calls for frozen – but I used fresh and it was fantastic!)

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining. *Don't be too worried about the 'brine time' I put my turkey in the brine on Wed afternoon and didn't take it out until 24? hours later. Brine is like a marinade - as long as you give it the minimum amount of time - you are fine.*
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

**I know what you are thinking - Why did you stuff the bird with aromatics instead of stuffing?? To see that answer - link here.
AND WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT CARVING THE PUMPKIN! *Oh. My. Goodness. It's been 3 weeks since I posted this and while looking for a different recipe - I noticed that I wrote "PUMPKIN" when I really meant "TURKEY" durrrr...
Bobby Flay’s carving tips:
He used the tip of his knife to separate both breasts from the bird. Then he seperates the legs and as far as the dark meat goes, he just pulls it off (looks like shredded chicken) with his fingers. Then, he slices the breast into chunky pieces (probably 1 ½” thick) and plates. Then – see below.
Leave yourself time between roasting and carving. "Let the turkey rest for at least 45 minutes," suggests Bobby, "so the juices stay in tact when you cut it."
Cut thick slices. "I never could understand why people like to slice the turkey thinly," Bobby says. "You really want to keep the moisture in by actually cutting it thicker." He says that cutting it in thin slices makes the meat dry out very quickly.
Give the turkey a soak before serving. "The key to thanksgiving is one ingredient: Chicken stock!" Bobby reveals. "[Have] Hot chicken stock on your stove so that when you've [carved] this a half an hour ahead of time ... it brings back the moisture and makes it hot!"

Meatballs

My daughter had her birthday this week. In our family the birthday honoree gets to choose what the family eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This year she requested Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner.

Everytime I make meatballs - I just kinda wing it - I mean how hard can it be? It's meat and you roll it into a ball!! LOL. This time, I decided to write down the recipe for my own knowledge and I'm sharing it with you!

This makes A LOT of meatballs - but with my family of 5 (all 3 kids are under 8) there were NO leftovers...

Jen's Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 1/2 lbs ground italian sausage (I use mild b/c of my kids - but feel free to go crazy!)

2 c Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 T Emeril's Essence (original Bam)

2 t parsley

2 t oregano

EVOO

Fav Marinara sauce

Get your hands in there and mix all those ingredients together. Use your Tablespoon to help you eyeball your meatballs size wise. I use a generous, heaping Tablespoon full for each meatball.

Fill the bottom of a large pan - about 1/4 inch full - of EVOO. Heat the oil on medium for just a minute or two before adding your meatballs. Cook a couple of minutes on all sides (you know when one side is done - it'll be nice and brown.

Make sure your pan isn't too hot - if it is, you will end up with nice browned meatballs and all sides - but they will be raw in the middle. You want to really let those meatballs take their time to cook so that the outside and insides are cooking evenly. I have a very large pan, so I only had to do 2 batches. I poured out the oil in between batches - just out of preference. If you do swap out your oil, make sure to clean up any oil that dripped over the side/bottom of your pan. If you don't carefully check that - that oil will catch on fire. Are you scrred? Don't be - I'm just giving you a few tips to make everything easy peasy and have everything run smoothly.

Meanwhile, in another pan (large enough to include the meatballs) heat your fav marinara sauce. When all of your meatballs are finished, add them to the marinara and let simmer just a few minutes - you don't want your meatballs to get too soggy. SERVE!!

Stuffed Shells

I read an article in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living about stuffed shells. The author put her recipe in the issue - and also gave some great tips. Since I was at the doctor's office - I couldn't bring her recipe home with me - but I did bring her tips home (in my head) and I'm here to share them with you!!

Her tips were: Fill them with anything and everything your family loves. Always cook a double batch of shells b/c they freeze extremely well and so does whatever you stuff them with. She said in particular that cheese freezes very well (something I'd never thought about).

S0 - on my way home, I dropped by the store and grabbed some jumbo shells and some ricotta and made these babies...
Stuffed Shells
12 oz box of Jumbo Shells
16 oz Ricotta cheese
8 oz Mozzerella cheese either shredded or diced into small cubes
1/2 c Parmesan, shredded
2 T parsley
salt and pepper
Fav pasta sauce

Cook pasta per directions on box. Meanwhile, add all other ingredients and mix until combined. *I looked up a few recipes for stuffed shells and all of them included 1 or 2 eggs used as a binder - I chose to omit eggs b/c my kids have egg allergies and we didn't miss it one bit!*

PAM a casserole dish (size depends on how many you are serving - I guesstimated 3 shells per child and 6 per adult) After the shells are cooked, stuff them with a big spoonful of cheese mixture and set them in the casserole dish. Cover with your favorite pasta sauce (marinara is traditional - but I promised my 5 year old that next time I'd make them with alfredo). Sprinkle with more parm and more parsley.

Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is nice and bubbly.

**You can really go crazy with the 'stuffing' you can use any cheese you like - next time I think I'll try Fontina in lieu of Mozzerella just to kick it up a bit. You can also add any meat, onions, leeks, what have you!!