Turkey...already? ;)

I have a turkey breast in the freezer, just calling my name...I keep telling it it's not time yet, but it's not listening...:/

So, this weekend, I've decided to make Turkey and all the fixins!! Well, not all the fixins, just a few. I will leave the big, traditional meal to my mom, who is a much better cook than I am. Here is my menu for this meal:

• Brined Turkey Breast
• Mashed potatoes and Gravy
• Cornbread and Sausage stuffing (my mom makes traditional stuffing, which is my favorite, but I wanted to "mix it up" a little with some Southern style)
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses
• Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese filling

The first step in making my "mock" Thanksgiving dinner is to brine my turkey. Granted, I have only a breast, not a whole turkey, but I'm still brining it. If you have never brined your turkey, I highly recommend it. It truly will be a whole new turkey eating experience. It will be the juiciest turkey ever.  Really, it will! Have faith...:)

Here is what you need to brine your turkey:

1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
6 sprigs rosemary
2 gallons water

*I halved this recipe since I was using only a breast.



Ingredients for brine



Dissolve sugar and salt in water, then add rest of ingredients and let brine for 4-24 hours. Take out bird and rinse, roast as desired




Turkey in brine-I leave mine for 24 hours







Turkey Breast

I have one more small bunch of Brussels sprouts left from my garden, so I decided to make my mom's awesome recipe for them. Here it is:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses:

 

For the Brussels Sprouts:

 

1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts

3 Tbps. Good Olive Oil

3/4 Tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts-home grown! They are SO GOOD!

Pomegranate Molasses:

4 Cups Pomegranate Juice (for this recipe, I used Pomegranate-Cranberry)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp. Fresh lemon Juice

Put ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce heat to med-low and cook until syrup is reduced to 1/2 cups, about one hour or so. It should be a thick syrup, like molasses. Allow to cool in saucepan for 30 min. Transfer to a jar or container and store in fridge.

Now, normally if I were making a cornbread/sausage stuffing, I would add some craisins for sweetness, however I already have the sweetness in the pomegranate/cranberry molasses for my Brussels sprouts, so I will leave that out. You can also add pecans which would be wonderful in this stuffing:

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing:

2 hot Italian sausages

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 bunch fresh sage, leaves chopped

4 large corn muffins 

3 large eggs

1/2 cup, chicken stock, plus more if needed ( I added a full cup + a little more)

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the casings from the sausages. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausage meat. Cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside to cool while you cook the vegetables. Wipe out any excess fat from the pan with paper towels.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Season with salt and pepper and add the sage. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit.
Crumble the corn muffins into a large bowl. Put in the cooled sausage and vegetables. Add the eggs and 1/4 cup chicken stock. Using your hands, mix well adding more stock if the stuffing is too dry. Spray a 2-quart oven-proof baking dish with cooking spray. Put the stuffing into the dish and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top is browned and crispy.

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Instead of the usual Pumpkin pie, I made a Pumpkin Roll. I got this recipe from one of my very best friends in the world, and the best boss I have ever had, Cindy Karas. It is a wonderful dessert, and a nice change from tradition.

Spiced Pumpkin Roll-delicious!

Spiced Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese filling ~

 For the cake:

3eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

 

For the filling:

 

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan and line the bottom with wax paper.

2. To prepare the cake, place the eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs for 5 minutes with a mixer a medium speed. Add the granulated sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice; beat until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices; add to the egg mixture; mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.

4. Unroll a clean dish towel on the counter and put a piece of wax paper on top. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Immediately loosen the edges of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the wax paper-lined towel. Starting at the long edge, roll up into a small roll. Place in the refrigerator until cool.

5. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, butter, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; beat until smooth.

6. To assemble, gently unroll the cake and spread the filling on the cake. Roll again, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving time.

Serves 12 to 16.

You can't forget a beautifully set table; It's inviting and sets the tone for the meal..:)

Table Setting

Vintage Item of the week:
 
My Vintage item of the week, is my Grandma's sifter. I salvaged this treasure out of my mom's basement this summer, and I will never use another one. I love it. The blue bowl next to it is also vintage, a gift from my co-worker, Julie. She has given me this set of beautiful bowls, as well as some vintage Pyrex! :)



Vintage bowl from my co-worker, Julie, and Vintage Sifter from my Grandma

 
Well, just a few recipes for you to try this week. Hope you enjoy them. November makes us think about what we are thankful for. I'll start with a couple of things: I am so thankful for my health and the health of my family, my mom still in my life, and for my husband and kids who keep me going and for who I do all that I do!
 
 
It's amazing how the list can go on and on...
 
 
Thanks for reading!
 
 
Love to you all...Kerry :)