Thanksgiving Must-Haves

Along with the necessities of family, a cool, crisp, preferably cloudy, November day, and a Lions win, there are a few food items that no Thanksgiving feast should be without ... NUMBER ONE: My Mom's dressing (You should give thanks alone for having access to this!) For a 20 pound turkey … 3 - regular plain white or 2 loaves of Italian bread,- do not use bread other than plain white. 5 – stalks of large celery – to taste – chopped into small bite size pieces 2 – medium onions – to taste – chopped into small pieces Poultry seasoning – McCormick’s – depending on the bread, this may take a whole container (small container) – to taste Salt – to taste Pepper – to taste 1 – stick margarine 1 – large can Cottage Inn or Swanson Chicken Broth Dry bread so that it is not soft and break/crumble into small pieces in very large bow – inch or so in size – sprinkle with poultry seasoning – mix well and set aside Sauté veggies’till translucent with the margarine in sauce pan Pour broth over veggies – mix and warm mixture – do not boil Pour mixture over bread in large bowl GRADUALLY, using all the veggies, BUT not all the broth The amount of broth used will depend on the dryness of the bread STUFFING SHOULD BE DAMP BUT NOT MUSH, should be loose but not loose shape when handling TASTE – add more broth if needed to adjust mixture, ADD more poultry seasoning, salt , and pepper to taste and taste again. Stuffing can be made ahead of time, but do not stuff the turkey until you are ready to put bird into the oven. LOOSLEY fill the bird cavity and the neck cavity - do not pack the stuffing in the bird - and cover bird cavity with a slice of bread and the neck cavity with the neck skin or bread. IF, - you have left over stuffing after stuffing the bird or you want more stuffing, put the left over stuffing into a buttered baking dish and bake, or freeze for next time. NUMBER TWO: Cornbread and oyster dressing (As Buffett says, "Can't have a turkey without oyster dressin'!") Corn Bread with Oyster Dressing Prepare the corn bread the day before you plan to serve this special dish. Serving: 8 INGREDIENTS Corn Bread: • 2 strips bacon • 1 2/3 cups buttermilk • 1/2 cup vegetable oil • 2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 egg, lightly beaten Oyster Dressing: • 1/2 cup butter • 2 cups diced onion • 1/2 cup diced celery • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper • 1/2 cup minced green onion • 4 teaspoons chopped parsley • 1 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper • 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper • 2 dozen fresh oysters, chopped, liquor reserved • 5 cups day-old corn bread, cubed • 2 tablespoons water or stock, as needed • Vegetable-oil cooking spray DIRECTIONS 1. Prepare the pan: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cook bacon until crisp in a 10-inch cast-iron or iron-clad skillet. Remove bacon strips and set aside to cool. Once cooled, crumble bacon and set aside. Place the skillet with the bacon fat in the oven while mixing the batter. 2. Prepare the corn bread: In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and vegetable oil. In a large bowl, stir together cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Pour buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and mix well. Lightly fold in the egg and crumbled bacon. Pour mixture into the hot skillet and bake until golden brown -- 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool in the skillet for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool overnight. Next day, cut corn bread into cubes. 3. Prepare oyster dressing: In a 4-quart pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, green onion, parsley, salt, ground black pepper, and ground red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent -- about 5 minutes. Add chopped oysters and oyster liquor and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cubed corn bread and mix well. If mixture seems too dry, add water or stock to moisten as needed. Transfer mixture to a casserole dish lightly coated with vegetable-oil cooking spray. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking until brown -- about 5 minutes. Serve hot. 3. BRINED TURKEY (This is Wolgang Puck's recipe that I will be trying this year, but in the past I have used Professor Alton Brown's recipe, which is available at foodtv.com) Brined Roast Turkey Brine: 1 gallon water 3 550 mL bottles Samuel Smith's Organic Cider(My addition) 1/2 ounce ground cloves 1/2 ounce ground ginger 4 ounces cracked black peppercorns 12 bay leaves 12 sage leaves 1 pound kosher salt 24 ounces honey 24 ounces maple syrup Compound butter "rub" 1 stick butter, room temperature 2 teaspoons chopped garlic 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves 2 apples, quartered and cored 1 onion, peeled and quartered 2 rosemary sprigs 3 sprigs sage Olive oil, for drizzling Make a "raft" of these vegetables for the turkey to sit on in the roasting pan carrots celery onions Add this mixture to the vegetables once they are in the roasting pan 1/2 cup white wine 1/2 cup Madeira wine To make brine In a large stockpot, bring the water, hard cider, cloves, ginger, black peppercorn, bay leaves and salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and stir in the honey and maple syrup until well blended. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold tap water. Reserve the neck and specialty meats for pan gravy. Set the turkey in the brine, making sure that the turkey is fully immersed in the brine. Place a weight on top of the turkey to make sure it is always covered with brine. Marinate for at least 4 hours to overnight, depending on the weight of the turkey, in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a shallow roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onions. Remove turkey from brine. Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a compound butter. Using your hands, loosen to the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Rub the compound butter underneath the skin. Insert the apples, onions, and whole rosemary and sage into the cavity of the turkey. Place the turkey over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Tuck the wings back and under the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin. Roast the turkey to at least 165 degrees F in the breast, about 2 1/2 hours. If the skin gets too dark during roasting, tent with foil. Transfer turkey to a platter and allow to cool. Oh yeah, don't forget the nibbles to keep you energized -- cold Bud, the biggest jar of creamed herring you can find, and Triscuits. Enjoy the day.