Semmelknödel (Bavarian Bread Dumplings)

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Let me preface this post by telling you that I'm not an expert on German Dumplings. In fact, I have had a love/hate relationship with them my whole life. As a kid I grew up with a few different versions of dumplings or "Klösse" as we like to call them. I love Semmelknödel, which are made out of stale bread and what this post is about, but hated every time my mom or dad would make the traditional ones that are made with potatoes. Something about the texture and taste used to throw me off and I would spend quite a few Sunday dinners eating a piece of bread alongside my roast while the rest of the family would enjoy their dumplings. These days I will eat them if I visit my mom, but it is nothing I go out of my way to fix myself unless my husband requests them. He seems to be going back and forth between the potato kind and the bread kind and this year he thankfully chose the latter which I enjoy eating.
Semmelknödel, or bread dumplings are served throughout Bavaria in most restaurants. It is a great way to use up stale Semmeln or Brötchen which are similar to Kaiser Rolls here in America and they make for a pretty economic meal this way. My favorite part about these dumplings growing up was the second day, when my mom would use the leftovers, cut them up and fried them in a pan until both sides were nice and crispy. We were always looking forward to that.
Cooking dumplings is actually quite an art and I'll be the first to admit that because of cooking them so infrequently, I'm not as good at making them as my mom or grandpa are. Forming them properly so they keep their shape and being able to cook them is a little harder then you might think. The salt water to cook the formed dumplings in has to be just perfect. It has to be hot enough to cook them through, but it also can't boil or they will disintegrate, the water needs to be right around the simmer point and stay there with a consistent heat.
Since I can't get my hands on great rolls here, I started using a french baguette when I make these dumplings at home. The texture comes pretty close to a traditional German Brötchen and after sitting on the counter for about a day prior, the bread is perfect. The baguette is sliced thinly and soaked in lukewarm milk and some salt for about 30 minutes which will help soften the bread. Meanwhile, onion and fresh parsley are sauteed in a bit of butter. After the bread is nice and soft the sauteed veggies are added to the bread bowl along with seasonings, eggs and flour. Everything is mixed well together (clean hands are your best tool for this) and the "dough" is set aside to rest for another 20 minutes. With wet hands round dumplings the size of a baseball are formed and carefully placed in hot salted water which is where they will cook for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. The easiest way to test for doneness is to take one out and cut it in half to make sure the inside is cooked thoroughly. Once cooked, they are removed with a slotted spoon and served immediately. 
My Semmelknödel might not be the prettiest and they pale in comparison to the way my mom's look, but they are darn tasty and are the perfect side dish for any kind of roast with gravy like my German Sauerbraten. I hope I have intrigued you enough to give another German classic a try and you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!



Semmelknödel (Bavarian Bread Dumplings)
 (adapted from "my mom")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 french Baguette (about 10 oz./300 g), cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 3/4 cups lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons onion, minced
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
2 - 4 tablespoons flour

Preparation:

Cut baguette into slices. Place the slices in a large bowl, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pour lukewarm milk evenly over the bread. Cover bowl and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile melt butter in a small pan, add onion and parsley and saute for about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

After 30 minutes add the sauteed onion and parsley to your soaked bread along with another 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add in the eggs and 2 tablespoons flour. Mix until well combined. If the dough appears really wet at this point add another tablespoon or two of flour.

Cover bowl again and let rest for another 20 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add about 2 teaspoons of salt. Reduce the heat of the water so it is simmering, but not boiling. With wet hands start forming your dumplings (baseball sized) and carefully place them into the water. After all your dumplings are formed, you might have to bring the water temperature up temporarily, but make sure it won't boil or your dumplings will fall apart. Add the lid to your pot, but keep the lid cracked.  After about 20 minutes the dumplings should be cooked. Remove one and check for doneness. If the inside is still a little "gooey" return the dumpling and cook for another couple of minutes. Remove all dumplings with a slotted spoon and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 dumplings

Blaukraut (German Red Cabbage)

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Remember my last post? The one with the Semmelknödel, where I told you I wasn't an expert in cooking dumplings? Well, I am definitely an expert in cooking Blaukraut (not that I'm gloating here). Blaukraut literally translates into "blue cabbage" and the name is mainly used in southern Germany. Most areas in Germany though either call this Rotkraut or Rotkohl which means "red cabbage". I've been cooking Blaukraut for probably 20 years and by now I don't even need a recipe anymore. I usually don't measure my ingredients and know exactly just what and how much to add to achieve a consistent tasting cabbage each and every time. However, just for you, my wonderful blog readers, I had my kitchen helper (my daughter) write down everything I did as I went along.

Most Americans are familiar with Sauerkraut and while we Germans do tend to eat that a lot (and no, we don't wear "Lederhosen" all day long), Blaukraut is cooked just as often and is another treasured German recipe that most families cook quite frequently. Blaukraut is so versatile and can be served alongside many dishes like German dumplings, Spaetzle, or mashed potatoes. In restaurants it is a given that it is served with Sauerbraten, venison, boar and goose. I've always loved Blaukraut and we had it a lot growing up since red cabbage was bountiful every year from my parent's and grandparent's vegetable gardens. Cabbage tends to be ready for harvest in the fall and we mostly ate this throughout the colder months. My mom would cook several cabbage heads at a time and freeze the leftovers, which works beautifully.



Cooking Blaukraut is fairly easy as long as you consider a few simple steps. You can shred the cabbage by hand, but if your knife skills aren't that great, go ahead and use a mandolin or the shredding blade of a food processor which will always give you consistent results. I find it also very important to "layer" my cabbage while cooking it. 2-3 layers are sufficient and each layer will receive lots of love from the ingredients, which will ensure a great tasting side dish. Not many ingredients are needed, but it does call for vegetable bouillon cubes which impart great flavor. A good tasting sweet apple (like pink lady) is also important, and while I love Granny Smith for most of my baking, they are too tart for this recipe. Last, but certainly not least, a little bit of a good tasting red wine is added (do not use cooking wine!) which along with the vinegar doesn't add flavor, but also helps preserve the beautiful color of the cabbage.

This time around I served the Blaukraut with my German Sauerbraten and Semmelknödel, but it is a wonderful side dish that is tasty alongside all kinds of meals and goes extremely well with a beef pot roast. My family (including the kids) love this recipe and so has every guest that has ever had it served in our house. I know, strong statement, but it is just that good!



Blaukraut (German Red Cabbage)
(adapted from "my family")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 medium head red cabbage, shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup water
Kosher Salt and Pepper


Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the 1/3 cup of red wine. Add 1/2 of the shredded cabbage, 1/2 of the apple, 1 bouillon cube, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Repeat the layer adding the other half of the ingredients in the same fashion.
Give a quick stir, cover and simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes or until the cabbage is soft. At this point stir, taste for seasonings and adjust if a little more salt and pepper is needed.

Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Stew

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Our "cold" days are pretty numbered living here in Arizona. Any kind of chill in the air has us running for jackets, boots and scarves along with warm comfort food like soups and stews. Maybe it's because our winter season is so short that these meals are looked forward to and beloved. We are quite spoiled with the weather in Arizona, especially during the fall/winter/spring months. What we consider "cold" is pretty laughable by the rest of the country's standards. However I'm convinced that in order to survive our extremely hot summers our blood thins and once the temperatures dip below 65 degrees we are just not equipped anymore to take the cold. It is pretty humorous to watch all of the tourists flocking to Arizona during this time of year. Most of the "natives" are wearing winter clothes, but you can pick out all the tourists sporting t-shirts, shorts and flip flops once the thermometer hits 60. It's a heat wave, especially if you've just arrived from North Dakota, Wisconsin or any other northern state. Taking full advantage of the temperatures dipping last weekend, my husband was craving beef stew. Not just any old beef stew, but Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Stew. I have made a few beef stews over the years and all of them were an improvement over my first encounter with "Dinty Moore", which my husband introduced me too while he was in the military. Beef stew can be extremely blah or it can be a fantastic, flavorful meal. Tyler's recipe falls into the latter category.
Let me start with prefacing that this is NOT a meal that is cooked in 30 minutes. This is one recipe that requires time, but the end result is well worth the effort. This is definitely a weekend meal for us since weekdays are always busy. This is also not the cheapest of meals, especially if you use quality ingredients. However, I can justify the expense many times over by realizing that taking a family of 5 to a restaurant would be way more expensive. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but thought I would share a few pointers that I picked up while cooking this recipe. First off, the recipe calls for 2 cups of flour. This is an utter waste. The flour is used to coat your cubed stew meat and I used 3/4 of a cup at most. So start with one cup, it will be plenty. Secondly, this recipe calls for 1 bottle of red wine. It is important to use a good, well rounded bottle, something you would enjoy drinking as well. Do NOT use cooking wine, cooking wine is an abomination as far as I'm concerned and should never be used to cook with, it will ruin pretty much every dish. Also, if you don't like cooking with wine, then I would suggest finding a different recipe. There are no substitutions in this case, since the wine and acidity will help break down your meat, add flavor, depth and will overall end up making this meal extraordinary. I used a good middle of the road wine (Murphy-Goode: Liar's Dice), that I typically have on hand and it compliments this dish exquisitely.I also used Yukon gold potatoes, rather then small new potatoes since this is what I usually have at home and it tasted great. The recipe calls for pearl onions, this is were I messed up slightly and simply forgot to grab some at the store. Instead of running back out, I decided to substitute with 1 large yellow onion, which I chopped and sauteed in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil before adding. This dish calls for ground cloves and a slice of orange zest. I briefly considered leaving it out, since in all honesty it sounded strange to me, but I'm glad I decided against it and went for it. You won't be able to detect either, but they added to the overall complexity of the dish. Last, but not least, the recipe calls for thyme sprigs. I used some butcher's twine to tie them together. Brilliant idea and much easier to remove once the dish is cooked than trying to sift for thyme stems.
The smell  of this recipe while cooking was indescribable and the finished meal turned out to be a hit. Totally worth the time, effort and ingredients makes this another wonderful Tyler Florence recipe. My husband's craving for a good stew was more than satisfied and considering that all of the kids had seconds, it was definitely a crowd pleaser.  I simply served this with some Peasant bread on the side and my husband enjoyed the stew topped with a bit of horseradish. What made this dish even better was the rainy, cold weather we had while eating along with a couple of glasses of red wine. This is pretty much what a perfect Sunday should feel like in the winter.


Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Stew(adapted from "Foodnetwork")(Printable Recipe)
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (this is a change from the original 2 cups)
• 2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 bottle good quality dry red wine 
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs (tied together with butcher's twine) 
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 orange, zest removed in 3 (1-inch) strips
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, diced and sauteed in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 pound white mushrooms, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 pound garden peas, frozen or fresh

Preparation:
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter.
While the pan is heating, arrange the flour in a large, shallow dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.
Add the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty bits. Once the wine has gotten hot add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, orange zest strips, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.
After 2 hours add diced potatoes, sliced carrots, sauteed onions and mushrooms, along with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Add the frozen peas during the last few minutes or cooking. Season one more time with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs.

Shepherd's Pie

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Every year we celebrate St. Patrick's day. Not because we are Irish, in fact neither my husband nor I have one bit of Irish blood running through our veins, but we celebrate it simply because we like the food. We also like the beer, are fond of Irish butter and cheese and who can say no to some good Irish coffee? We also enjoy listening to U2 and are fans of The Cranberries. Most of all who can forget the years of reign by The Lord of the Dance,  Michael Flatley and his crew, as they were touring the world (even though it is quite debatable if being able to move your legs like this is completely natural). See, with all of this said, we could "almost" pass as Irish. Hence, we are not, but we can at least pretend once a year. Our typical meal for this holiday does include Corned Beef and Colcannon, however our kids are not the biggest fans of this dinner, so in order to keep the peace, I decided to smooth things over with another Irish specialty beforehand.
Shepherd's pie refers to an Irish meat pie made with minced beef (ground beef) and with a crust made from mashed potatoes. I've been tinkering with a few different recipes for this dish for years and while the end results were tasty, I was convinced they could be improved upon. While I was searching for yet another version to try, I found this recipe on Foodnetwork.com. It is a recipe by Melissa d'Arabian who starred in The Next Food Network Star. In all honesty, while she was competing on the show I wasn't a big fan of hers, and I don't think I've ever watched her show, but she definitely hit a home-run with this recipe. This Shepherd's Pie is the real deal. It is full of flavor and utterly delicious.  A great filling and an even better topping make this truly a stand-out. Bacon, onions and ground beef are cooked along with carrots and peas in a flavorful gravy composed of Guinness Beer, beef broth and spices. The topping receives extra love from 10 garlic cloves, sour cream, more beef broth and cheese which will assure that every bite of this will make for a wonderful dining experience.

This Shepherd's pie, in my opinion, is as good as it gets and is my new go-to recipe. My kids loved this meal and so did the adults. It is comforting and perfect for a chilly day. Yes, this will take you a little bit longer than opening a jar of gravy and mixing it with ground beef and frozen veggies, before topping it with boxed mashed potatoes as many recipes I've seen suggest, but sometimes good things require extra love and time to turn into something truly spectacular.  So, keep in mind that if corned beef might not be your first choice for St. Patrick's Day, this recipe is a fantastic alternative, especially when served with a nice glass of cold Guinness. Cheers, or as they say in Ireland; sláinte!



Shepherd's Pie
(adapted from "Melissa d'Arabian")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:


For the Garlicky Potato Topping:
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into eights
10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 to 2/3 cup beef broth
4 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


For the Filling:
4 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 93 % lean)
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 bottle of Guinness Beer
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves


Preparation:

For the Garlicky Potato Topping: In a large saucepan add the potatoes and garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. Transfer the potatoes and garlic to a large bowl. Add the sour cream, 1/3 cup of the broth, butter, salt and pepper, and mash until everything is smooth and the ingredients are incorporated. If the mixture is too dry, add the remaining 1/3 cup broth. Cover and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch  baking dish with nonstick spray.

For the Filling: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until browned and almost crisp, about 7 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate; set aside.

Add the oil to the drippings in the skillet and put over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and just beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar, and cook, stirring, occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until the beef begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the carrots, peas, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring, until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the beer, bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked bacon, the broth, rosemary, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Spoon the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread the potato topping evenly over the beef mixture. Bake until the filling is hot, the topping is lightly browned and the edges are bubbly, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. Let rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

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Would you like to know how to make new friends? It's actually quite easy, first thing you have to be invited to a party. Secondly you need to make some very tasty "adult only" cupcakes and bring them along to said party. Lastly, sit back and enjoy watching everyone moan while eating those cupcakes. Follow all of these steps and I guarantee you will be an instant hit at any party.
These cupcakes are made up of three distinct components. A chocolate Guinness cupcake filled with a white chocolate Bailey's truffle center and topped with Bailey's buttercream. Oh yeah, these little babies are laced with liquor and are somewhat reminiscent of a drink called an "Irish Car Bomb". It consists of a glass of Guinness along with Irish Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream. The whiskey is floated on top of the Irish Cream in a shot glass, and the shot glass is then dropped into the stout. Talk about potent!

Guinness and chocolate are a match made in heaven and I'm now officially in love with with this combination. You can't tell that the batter is made with beer, but it rather enhances the chocolate flavor and adds a rich undertone, almost reminding me of espresso. I also chose to go with an extra dark cocoa powder which along with the beer makes for a not too sweet cupcake which happens to be the perfect vessel for the truffle center and frosting. The truffle center is chopped white chocolate (I used Lindt) mixed with hot heavy cream, butter and Bailey's.  After the cupcake is baked I used an apple corer to remove part of my cupcakes so I could fill them with the truffle mixture. Putting the truffle mixture into a disposable pastry bag made filling the cakes a cinch.  I didn't even bother replacing the tops since I knew the holes would be covered by frosting anyway, and this way they ended up being my afternoon snack. The buttercream is simply butter with powdered sugar, and for additional flavor more Bailey's Irish Cream is incorporated.

These cupcakes were really a hot commodity at the party. People were pleasantly surprised, especially by the Guinness in the cupcake batter and every single person that tried them was in agreement that these cupcakes were pretty much one of the best ones they had ever eaten. So, if you are still looking for a little something to bring along to a St. Patrick's day celebration or just looking for a great dessert after that corned beef and cabbage, then this is your recipe. On Thursday make sure to wear something green, drink a green beer, but most of all have a happy St. Patrick's Day. Éirinn go Brách - Ireland Forever!

Also, make sure to check out some of my posts from the previous year when my blog was still in its infancy if you are looking for more St. Patrick's Day inspired recipes:

Glazed Corned Beef
Irish Colcannon Potatoes
Fried Cabbage
Irish Soda Bread
Shepherd's Pie
Irish Cream Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting


Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Truffle Centers and Bailey's Buttercream
(adapted from "Annie's Eats")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness beer
16 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers:
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's Buttercream:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5-8 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

Preparation:

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the Guinness/butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, the pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey's and stir until combined.

Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling).

Meanwhile , cut out a portion from the center of each cooled cupcake with an apple corer or using the cone method (a small paring knife words best for this). Once the truffle mixture has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

For the Bailey's Buttercream: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and Bailey's until smooth. Add more Bailey's if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Simple & Amazing Cranberry Sauce

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There were many years where our Thanksgiving table was always graced by the congealed cranberry sauce of the canned variety.  You know the one - It plops out of the can with a "thwack" and then is sliced into slivers before being served.  However, I had a wonderful revelation a few years back...HOMEMADE cranberry sauce.  Why had I not been making it at home all along??

It's incredibly easy and results in a much tastier accompaniment for that oh-so-delectable cornbread dressing that we look forward to all year long.  After all, we put so much love and care into the dressing, that it's a shame not to pair it with something homemade and delicious as well.

For the past several years, I've made this Double Cranberry-Apple Sauce.  But, I wanted to try something new this year - something a little easier and maybe not quite so tart.  This recipe for Simple & Amazing Cranberry Sauce was perfect.  Minimal ingredients, majorly easy and incredibly scrumptious.  This one is definitely going in my Thanksgiving folder as a new favorite.

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

Simple & Amazing Cranberry Sauce
Adapted from:  Savory Sweet Life


Ingredients 
(recipe can be doubled if feeding a big crowd)
12 oz bag fresh cranberries
3/4 cup orange juice
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
Optional: 2 oz gold rum

Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook on medium-high for 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced – stirring occasionally. You’ll hear the cranberries popping – don’t worry, that’s what you want them to do. 

Remove from heat and serve. Cranberry sauce can be made days ahead and brought to room temperature or slightly heated before serving.

Simple Grilled Turkey & Stuffing Muffins (Yes, Virginia, you can still have your gravy, too.)

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How's are your turkey leftovers doing?  Did you over-indulge? I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Ours was low-key, with just my two brothers and niece.  My son works in the restaurant business, so he was MIA at our table.  Sigh. 

I believe I've roasted at least 25 Thanksgiving Turkeys in my lifetime.  I've made Butterballs, and graduated to buying free-range turkeys.  I've brined them and I've not brined them.  However, I've firmly resisted the idea of deep-frying a turkey-- not that I haven't heard rave reviews. I just don't want to be a State Farm Insurance television commercial statistic, as one of those unfortunate folks who caught their house on fire. (Plus, it doesn't sound cheap to buy the fryer and all that peanut oil!)  Overall,  I've been pretty lucky, in that I've never made a choke-dry kind of turkey. Amen.

My biggest challenge (other than wishing my bachelor brothers would invite their non-existent girlfriends to help me with the food prep), is that I only have one oven.  It's always been a challenge to get the stuffing and yams baked, and then the rolls.  So, when the Digital October/November 2012 issue of Cook's Illustrated was downloaded into my iPad, I was intrigued at the thought of grilling our turkey.

So I begged asked  my husband to watch the video with me and he agreed to set up the Weber. I assured him that this would not be as time-consuming as his famous grilled brisket or pulled pork. According to the recipe, I had to season the bird with salt & pepper, and then rub in a mixture of salt, pepper and baking powder (apparently this is key in making the skin turn out golden and crispy. Yum.

 
I didn't photograph the process of preparing the bird, because I didn't want to contaminate my camera with poultry bacteria.  Plus, I didn't really think that Blogosphere needs another turkey recipe (my excuse translating that I wasn't sure I'd need to blog this recipe).  Well, I was wrong-- and I will tell you that this was one delicious bird!  You should can prepare the turkey 24- 48 hours ahead. Somehow, I missed that and it was four hours until the turkey needed to go on the grill, that I discovered this. D'oh! Fortunately, as the photo shows, the turkey turned out fine-- big relief.

There is a printable recipe card at the end of this post, with some notes that I will follow the next time we makes this-- and make this again, and again, we will.  Yes, you can make this on a gas grill, and I will include those instructions as well.  So, you need 4 quarters of briquettes and a disposable pan with water.  The briquettes are placed on the side of each pan, so that the turkey is not set directly over the coals (unless you're making turkey jerky, I suppose.)

This is a 12 pound turkey, so if you are feeding an army of pilgrims, this recipe isn't for you.  I wouldn't recommend doing this with a 20 pound bird, but if you do-- and it works- please let me know!

Vegetable oil has been rubbed on the turkey, before being placed on the grill. Craig has been careful that the turkey isn't placed over the coals.  Good job!  Grilling time is said to be 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours.   I got busy making the Sweet Potato Casserole and making the Mashed Potatoes (updated version to be posted this week).

GRAVY WARNING: You don't get drippings for making gravy, with this method. Instead of resorting to package or canned gravy, I made "Make Ahead Gravy" the night before. I simply put the gravy into a small crockpot on WARM and that was ready to go.

For years, I belonged to the "stuff-the-turkey-with-stuffing-inside-the-turkey" Club.  Then, it was announced that this only invited bacteria and cooks were advised to always bake the stuffing separately.  If you've been reading my blog for a while, I admit that I do not care for stuffing.  (It's a texture thing, and I'm sorry.)  However, I oblige others who love stuffing and I've developed a few of my own recipes that my family loves.

Not this year.  I didn't have the strength desire to bake cornbread and make my famous stuffing. So, I resorted to -- gasp-- buying stuffing mix!  Yes, I took a shortcut and I will share a basic stuffing recipe at the end of this post.  However, this year, I did something I wish I had thought of a long time ago...

 Stuffing Muffins!
Why had I never thought of these before?  I wish I could say these are my idea, because they are all over Blogosphere.  I used an ice cream scoop to measure the stuffing into a muffin tin and set them aside as I made the rest of the meal. By the way, the One-Hour Dinner Rolls saved my day, as I was running out of steam in the kitchen.
Because my oven wasn't occupied by a roasting turkey, I even had time to make my first Pumpkin Roll-- and I'll share that recipe soon.

I made an oath that I was going to keep things simple, since I'm the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. Still, it took almost five hours for me to make all the side dishes, bake bread and clean up the kitchen.  At least I didn't have to worry about basting the turkey.
The turkey had been grilling for 2-1/2 hours and I suggested that we check on it.

Craig: No, the recipe says 3 hours.Me:      Well, that's the suggested time. Craig:  No, I don't want to lose heat!Me:      What if it's already cooked, then it'll be dry?!Craig:   (Dubious look on his face.)Me:       Trust me, I always shorten the recommended time. We can always add more (smug look on my face)

I grabbed the camera and Craig lifted off the lid, and stuck in the instant-read thermometer.
Within seconds, the thermometer said 170F.  "Get it off the grill, now!" I shrieked.Moral of the story:  Check the bird at 2 hours.  160F would be the ideal temperature.
That skin looks dry and crisp, because of the baking powder.  But, would the meat be as dry?Truth:  No!  Had we waited a moment longer, it would have been "yes".

Y'all know the commotion that goes on, once it's time to get the Thanksgiving feast on the table, right? I had lost natural lighting, and was busy orchestrating the plating and serving of our meal. (That is my excuse for not having many finished shots.)
TASTING NOTES:  The turkey was still moist-- but, honestly, had we reduced the grilling time to 2 hours, it would have been even moister.  The flavor was different in a very good way. Yes, it had the flavor of grilled meat, and my carnivores loved it.  The skin was very crispy-- I'm not one to eat skin, but for those who do, it's excellent.  The stuffing muffins were a big hit, and easy to just serve one on each place.   Bonus:  At the end of the evening, I put the turkey carcass into a pasta pot and added celery, onion, carrots, Bay leaves and peppercorns and 10 cups of water. The turkey stock had so much flavor!  It's frozen for future recipes.
FOOTNOTE:  I was thankful to have my brothers and lovely niece at our Thanksgiving table.  However, I have made an oath for next year-- and I'm going to keep this one.  I'm going to either be a dinner guest (I will bring a dish) or I am making reservations.  For those of you who think I'll miss not having leftovers-- nah, ah, ah... we'll be grilling this very recipe for us to have as our private reserve.
Gotcha!
Now, it's time to think of Christmas.   Once again, I'm the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. Well, I'll be cooking, but I'm going to hand every family member a dish towel and scrubbing pad. I'm finally catching on!