Thanksgiving 2012

This was our first Thanksgiving in Hawaii, and also the first Thanksgiving I made the turkey! I was a little nervous, but it turned out awesome! I realize I probably need to invest in a roasting pan, a baster and a gravy boat... but we had a really great meal with some wonderful friends!

I had been thawing out the turkey in the fridge for 3 days, and then the day before Thanksgiving, I made Pioneer Woman's Favorite Turkey Brine and put the 23 lb turkey in a big ziplock (like XXL) inside a cylinder igloo cooler (the kind used to dispense liquid!) which turned out to be perfect because the whole bird was surrounded by the brine. Luckily this whole thing fit in our fridge! The next day, we took the bird out and rinsed it off really well. We roasted it, covered in foil, at 275 for about 4 hours.  After that, we took it out and stuffed it with orange and lemon slices, onions, thyme and sage. We then rubbed the butter (that was mixed with rosemary, orange zest and salt and pepper) all over the bird. We had fresh oranges and rosemary in our yard, so we got really lucky to have the freshest brine/butter/stuffing possible! We put the bird back in at 375, uncovered and baked for another couple of hours until the meat temperature reached 170. We let it rest 20 minutes or so before carving it, and while we made gravy. The turkey was SO good!




I put together this little relish plate to look like a turkey- which was pretty fun! I also had pretzels and dill dip out. The other food I made was PW's mashed potatoes (which can be made the day before!), maple glazed carrots, sweet potatoes, corn souffle, stuffing (I want to tweak this recipe- but I had celery and onion sauteed in butter and chicken broth added to a store bought dressing kit), PW's cranberry sauce (yum and easy!), gravy, pumpkin pecan pies and homemade cream! Of course, I made rolls (we took them to Mass that morning and had them blessed!) but I cheat and use the can rolls! We also had each guest tell us what they were thankful for, printed them on strips of paper, sprayed them with cooking spray and rolled them into the rolls before cooking. It turned out really great- they came out super clean and easily, and then we all guessed whose thankful item we got! We also play the "ABC's of Thanks" where we go around the alphabet and every person gets a letter to come up with a word that starts with that letter of something they are thankful for. Our guests brought watercrest salad and the yummiest green bean casserole I've ever had (I have to get her version!) and we had tons of drinks- wine, beer, soda, waters and sparkling juice for a special treat for the kids! It was tricky with only my oven to get everything cooked and ready- but I made a timing list and it all worked out great. If you can make ahead the pies, everything else can be ready to cook as soon as the turkey comes out and it should all work out well!

Grandma's Freezer Pickles

My grandma always makes these with cucumbers from her garden in the summer! I love that it's something I can do without canning and when I found a bulk of keiki cukes from the Big Island on sale, I knew I had to make these! So yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
8 cups sliced cucumbers
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced (I use the mandolin on those three ingredients to get them sliced very thin!)
1 TBL salt
2 cups sugar
1 TBL celery seed
1 TBL mustard seed
1 cup vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
Mix 1st four ingredients and let stand for 2 hours. Drain the mixture. Add last 4 ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let cool. Pour liquid over the cucumbers and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Stir once a day. On the 3rd day you can put in freezer contains to freeze (or they are ready to eat!).

Aukauka Place Pasta

It's a NEW favorite, so much a favorite, my husband named it after our new home!

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz uncooked penne rigate pasta
6 oz hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
12 oz zucchini, quartered
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves
Dash of sugar
2 TBL red wine vinegar
1 28 oz. whole tomatoes
2 TBL heavy whipping cream
Cooking Spray
3 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 oz. Parm-Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting fat and salt. Drain; set aside. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and saute for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel. Add zucchini to pan; saute 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through sugar); saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add vinegar; cook 30 seconds or until the liquid evaporates. Drain tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 cup tomato liquid. Crush tomatoes with hands, and add to zucchini mixture. Add reserved 1 cup tomato liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir in cream. Add pasta and sausage to tomato mixture; stir to combine. Spoon half of pasta mixture into an 11 x 7 inch glass baking dish and sprinkle 1oz mozzarella and 2 TBL parm-reg cheese over pasta. Top with remaining pasta and remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Chicken with Honey-Beer Sauce

Another one I didn't get a picture of!

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsp canola oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
3 TBL thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup beer (like Blue Moon)
2 TBL soy sauce
1 TBL whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 TBL honey
2 TBL fresh-flat leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swire to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper and salt. Add chicken to pan; saute 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add shallots to pan; cook 1 minute. Combine beer and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add beer mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Return chicken to pan; turn to coat with sauce. Sprinkle evenly with parsley.

Three-Bean Salad

I didn't get a picture of this, but we loved it! A nice variety to a vegetable side!

INGREDIENTS:
1 red bell pepper
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame
8 oz green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 cups coked, shelled fresh chickpeas
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 minced shallots
3 TBL fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 TBL oregano leaves
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1 TBL olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat broiler to high. Cut bell pepper in half, discard seed and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil for 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and chop. Cook edamame and green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes; rinse with cold water, and drain. Combine bell pepper, edamame mixture, chickpeas, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Combine shallots and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over bean mixture, too.

Bratwurst with Onions and Peppers

This is such a simple way to really make the bratwursts super yummy! We always buy Hillshire Farm Gourment Creations Beef and Jalapeno- they are just the perfect blend of spice!

For the onions and peppers:

INGREDIENTS:
1 white onion
1 red pepper
Salt/Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Slice the onion and pepper into thin strips. Cover with salt and pepper and put into a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about 3-6 minutes. Transfer the onion and peppers into a foil packet and add it to the grill with your bratwurst. When done, put the sausages into buns, top with mustard and onion/peppers. Yum!

Oven "Fried" Pickles

I LOVE fried pickles... yummy!! Of course, being pregnant, I can use that as a good excuse to have a craving for them, so when I saw this on Skinny Taste, I had to try it. I just used my own ranch dressing, but the pickles turned out really great! Click HERE for the recipe!

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese

I found this on pinterest, and HAD to try it! Wow- SUPER yummy, but of course it was- all the ingredients are delicious!! Click HERE for the basic recipe I used.