Crockpot Turkey

Originally from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/crockpot-whole-turkey-recipe.html

Ingredients:

--turkey (9.5 lbs is the MAXIMUM to fit in a 6.5 quart crockpot) 
--olive oil
--salt 
--pepper
--garlic powder
--dried parsley 
--onion 
--apple (I used yellow)
--meat thermometer (necessity, not a luxury. go get one if you need it) 

Directions:

Your turkey must be completely and totally thawed. Seriously. Call the Butterball hotline if you don't know how to do this safely.


Remove the neck and the bag of stuff they put inside the turkey. 

Pat the turkey with paper towels to dry it off. Rub a handful of olive oil all over the bird, inside and out. Sprinkle salt, pepper, dried parsley, and garlic powder all over and in it, and rub it around. If you have a secret family concoction of herbs, by all means, use it.

Peel an onion, quarter it, and shove inside. Core an apple and do the same.

Lower the bird into your crockpot. I wanted to put it in breast-side down, but Chris and Mary (from Butterball) said not to. So I put it right-side up. 

Cover. Cook on high for 3 hours, then check the internal temperature. You need the turkey to register at least 140 degrees.

Cover again and cook on high for another few hours. I needed to leave the house, and this turkey cooked on high for a bit over 5 hours. Check the internal temp again in a few places. It should be 170 degrees or higher. You can certainly cook it longer if needed, or keep it on warm until you are ready to carve.

CAREFULLY remove turkey from crockpot. The edges will have browned nicely. If you'd like, you can broil the top for a few minutes in the oven--put the turkey in a roasting pan, don't use the crock. I tried this, and was pleased with how the turkey looked afterwards. I broiled for about 7 minutes. 

Let sit for 15-20 minutes before carving. 

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Fit a 9.5 lb turkey into a 6.5 quart crockpot. It is a tight squeeze, and this is the absolute largest turkey you should attempt to cook----even if you have a 7 quart crockpot. The meat needs to reach 140 degrees after 3 hours of cooking on high to keep it in the "safe zone" for consumption.

How do you know?

I was hoping you'd ask! I learned this by participating in a live webchat hosted by Butterball, and their trained Turkey-TalkBloggers. Chris Jordan, from Notes from the Trenches, and Susan Wagner, from Friday Playdate are fresh out of Turkey U. and are eager to help families with their burning (simmering) turkey questions. 
You can ask anything turkey. Chris only slightly snickered when I asked where the thigh is. (guess what? it's not on the drumstick at all---it's the part where the drumstick connects to the bird. huh.) There is another chat scheduled for November 25, or you can call 1-800-BUTTERBALL.

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Hot Mama Notes: I made this recipe last year, and it turned out really well.  I am excited to try it again this year! :)

Taco Seasoning

Originally from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/

I add this to 1 lb of ground turkey for taco meat. :)

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Apple Pie

Filling: 

5-6  cups of small green apples, from a friend's tree in Payson, AZ
3/4  cup sugar
1/4  cup brown sugar
3T   cornstarch

Crust:

Barb's Butter Crust Recipe is shown in this post: http://hotmamacookbook.blogspot.com/2013/08/fresh-peach-pie.html



Hot Mama Notes: This pie turned out AWESOME!!!  Next time, I think I will use 1/2 c brown sugar and 1/4 c white sugar for the filling.  But, yum yum yum.  The pie crust was perfect: flakey and sweet.  I actually made two pies using this recipe, and they both turned out great.  :)  I got lots and lots of compliments.  They were very tasty, and only last a few days before being DEVOURED.  The best compliment, really.  My grade: A.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

Originally from: http://jcocina.com/pumpkin-pie-fudge/

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 Tbs. corn syrup
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 12 oz. white chocolate chips
• One 7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast walnuts in the skillet, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to smell toasted (3-5 minutes). Once you smell the walnuts toasting, immediately remove them from the heat.

Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, stir in sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, corn syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling mixture, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches 234 on a candy thermometer.

Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the white chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla. When chips and fluff have almost entirely melted into the mix, quickly fold in the walnuts.

Immediately pour the fudge into the prepared pan, spreading into an even layer. Allow fudge to set for at least 2 hours in the fridge, or until it has firmed.

Once fudge is set, use the parchment paper to remove the fudge from the pan. Cut it into 1-inch cubes.

Hot Mama Notes:  The fudge was good if you like pumpkin.  Very creamy and flavorful.  I received lots of compliments on it.  My grade: B+

Parmesan Crusted Baked Chicken

Original Recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ted-allen/baked-chicken-breasts-with-parmesan-crust-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each)
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup panko or dried coarse baguette breadcrumbs
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix the mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cayenne in a medium bowl. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat completely; set aside.

In a medium shallow bowl, combine the parmesan and panko. Dredge the chicken pieces in the panko mixture, coating evenly and heavily, and pressing the coating into the meat.

Put the chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet, spray with a quick burst of cooking spray and put the sheet in the middle of the oven. Bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting or serving.

Per Serving: Calories: 402; Total Fat: 14 grams; Saturated Fat: 6 grams; Protein: 54 grams; Total carbohydrates: 8 grams; Sugar: grams; Fiber: 1 gram; Cholesterol: 155 milligrams; Sodium: 885 milligrams

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ted-allen/baked-chicken-breasts-with-parmesan-crust-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Hot Mama Notes: This was very easy to make, and I had all the ingredients already in my pantry.  We shall see how it tastes!!!  I used dried thyme.  I am not sure if I was supposed to use fresh, but I only had dried.  I used Panko.  My cooking spray is olive oil in the Misto sprayer.  I had a lot of parmesan/bread crumb mixture left over.  Next time I would mix up less.  My package of chicken had three pieces, though.  

Verdict: This chicken wasn't all that great.  I would give it a B grade.  I don't think we will be having this again, as it was just okay.  So many other recipes to try!

Fresh Peach Pie

Original Recipe from the Book: The Lost Art of Pie-Making by Barbara Swell, see cover image below.

 My Magnificent Pie, straight out of the oven.

Hot Mama Notes: 

I used the butter crust, "Barb's Butter Crust".  I have a fondness for butter, and I have had much success in the past using a savory butter crust for quiches and pot pies.  I do hear that shortening crusts are great, but it's hard to mess with a good thing.  And shortening creeps me out, whereas butter does not!  This crust is not as easy to work with as the previous crust I used (a bit sticky), but it was doable.  I highly recommend the use of a pasty cutter.  A very useful tool.  I refrigerated my crust dough for about 30 minutes.  I think next time I will try overnight.

I opted for the recommended amount of sugar (3/4 cup) in the filling.  I did not want the filling overly sweet, and these were home-grown peaches, fresh off the tree a few days before.  They were delicious and sweet raw, I didn't need to add much sugar.  I am not sure if I have ever had peach pie before, but I will say that the filling in this pie tasted very much like canned peaches.  I am not sure if that is the consistency and flavor that peach pie filling is supposed to take on, but it was good.  The crust was phenomenal.  :)  I used 5 cups of peaches.  Also, I did brush the top crust with heavy whipping cream (since I happened to have some), and sprinkled granulated white sugar on top of it.  This made the pie very beautiful.  I covered up the edges with foil about 20 or 30 minutes in.  The pie took quite a long time to bake.  I kept baking it until the top pie crust no longer looked like raw dough, but rather like a golden brown pie crust.  :)

Overall Grade: B+ 
(Crust Grade: A)
(Filling Grade: B)

Gingersnap Cookies

Original Recipe at: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/11/26/soft-gingersnap-molasses-cookies-4-ways/#ixzz2ambGpfhX

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup dark molasses
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
• 1 cup butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand or handheld mixer, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Beat well, scraping down the sides as needed again.
2. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet on low speed. Do not overmix. Cover mixed dough with foil and chill for 4 hours of overnight. I chilled mine overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart. Bake for precisely 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just turning brown – cookies will be puffy and still appear soft in the middle. Mine took 8:30 minutes. Remove from the oven and, if using any variety of flavor chip, immediately press 5-7 chips into the center of each cookie.
4. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for two minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

There are two very critical notes on these gingersnap recipes.  First, make sure you CHILL the dough.  Prepare ahead of time so that the dough can chill 4 hours or overnight.  Your cookies will NOT be as thick as mine unless the dough has been sufficiently chilled. 

Second, the amount of time you bake your gingersnaps is imperative- so so important to the texture of your finished cookie.  Be sure to bake for only 8-10 minutes.  Lean towards the 8 minute side.  The cookies will appear soft and may look undone.  Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and I assure you, they will be done.

Hot Mama Notes:  These cookies are SUPERB.  Some of the best cookies I have ever had.  So soft, fluffy and flavorful!  I would make them again in a second!!!  Grade: A+!

One note: I used fresh grated ginger root (1.5 teaspoons) in addition to the listed powdered ginger.  The reason I did this is because I wasn't sure just how old my ginger spice was, and I wasn't sure how quickly it lost it's potency and flavor (or if it did at all).  To be on the safe side, I threw in some fresh grated ginger, and I think it tasted fantastic.  I would do it again. :)