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“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.” ~ Erma Bombeck

Ah…fall – my favorite time of year. I never thought anything could rival my lovely, perfect Fall season but now that I’m here in Northern CA – it does give it a run for it’s money…I have to say! Time seems to slow down in the fall…or is it that we just walk a lot slower so we can stay outside in the crisp autumn air longer?

But while we slow down, sit back, and enjoy the view, October quietly slips away and we surge into November before we can even count our Halloween loot! Then – it starts to loom over us – turkeys, hams, mashed potatoes, yeast rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie -Thanksgiving is here and it’s time to plan. What will I serve? Who will be coming? Where will they all fit? How and when should I start preparing?

…and the Thanksgiving stress has begun…

Here at Simplicity Gourmet, we strive for just that, Simplicity. We want to help you take your normal Thanksgiving recipes that take hours to prepare and cut the time down so that you are out of the kitchen and making memories with your family and friends. Thanksgiving should be a special time of sharing and laughing and should not be wrought with stress, sweat, and frustration.

Up today, to conclude our holiday recipe swap, we have a turkey double header and a cherry 7-up Honey Ham that will knock you over! My kitchen at Thanksgiving can get rather hectic and not to mention, blazing hot! For years, my oven was cranked up from dawn til dusk and by the time the food hit the table, I could barely even stomach the food I had slaved over all day! Well, two years ago, I invested in one of our Waterless Turkey Roasters and let me tell you, it’s changed my life at Thanksgiving! It cooked my turkey in half the time, on top of the stove (no oven!), and it was the juiciest Turkey I have ever served (I couldn’t even get it out of the pan b/c the turkey meat was just falling off the bone)! So, good food and satisfied bellies equals tremendous investment to me!

We hope you enjoy all of the classic holiday favorites that we have created this week with you in mind. Make sure to let us know how your Simplicity Gourmet Thanksgiving turns out!

Happy Cooking!
Miss K

“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” ~Irv Kupcinet (If that’s not the truth…then, I’ve never heard it!)

…Put Down the Carving Knife and Step Away From the Turkey…

HERB ROASTED TURKEY

UTENSILS: Small Mixing Bowl, Oval Turkey Roaster

INGREDIENTS:
1 12-14 lb. Turkey, thawed,  1-2 cups Butter or Margarine, 2 TBSP Dried Sage, 2 TBSP Dried Oregano, 1 TBSP Garlic Salt, 1 TBSP Pepper, 1 TBSP Lemon Zest, 1 TBSP Ground Rosemary, 1 TBSP Basil

TO START:
Remove neck and giblet pack from the inside of the turkey, discard. Using your hands, gently separate the skin of the turkey from the meat of the turkey but do not remove the skin – you are making a pocket or the seasoning.

SEASONING:
In the small mixing bowl, cream the butter and all herbs. Using your hands, gently spread the seasoning mixture underneath the skin of the turkey and lay the skin back over the meat of the turkey.

TO FINISH:
Place the turkey into a cold roaster, breast down. Turn the heat to medium and cover. When the water seal forms (water bubbles will form around the edge of the cover), reduce the temperature to Medium Low. Allow 20-25 minutes per pound of turkey. Turkey will cook on low heat in ½ the time listed on a regular roasting chart.

DARN GOOD ROASTED TURKEY

UTENSILS: Small Mixing Bowl, Jumbo Turkey Roaster

INGREDIENTS:

1 12-16 lb. Turkey, thawed, 1-2 cups Butter, 1 Bottle of Darn Good Seasoning

TO START:
Remove neck and giblet pack from the inside of the turkey, discard. Using your hands, gently separate the skin of the turkey from the meat of the turkey but do not remove the skin – you are making a pocket for the seasoning.

SEASONING:
In the small mixing bowl, cream the butter and about 1/2 Cup of Darn Good Seasoning. Using your hands, gently spread the seasoning mixture underneath the skin of the turkey and lay the skin back over the meat of the turkey. Season the outside of the turkey generously with Darn Good Seasoning.

TO FINISH:
Place the turkey into a cold roaster, breast down. Season the underneath. Turn the heat to medium and cover. When the water seal forms (water bubbles will form around the edge of the cover), reduce the temperature to Medium Low. Allow 25-30 minutes per pound of turkey. Generally, your turkey will cook on low heat in ½ the time listed on a regular roasting chart.

NOTE: You could also invest in a turkey injection kit. Melt down the butter and combine with Darn Good to use as your injection base. It’s ridiculous how good it is!

CHERRY 7-UP HONEY HAM

UTENSILS: 12 qt Roaster, toothpicks, small mixing bowl

INGREDIENTS:

1 6-8 lb. Ham, cooked, 1 Bottle of Honey, 1 Cup Brown Sugar, 2 Cups Cherry 7-Up, 1 Jar Maraschino Cherries, 1 Can Crushed Pineapple, 20 Whole Cloves

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the cherries individually on toothpicks. Prepare the Ham by scoring and pressing the Whole Cloves and the cherries stick alternately into the scores.

In a small mixing bowl, pour the crushed pineapple and brown sugar; stir until the brown sugar has dissolved. Place the ham into a cold Dutch Oven. Pour 7-UP and pineapple mixture over the top. Cover completely with the bottle of Honey.

Cover with the dome cover and cook on medium heat until the water seal forms. Reduce the temperature to low and allow to cook for an 1-2 hours to heat through; every 20 – 30 minutes, ladle sauce over the top a few times and recover.

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