Hounds In The Kitchen » thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup {Friday Five}

Rachel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:48:55 +0000

Is your Thanksgiving menu finalized?

My mother is hosting dinner this year so Alex and I are responsible for very little. We’re bringing a charcuterie platter for the appetizer, brussels sprouts (probably pan roasted with homemade bacon) and Alex’s dressing.

If your menu isn’t full of family traditions, here are five suggestions for seasonal but unique additions to the table:

1)Buffie Wellies – a tasty rich buffalo appetizer
2) Cranbellini – Add one ounce of cranberry liqueur (yes, there’s still time to make it!) to the bottom of a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and serve a fruity ruby red cocktail during appetizers
3) Mushroom Pie – vegetarian entree or earthy side dish
4) Cranberry Bread – an easy way to use cranberries other than sauce
5) Turkey Stock – even though we aren’t cooking the bird this year, I hope we can claim the carcass for stock making.

Are you hosting or contributing to Thanksgiving dinner? If so, what will you make? Feel free to link recipes in the comments.

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Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup {Friday Five} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Cranberry Sauce, Fresh or For Canning {Recipe}

Rachel — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:04:32 +0000

Cranberry sauce is the most neglected dish on the Thanksgiving table. It is over-sweetened to the point of tasting like jam, or worse, dumped and sliced from a can, ridge marks remaining.

Why should these tart orbs be subjected to such a fate? Cranberries are easy to obtain fresh in November and full of flavor and vitamin C. It is impossibly easy to make them into an all-natural sauce. And once you do, you’ll find new ways to appreciate the humble cranberry.

This sauce is a tangy antidote to any roast beast, of course. But it also plays beautifully on a charcuterie platter or cheese plate. Any rich dish that could use a balance of tart clear flavor will be improved by a dollop of cranberry sauce.

My sauce recipe is high in acid content and can be canned for use year round. I use an ample amount of apple for natural sweetness and just a bit of honey. Spices are light because they concentrate in the jar. If serving fresh, feel free to increase the spice quantities.

Cranberry Sauce
Makes: six half pint jars
Time: 30 minutes cooking, 20 minutes canning

1 orange
2 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries, washed with stems removed
6 medium apples, peeled cored and chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4-3/4 cup honey

1. Peel orange, avoiding pith.
2. Place orange peel and remaining ingredients in a medium pot. Juice orange into pot.
3. Cook over low heat, covered, until apple texture disappear and cranberries ‘pop’. Taste for spice and sweetness, adding more if necessary.
4. Remove orange peel and discard.
5. Serve sauce warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers and eat within two weeks or freeze for up to a year.
6. Alternately, ladle into sterilized jars with 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from water, cool, and prepare for storage.

Added to Simples Lives Thursday 70 and Punk Domestics.

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Cranberry Sauce, Fresh or For Canning {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Thanksgiving Reads {Book Hounds}

Rachel — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:15:29 +0000

We love to prepare for holidays by reading books with Lil. Good Thanksgiving picture books are a little hard to come by because so many perpetuate myths about Native Americans. This year we are enjoying these food and family focused stories:

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott with illustrations by James Bernadin

A rural 19th century New Hampshire family is preparing for a harvest feast when the parents need to leave for an emergency. The older girls step in to try to finish the dinner with mixed results.

Thanksgiving Treat by Catherine Stock

Soft illustrations accompany this story of a young boy trying to contribute to his family meal.

Sometimes It’s Turkey, Sometimes It’s Feathers by Lorna Balian

When old Mrs. Gumm finds a speckled egg, she hatches it into a turkey. She raises the turkey in her garden, highlighting produce that ripens as the season goes by.

Do you have a favorite turkey day book to share?

NB: All links go to Amazon where these books are out of print but available used. Look them up at your local library – Columbus Public has copies of each.

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Thanksgiving Reads {Book Hounds} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

How to Cook a Perfect Whole Bird

Rachel — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:09:08 +0000

Thanksgiving is a little over a week away. This week I’ll share some of my favorite recipes.

Cooking a whole bird is a beautiful thing. The cook has the ability to infuse the meat with distinct flavors and a whole bird can feed a family for many meals. Use these techniques for a perfect Thanksgiving turkey, family style chicken dinner, or delicate individual game hens.

Brine - A sugar/salt brine infuses the bird with flavorful juices. (2-18 hours)

Make one by boiling one half gallon (8 cups) water and adding one cup kosher salt and one half cup sugar, boiled to dissolve and then cool it with one half gallon (8 cups) ice. You can add aromatics such as bay leaf, peppercorns, whole allspice, or orange peels once the brine is made.

Soak the bird in brine for a time appropriate to the thickness of the breast. For a fresh (or thawed frozen) bird, leave the bird in brine for the appropriate length of time:
game hen – 2 hours, fryer chicken – 6 hours, roaster chicken – 8 hours, turkey – 12+ hours. Brine is optional but greatly enhances the flavor and juicy-ness of the bird.

Stuff - Add flavor to a bird by stuffing the cavity and skin with aromatics. Stuffing with bread filling is not recommended by the USDA and extends cooking time, which can dry the meat. (10 minutes)

Fill but do not over-stuff the cavity with quartered onions, fresh herbs, or citrus. Slide a finger between the breast and skin and place butter and/or herbs under the skin for a more delicious and juicy bird. Stuffing is totally optional.

Truss - Tie up the bird’s legs to cook evenly and not dry out. (5 minutes)

Using a 2 foot length of butcher’s twine or plain cotton string, tie the feet together. Push the tail fat under the legs inside the cavity. Then, drive a bamboo skewer between the two wings and through the bird so that they are held closely to the rest of the bird.

Roast Hot and Fast - Low and slow methods work well for fat-marbled meats, which turkey, chicken and the like are not. Instead, roast at a high temperature to brown the skin, reduce temperature and do not over-cook. NB: Fatty water fowl should be steamed before roasting. (1-3 hours)

Thaw your bird to room temperature. Place it atop a few chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, onion) or directly in a roasting pan, breast side up. Optionally, rub with olive oil or butter. Sprinkle skin with salt and pepper.

Put the pan in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15-25 minutes until skin is browned. Drop the temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking until the meat reaches 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the breast. Be sure you are not hitting bone when you measure temperature. Do not rely on pop-up gauges.

Rest - Allowing meat to rest is the most overlooked part of cooking. This step is absolutely necessary for the protein to cool and seize up the juices. (5-20 minutes)

A whole turkey should rest for at least 20 minutes, a chicken 10, and a game hen 5. Rest out of the oven on a cutting board.

Carve - Use a very sharp knife and bold strokes to carve a bird. (10-15 minutes)

First, break shoulder to wing joint. Carve through the wing at the shoulder joint to remove the wing. Split into wing and drum if you wish. Next, cut the breast pieces off, leaving skin in tact. Set aside and slice later. Then, remove the leg and thighs from the hip by breaking and cutting through the joint. If desired cut between leg and thigh at the knee joint.

Savor - The drippings and carcass of a bird can yield several more dishes. (20 minutes – days)

For gravy, skim fat from pan drippings. Heat drippings over medium heat. Add a slurry of water and flour slowly. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until sauce thickens.

Pick bits of meat off the carcass for making into salad, soup, or sandwiches.

To make stock, cover the carcass with water in a wide roasting pan with an onion, halved, celery chunks, and carrots. Cook at 200 degrees F in the oven for 8 hours. Strain the resulting stock, skim fat from top, and use in soup, risotto, or sauce. Stock can be frozen for up to one year.

This tutorial was part of the instruction at a recent cooking class. The participants there had plenty of questions. Do you?

Added to Hearth and Soul.

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How to Cook a Perfect Whole Bird is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Local Thanksgiving Turkeys & CSAs 2011

Rachel — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:00:16 +0000

Are you planning turkey day already? You can bet I am!

I know friends are too because the questions about ‘where can I order a turkey?’ are pouring in. Here are the best local options I am aware of:

Turkey

Bowman and Landes – I grew up visiting my grandmother who worked at Bowman and Landes farm in Springfield, OH. The turkeys have ample room to roam and the meat is free from hormones and antibiotics. There’s even a family legend that my parents fell in love the summer they slaughtered and plucked turkeys at B&L. Locally-owned grocers Hills Market, North Market Poultry and Game, Huffman’s and Weilands offer these toms for pre-order around $3 a pound.

Speckled Hen Farm – Turkeys from Speckled Hen are fed locally grown grains and allowed to free range. Order via the web for $2.79/pound and pick up in Worthington.

Tea Hills Pastured Organic Turkeys – Hills Market carries these top of the line heritage breed birds at $5.19/pound or you can order directly from the farm.

OSU Poultry Science Club – Ohio State University sells free range, antibiotic free turkeys as a fundraiser. Order your bird online for $2.59/pound and pick up on the Columbus campus.

CSAs

Wayward Seed – Need something more than a bird on the table? Wayward Seed organic farm offers a box of vegetables, herbs, and fruit to feed a crowd. With a turkey, the cost is $160; with a winter squash, the cost is $130. Read the details and ordering info on their blog.

OSU Student Farm – Support Ohio State University students in their sustainable farm efforts by purchasing a $35 share of sweet potatoes, herbs, squash, garlic and more. Quantities are limited.

Clintonville and Worthington Farmer’s Markets will host pre-Thanksgiving markets on November 19. Pick up mushrooms from Swainway, root vegetables, greens, herbs, apples eggs, and more to fill your menu with local treats.

Did I miss your local favorites? Let me know in the comments!

PS. Alex’s mom Deb made the apple pie with the turkey. Isn’t it cute? She’ll be sharing fiber artistry at next weekend’s Clintonville Arts Guild Holiday Show & Sale at Whetstone Recreation Center.

PPS. I am closing the Hounds in the Kitchen annual reader’s survey on Sunday. I would really appreciate you sharing your opinion before then if you have a few minutes.

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Local Thanksgiving Turkeys & CSAs 2011 is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Big Mac

Rachel — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:16:39 +0000

I have no pictures of the turkey or family portraits or plates of food from this Thanksgiving. Instead, I have pictures of Big Mac.

Big Mac is a hog raised by my mother’s cousin’s family, the Barkers. After Thanksiving dinner (including the delicious ham of one of Mac’s former barn-mates) a group of us went out to visit the pigs. We found Mac, a solid large Hereford.

And when he turned around, we saw Big Mac’s most, um, distinguishing characteristic(s).

None of us could keep our eyes off them, I mean him.

Big Mac’s well endowed package also caught the attention of Ohio State Fair officials last year. Upon entering the competition ring, he was immediately marched to the first place position and bestowed with a Grand Champion honor.

I wonder which end of the hog displayed the blue ribbon?

PS. Alex believes this post would be more appropriately titled ‘Big Mac had a Big Sack.’ What do you think?

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Big Mac is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Be Thankful for the Whole Bird: Make Turkey Stock

Rachel — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:45:28 +0000

We at Hounds in the Kitchen have many things to be thankful for this year: family and friends, a garden that filled our pantry with home canned goods, a dog finally healed, and new projects like cider pressing.

On Thanksgiving, especially, we are thankful for animals that give their life to feed us.

In turn, we use every bit of the nutritious goodness in each animal we cook. When we buy, brine, cook, and carve a turkey, we first enjoy the meal.

Afterward, we consider the gift left in the carcass: turkey stock makings.

To release the final delicious tastes and nutrients from the bones, use a cleaver or kitchen shears to chop the bones into manageable pieces. Break the breastbone, and un-joint all previously joined bones. (If you aren’t ready to make stock, bag all the bones in a ziploc and store in the freezer until you want to proceed.)

Brown them in a large stock pot (or roasting pan or deep skillet) over medium heat with a little olive oil for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Add water to cover, one to two roughly chopped onions, a few bay leaves, and a tablespoon of salt. (If your bird was heavily or lightly salted to begin with, adjust salt here.) Bring to a simmer.

Move the pan to the oven and cover it. Cook at 200 deg F for six to ten hours or overnight. The oven is preferable to the stove top because it keeps the water just at simmering.

Cool and strain the bones, herbs, and onions from the bone broth This stock method releases the gelatin from the bones, creating a stock with creamy smooth mouth feel and rich deep flavor.

Keep broth refrigerated and use within a week or freeze for an indefinite time period. We freeze stock in two to four cup portions to always have a ready source for soup and braising recipes.

Homemade turkey stock is not only useful and delicious, it is the best way to show thanks for the whole bird.

From our family to yours,
Have a very happy Thanksgiving

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Be Thankful for the Whole Bird: Make Turkey Stock is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Thanksgivings

Rachel — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:18:50 +0000

I am thankful for so many people who love me.

I am thankful for so many people to love.

This will be my mantra for the next week.

Thanksgiving starts Saturday for us with a daytime meal with Alex’s parents, brother, and brother’s fiancee and family. We are bringing cranberry bread, roasted brussel sprouts with almonds, and buffie wellies, Alex’s buffalo wellington creation (recipe coming soon).

I am thankful for so many people who love me. I am thankful for so many people to love.

Thursday noontime will find us at my great aunt’s house for the lovingly named the ‘short lady lunch’, after my grandfather’s nine vertically challenged sisters. This gathering will have fifty or more people sharing a meal on my great aunt’s pig farm. I will proudly bring our home-pressed cider, replacing the cider that used to be provided by my apple farmer uncle Gene who died a few years ago.

I am thankful for so many people who love me. I am thankful for so many people to love.

On Thursday evening we will travel to Napoleon to eat a soup dinner with my mother’s family. We will bring a soup Lil likes and a loaf of homemade bread. We’ll stay the night with my aunt, two of my sisters, parents, cousins, and several dogs.

I am thankful for so many people who love me. I am thankful for so many people to love.

Finally, on Sunday evening, my sisters, Alex, Lil and I will gather at my parents house for a final family meal.

We are not cooking the turkey for any of these thanksgivings but those of you who are cooking might be interested in turkey the hound way.

I am thankful for so many people who love me.

I am thankful for so many people to love.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

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Thanksgivings is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Cider Pressing, Thanksgiving Turkeys & Winter Markets

Rachel — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:55:20 +0000

Cider Pressing Party

This Saturday, November 6, we will host a casual cider pressing party at our home, 349 Tibet Rd Columbus OH 43202. Drop in between 2 and 4 p.m. to help make cider, have a taste or two, make apple rings, and play at the homestead.

We’ll have a donation jar out for anyone who cares to contribute to the cost of the apples and the press.

Local Turkeys Available for Pre-order

It’s time to talk turkey again. Many specialty grocers and groups are pre-ordering locally raised birds. Here are some of your options:

Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association – Pasture raised at Fox Hollow Farm and Tea Hill Farm ($3.79/#), pre-order by November 6.

Hills Market – Amish ($1.99/#), Bowman and Landes ($2.99/#), or Pastured Organic from Tea Hill($4.99/#)

Weilands Market – Bowman and Landes, pre-made turkey dinners

North Market Poultry and Game – Bowmand and Landes

Winter Farmer’s Markets

Locally grown produce, meats, and handmade goods are available year round at a number of indoor farmer’s markets. Many are opening this week including:

Columbus Winter Farmer’s Market – Held roughly every other week at the Clintonville Women’s Club, 3941 N High St Columbus 43214 starting this Saturday, November 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Pearl Alley – The 2010- 2011 Winter Pearl Market will be held every Tuesday & Friday from 10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. from Tuesday November 2 through Friday February 25, 2011. Location: 33 N. Third Street

Worthington – Open November 20, December 11, and every Saturday January 8 through April 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Griswold Center, 777 N High St. Worthington

and of course the North Market is open 7 days a week.

If I am forgetting any turkey sources or winter markets, please let me know in the comments or by email so I can update this list!

PS. THANK YOU to all who voted for Issue 4 to fund Columbus libraries. It passed!

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Cider Pressing, Thanksgiving Turkeys & Winter Markets is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Pictures from Thanksgiving

Rachel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:12:38 +0000

I didn’t cook anything on Turkey Day, so I had the whole afternoon to take pictures. Several series were taken for upcoming posts on cooking duck the Julia Child way and enjoying poultry tail aka pope’s nose.

Here are the highlights of turkey day from behind my camera:

homemade cinnamon rolls (I said I didn't cook, but I made these the night before)

Alex's duck puppet show

my dad improvised with a half gallon jar to make mega batch of cocktails

evil Lil giving the turkey a rub down

carving the duck

some of my favorite people in my www.MadeByAmyD.com apron

That’s it for now as I have a new camera to explore and Harvest Dinner meal to host. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!

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Pictures from Thanksgiving is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!