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Holiday Help: The Easiest Way (in My Opinion) to Cook a Turkey

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Ready to learn the easiest way to cook a turkey? Lean in. This is so helpful!

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Clearly the easiest way to cook a turkey is to let someone else cook the turkey. ;)  But, if you’re the one in charge of preparing the meal this year…let me share the easiest way I’ve found to cook a turkey.

I remember being so intimidated to cook a turkey the first time I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. I called my mom a million times to ask questions. Could it really be that cooking a turkey is as simple as taking out the innards, putting it in a pan, covering it, and baking it? Yes, it is that easy.

My holiday turkeys are not fancy. I don’t stuff them. I don’t slather them with anything. I just put them into the oven and cook them. They create their own broth…smart little birds that they are.

Easiest Way to Cook a Turkey

How to Cook a Turkey the Easy Way

Pick your turkey:  You will need about 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person you are serving. Buy your turkey accordingly. Or, buy a larger one if you want to have lots of turkey leftovers. (Here are all kinds of ideas for what to do with leftover turkey.)

Thaw your turkey: Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 3-4 days until thawed.

Prepare your turkey: Once the turkey is thawed, reach in and grab out the bag of giblets. (This is by far every one’s favorite step, right?!)  Empty the giblets into your roasting pan as they help make a good, rich broth. Place the turkey, breast side up, into a large baking pan or roaster.

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These are my favorite kinds of turkey roasters.
I picked mine up at a garage sale one year for 50 cents!

Cook your turkey: Season your turkey any way you like. I find a turkey to be so flavorful as-is, I rarely do much with seasonings. Though salt, pepper, garlic, and onion make the turkey a step above!

Cover with foil or with your roaster lid. Cook at 325° for 15-20 minutes per pound. (For instance, a 20 pound turkey would need to bake for five hours.)  You know your turkey is done cooking when the little red button pops up, or when the legs start to pull away from the body. Your turkey should be golden brown and slightly crisp looking. (Light brown and slick looking? Mr. Turkey is not done yet.)

To Cook your Turkey ahead of time (I highly, HIGHLY recommend doing this!!):

You can cook your Thanksgiving turkey as many days ahead of time as you want. I know most of you like turkey fresh out of the oven on Thanksgiving Day. But, here’s what I learned from my mom, and it really saves a lot of trouble on the big day when I’d really enjoy visiting instead of messing with a big bird.

Cook and cool your turkey any day before Thursday. De-bone and put meat in baggies. Pour broth into jars (3/4 full). Freeze or refrigerate, depending on how far in advance you cooked the turkey. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day before serving.

To reheat turkey, put as much light and dark meat as you think you will need for the Thanksgiving meal in a 9×13 pan. Drizzle a liberal amount of broth over turkey, cover and warm in 300° oven for 30-45 minutes or until meat is hot and steamy.

No one will ever know that you prepared your turkey ahead of time (except for the fact that you won’t be carving the turkey in front of them). It is always juicy and moist. I do it this way every year, and I’m always so thankful that the messy part is over before Thanksgiving day!

Are you in charge of cooking a turkey this year?! Do you stuff your turkey? Have any more helpful turkey cooking tips to share?

The Easiest Way to Cook a Turkey

You might also want to know:  How to Make Turkey Gravy.

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Healthy Pumpkin Treat Recipes

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A few weeks ago the boys and I spent the day at a pumpkin patch. The boys had a blast all day feeding goats, going down the long slides and riding on the zip lines over and over.

I may or may not have let the boys talk me into riding the zip line one time. I may or may not have smacked myself right into the landing pad at the end of the line.

Of course one of the highlights of the day was riding on the hay wagon out to the field to pick a pumpkin. All of the boys were determined to pick THE BIGGEST pumpkin. Asa’s pumpkin was SO big, he had to borrow a wagon to get it to our van.

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Malachi (the cowboy) decided to snuggle with the pumpkin on the way to the van
and Elias decided that since Asa was offering…
his pumpkin could take a ride too.

Needless to say, the pumpkins they picked are too big to fit into my oven. So much for all of my great plans to bake them and turn them into pies and other great treats. I decided I’d have to keep my eyes out for a great pumpkin deal at the store.

Guess What?!?!?

Yesterday I was at Wal-mart and saw a few scraggly pumpkins in the produce section marked down to $.33 a pound. Cool. I grabbed one.

Guess What?!?!?

When the gal rang up my pumpkin…it came up to $.01. She asked someone what she did wrong and the manager said, “Oh no. That’s right. We’re just trying to get rid of them.”

So I said, “I’ll be right back.”

She waited for me while I went and grabbed three more pumpkins (the rest were a little squishy).

pumpkinsforapennyCheck out my four-penny purchase!

Now I can make all the yummy fall pumpkin recipes I’ve been wanting to make!

pumpkinpecanbarssmPumpkin Pecan Pie Squares

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Pumpkin Bars

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Pumpkin Pancakes

And…I’m going to go look through Amy’s big list of Pumpkin Recipes to see which ones look good!

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes?

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A Kid Friendly Meal: Sloppy Cornbread

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You know how some of your kids like some of your meals some of the time…and all of your kids like some of your meals some of the time and none of your kids like some of your meals some of the time?

And the ones some of them like…the others don’t…and the ones the other ones like the first ones don’t?

But you make them ALL eat it anyway because hello, we are not short-order chefs…but really it’s so much nicer when all of the kids like all of the meals all of the time.

I have discovered a meal that all of my kids like all of the time. 

We call it Sloppy Cornbread.

I came up with this recipe because you know how when you have hamburger buns for your sloppy joes in the house some of the time…but not all of the time when you need them…and you don’t have time some of the times to make homemade buns…and the ones from the store are still at the store? That’s what happened to me one time.

But I really wanted to make sloppy joes and while some of the time we eat them without buns, we don’t do that all of the time and I really needed to fill my family up before a soccer game this time. 

And that’s how we came up with Sloppy Cornbread.

To make Sloppy Cornbread you need:

Spread the sloppy joes out into a 9×13 inch baking pan:

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Spread the cornbread mixture over the top then bake for 2o minutes at 400°. (You can sprinkle cheese on top before baking if you want to!)

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All of us like this all of the time and some of the time there is some leftover but not all of the time because most of the time we eat the entire pan.

You should try it sometime.

:)

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Chocolate Swirl Bread (Oh Yes I DID Just Say Chocolate!)

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After showing you how to make Cinnamon Swirl Bread…I got a notion to try Chocolate Swirl Bread. (I get chocolate notions all the time.)

Let me just say that I’m very glad I got that notion. Now we can all have chocolate for breakfast!!! What a great start to the day…

Chocolate Swirl Bread is just as simple to make as the Cinnamon Swirl Bread…you pretty much just substitute cocoa powder for cinnamon!

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I used this bread recipe, then rolled out the dough before shaping the loaf. Then I spread butter over the dough and sprinkled on about 1/4 cup sucanat (dehydrated cane sugar juice) mixed with 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder. Roll it up and bake as directed.

Chocolate_Swirl_Bread

Do you think it would be too much to have this Chocolate Swirl Bread with Hot Cocoa? I think I could handle washing down my chocolate with a little chocolate.

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Garlic Chicken Pasta and Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta

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Several of you have requested this Garlic Chicken Pasta recipe when you’ve seen it on my menu plans. I put off posting it because I was still tweaking it. I THINK I’ve got it the way I like it now!

I like this Creamy Mac and Cheese recipe so much that I finally tried using the same method of cooking the pasta in the milk for this new recipe too. Aha! Now I like it.

Garlic Chicken Pasta
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2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (great way to use up leftover chicken)
1 clove garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or more if you like lots of garlic)
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
3 cups whole milk
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 t. sea salt
grated parmesan cheese

In a skillet, saute chicken and garlic in olive oil. Turn to low heat to keep warm. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a big pot with the milk, butter and salt. Stir almost constantly, especially as the pasta is becoming tender and the milk is beginning to boil. Cook and stir over medium heat until pasta is tender and the starch from the pasta has thickened the milk, creating a creamy sauce. Stir in the chicken and serve immediately…sprinkling parmesan cheese on each serving.

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To make this recipe into Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta:

Follow recipe as above, except before adding chicken to cooked pasta…remove from heat and add 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar and 3 oz. cream cheese. Stir until cheese has melted…add chicken and serve with parmesan cheese.

Grocery List

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How to Make Whole Wheat Bread Tutorial

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Homemade Bread

This is my favorite, simple 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe. This recipe makes two loaves. (I always double it for my family, so if the pictures in this tutorial look like twice the amount, that’s because it is.)

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6 cups (give or take) whole wheat flour, divided
1 ¾ cups warm water, divided
1/3 cup honey
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons melted butter

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Mix 3 cups of whole wheat flour with 1 ½ cups of warm water in a large glass bowl. Allow this to sit for about 30 minutes. This will break down the gluten and help the bread to rise better.

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In a small bowl mix together ¼ cup water, 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast and 1/3 cup honey. Allow this to sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast is activated and mixture becomes bubbly.

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In the meantime, melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a small sauce pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool. You don’t want the hot butter to kill the yeast.

Add 1 teaspoon salt, melted butter and yeast mixture to the flour and water mixture. Gradually add the remaining three cups of flour and stir well. As the dough becomes harder to stir, pour it out onto a clean counter and begin to knead the dough. If you create a nice dough before adding all three cups of flour…you don’t need to continue to add it in. Just add enough to make a nice, non-sticky dough.

Here’s a video to show you how to knead the dough. Two things:  1) I was having a freaked out hair day. So glad I could share it with you. 2) I’m pretty sure “wetter” is not a real word, yet I use that word toward the end of the video. I are sorry.

Don’t you love how I “spank” the dough at the end of the clip? There’s something very gratifying about giving the dough a nice “spank”. You should try it sometime.

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Once you’ve kneaded your dough, place it into a bowl to rise.

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Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for at least one hour or until it has risen to twice  it’s starting size.

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While you’re waiting for your dough to rise, get your bread pans buttered. You can also do some laundry, wash some dishes, or clean the bread dough out from under your fingernails.

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There it is…doubled up.

 

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Give the raised dough a nice punch.
(Punching? Spanking? Who knew making bread was so violent in nature?)

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Using a floured hand, pull the dough out of the bowl onto the counter.

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Knead for three or four minutes until the air bubbles are all gone.

Now you can watch how I shape my dough into loaves before baking. Again…more spanking…

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Cover and allow 30 minutes to one hour to rise again. They should double in size, but the rising should happen more quickly this time because the yeast knows what to do by now.

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See here how the loaves have doubled in size?

Bake the bread uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when you thump the top of it. (Great. Spanking, punching and thumping. I am really a bad influence.)

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Allow the bread to cool in the pans for 10 minutes,
then remove it to finish cooling on a wire rack.

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The bread slices more easily after it’s cooled. However…it’s awfully hard to wait…and bread fresh out of the oven slathered in butter is really, really good. I say go for it.

A few notes:

  • Making bread from start to finish takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Most of that time is waiting and baking time…but if you plan to make bread, you should block out an entire morning or afternoon.
  • If your water or butter is too cold or too hot, it will kill the yeast. If you can put your (clean) finger in the water or butter and it doesn’t burn you, but just feels warm… you’ve got the right temperature.
  • If the dough in your bowl has risen to double and suddenly you need to nurse the baby or wash cottage cheese out from between your toddler’s toes…just go punch down your dough and let it rise again before you shape it. It won’t hurt anything.
  • If you want to shape your dough into loaves, but bake them later:  Shape your loaves then put them directly into the freezer before they have a chance to rise. Allow them to sit in buttered loaf pans for several hours (or overnight) so that they can thaw and rise before baking.
  • Many of you have asked if I have a bread machine. I don’t, so I’m sorry I am not able to answer your questions about them. I’m assuming this recipe would work in a machine, but I don’t know. Maybe some of you with bread machines can chime in on this?

Click here to read through posts describing and explaining grains, grain mills and grinding flour!

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Yummy and EASY Sloppy Joes

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Call me weird, but I’ve about decided that Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite things to eat. I know – it’s just this spoonful of messy meat on a bun. But I love it.

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They are just so simple to make and easy to eat, and they have such good flavor. I love making them for lunch. The meat mixture freezes well. It reheats easily. Ah, Sloppy Joes…what’s not to love?

TIP: Make 2-6 pounds of this Sloppy Joes recipe ahead of time and freeze in meal-sized portions. Thaw and reheat as needed.

TIP #2: Take this Sloppy Joe meat on the road with you! Re-heat in a crock pot in your hotel room for an easy, wholesome meal. This saves money on eating out when you travel!

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Yummy and EASY Sloppy Joes
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, venison or lamb)
  • 2 T. minced onion
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce
  • sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Brown meat and onion together.
  2. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well.
  3. Allow mixture to simmer in the skillet for a few minutes.

(I’m experimenting with making my own ketchup, but in the meantime I love this brand.)

Easy Sloppy Joe Meat

We love Sloppy Joes served on these homemade buns. Shucks, I like them without a bun. A Sloppy Joe in a bowl with tortilla chips is delicious!

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Ways to use Sloppy Joe Meat

Don’t just limit Sloppy Joes to a bun! Try using this Sloppy Joe recipe in these ways too:

The Easiest Sloppy Joes

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Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe and Red Ape Organic Cinnamon Giveaway!

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It’s too bad you can’t smell my house right now. The boys and I have been baking Snickerdoodles and the whole house smells SO GOOD!!! 

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It seems that my boys think sitting on the
countertop is the best way to bake.

Last week I received some of this yummy organic Red Ape Cinnamon from KestrelGrowth.com. I don’t know why I’ve never tried to make a healthier version of Snickerdoodles. But…when my Red Ape Cinnamon came in the mail that’s the first thing I knew I wanted to make!

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1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sucanat or rapadura
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons sucanat mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Stir together melted butter and sucanat. Add egg, vanilla, baking soda and cream of tartar, stirring well. Mix in flour. Cover bowl and chill dough in refrigerator for one hour. Roll dough into one inch balls. Roll balls in the sucanat/cinnamon mixture. Place balls about two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

These cookies turned out SO good!! Now, I want to use my new cinnamon in Applesauce Bread and Cinnamon Swirl Bread!! I love baking in the fall…

This week, just in time for YOUR fall baking, KestrelGrowth.com is offering to give one of my readers a FREE jar of Red Ape Cinnamon!! Leave a comment here letting us know why you’d love to win!

I’ll draw a random winner on Tuesday, September 15. Woohoo for Red Ape Cinnamon!

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High Five Recipes: Super Simple Chip Dip

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High Five Recipes 2

Here is a very easy recipe to put together for a quick lunch or snack. Or, double the recipe to take to a party when you’ve been asked to bring a finger food.

Super Simple Chip DipYum

1/2 pound hamburger meat
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream or kreme fresh
Tortilla chips (We like Kettle brand, which is made with organic corn)

Brown hamburger meat. Stir in salsa and sour cream or kreme fresh. Serve with chips. (See? Simple.)

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What kinds of High Five Recipes are you interested in seeing more of? Main dishes? Side dishes? Desserts?

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How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Bread

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I’ve had several of you ask how I make my Cinnamon Swirl Bread! It is SO easy to make and your family will love it!

I use my Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe for this. I usually double the recipe then make two regular loaves and two cinnamon swirl loaves. This recipe freezes well.

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Instead of shaping the dough immediately into a loaf, roll it out like this.

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Spread a generous amount of softened butter all over the rolled out dough.

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Sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon/sugar (I use cinnamon/sucanat). I haven’t measured this out but I would estimate the amount needed to be about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup of sucanat.

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Roll it up.

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Poke the ends under to make a loaf shape, place in a buttered bread pan, let the loaf rise for about 30-45 minutes and bake as directed.

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This bread is AWESOME lightly toasted and then buttered! With a glass of milk.

Sprinkle on some raisins if you like for Cinnamon Raisin Bread!

See how easy that is?! :)

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