Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe and Baked Broth

I've made this turkey recipe several times and it has always worked out well for me. I do not baste my turkeys, instead, I add water to the pan and create a steam bath in the oven. This keeps the turkey from drying out.



Check out my recipe below.

Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

How to Cook a Pumpkin and Make Pumpkin Puree'

Did you know that you can cook a pumpkin? It is very simple, but takes a little bit of time. In light of the pumpkin puree' shortage, I decided to put together a quick post on how to cook one and puree' it.

How to Cook a Pumpkin

First, you will need to cut the pumpkin in half. Scrape out all of the seeds and pull out the strings. Place the pumpkin cut side down into a broiler pan. Fill the pan with about 2 inches of water and place in the oven. 

Cook the pumpkin for about an hour at 350 degrees. Sometimes the pumpkin will sink in the middle, which will also alert you to the fact that it is done. 

How to Make Pumpkin Puree'

Once you allow the pumpkin a long enough time to cool, you will need to scrape out the flesh. Place the flesh in a collindar and let it drain for a bit. These squash have a lot of water. You need to let it drain in order to keep your puree' from being too runny. 

Put the flesh into a food processor to turn it into a puree'.

Run the food processor until the flesh takes on a mushy consistency. Then place the processed pumpkin back in a collindar to drain for about 15 minutes. 

After you allow this to drain, you can use it immediately or place it in freezer bags and put it in storage. If you are going to freeze it for later use, make sure you portion it out to be 1-2 cups of puree'. This will make it easier for you when it is time to thaw it out and use it. 

How to make black bean brownies

Have you ever heard of black bean brownies? I recently made some and decided to do a black bean brownie video tutorial. It is so easy to make these.



I was actually surprised at how little effort these brownies take and how great they taste. This is a perfect gluten-free dessert alternative. It can also help those that are trying to look for healthier options for their meals.



I hope you try it out and see if you like them.

Onion Chicken With Cheese Sauce and Vegetable Recipe

Coming up with new flavor combinations is one of my favorite things to do. The other night, I made this amazing onion chicken recipe with cheese sauce and cheesy vegetables to top it off. It was so amazing!

You can check out the recipe here:



Onion Chicken With Cheese Sauce and Vegetable Recipe

Ingredients for Chicken Recipe

This recipe will need: 

-chicken

-cream of mushroom soup

-onion soup mix

-red and yellow bell peppers

-onions

-mushrooms

-Dubliner Cheese or Parmesan cheese

-slices of swiss cheese

Hope you enjoy!

How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash

Have you ever heard of a spaghetti squash? I've heard of it before, but never really knew what it was...much less why it was called spaghetti squash. If you know me, then you know I try to limit my carbs as much as possible. Finding this gem of a squash has been amazing.

What is Spaghetti Squash?

I wasn't really sure what this type of squash was until recently. The reason that it is called spaghetti squash is because the pulp shreds and looks like angel hair pasta. It is a great alternative for noodles in a red sauce meal. 

How to Cook Squash

This squash has a thick skin. It has to be cooked in the oven. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Remove as much of the strings as possible that are attached to the seeds. 

Lay both halves of the squash, pulp side down into a glass baking dish or broiler pan. Fill the pan with 2 inches of water. Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. 

All squash to cool a bit. Use a fork and scrape out the center. It will last for up to a week in the refrigerator after being cooked. 

Beef Stew Recipe

One of the things I love making in the winter is beef stew. Whenever I get a chance, this is a recipe I put together. There are a few basic ingredients that make up a stew. Check out what I put in my recipe.

Ingredients For Beef Stew Recipe

1 pound stew meat

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of flour

2 cups of peas

1 cup of carrots

2 cups green beans

2 cups diced potatoes

3 beef bullion cubes

1 tablespoon oregano

2 tablespoons McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 bay leaf

How to Make Beef Stew

First you need to cut your stew meat into bite sized pieces. Coat with the flour and steak seasoning. 

Saute' onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Then add the flour coated stew meat to brown. Once the meat has browned, but still a bit pink inside, cover with water. Stir the mixture until blended. 

Add all the vegetables and spices to the pot. Cover the vegetables with water completely. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat for about 1 or 2. Depending on how thick you like your stew, you can either cook it longer, or add in more flour. 

If you plan to add flour, mix the flour up with water and remove any clumps that form. Pour into the soup pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat back to a medium low until soup is as thick as you would like. 

Should you like to make this recipe in a crock pot it will not get as thick. In fact, it will probably be pretty runny. 

How to Cook a Turkey and Keep it From Drying Out

With the holidays upon us, it is a good chance you will need to know how to cook a turkey. Have you ever had turkey that ended up dried out or tough? Here is what you need to do to avoid that problem.

How to Cook a Turkey

Every package has cooking instructions of how long to bake the bird and at what temperature. Read the label and calculate how much time you need based off the pounds. 

Go HERE for my turkey recipe.

How to Keep a Turkey From Drying Out

There are a few main things you need to do to make certain a turkey does not dry out while it is cooking. Follow these steps and you can be sure that it will keep your bird from tasting dry. 

Thaw it completely 

When it isn't completely thawed, it will have to cook longer to get the center up to temperature. This can cause parts of the bird to dry out. 

Rub down with oil

The entire outside needs to be rubbed down with oil. My preference is olive oil. This keeps the bird tender and helps to make the skin get crispy. 

Fill the pan with water

Put two-three inches of water in the bottom of the pan you are baking the turkey in. This will create steam in the oven as the bird bakes. You might even notice that it takes a little less time to cook with this method. 

During the cooking time, the water might evaporate. When this occurs, add more water to get it back to the level it was when you started baking. 

Baste the turkey

Basting means you take a bit of water from the bottom of the pan and pour it over the top of the bird. You can use a spoon, cup or basting bulb to do this. About once an hour, open the oven and pour some of the liquid from the pan on top of the bird.