Cranberry Sauce

Fresh cranberry sauce was one of the first things I learned how to make and it was my contribution to our family Thanksgiving dinner for years.  

And it's SO easy! There's no need to buy canned or pre-made sauce.  All you need is a $2.00 bag of fresh cranberries, some sugar and some water to make a tasty sauce.  I added a few extra flavours but they're totally optional. 

This recipe makes a lot of cranberry sauce, but it keeps for months in the fridge or freezer so use the whole bag.

When you cook the cranberries you'll hear them pop.  Cranberries are full of pectin so the sauce will thicken up as it cools.  

You can make this ahead and chill it for Thanksgiving day!

Here's the recipe: 

340 g (12 oz) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed well
1 cup water
3/4 cup - 1 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (optional)
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest (optional)

Place the cranberries, water, sugar, ginger and zest in a medium pot. Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until cranberries pop.  Remove from heat and cool.

Leftover Turkey Dinner Hand Pies

Overwhelmed by leftovers from turkey dinner?  Here's how to go from this:

To this:

Watch the video to see how it's done!





My first video recipe!  Enjoy and happy holidays!

Gnocchi with Sausage & Spinach

I've made home made gnocchi and it's great, but you can buy shelf-stable gnocchi and keep it on hand in the pantry for a quick meal any time.  You can boil it, but in this recipe from Eating Well magazine, you fry it until tender instead of boiling to make a quick, easy meal. 

Here's what you need for this tasty, easy dinner.  

Holiday Round-Up

It's getting to be a busy time of year with everyone rushing about preparing for the holidays.  We're all looking for short cuts to make the season easier, including me!  So here's a round-up of holiday posts that might make life a little easier for you.

First, a couple of simple meals to have in your back pocket for those busy nights where there's just not enough time.

Cacio e Pepe (Cheese & Pepper Pasta)

Unbelievably simple and delicious. You can use spaghetti, linguine or bucatini.  Keep Romano cheese and white pepper on hand and this is a pantry meal for any time.  

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

These take a little more time to make, but you can make several batches to freeze and bake any time for a quick meal.  Seasonal and flavourful, this is great to have on hand for cold winter nights.  

Now, if you're hosting a party or are a guest who needs to bring something, here are some appetizer ideas.

Shrimp Cocktail 

It's so much nicer when you make it yourself.

Little Hasselback Potatoes

This potato technique makes an amazing side dish, but it would also be great as an appetizer with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.

Gougeres (Cheese Puffs)

Surprisingly simple but incredibly impressive.  These are great as an appetizer, or in place of rolls on a buffet table.  They freeze well too.

Butternut Squash Tart

Puff pastry tarts are a quick and easy meal and can be cut into smaller pieces for a fancy appetizer.  This one is easy and delicious.

With all these appetizers, you'll need some cocktails!

Mulled Wine

This festive treat became a favourite last holiday season.  

Craft Beer

Or how about a beer? Scroll through the Beer Baron's posts for ideas to serve at your party or bring as a gift for your hosts.  

If you have time to do a little baking...

Ginger Crackles

Festive and seasonal, I make these every year and love them.

Saltine Toffee (aka Christmas Crack)

This is another annual tradition that never fails to impress, even with the humblest ingredients.  

Now for the main event...

Spatchcocked Turkey

If you're serving turkey to a crowd, there's no quicker way to cook a crispy, juicy whole bird than to spatchcock it.  This post is old, but the technique is timeless.

Jerk Roasted Turkey Breast

If you're serving a smaller group, this Jerk-spiced turkey breast is perfect, unusual and warming.

And finally, I always like to serve seafood as a special treat on New Years Eve.  

Lobster Bisque

This soup makes a wonderful first course for a fancy dinner, or even a meal on New Years Eve along with a bunch of appetizers.  

Lobster Pot Pie or Lobster Mac & Cheese

You can make these yourself, but why not treat yourself and order some delivered to your door to have a special treat without the effort.  You deserve it!  

Jerk Roasted Turkey Breast

I love cooking with turkey.  You flavour it in so many ways.  This Jamaican jerk seasoned turkey breast is a wonderful, flavourful way to enjoy turkey.  It would be great for a spicy Thanksgiving meal for two or three, but it's easy to make for a weeknight dinner too.  

Jamaican jerk combines the flavours of thyme, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg with hot peppers and sugar for a taste that's more warmly spiced than super hot.  Of course, you can adjust the heat to your preference by adding more scotch bonnet peppers.  

Here's what you need for this very tasty turkey breast:

Turkey Burgers

Ground turkey doesn't really work the same as beef.  Since it is so lean, it can turn out dry.  But this recipe uses veggies to keep the meat moist, juicy and flavourful.  These burgers are delicious and very healthy too!

Here's what you need for these burgers.

Spatchcock Turkey - The Best Way to Cook a Turkey!

How would you like to cook a 10 pound turkey in an hour?  I'm not a crackpot. It is possible!  I hardly believe it myself but this is one of the best turkeys I've ever had.  

I've talked about my admiration for The Food Lab before.  The great thing about this series is that it determines the best way to cook a dish and explains the reasons for its findings.  This is the best way to cook a turkey quickly if you want crispy skin but don't care about presenting a whole bird to carve at the table.  Tableside carving has always seemed silly to me, so this method is perfect.  And actually, I thought it looked pretty nice just out of the oven.  

First you need some aromatics to provide some moisture and flavour under the bird. You can use parsnips or carrots, plus some onions, celery and thyme sprigs.  

Roasted Turkey Drumsticks & Thighs

I do love roast turkey, especially dark meat. It's easy to find cheap drumsticks and thighs in the grocery store and they roast much, much quicker than a whole bird.  

First I placed some carrots, parsnips and onions in the bottom of the roasting pan.  They give the turkey some flavour and the turkey gives them a ton of flavour.  

I sprinkled the turkey pieces with a little oil, salt, pepper and sage.

Then I roasted the turkey pieces at 400 degrees for about an hour until they registered 180 degrees on a meat thermometer.  You can leave them a little longer because dark meat doesn't dry out as much as white meat.

I served the turkey with the roasted carrots, onions and parsnips, roasted Brussels sprouts, and my favourite turkey side dish...

Pierogies!

Tasty, cheap and easy. This is a nice change from roast chicken in about the same amount of time.  

Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberries

Here's a healthy turkey meatloaf packed with vegetables and topped with a cranberry glaze.

Here's what you need:

1 pound ground turkey
1 onion

4 large stalks celery

8 oz mushrooms

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cooked bulgur
1/2 cup cranberry sauce (canned, homemade or I used leftover cranberry agrodolce)

Turkey Scallopini with Kale in Mustard Lemon Sauce

Need a healthy, delicious meal that's quick enough for a weeknight?  This turkey scallopini is absolutely delicious.  And if you buy the turkey scallopini instead of pounding out fillets yourself, it can be done in less than 30 minutes.  

But I was too cheap to buy the turkey scallopini when turkey fillets were almost half the price, so I'll show you how to pound them thin for this recipe.  

Here's what you need:

About 3/4 lb turkey tenders, fillets or scallopini
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill 
1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 red onion
2 cloves garlic
1.5 cups chicken stock (or 1 cup chicken stock & 1/2 cup white wine)
1.5 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon zest

To pound the turkey into scallopini you need a kitchen mallet or rolling pin or even a heavy pan and plastic wrap or wax paper.

Place the turkey fillet between two double sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper.  Make sure there's enough plastic wrap for the turkey to expand as it's flattened.

Pound the turkey through the plastic wrap until it's an even 1/4 inch thickness all over. 

It should double or triple in size as it is pounded thinner.  that's why you need enough plastic wrap to more than cover.

Mix the flour, sesame seeds, dill, paprika, cayenne and some salt and pepper.

Spread it on a plate.

And dredge the turkey in the flour to coat both sides.

Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a large pan and fry the turkey in batches, one or two at a time without crowding the pan.

Cook the first side for about 2 minutes until browned and then flip and cook 2 minutes on the other side until cooked through.

Once cooked, remove the turkey to a plate, add more oil to the pan and cook the rest.  Cover the plate to keep warm or place in a low oven.

Wipe out the pan and add a little more oil.  Add the sliced onion and garlic.

Cook for about 2 minutes until softened, then add the chicken stock, mustard and lemon zest. 

Add the stemmed kale and cover to bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until kale is wilted and sauce is reduced and slightly thickened.  If necessary, place the turkey on top of the kale to warm through.

Serve the kale alongside the turkey and drizzle the turkey with the sauce.  

I served this with my cauliflower gratin for some delicious richness alongside the healthy kale and turkey.  Matt said it was the best kale he's ever had and he loved the turkey, so that's a ringing endorsement!  Try this, you'll love it!