Gotta Eat, Can t t Cook Show-Me-How Picture Book Cooking Holiday Turkey Dinner 00 Bruce Tretter www.gotta-eat.com bruce@gotta-eat.com Twitter: @gotta_eat
Why a Holiday Book I am not a fan of political correctness. I grew up celebrating a secular version of Christmas, which I ve dearly loved for all its warm, romantic traditions. I do, however, recognize there are other secular and religious traditions celebrated to bring joy, warmth and light to the winter months. Great! This book is intended to help you celebrate with a meal that s festive, flavorful and as stress-free as possible. Happy Holidays! Bruce Tretter
Contents Forward Why a Holiday Book Planning & Timing Guide For a Stress-Free Holiday Turkey Dinner i Stress-Free Roast Turkey Gravy Simple & Easy 7 Stuffing From Simple to Exciting! 0 Fresh Cranberry Sauce 5 Mashed Potatoes 8 Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Green Beans with Garlic & Butter 5 Roasted Chestnuts (Using a Kitchen Oven or 8 Toaster Oven) Glow Wine
i Planning & Timing Guide For a Stress-Free Holiday Turkey Dinner Week before holiday: Order a fresh turkey from your grocery store if you want to guarantee having a fresh, not frozen, turkey for your holiday dinner. Week of holiday: Buy all the ingredients you ll need for the dishes you want to make. days before holiday: If you re using a frozen turkey, put it on a plate to defrost in the refrigerator over the next days (see p. under Ingredients ) Make fresh cranberry sauce (p. 5 can actually be made days in advance ) day before holiday: Prepare stuffing and refrigerate until an hour before baking it (pp. 0-4, steps -0, except don t preheat oven in step 7) Holiday: For a -4 pound turkey, start your preparations 4-5 hours before mealtime. For a larger turkey, you ll have to start earlier using the following rule of thumb. Plan hour to clean, trim, season and let the turkey rest at room temperature for more even cooking. Then plan to roast at 0 minutes per pound unstuffed - stuffing the bird only adds more cooking time, which dries out the meat. Finally, allow an additional 0 minutes after roasting for the turkey to rest so the juices settle before carving. 4-5 hours before dinner (or more time for a turkey larger than -4 pounds) Prepare turkey and let it rest at room temperature for an hour before roasting (pp. -, steps -7) Prepare butternut squash for roasting tossed in oil mixture (pp. -4, steps -7, except don t preheat oven in step 4 ) Peel, cut and cover potatoes with water for mashed potatoes (pp. 8-9, steps -4, except don t turn on stove) Prepare green beans and leave them in a pot covered with water ready for cooking (pp. 5-6, steps -)
About ½ hours before dinner (or more time if you re roasting a turkey larger than -4 pounds) ii Preheat oven to 450 degrees and start roasting turkey (pp. -4, steps 8-0) hour before dinner Turn turkey breast side up for last 0 minutes of roasting (p. 4, steps -) Put cranberry sauce on table 45 minutes before dinner Roast butternut squash (p. 4, steps 8-0) Cook potatoes for mashed potatoes (pp. 9-0, steps 4-7) ½ hour before dinner Take turkey out of the oven, check for doneness and let it rest for 0 minutes before carving (pp. 4-6, steps -4 ) Bake stuffing (p. 4, step, make sure oven is 450 degrees) Make gravy (p. 7) Finish mashed potatoes (pp. 9-0, steps 8-) Cook and finish green beans (pp. 6-7, steps 4-8) Dinner time Carve turkey (p. 5, steps 5-6) Serve & enjoy dinner After Dinner Roast chestnuts (p. 8) Make Glow Wine (p. ) Wishing you a happy and stress-free holiday dinner! Bruce Tretter
Stress-Free Roast Turkey TIP: This is the easiest, fastest, most stress-free roast turkey recipe I know. It requires using high heat, roasting the bird breast side down until the last half hour of cooking and not stuffing the bird, which otherwise adds more cooking time and allows the meat to dry out. Start to Finish Time: Plan about 4 hours to prepare a -4 pound turkey: hour to let the bird warm to room temperature for more even cooking, about hours to roast for a pound bird at 0 minutes per pound and 0 minutes after roasting to let the turkey rest before carving. Ingredients (for 6-8 people) note turkey weight -4 Pound Turkey (If you re using a frozen turkey, keep it wrapped in its store packaging, put it on a plate and let it defrost for about days in the refrigerator as shown in the insert photo. ) Garlic Salt Italian Seasoning Paprika Ground Black Pepper Equipment Measuring Cup Paper Towels Potholders Roasting Pan Roasting Rack (optional but helps keep the turkey out of the fat as it cooks) Large Fork Sharp Knife Large Cutting Board Timer timer
. Make sure to note the weight of the turkey on the packaging label you ll need to know the weight to determine cooking time. Then,.... Put the roasting rack in the roasting pan. turkey weight...take the turkey out of its packaging in the sink, remove the giblet bag usually stored in the neck cavity () and cut away unneeded skin and fat from the base of the turkey s hind (large) cavity (). () () 4. Sprinkle a good shake of garlic salt, Italian seasoning, paprika and ground black pepper in BOTH the large hind AND... Garlic Salt. Rinse both the neck () and hind cavities () with cool tap water, and dry the turkey skin with paper towels (). Italian Seasoning Paprika Ground Black Pepper
...smaller neck cavities. 6. Sprinkle garlic salt, Italian seasoning, paprika and ground black pepper first on the breast side () then on the bottom of the turkey (). 5. Either lay the turkey breast side up or stand it up on the roasting rack as shown below, pull up the neck skin () and tuck the wings over the neck skin and behind the back as shown in () and () to keep the wingtips from charring during cooking. 7. Leave the turkey breast side DOWN on the roasting rack () and let it rest at room temperature for about HOUR () to allow for more even cooking. () () 8. Set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven () you can remove any other racks from the oven - and turn on the oven to 450 degrees (). () ()
9. Pour cups of water in the roasting pan. 4. Put the turkey back in the oven () and cook for another 0 minutes (). 0. When the oven temperature reaches 450 degrees, put the turkey in the oven () and set a timer for 0 minutes LESS than the total required cooking time. (The turkey in these pictures was ½ pounds. I discounted the ½ pound, figured 0 minutes total cooking time at 0 minutes per pound and set the timer for 90 minutes (0 minutes total cooking time 0 minutes breast side up time = 90 minutes breast side down cooking time).. When the timer sounds, remove the turkey from the oven with potholders or folded dish towels () and check it for doneness by cutting into the inner thigh between the fat part of the drumstick and breast (). The turkey is done when the breast meat is white, the leg meat is grey and the juices run clear, not red. If, however,.... When the timer sounds, remove the turkey from the oven (), use a large fork and large knife (or other kitchen utensils) to turn the bird breast side up (). SAFELY COOKED...your turkey meat is still red or pink inside as shown in the picture below, keep roasting until the meat is completely cooked through. UNDERCOOKED
4. Transfer the turkey from the roasting pan to a cutting board () and... () Then slice the meat in cross section either with the skin on (4) or with the skin removed (5). 5 (4) (5)...let the turkey rest before carving () for 0 minutes (). () () 6. Remove the plastic or metal leg tie (),... () 5. Start carving the turkey by making a cut down the breast just inside the breast bone (), at the neck () and down low parallel with the wings and inside the thigh ()....twist the leg away from the turkey body and cut it at the joint (), and do the same with the wings ().
7. To make clean up as easy as possible, drain all juices from the roasting pan into a measuring cup to be used for gravy (). ()...scrub the rack (5) and pan (6) with a dish brush or sponge,... 5 6 6 Remove as much fat as possible with a wad of paper towels (),... ()...rinse (7), and the pan should be clean (8). 7 8...add dish soap and warm water to the pan (), and let it soak for at least 0 minutes (4). Then... 4
Gravy Simple & Easy 7 TIP: This very simple & easy gravy can be made with any meat or poultry pan drippings. As noted in step 6, to prevent gravy lumps (or avoid a lot of work trying to get rid of lumps) always mix corn starch with warm liquid separately before combining with the gravy ingredients you re using in the pot. Preparation Time: -5 minutes Total Cooking Time: 5-0 minutes Ingredients Pan Drippings Can Chicken or Vegetable Broth Heavy Cream (can be substituted with evaporated milk) Corn Starch Ground Black Pepper Equipment Medium Sized Pot Measuring Cup Can Opener Tablespoon Jar (to dispose of fat)
. Pour the pan drippings into a measuring cup. 8 4. Put the pot on the stove, add can of chicken or vegetable broth () and pan drippings (), and turn on the burner to LOW-MEDIUM ().. Notice where the fat and meat juices separate the liquid fat will float on top of the meat juices.. Spoon almost all the fat from the drippings into a jar for disposal (to avoid sink drain clogs) until what you have looks about as shown in the bottom photo. 5. Add tablespoons of corn starch () and - tablespoons of the warming broth and pan drippings () to a measuring cup. Then......stir until all lumps are dissolved () and what you have looks about like this (4). 4
6. As soon as the pot comes to a boil, slowly add and stir in the corn starch mixture (). Please NOTE that the corn starch WILL NOT immediately thicken the liquid in the pot. Thickening will take a minute or longer as the corn starch cooks into the gravy (). (If you like thicker gravy, add more corn starch mixed with a few tablespoons of warm gravy as shown in step 5 to prevent lumps, don t add dry corn starch directly to the gravy pot.) 9 7. Add and stir in enough heavy cream and ground black pepper to taste so that what you have looks about as shown in the bottom photo. Heavy Cream Ground Black Pepper
Stuffing From Simple to Exciting! 0 Tip: This recipe shows how to make stuffing very simply and easily as well as how to use commonly found alternative ingredients to take that stuffing from simple to exciting. Preparation Time: 5-0 minutes depending on how many ingredients are used Total Cooking Time: 0 minutes Simple Stuffing Ingredients (for 6 or more) 4 Cups of Packaged Stuffing Mix / Cups Canned Chicken or Vegetable Broth 4 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine Celery Stick / Onion Cooking Spray From Simple to Exciting Ingredients Sausages (I m using Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage but any sausage will work) Apple Raisins Dried Cranberries Italian Seasoning Equipment Medium Sized Pot Measuring Cup Baking Dish Sharp Knife Cutting Board Big Spoon Can Opener Timer Potholder or
. Rinse and shake dry the celery () and apple () (optional ingredient). Cut slices but... onion back...keep the onion back intact to make.... Prepare the celery, onion and apple (optional) as shown in the photo sequences below. Chop in half Celery...chopping in cross sections easier. Apple (optional) Chop in half Cut into strips Chop in half again Chop strips in cross section Remove the core Onion Chop in half Slice and chop. Warm the pot over MEDIUM heat. Cut off both end pieces Peel the skin
4. To check the pot for the proper cooking temperature, wet your fingers with tap water () and flick the water in the pot (). The water should sizzle and evaporate....squeeze the sausage meat from the skin casing as shown here. Then......break the meat into smaller pieces with a large spoon and... 5. Use the butter/margarine wrapper as a guide () and add 4 tablespoons of butter or margarine to the pot ()....cook until the meat is browned throughout like this, NOT... tablespoon markings 6. If you re NOT using sausage (optional ingredient), add the chopped celery and onions to the pot, cook for - minutes and SKIP TO STEP 7. If you ARE using sausage, DO NOT add the chopped celery and onions yet but instead......like this. safely cooked meat meat still pink UNDERCOOKED/UNSAFE meat When the meat is browned, add the chopped onion and celery. Then...
...cook for - minutes until what you have looks about like this. Otherwise, add all or your choice of the following: Chopped apple 7. Turn off the stove heat, transfer the pot to a cool burner () and preheat the oven to 450 degrees (). Handful of dried cranberries () () Handful of raisins 8. Add 4 cups dried stuffing mix (), / cups of chicken or vegetable broth () and stir until the stuffing is moist throughout (). Light dusting of Italian seasoning... Then stir until all the ingredients are well mixed together like this. 9. If you re NOT adding any of the optional from simple to exciting ingredients, skip to step 0.
0. Spray a light coat of cooking spray on the inside of a baking dish () and scoop the stuffing mix from the pot into the baking dish with a big spoon ().. () () 4. When the oven has warmed to 450 degrees, put the stuffing into the oven () and set a timer for 0 minutes (). () (). When the timer sounds, remove the baked stuffing from the oven with a potholder and serve warm.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce 5 NOTE: Fresh cranberry sauce is richly full of sweet & sour flavor - much better than canned cranberry sauce - and is as easy to make as boiled water. Preparation Time: minute Total Cooking Time: 5 minutes Ingredients Bag of Fresh Cranberries (usually ounces) Cup Sugar (I use brown sugar but any granulated sugar will work) Cup Orange Juice (the cranberry package recipe will usually call for water, but orange juice adds great flavor and is just as easy to use) Cinnamon Stick Equipment Medium Sized Pot Measuring Cup Big Spoon Bowl
. Add to a medium sized pot cup (8 ounces) brown (or any) sugar,. Turn on the stove heat to MEDIUM-HIGH () and give the cranberry mix a quick stir with a big spoon (). 6 cup cup orange juice, cup. Cook until the pot comes to a frothing boil () and the cranberries just start to pop open (). cinnamon stick and 4. Turn off the stove heat (), put the pot on a cool burner and give the cranberry sauce a quick stir (). ( ounce) bag of cranberries.
5. Let the pot rest until it is cool enough to handle. Then pour the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl () and remove the cinnamon stick (). 7 6. The cranberry sauce will thicken on its own as it cools to room temperature. Serve either at room temperature or slightly cooled.
Mashed Potatoes 8 TIP: To ensure the best possible flavor and consistency, make fresh mashed potatoes right before serving them. Preparation Time: 5 minutes Total Cooking Time: 0-5 minutes Ingredients (for 4-6) or 4 Idaho (or Russet) Potatoes Milk or Heavy Cream Butter or Margarine Salt Ground Black Pepper Equipment Medium Sized Pot Vegetable or Dish Brush (you can also use your hands as shown in step ) Vegetable Peeler Sharp Knife Cutting Board Colander Potato Masher (can be substituted with a big spoon) Big Spoon Timer timer
. Either quickly brush or hand clean loose dirt from the potatoes under cold tap water. or 9 4. Put the potatoes into the pot and add water until the potatoes are just submerged (). Put the pot on the stove and turn on the burner to HIGH ().. Peel the potato skins with a vegetable peeler () and give the peeled potatoes another quick rinse under cold tap water to remove any dirt left from peeling (). 5. Cook until the water comes to a rapid boil - this will take a few minutes (). Then.... Cut the peeled potatoes in half lengthwise (), then into strips about ½ - ¾ inch wide (), and finally into cross section cubes also about ½ - ¾ inch wide ()....turn down the burner heat to LOW-MEDIUM to keep the water from boiling over () and set a timer for 5 minutes ().
6. When the timer sounds, check the potatoes for doneness by driving the tip of a knife into one of the thickest potato pieces in the pot. The potatoes are cooked through when they are soft throughout. If your potatoes are still firm in the middle, keep cooking until they have softened without letting them cook so much they fall apart on their own. 9. Pour the cooked potatoes from the colander into the pot as the butter or margarine melts. Then... 0 7. When the potatoes are done, pour them with the water into a colander in the sink and let them drain....mash the potatoes using either a potato masher (left) or big spoon (right) until they look like... or...this. 8. Put the pot back on the stove, turn the burner down to LOW (), use the butter/margarine wrapper as a guide (), and add 4 tablespoons of butter or margarine to the pot (). 0. This step has to be done by feel but it s easy because it all depends on the cooked potato moisture content and whether or not you re using milk or heavy cream. So, start off adding a good splash of either milk (left) or heavy cream (right). Then... or Milk Heavy Cream
...stir and.... Finish by scooping the mashed potatoes into a serving bowl with a big spoon and serve warm....keep adding and mixing in small amounts of either milk or heavy cream until the mashed potatoes are smooth, not lumpy, but still firm in consistency as shown here.. Add and mix in a good dash of salt () and ground black pepper () - more salt and pepper can always be added at the table to taste.
Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Tip: Removing the outer skin from the squash is the hardest part of this recipe. After that, this is the most hands free, quickest and easiest, fully flavorful way I ve found to cook squash. Preparation Time: 5-0 minutes Total Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes Ingredients (for 4-6) Butternut Squash Olive or Vegetable Oil Garlic Salt Italian Seasoning Ground Black Pepper Balsamic Vinegar (optional) Equipment Vegetable Peeler Sharp Knife Cutting Board Teaspoon Bowl Baking Pan Big Spoon Timer Potholder timer
. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the squash. 5. Slice the squash lengthwise into strips ½ - ¾ inch wide (), then cut those strips in cross section into cubes again about ½ - ¾ inch wide (), and scoop the squash pieces into a bowl (). Cut off both the top () and bottom () ends of the squash.. Use curled fingers to hold the squash in place, cut the squash in half lengthwise (), and use a teaspoon to scoop out the squash seeds (). 6. Add just enough olive or vegetable oil to coat the squash lightly - start with less than you think you ll need: you can always add more later (), a dusting of garlic salt (),... 4. Make sure the oven rack is set in the lower third of the oven (), and pre-heat to the oven to 450 degrees ().
...Italian seasoning (), ground black pepper (4), and a shot of balsamic vinegar (optional, but adds a good sweet & sour flavor) (5). 8. When the oven has warmed to 450 degrees, put the squash in the oven (), and set a timer for 40 minutes (). 4 4 5 9. When the timer sounds, check the squash for doneness by driving the tip of a knife into one of the largest pieces on the baking sheet. The squash is done when it is soft throughout, not firm in the middle. If your squash is still firm, keep roasting and checking for doneness at 5-0 minute intervals until done. 7. Stir with a big spoon until the squash is evenly coated with oil and seasoning (), then pour () and spread the squash pieces on the baking pan so they don t overlap to allow for even roasting (). 0. When the squash is done, remove the baking pan from the oven with a pot holder or folded dish towel (), scoop the roasted squash into a bowl with a big spoon and serve warm ().
Green Beans with Garlic & Butter 5 Tip: Cutting the ends from the green beans is the hardest part of this recipe. After that, preparing green beans is mostly hands free, very easy and fully flavorful. Preparation Time: 5-0 minutes Total Cooking Time: 0-5 minutes Ingredients (for 4) or ¾ Pound Green Beans Tablespoon Butter or Margarine ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder or Teaspoon Prepared Chopped Garlic Salt Ground Black Pepper Equipment Sharp Knife Cutting Board Colander Medium Sized Pot Teaspoon Big Spoon Timer timer
. Put the green beans in a colander and rinse them well under cold tap water. 4. Put the pot on the stove and turn on the burner to HIGH. 6. Chop both ends from the green beans (), cut the beans into ¾ - inch bite sized pieces (you don t have to be exact about this) (), and put the cut beans into a medium sized pot (). 5. As soon as the water comes to a full big bubble boil (), set a cooking timer for minutes (). 6. When the timer sounds, pour the cooked green beans and water into a colander in the sink (). Then put the pot back on the stove and turn down the burner heat to LOW ().. Fill the pot with enough cold tap water so that the beans start to float.
7. Use the butter/margarine wrapper as a guide (), and add tablespoon of butter or margarine to the pot (). Then... 7 8. Stir with a big spoon () until all the ingredients are well mixed together (). Then... tablespoon marking...add the cooked beans from the colander (),......scoop the cooked green beans into a serving bowl with a big spoon () and serve warm....either ½ teaspoon of garlic powder (4a) or about teaspoon of prepared chopped garlic (4b), and... 4a 4b or garlic powder prepared chopped garlic...a good dash of salt (5) and ground black pepper (6) - you can always add more to taste at the table to taste. 5 salt 6 ground black pepper
Roasted Chestnuts (Using a Kitchen Oven or Toaster Oven) 8 TIP: Well, this isn t quite chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but it s the easiest next best thing. I like using a toaster oven for convenience and power savings, but if you don t have a toaster oven, the regular kitchen oven works just as well. Just make sure to cut into the chestnut shells before roasting as shown in step to prevent the chestnuts from exploding in whichever oven you re using as it s a nasty mess to clean up (yes, I know this from experience). Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Ingredients (for -4) Pound Fresh Chestnuts (see step on the next page for chestnut buying tips) Kitchen Oven Equipment Kitchen Oven or Toaster Oven Small/Paring Knife Baking Pan (only if you re using a kitchen oven) Timer Potholder (only if you re using a kitchen oven) timer Toaster Oven
. When buying fresh chestnuts, select those that are firm to the touch, heavier rather than light in weight and don t have any signs of mold or small round shaped worm holes in their shells. Keep the chestnuts fresh at home by storing them in the refrigerator, and cook them within weeks. 4. Do as follows according to whether you re using a kitchen oven (left) or toaster oven (right). Kitchen Oven Roasting a. Put the cut chestnuts in a baking pan. Toaster Oven Roasting a. If your toaster oven allows, place the rack in the middle of the toaster oven. 9. If you re using a toaster oven, skip to step. Otherwise, set the oven rack a third to halfway up from the kitchen oven bottom (), and pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees (). () () b. When the oven reaches 450 degrees, put the chestnuts in the oven and,... b. Put the cut chestnuts on the toaster oven rack.. Use a sharp small/paring knife to make ½ - ¾ inch long, shell penetrating shallow cuts along () and across the grain of the shell () of both the rounded and flat sides of the chestnuts so that the chestnuts look as shown in (). (These cuts will allow steam to escape and prevent the chestnuts from exploding during roasting.)...set a timer for 5 minutes. c. Turn on the toaster oven to 450 degrees (you might have to estimate the temperature as shown here), and... along the grain cut c. When the timer sounds, remove the baking pan from the oven with a potholder, and......set a timer for 5 minutes. across the grain cut cross cut
...pour the roasted chestnuts onto a plate. d. When the timer sounds, transfer the roasted chestnuts from the toaster oven to a plate. 0 5. Let the roasted chestnuts cool for 5-0 minutes. Then......peel them as shown, and enjoy them warm.
Glow Wine TIP: Glow wine is also known as mulled wine, but glow makes this fantastically flavorful drink sound so much more appropriately magical, which is just what you need to warm you right down to your soul when it s wintry dark and cold outside! Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 5-0 minutes Ingredients (for 4) Bottle of Robustly Flavored Red Wine Lemon Rind - Tablespoons Sugar 5 Cloves Cinnamon Stick Equipment Cutting Board Sharp Knife Tablespoon Cork Screw Medium Sized Pot Coffee Mugs (or Glasses)
. Rinse and shake dry the lemon (). Then slowly cut the rind off half the lemon as shown in () so that what you have looks about as shown in (). Don t get frustrated if you cut the lemon rind in many pieces. Cutting it in one continuous piece takes practice.. Use a sharp knife to cut and peel off the foil seal at the top of the wine bottle neck (), and use a cork screw to remove the cork (). 4. Using a medium sized pot, add ½ - tablespoons sugar (), the lemon rind with cloves (),.... Make five relatively evenly spaced slits in the lemon rind with the tip of a sharp knife (), and push a clove, stem end first, into each of the slits () this will make taking the cloves out of the wine easier after cooking.... cinnamon stick () and bottle red wine (4). 4
4. Put the pot on the stove, turn on the burner to LOW-MEDIUM (), and give the wine a quick stir to help dissolve the sugar (). 5. Let the wine cook slowly for 5-0 minutes until it steams heavily but DOES NOT start to bubble to a boil (). Turn off the burner heat, warm the mugs (or glasses) by filling them with hot tap water and then draining out the water ().. 6. Pour the glow wine into warmed mugs (or glasses) and either serve as is () or cut in a piece of lemon rind for added flavor ().