thanksGIVING

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! A day full of gobbling(hehe) up delicious food, watching football, spending time with your family and reminding yourself how thankful you truly are for everything you have.
But for too many people, their holiday won't look or feel like this.

After checking my mail this week, I had two letters from the North Texas Food Bank requesting donations for the holidays. I'll be honest, usually I overlook the mail that's addressed to "Caring Neighbor", but I felt compelled to do something this year. After opening the letter and seeing how such a small donation could benefit so many people, I was astounded! How could I NOT do something! Then came the light bulb moment - a party!

A party? Seriously? How is that going to help the hungry people of North Texas? Come on people! It's not just any party, but an early Thanksgiving party! I cooked dinner and requested my guests make a donation to the NTFB. Did you know that just $16 can feed 64 people?! Incredible.

What's even more special about making a donation? This year, the Estate of Harry Fagen, not sure who he was, but he must have been a kind man, is matching all donations made between now and December 31! So whatever you donate is technically doubled. Donate here!

Like any meal I make, I did my best to keep it on the lighter side. These dishes keep the holiday traditional and really tasty without leaving you with the turkey hangover.

The party was a success and we raised $120 which will feed 480 people!! We enjoyed a great meal with close friends and we're able to give some one else a reason to be thankful this holiday season.
Happy thanksGIVING to all!

Turkey, adapted from Alton's Good Eats Roast Turkey

• 1 14-16 lb. young turkey

Brine

• 1/2 c. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp allspice berries
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

Aromatics

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 c. water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 sage leaves
• canola oil

Three days before cooking, start thawing the turkey in the refrigerator. Place in a pan so any leaks don't contaminate other foods. Boil all brine ingredients except water, cool and refrigerate.
Early on the day of cooking or the night before cooking, combine brine with water in a 5-gallon bucket. Add turkey, breast side down. Weight the bird down if necessary to keep submerged. Refrigerate for 8-16 hours, turning half way through.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine apple, onion, cinnamon stick and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity, along with rosemary and sage. With butcher's twine, tie legs together, tuck wings underneath the bird and coat skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees. A 14-16 lb. turkey will take about 2 1/2 hours to roast. Make sure internal temperature is 161 degrees F. Let the turkey rest loosely covered with foil for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Gravy

• pan drippings
• 8 oz. red wine
• 24 oz. homemade turkey stock or chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 c. all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Place your roasting pan with drippings over medium heat on the stove. Deglaze the pan with red wine and stock. Scrape up all the brown bits. Strain to get rid of solids. In the same pan, add butter and olive oil, heat and add flour, whisk to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes until well combined and raw flour taste is cooked out. Add the wine & stock mixture and rosemary and cook for 5 minutes. Pour into a pot and keep warm on the stove. Season with salt if necessary.

Dressing, serves 10

• 1/2 loaf of white bread
• 8 oz. of Pepperidge Farm Herb-seasoned stuffing
• 8 oz. of Pepperidge of Cornbread stuffing
• 1 lg yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of celery, chopped
• 2/4 tsp poultry seasoning
• 3/4 tsp chicken base
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 14-oz. can of low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• paprika
• 1 Tbsp butter, cold & diced

Cut bread into cubes and cook for about 2 hours on 250 F, until dry and browned. Mix the toasted bread and stuffing gently. Saute onions and celery and mix with the bread crumb mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together the poultry seasoning, chicken base, egg, broth, salt and pepper. Stir a little bit of liquid into the stuffing mixture at a time and toss until it's all combined. Grease a glass baking pan and pour stuffing in. Sprinkle the top with paprika and dot with 1 Tbsp of diced butter. Cook on 350 degrees F. for 30-40 minutes.

Rosemary & Garlic Mashed Potatoes, serves 8-10, adapted from Guy Fieri's recipe

• 5 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and halved then quartered
• 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 cups of skim milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 c. chives

Add cut potatoes in a large pot and cover by about 1-inch with cold water. Place over medium heat, when water begins to simmer, start timer for 15 minutes. Cook until fork tender. Drain and set aside. In the same pot over medium-low heat, add the olive oil and when shimmering add the garlic and rosemary. Cook about 5 minutes, until fragrant, don't let garlic burn. Remove from heat and add potatoes, milk, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until smooth and creamy. Stir in chives and serve hot.

Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon & Garlic, adapted from the Neely's green beans

• 2 lbs. green beans, ends trimmed
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• S & P to taste

In a small skillet over medium-low heat, add smashed garlic and red pepper flakes to oil and cook for 5 minutes to infuse the oil. Let sit for 10 minutes, strain and set aside. In a pot of boiling salted water, blanch green beans for about 2 minutes. Drain and shock in ice water. Heat a large skillet and add infused oil over medium heat. Saute green beans and saute for about 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

Apple Crisp, serves 8

• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, cold & diced

Grease a round cake pan, place a layer of apples on the bottom and squeeze with a little of lemon juice. Continue to make layers of apples until they're all in there. In a food processor attached with a metal blade, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and pulse until it looks like cornmeal. Place the topping on top of the apples, press down gently. Cook at 350 F for 1 hour. Serve with ice cream.