Smells lovely and, in a slow-cooker, doesn't get in the way of your other holiday preparations.
Two quarts, it turns out, is not an awful lot; if numerous people are sipping (or a few people really like it), have another jug of cider handy and prepare a second bag of spices.
The ingredient list looks like a giant pain, but if you have a fancy store like Central Market in your area that sells loose spices, you can scoop and buy a teaspoon of each for pennies -- I got all of these for a total of about 53 cents. (Nothing else in the store is cheap!)
(From Allrecipes.com, where they offer instructions for brewing in your coffeepot.)
1/2 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 qts apple cider
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large orange, cut into wedges with peel
Wrap spices in muslin, tie with kitchen twine.
Put apple cider in slow-cooker, stir in brown sugar, add orange wedges and spice bag.
Heat for 20 min, then remove spice bag (this step optional).
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Lazy Thanksgiving
This requires three solid hours of labor (not including doing the dishes after), plus some prep work on the two nights before T-day. So I'm not sure it qualifies as a "lazy" Thanksgiving, but it's about as simple as I can make it and still supply turkey with three sides plus dessert!
The method used for cooking the turkey breast is Gourmet Magazine's high-heat "simplest turkey" method from Nov. 2005. A 6-8lb turkey breast should provide 8-10 servings -- enough for two, but not so much we get tired of leftovers!
Le Menu: Simple Turkey Breast with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, Rosemary Potatoes, Buttered Corn, Spinach Salad and Pumpkin Pie
Several days before: Get groceries before the stores sell out of everything!
Make sure you have:
---salad dressing, at least 1 tsp black pepper, at least 2 tsp salt, olive oil, butter, rosemary (ours is growing out back so it's not on grocery list)
---9x13 glass baking dish; large flameproof roasting pan; V-rack; instant-read thermometer; serving dishes for sauce, corn, potatoes and salad; saucepan
Grocery list:
V-rack
Raspberry-chipotle sauce
6- to 8-pound turkey breast (with skin and bone)
2 lb. new potatoes
bag o' salad greens
garlic
2 pkg frozen corn
2 frozen pumpkin pies: Sara Lee ChefPierre or Marie Callender's
Whipped cream
Milk
T-minus 2: (Tuesday)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
(a little garlic, olive oil & rosemary?)
POTATO SEASONING:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
T-day:
Put oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F.
Rinse turkey and pat dry; rub or sprinkle turkey seasoning mix in cavities and all over skin.
Put turkey on V-rack in roasting pan.
Set table and make iced tea.
Wash salad greens.
Get saucepan out and ready to cook corn.
Get pumpkin pie out and let it warm.
Scrub & quarter the new potatoes; arrange in glass dish, pour on potato seasoning mix and toss to coat.
Cook frozen corn, put in serving dish and stir with butter.
Put in spare oven rack; switch oven to bake (also at 450); bake potatoes uncovered about 25 minutes or until brown and tender.
After dinner have some pumpkin pie with whipped cream and milk.
Lay about and watch football!
The method used for cooking the turkey breast is Gourmet Magazine's high-heat "simplest turkey" method from Nov. 2005. A 6-8lb turkey breast should provide 8-10 servings -- enough for two, but not so much we get tired of leftovers!
Le Menu: Simple Turkey Breast with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, Rosemary Potatoes, Buttered Corn, Spinach Salad and Pumpkin Pie
Several days before: Get groceries before the stores sell out of everything!
Make sure you have:
---salad dressing, at least 1 tsp black pepper, at least 2 tsp salt, olive oil, butter, rosemary (ours is growing out back so it's not on grocery list)
---9x13 glass baking dish; large flameproof roasting pan; V-rack; instant-read thermometer; serving dishes for sauce, corn, potatoes and salad; saucepan
Grocery list:
V-rack
Raspberry-chipotle sauce
6- to 8-pound turkey breast (with skin and bone)
2 lb. new potatoes
bag o' salad greens
garlic
2 pkg frozen corn
2 frozen pumpkin pies: Sara Lee ChefPierre or Marie Callender's
Whipped cream
Milk
T-minus 2: (Tuesday)
- About 8 p.m., place turkey breast in refrigerator, if planning to eat dinner at 1 p.m. (thaw 24 hours per 5lb of turkey).
- Bake pumpkin pie (can take 90 min and needs to firm up afterwards). Refrigerate.
- Mince garlic, clean & chop rosemary
- Make seasoning mixes.
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
(a little garlic, olive oil & rosemary?)
POTATO SEASONING:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
T-day:
- 10:30 a.m.
Put oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F.
Rinse turkey and pat dry; rub or sprinkle turkey seasoning mix in cavities and all over skin.
Put turkey on V-rack in roasting pan.
Set table and make iced tea.
- 11 a.m.
Wash salad greens.
Get saucepan out and ready to cook corn.
Get pumpkin pie out and let it warm.
- 11:40
Scrub & quarter the new potatoes; arrange in glass dish, pour on potato seasoning mix and toss to coat.
Cook frozen corn, put in serving dish and stir with butter.
- 12:10
- WHEN TURKEY IS DONE:
Put in spare oven rack; switch oven to bake (also at 450); bake potatoes uncovered about 25 minutes or until brown and tender.
- Around 1 p.m.
After dinner have some pumpkin pie with whipped cream and milk.
Lay about and watch football!
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