Dennys Food and Recipes: Turkey Cooking Tips: How Good Is Your Holiday Roast Turkey?

Dennys Food and Recipes: Turkey Cooking Tips: How Good Is Your Holiday Roast Turkey?:
From Denny:  Roasted my Thanksgiving turkey a day early.  Sure beats stressing on the Big Day.  Also, my husband, affectionately known as "Satan" misses out on trying to micro-manage the cooking, driving me absolutely crazy.  He never did learn to cook but thinks he knows how to tell you all about how to do it anyway.  Getting the Big Bird done a day early is a win-win for everyone as he was less stressed just as much as me!

Though he did try only twice this season to be ever so irritating:  once, when taste testing the fabulous gravy he made The Yuck! Face but could not keep his composure for long, laughed, and then raved about it as one of the best yet.  Later he decided he just had to tell me how to cut the French bread for sandwiches his way rather than the normal slices I was doing for hot garlic bread, his favorite.  Since I'm basically The Spatial Engineer in this house (just ask me to pack a car for travel and I am The Expert on finding every nook and cranny to fill) I explained to him how his way made no sense but cut a few slices for him anyway.  He was so disappointed to realize I was right after all.  "Satan" lost that round.  Never a dull moment at our house, that's for sure!

Hey, we should all be challenging the White House chef to a Roast Turkey Cook Off.  Bet mine is one of  The Best!  We love spices at our house and every year I create something different.  This year's wet rub spices were swimming in clarified butter:  sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smokey paprika, cumin, curry powder, marjoram leaves, lite sodium soy sauce, Moscato wine and Remy Martin cognac...

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Holiday Appetizer: Chicken Wings With Two Sauces

From Denny:  OK, who doesn't love chicken wings as a snack or favorite party food?  They sure are a big hit at our house any time, especially when the weather turns chilly, so I'm always looking around for a different take on it or novel sauces. 

The peach sauce is a combination of peach jam, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili flakes - plenty of heat to balance the sweet jam.  The jalapeno chili pepper sauce is comprised of jalapenos, garlic, sugar, water, vinegar and ginger - plenty of garlic and ginger to complement the chili peppers.

This recipe is so simple that all you have to do is sprinkle the chicken wings liberally with salt and pepper and pop under the broiler at about 4" to 5" and broil for about 20 minutes or so while you make the easy sauces. Both sauces are cooled to room temperature before serving.  This recipe is a slam dunk when you are in a rush and need something easy for a weekend or weekday meal, just add a salad and chips!

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Chef Recipe From Kingfish: BBQ Shrimp Gaufre With Sweet Potato Spread

From Denny:  Ready for yet another chef inspired version of the classic BBQ Shrimp idea?  This one comes from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at the Kingfish (named after Kingfish Sen. Huey Long who was definitely larger than life).

In Louisiana we love an excuse to use in any dish we can our incredible sweet potatoes grown here.  This is the first time I've seen sweet potatoes used in a BBQ Shrimp recipe!  This chef uses his sweet potatoes to create his version of a "BBQ" sauce poured over the shrimp on top of the waffle...

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Holiday Appetizer: Frank's Grill-Pan Curried Shrimp

From Denny:  This is such a simple recipe with big flavors.  Creole seasoned shrimp, quickly grilled while slathered with flavorful sesame oil, then later dipped and coated in a cooling yogurt curry mint sauce.  This can be enjoyed as either an appetizer or as a main dish over your favorite rice.  Need I say more?

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Make some merry this holiday season! Jingle Jingle!

New Orleans Chef Holiday Appetizer: Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Rosemary and Stilton

From Denny:  This is an upscale version of the classic shrimp rolled in bacon appetizer.  New Orleans Chef Anthony Spizale of The Rib Room - in the heart of the French Quarter - has definitely kicked up the taste levels on this recipe.

This tasty version is rich with the spectacular Stilton butter coating all over the shrimp just as you finish cooking it.  Then, to gild the lily, there is the Port Wine reduction sauce for dipping.  Definitely a "wow!" recipe sure to impress during the holiday season or for that special dinner.

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Chef Recipe: Louisiana Crawfish or Shrimp Chowder Great For Holidays

From Denny:  Looking for an elegant soup you can pull together quickly but tastes like you worked at it for hours?  This recipe utilizes a couple of canned soups - mushroom and potato - to help speed up the process.  Be sure to purchase the best version of these canned soups that you can find.  A low sodium version would be a good idea as seafood already contains a fair amount of natural sodium.

What also makes this a rich and delectable soup is the cream cheese, butter and half & half cream.  Oh, yeah, this is easily a calorie buster so it's best to serve by the cup as an appetizer.  But hey, if you are feeling lucky try it as a main dish.

I'm no fan of canned mushrooms, especially when you can find them already sliced fresh at the grocery store, packaged up and ready to go.  I prefer to slice whole mushrooms but if you are pressed for time the sliced fresh mushrooms are a great alternative.  If they are available in your area then choose the more flavorful Cremini (baby Portabellos) mushrooms over the white button mushrooms.

If you cannot purchase crawfish in your area then consider adding more shrimp or a local fish you enjoy.  This recipe would be great with a little bit of smoked salmon and plenty of fresh salmon, a little bit of smoked trout and plenty of fresh trout.  If you choose to use a fresh mild fish - and don't want to add a smoked fish - then consider adding some chopped and crisped up bacon to help flavor the soup.

The Creole seasoning used here is to your personal taste, generally about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon for the entire recipe.  Do not double the Creole seasoning if you double the recipe as it can get too hot and overpowering for most people.

Another seasoning option is to include a mixture of rosemary, thyme and lavender - a traditional French seasoning used to your personal taste.  Start with 1/2 teaspoon, let the soup base cook a few minutes and then taste.  You may like a 1/4 teaspoon more or just keep the previous level.  Experiment with what you like and enjoy!

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Healthy Soup: Southwestern Shrimp, Corn and Sweet Potato

English: Cobs of corn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From Denny:  Healthy can be tasty - and this soup is proof!  Hope you enjoy corn as the recipe calls for both a bag of frozen corn as well as a can of creamed corn.  This is definitely one easy way to download some healthy calcium that is good for helping with weight loss.

Red onions provide color and lots of taste but you could substitute a sweet onion if you desire a milder and sweeter flavor.  Any soup tastes better when you use fresh ingredients so consider using fresh sweet potatoes as opposed to purchasing the canned ones.  And, finally, if you want to kick it up a notch, consider adding 1/4 teaspoon of mild curry powder as an option.  

You can make the soup base a day before if you like - not adding the shrimp until ready to serve.  It is an easy soup to enjoy for holidays or a quick family dinner, simple enough for a beginner cook too.

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Louisiana Creole BBQ Shrimp

From Denny:   Looking for a super simple hot appetizer for your next party or holiday gathering?  Louisiana BBQ Shrimp is the perfect fit.  A novice cook can pull off this one to rave reviews!  

Here in Louisiana - when you want to double or triple the recipe, we place it all in a roasting pan and stick it in the oven under broil with the oven door open slightly.  You really have to watch it so nothing burns but it is a time saver. 
 

However, you could also make this recipe in several batches on top of the stove as the recipe instructs.  Either way this recipe is always a big crowd pleaser!

Fair warning:  once your guests start eating they won't stop at just an appetizer portion so you may want to plan for doubling this recipe for 12 appetizer servings.  It's been my experience that when you bring out shrimp in Louisiana most people make a meal of it!

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