A friend had a cardiac incident and mentioned my recipes were mostly not allowed on his new diet. I really felt for him but have cooked for various restrictions and realize you can make good food that is low fat. What is something you think you might never have again on a low fat diet? Sausage Gravy? Wrong. Here is a tasty low fat version. Continue reading Gayle’s Low Fat Sausage Gravy
If you are of a certain age, you know you don’t throw food out. You lived through times when food was scarce. Those of us who were fortunate and didn’t live through those times should learn from them. First, there is too much waste and we need to address that. Second, many things we throw out make great food! That carcass that is left over after you carve your turkey is a prime example. Continue reading Turkey Carcass Soup
I don’t know about your house but here the last part of the Thanksgiving dinner to go is the turkey meat. The mashed potatoes and stuffing are long gone but we still have turkey meat. I like this recipe to use the last of it up. Continue reading Turkey Hash
She Who Must Be Obeyed came home with a 1 kilogram (2 pound) boneless, skinless turkey breast. This particular cut of meat is tough to cook. If you dry roast it, it gets an unpleasant dry surface and the meat can get tough. Continue reading Crockpot Turkey Breast
Ok, I know I rail against fast and convenience food. However, there is a time and place for everything. This Christmas dinner we were already making rolls from scratch, Christmas pudding, salads, roast potatoes, gravy and dessert sauce. Also, there was only going to be four for dinner. I decided to give myself a break and try a Butterball Boneless Stuffed Turkey Breast. Continue reading Butterball Boneless Stuffed Turkey Breast
OK, you have eaten Thanksgiving dinner. You are so full that buttons are threatening to fire across the room. All you want to do is sit and visit with your family. Hold on. There is one more thing to do. You just don’t want to let that turkey carcass and bones to go to waist. If you cover it with water and let it boil for a couple of hours, you can have the best Turkey soup! Continue reading Turkey Noodle Soup
Apparently, deep fried chicken with crispy skin is bad for you. Apparently, french fries are too. She Who Must Be Obeyed saw a boneless skinless turkey breast in the supermarket and informed me it would be good for me and we purchased it. Continue reading Breaded Skinless Turkey Breast
You’ve cooked the turkey. Now what do you do with all the scrap trimmings and that scraggly carcass? If you like good food, you make soup. Continue reading Cajun Turkey Soup, Don’t Let That Carcass Go to Waste
This is the final post on the turkey dinner. It is how I cook the turkey and make the gravy. Continue reading Turkey, The Star of the Show
We had a birthday this month. I took the opportunity to smoke my first turkey dinner. I posted my efforts in Smoking Meat Forums. The link is:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/151748/first-smoked-turkey-for-a-birthday
Smoking a turkey was a fun project. It is definitely a different way to prepare the bird and took longer. However, it is nice to have a different way to prepare it.
The Verdict
The turkey came out moister than regular roasting and the skin was wonderful. I really liked the texture and taste of the turkey. I tried an experiment using some of the rendered fat to make a roux for the gravy. It had a nice smoky flavour but She Who Must Be Obeyed prefers regular gravy. The problem with that is that there are way less drippings so any gravy would have to be made from stock.
In total, smoking makes a great turkey but not as nice a gravy as regular roasting.
I will likely use this method in the summer to avoid heating the house up.
I suggest you give it a try if you have a smoker!
The Old Fat Guy