Wednesday, November 15, 2017



I Love cooking on Special Days, Thanksgiving is one of those DAYS...I have cooked many a Turkeys and tried a few different methods. I think I have found that I like brining. I have use a wet brine and though I like it the Turkey does not get that golden brown color I like to see. So I am sharing a recipe I found and use....It's perfect!!!

This turkey dry brine recipe has just a touch of orange and maple mixed with the traditional Thanksgiving flavors.  I love it so much! So this year if you facebook me, you live near....tell me you want a jar and I will deliver it to you!!! I am making it in the next few days, grew all the herbs, garlic and onions. If you want to Gobble and Wobble in great taste, try it!!!

Dry brining simply means pre-salting with salt and/or other herbs and seasonings. There’s no water or liquid involved and no mess.

The salt helps draw out the moisture. Then that moisture dissolves the salt crystals. And this is where the magic happens: the now dissolved salt, moisture and seasonings get reabsorbed back into the meat all the way down to the bone. The salt helps break down the tightly woven proteins resulting in the most tender, moist meat. And the seasonings get infused throughout the whole bird. You won’t want to make a turkey (or chicken) any other way once you try it!

Dry Brining benefits include:
  • far more flavorful than any other method 
  • crispy golden brown skin and moist, tender meat 
  • less mess compared to a wet brine 
  • no fancy equipment 
  • super easy 
  • turkey is prepped and ready to go for the big day 

Recipe: Dry Brine Turkey Mix. A touch of orange and maple added to the traditional Thanksgiving flavors is a delight to the tastebuds!

Ingredients

¼ cup coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon maple sugar ( because it adds a touch of wonderful maple flavor, but if you can’t find it, you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar.
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder


Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together.

How to Use Dry Brine:
*Use 1 tablespoon of dry brine for every 5 pounds of meat* Pat dry the outside and inside of the turkey. Then season the entire outside and inside cavity using the dry brine. Don't forget to loosen some of the skin and season directly on the meat, too, especially on the breasts.
Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 hours up to 72 hours (the more time it sits in the fridge, the more flavorful it will be, but you'll still get a really great tasting bird even if you do the minimum time)
When you're ready to cook, pat dry the outside of the turkey and cook using any method you prefer. I like the long and slow oven roasting method: 325 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes per pound.


Notes

If you are not stuffing your turkey, add the orange you used for your orange zest to the cavity! I also like to add in an onion, a few cloves of garlic and a handful of fresh rosemary, thyme and sage. SO YUM!

Monday, October 30, 2017



When your Gardner Guy fills up the Refrigerator with carrots it's time to make a  Carrot cake!!!


Makes 1 (9-inch) double layer cake (16 to 22 slices) or 22 to 24 cupcakes

YOU WILL NEED


2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
3 cups (300 grams) grated peeled carrots (5 to 6 medium carrots)
1 cup (100 grams) coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup (65 grams) raisins
FROSTING
8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (140 grams) powdered sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (50 grams) coarsely chopped pecans, for topping cake or carrot peels and spearmint leaves for a fun look.

DIRECTIONS

  • MAKE BATTER
  • Heat the oven to 350ยบ F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper then grease the top of the paper. Or, grease and flour the bottom and sides of both pans.
    In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and the cinnamon until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, sugars and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until blended.
    Switch to a large rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Stir in the carrots, nuts and raisins. Nuts and raisins are optional...
    • BAKE CAKE
    • Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until the tops of the cake layers are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean; 35 to 45 minutes.
      Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks, peel off parchment paper and cool completely. 
    • Tips
For the Carrot Flowers:
Fill bowl or saucepan with cold water and add lemon juice. Cut carrots lengthwise into paper-thin ribbons using vegetable peeler or large mandolin on its thinnest setting. Place carrot ribbons in water and let stand for 15 minutes. Some ribbons will begin to curl, this is normal. Remove ribbons from water and pat dry with paper towels. Roll carrot ribbons into spirals and arrange on top of cake. Arrange mint leaves around carrot spirals.

For cupcakes,  bake for 14 to 18 minutes (or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean). Then let them cool for a few minutes in the cupcake pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. The recipe should make about 24 cupcakes.



Happy Halloween

Frankenstein Pudding Cups


These are so cute and fun to make....All you need is a Black Sharpie Marker, clear cups, Oreo cookies and pudding...

Draw all the faces on the cups with a black Sharpie, mix up some vanilla pudding, use food coloring to tint it green. Then crush some Oreo's to sprinkle on top of the pudding.

You can also use pistachio pudding and skip the green food coloring
Super, super  cute, fast and easy!

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.....Happy Fall!!!


4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 - 15oz can pumpkin puree

Or use fresh pumpkin, see how to by following the link
https://mygardnerguy.blogspot.com/2012/12/pumpkin-jam-makes-for-very-nice-gift.html

1 1/2 sticks melted butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a jelly roll pan (15 1/8"x 10 1/2") with cooking spray. Mix eggs, sugar, pumpkin and butter in a large bowl or stand mixer bowl. Sift dry ingredients together and combine with pumpkin mixture. Pour and smooth evenly in pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
9 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla, add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and milk 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

For Banana Bars: substitute 1 can of pumpkin puree for 2 cups mashed ripe bananas. Omit cinnamon and ginger, but use a pinch of nutmeg.

Loving mashed potatoes the Irish Way!!!

You can use kale instead of cabbage, but I personally prefer the softer and sweeter taste of cabbage. Colcannon is traditionally topped with...