Warming up my Thanksgiving muscles...
On Sunday morning, the kids and I went to Trader Joe's and saw that they were fully stocked with turkeys, regular and brined. On a complete whim, we bought a brined turkey and had a Thanksgiving feast that very same day! I figured that since we were going to my parents' house for Thanksgiving anyway, we could go ahead and do our own Thanksgiving early. Why not! There's something to give thanks for every day.
This impromptu menu was very Trader Joe's-inspired and was easy enough to plan during the drive home! I went for something easy - any "anyday" Thanksgiving menu. It was a few simple things, very low effort, and resulted in quite a feast!
On the non-Thanksgiving-day menu:
1 brined young turkey (about 14 pounds) I rubbed the turkey with olive oil, seasoned with black pepper, and then stuffed the turkey with 2 lemons cut in half, a a bulb of garlic cut in half and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. A brined unstuffed turkey this big took about 3.5 hours at 325 F to reach temperature.
Baby potatoes and baby sweet potatoes thrown in the pan with the turkey halfway through cooking
Cornbread Stuffing Mix: It's a good, savory boxed mix. I immediately thought of adding leeks (you know me). I sauteed 1 chopped trimmed leek (about a cup's worth) and 1 container sliced mushrooms in 1 Tbsp olive oil and added it to the stuffing.
Cranberry sauce I made this with a bag of whole fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped and cooked with a cup of water, 1/2 cup sugar, and a little lemon zest. Simmer for about 10 minutes until it is a ruby jewel-tone. Taste and add more sugar (up to 1/2 cup more) to sweeten to your taste. Some like it sweet and some like it tart! Simmer for an additional 5 minutes and let cool.
Glazed carrots
Plain steamed green beans with a touch of seasoning
Pumpkin Pie
The pie was the only dish that required a little work, but mostly because we started with a whole pumpkin. We decided to make the filling from scratch since we had a few beautiful pumpkins left over from Halloween. My daughter separated the seeds and we roasted them (with just a sprinkling of salt) at 375 F until they turned golden. Tasty and crisp! My daughter couldn't get enough of them! We cut the pumpkin into big pieces and placed them face down on a baking sheet. We baked them at 350 until they were tender, scooped out the pulp, and pureed in a blender.
The filling was inspired by a recipe from "Joy of Cooking" and was a great opportunity to use the Pumpkin Pie Spice blend from Trader Joe's. The pie was delicious and the texture was nice and thick.
Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
1 frozen Ready Made Pie Crust, thawed
2 large eggs
2 cups cooked pumpkin puree (or canned cooked pumpkin)
1 1/2 cups Sweetened Condensed Milk (about 1 can, available organic at TJ's)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp salt
1.) Preheat oven to 375 F.
2.) Place the crust into an oven safe dish. Crimp the edges, leaving the sides high.
3.) Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour into pie crust.
4.) Bake 35 to 45 minutes until firm.
Note: Instead of the Sweetened Condensed Milk, you may just substitute with 1 1/2 cups cream and 1/2 cup sugar.
Did you and your family like the brined turkey?
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We did like it! Everyone commented on how juicy it was. Even the flavor seemed better than the usual roasted turkey.
I really wanted to have a brined turkey but I didn't want to mess with the actual brining myself! When I saw the already-brined turkeys at Trader Joe's, it inspired the spontaneous meal!
The two things I would note are:
1) No need to sprinkle with salt before roasting.
2) The cooking time was faster than a traditional roasted turkey.
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Did you plan on the time being that long to cook the turkey? I was thinking it would take less time. Although the roasting recipe I have has us cooking the turkey breast side down for 45 minutes at a higher temp then turning over and cooking the rest of the way.
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I would definitely keep an eye on it. I did cook it at a lower 325 (vs. 350-400) and the turkey was about 14-15 pounds with lemons stuffed inside.
For a whole unstuffed turkey that size I would check for doneness starting after 2.5 hours.
I saw this recipe http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeId=34277
specific to turkey breast cooked upside down partway. Is it similar to yours? I would have guessed a shorter cooking time than they indicate for a breast, but you can always just start checking it for doneness earlier.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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I always "doctor up" boxed stuffing. I usually add mushrooms and cranberries and chestnuts. I hadn't thought of adding leeks to stuffing...what a great idea. I can see the sweetness balancing the savoriness of it.
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Brined turkeys are the best!! There is no other way to have a turkey that is so moist and tasty!
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Just reading this made it seem so easy! I always get so stressed out about T-day dinner. And now I know what to do with that can of condensed milk I bought at Trader Joe's. It's been sitting in my cupboard for months. Thanks!
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This is great!
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Thanks for the tips. I love Trader Joe's.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Yum, I am getting hungry =)
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Why is thanksgiving the best holiday?
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Just reading this made it seem so easy! I always get so stressed out about T-day dinner. And now I know what to do with that can of condensed milk I bought at Trader Joe's. It's been sitting in my cupboard for months.
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Thanks for the recipe.
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Just reading this made it seem so easy! I always get so stressed out about T-day dinner. And now I know what to do with that can of condensed milk I bought at Trader Joe's. It's been sitting in my cupboard for months.
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Well good to know this keep it up!
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Thanks for the great recipes. I'm going to try one tonight.
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