Deliciously Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey

The first thanksgiving as a married couple that we spent without my family, my sister-in-law, Ana, and I set out to prepare our very first turkey. Now, my husband had not always been a fan of turkey and would have preferred a flavorful ham instead, but after he tried the results of our experiments, he has begged that I make this classic turkey every year. Let's just say the leftovers disappear much too quickly. So here I will share with you the tricks to preparing a deliciously juicy turkey. (The times and proportions are  for a 12-18 lb turkey). 

Trick #1: Brine your turkey!

The time and little effort that it takes to brine your turkey (soak it in a salt solution) will make a huge difference. If you are buying a frozen turkey, you'll need to plan for enough time to thaw it before brining. (A frozen turkey takes about 5 hours per pound to thaw in the refrigerator). After the turkey is thawed (or if you have purchased it fresh), remove the giblets and neck (found inside the chest cavity of the turkey). Prepare a solution of 1 cup salt to every gallon of water. (Yes, it's a concentrated solution, but you will rinse the excess salt off at the end). If your turkey has been infused with a solution, reduce the salt content and soak it.) Pour out the brining solution and rinse the turkey in the sink. (I've placed a rack in the sink and rinsed it on there). After the turkey has been rinsed, you must dry it. You can either place it on a rack in the refrigerator with a sheet pan beneath it (for 8 hours or overnight). Or, if you're pressed for time like I have been, I use a blowdryer on the cool setting (no heat) and blow it over the skin until it's dry. 

Trick #2: Prepare to roast

This next step helps add delicious herbed butter flavors into the meat. You will need approximately:

2 medium onions

2 ribs of celery

3-4 tablespoons of melted better

2 tablespoons thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme)

1 or 2 limes

15-30 whole cloves

Preheat oven to 400°F. Chop onions and celery. Cover onions and celery in 1/2 of the melted butter. Mix in half of the thyme. Place mixture inside the cavity of the turkey making sure to rub the butter and herbs all over the inside cavity. With a steak knife, cut small openings into the skin of the lime. Place a clove in each opening (all over the lime). Place the clove-infused lime(s) into the middle of the chest cavity. 

Now, make sure to either tie up the loose ends and wings with twine tying a knot at the head of the turkey to hold everything in place or use the plastic piece that sometimes comes with the turkey (oven safe) to hold everything together. 

Place the turkey on a V-Rack breast side up and with the remaining butter and thyme, generously rub over the entire outside of the turkey, making sure not to miss any areas. The butter will help the thyme stick to the skin and will help give the skin a beautiful golden color in the end. Now turn the turkey breast side down and cover the back with butter/thyme as well. 

Trick #3: Begin the Roast Upside Down

Normally, turkeys are roasted breast side up to cook them at a slower rate, but by cooking it breast side down, you give the drumsticks and thighs the chance to be cooked at a higher temperature and remove any of the pink flesh. If you were to cook the turkey breast-side up from the beginning at the same high temperatures, it would become very dry. 

Roast the turkey breast side down for 1 hour and 15 minutes, pulling it out at the 45 minute mark to baste it with the juices that have fallen into the pan.  

 After 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove from oven and turn the turkey breast side up.

Trick #4: Inject juices
At this point, I like to take a marinade injector and inject the juices from the pan back into the turkey, especially in the breast area. This

Baste again and brush on the remaining butter.

Place the turkey back in the oven and roast again for another 30 minutes. After that, begin checking the turkey temperature every 10 minutes to check for doneness. The turkey is done when a thermometer thrust into the breast reads 165°F. The deepest part of the thigh should read between 170°F. to 175°F.

Remove the turkey and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.

To carve the turkey:
Place the turkey breast side up on a cutting board. Cut the skin between the thigh and the body of the turkey. Cut in while using a fork to peel the leg away from the body.  Cut through the joint to remove the thigh and the drumstick. Place the leg flat on a cutting board. Separate the thigh from the drumstick by cutting through the joint. Cut the meat off the sides of the thigh bone. Cut the meat off the drumstick. Repeat on the other leg. Remove the wings by pulling them away from the body and and thrusting a knife through the joint to sever. One all the limbs have been removed, cut through the skin along the keel bone. Angle the blade out a little and cut down along the bone to remove the breast. Do the same on the other side. Cut the breast meat against the grain into thin slices.

What to do with leftovers?
Of course there's always turkey sandwiches with the delicious cranberry sauce or a turkey noodle soup, but we like to make these turkey taquitos for a twist on the traditional.

Harvest Quinoa Salad

1 small acorn squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy center
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for drizzling) 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped uncooked kale (or greens of your choice)
splash of balsamic vinegar
1 cup cooked quinoa
drizzle of honey
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (plus extra, for garnish on top)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
a few pinches of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

In a large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, a bit of salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes until it starts to become translucent. Add garlic, cumin & cinnamon and cook, stirring, until it’s fragrant but not burning. Mix in kale and cook for a few minutes until it wilts down. Turn off the heat, add a splash of balsamic vinegar, the cooked quinoa, and a good drizzle of honey and toss. Next, mix in scallions, cilantro, currants, feta and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Scoop filling into the cooked acorn squashes, and top with toasted pumpkin seeds, more feta (if you wish), and a drizzle of olive oil and another good drizzle of honey.

Kale Chips

Kale is one of the most nutritious foods available to us and I usually toss a leaf or two into my green smoothies (which is probably the best way to get all of the good nutrients out of it since it is blended and raw), but I thought this would be a fun and different way to prepare it and my girls agreed. They are always asking for these now.

You'll need:
1 bunch of Kale
1 tsp coconut oil
sea salt

Wash leaves and dry. Toss with oil, lemon juice and salt. Place in single layers on cookie sheet(s).

Bake at 300F for 20-30 minutes or until crispy and no moisture is left in the leaves. Watch closely toward the end of the baking time so as not to burn them. 



Butternut Squash with Garlic and Agave

Labor Day. The end of summer and the official beginning of all things fall. Even though it still feels like summer, school begins, harvests are waxing and there's all kinds of wonderful produce to use this time of year. This is another I came across on Pinterest and made the same day. It's simple, delicious, and perfect for a late weekend lunch.  The original recipe came from doorsixteen.

You'll need:

• 1 butternut squash
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. 

Peel and dice into 1 inch cubes.

Drizzle with oil, agave, salt, and pepper. Peel garlic cloves and add to cubed squash. Toss to coat.

Bake @400°F for 50-55 minutes (turning half way through cooking) or until squash is tender. I served it with Kale Chips and it was delicious.

*Recipe for Kale Chips coming soon.



Turkey Taquitos

Our turkey leftovers are now gone and I'm left with a watering mouth for these delicious turkey taquitos that we made. I look forward to these every year almost as much as I look forward to the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal.

So, if you still have some turkey leftover, I highly recommend giving this a try or keeping this recipe in your Thanksgiving idea list for next year.

Here's what you do:

1. Shred or slice leftover turkey into small pieces.
2. Heat corn tortillas in the microwave in a plastic bag for approximately one minute. (I like to sprinkle a bit of water in so they are nice and moist and don't fall apart.) You will know they are ready when you can roll them and they don't break.
3. Place turkey on one side of a tortilla on a plate. Roll it up and place a toothpick in the middle to keep it rolled together.

4. Heat a pan of oil to medium heat.
5. Place taquitos in oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides.


6. Finely shred green-leaf lettuce.
7. Top taquitos with a bed of lettuce and my favorite spicy tomato-avocado salsa and a generous sprinkly of "queso seco" - basically a mexican dry cheese - I use "queso cotijo" from my local grocer. Any Parmesan-type cheese will work.

Now, try not to eat the whole plate. And refrain from cooking an entire other turkey just to make taquitos. These things aren't light on the calories. :)