THANKSGIVING, It’s all about the…food, family, football, friends? How would you finish the statement? In my family, it’s all about turkey,stuffing,mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie; except for Jay, for some reason he thinks it’s all about the ham. Ham Jay?  We’ve never had ham for Thanksgiving. You don’t even eat ham! But anyway, it’s time to stock the shelves for the holidays.

ABOUT THE TURKEY
Fresh is more expensive and should be bought one or two days before you cook it. Frozen can be bought in advance, but must be defrosted. This could be a problem in a crowded fridge. Make room.
Figure on about a pound to a pound and a half per guest, depending on whether or not you want left-overs. Defrost in the refrigerator, 1 day for every 5 pounds, In other words, a 20 pound bird will take 4 days to defrost.
If you must, and only if you must, thaw the turkey in cold water in your sink, keeping it completely submerged for safety reasons. Weigh it down,use cans or plates, change the water every 30 minutes and defrost for 30 minutes per pound. A 20 pound turkey will take 10 hours to defrost.

Roasting The Bird:

Approximate Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight Time
6 to 8 pounds – 3 to 3-1/2 hours
8 to 12 pounds - 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
12 to 16 pounds - 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours
16 to 20 pounds - 5-1/2 to 6 hours
20 to 24 pounds - 6 to 6-1/2 hour

Whole Foods Market Golden Roasted Turkey

Approximate Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight – Hours
6 to 8 pounds - 2-1/2 to 3 hours
8 to 12 pounds – 3 to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds- 4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 pounds- 5 to 5-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds- 5-1/2 to 6 hours

Invest in a meat thermometer! When The thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees, you’re cooked. Let the bird sit for 20 minutes before carving.

If this all seems too much for you, get a canned ham, serve it with Mac and Chese, and invite Jay.

I wish I could say that I’m a super gardener like our Garden Maiden, Joanna.  But I’m not.  I’m ok with flowers but terrible when it come to having lots of bounty from my vegetable garden.  It’s September and the only thing I’ve harvested were cherry tomatoes, chives and spearmint. I’ve had to rely on the local farm markets to bring in the fall staples, zucchini and squash.  I really get my renewed interest in cooking with the fall produce.  Such beautiful colors to add to dishes.Tonight we’ll trying Squash Ratatouille.  I added nutmeg and curry as well as some of my spearmint from the garden to enhance the favors of the squash.  If it’s soup you want, our Butternut Squash soup is super simple!Lots of zucchinis in the garden? Try cutting them length-wise and scooping out the seed and make zucchini boats.  You can fill them with a variety of foods.  The coconut milk in the Stuffed Zucchini with Jasmine Rice gives the vegetable a creamy sweet texture. And how could any resist, Cindy’s Famous Artichokes? While you’re waiting to cook these beauties off, arrange them in a bowl with limes and dried hydrangea for a table centerpiece. Before you put the grill away for the winter cook up some veggies and toss them with a dressing for a light dinner.  It’s hard not to mourn the end of summer but our colorful fall veggies sure give us something to look forward to in the kitchen.

If you have any recipe suggestions or question, please email us at whatwouldmomsay1@gmail.com or visit our cookbook and kitchen how tos on whatwouldmomsay.com.

So this week lobsters were on sale at the supermarket for 5.99 a lb.  This is hard to beat but you may be intimidated about cooking a live lobster.  It is actually quite easy but you do need to be fearless when it comes to dropping them into that pot of brisk boing water.  Fast is always best.  The main thing is the lobsters must be alive. If you can’t cook the lobster right away you can wrap it in wet newspaper and keep it refrigerated up to 2 days.  If you think you can’t bear cooking them live very often fish markets and supermarkets will steam them for you.

Chick, cull, bullet…all words you may need to know when buying lobster.  A chick is a pound or less, a cull is one claw, and a bullet is no claws at all.  There is always debate on which is the tenderest.  The biggest lobster I ever ate was 13 lbs.  and everyone loved it.  The littler lobsters are easy to serve..figure one to two lbs per person.  Baked potato and corn on the cob make great sides for this festive dish.

The easiest way to make a live  Boiled Lobster is simply drop it  head first into a pot of salted boiling water for 10 minutes for the first pound and 3 minutes each additional lb.  So if they are a pound and a half…..eleven and a half minutes should do the trick.  Do not over cook lobster as it will get tough.  If you have some sea water go ahead and boil that up.  Otherwise salted water is fine.  You can add wine and bay leaf for extra flavor.  Serve with melted butter and lemon.  You will also need a nut cracker and lobster forks are very handy for getting those hard to get sections of meat.

You can also steam, grill, or bake a lobster.  You can stuff the tail traditionally with crab meat and some breadcrumbs and butter.  Leftover lobster is great for lobster salad or a dip.   You can find this recipe in our online cookbook.  Enjoy.

You just can’t beat this classic dish of sausages and peppers.  So easy to make and so casual and tasty!!   I like sweet Italian sausage with fennel.  It is worth going to a gourmet butcher or Italian specialty grocer for trying the wonderful variety of sausages out there! The supermarket does have a decent selection these days too.  When I can get the ring of basil and cheese sausage , I spread mustard over sausage ring and grill.  Delish.

At night  I  like to serve this dish with  a side of pasta.  Sausages and peppers pair well with Sarnataro Brocoli and Spaghetti or a simple pomodoro.

At noon or lunch time sausages and peppers are perfect for making heroes.  I like to put out a bowl of tomato sauce and a bowl of ricotta cheese for creating the most wonderful sausage and pepper hero on Earth.

In the morning a frittata is the perfect solution for leftover sausage and peppers. Simply cut up sausage into bite size pieces and saute to reheat in a frying pan,  whisk together some eggs in a bowl, pour egg mixture and scramble together with sausages and pappers, at last minute add some fresh mozzarella and finish under broiler for a minute to melt.

Sausages and Peppers…morning, noon , and night.

This cole slaw recipe is one inspired by the delicious cole slaw served at the famous restaurant chain Houston’s.  It is not your ordinary cole slaw.  It has a horseradish bite and is sophisticated using parsley for color and variation.  Scallions are used instead of onions.

You chop the cabbage rather than shredding it.  Combine the greens, salt, and set aside.  The dressing is  combination of mayo, sour cream, horseradish, pickle juice, white vinegar, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper.  Simply fold dressing in and you have created a memorable cole slaw.

Tonight I am serving this lively cole slaw with ribs. I am using another restaurant’s recipe  (The Dumont in Brooklyn, NY) for their incredible macaroni and cheese.  Some grilled corn on the cob to seal the meal.

Diet out the window.  Did I mention the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for dessert?  Oh to be an American!  Time to splurge on this indulgent  summertime meal!