BROWN BUTTER MAPLE CORNBREAD (a 2 banana level difficulty)

I made this Cornbread earlier this year & it was quite good. Thanksgiving comes around & I decide I want to serve Cornbread, but I couldn't find this recipe. So I went with the 'Joy of Cooking' version & was frankly underwhelmed. However, it's a bit like bringing a knife to a gun fight. JoC called for 2-3 T of butter & the one we are making originally called for 1 1/2 STICKS of butter, but I've found 1 stick works quite well! Luckily I re-discovered my recipe & today we will be making "Brown Butter Maple Cornbread." (adapted from NYT)

WHAT YOU NEED:
8 T (1 stick) of Unsalted Butter
1/2 c Maple Syrup
2 1/4 c Buttermilk (it's Christmas so I made it with eggnog bc 'why not?')
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 c Yellow Cornmeal
1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 c All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 T Baking Powder
1 1/2 t Kosher Salt
1/2 t Baking Soda

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Whisk
Large Bowl
Medium Bowl (nice to measure your dry ingredients into while the butter is melting)
Large Cast Iron Skillet or other oven proof skillet (12 inches)
Cooling Rack (optional as all cooling can be done in the skillet)
Rubber Spatula

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 375 degrees & Melt Butter over Medium-High heat. (Swirl occasionally to avoid burning & to coat sides of the skillet)

2. Pour Melted Butter into Large Bowl (don't wipe out the skillet, turn off the burner and place the skillet BACK on the burner so it remains warm). Whisk in the Maple Syrup followed by the Buttermilk (or eggnog).

3. Next whisk in the eggs & then finally the Dry Ingredients (Cornmeal, Flours, Baking Powder, Salt, & Baking Soda)

4. Pour batter back into your skillet & Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is a lovely golden brown color & a toothpick can be inserted & removed clean.

5. Cool in the Skillet for 10 minutes & then it's time to enjoy!

Yeah, this isn't going to earn any awards from the American Heart Association, but it sure is good! I mean maple syrup AND a stick of butter, that is some good stuff! Honestly, you don't even need to put butter on it...

Until next time...your favorite neighbor-web monkey!

(ABRIDGED RECIPE)

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 375 degrees & Melt Butter over Medium-High heat. (Swirl occasionally to avoid burning & to coat sides of the skillet)
2. Pour Melted Butter into Large Bowl (don't wipe out the skillet, turn off the burner and place the skillet BACK on the burner so it remains warm). Whisk in the Maple Syrup followed by the Buttermilk (or eggnog).
3. Next whisk in the eggs & then finally the Dry Ingredients (Cornmeal, Flours, Baking Powder, Salt, & Baking Soda)
4. Pour batter back into your skillet & Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is a lovely golden brown color & a toothpick can be inserted & removed clean.
5. Cool in the Skillet for 10 minutes & then it's time to enjoy!

LEFTOVER TURKEY 'not chicken' SALAD (a 1 banana difficulty level)

Ah yes...it's that time of year again...Thanksgiving! Let the gluttony begin!

We did a pre-Thanksgiving meal this past weekend and now have a fair bit of leftover turkey. If you are still in the market for how to cook that Thanksgiving bird, may I suggest:

http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2011/11/braised-turkey-3-banana-level.html

It's made 3 straight Thanksgivings for me! Did I mention the Leftover Turkey soup that you can make?

http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2011/11/turkey-lentil-rice-soup-2-banana.html

Ok, enough with the self promotion. I recently saw a presentation about The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine (http://tmedweb.tulane.edu/mu/teachingkitchen/). Pretty cool stuff! The med school at Tulane offers this as an elective to med students. The med students end up teaching healthier cooking to the community. The concept is to see if making some minor modifications will improve health & decrease the impact of chronic diseases. Basically using food as medicine as opposed to lots of pills for medicine. Like I said, pretty cool stuff.

This "Leftover Turkey Salad" is based off of the Chicken Salad Recipe from the Goldring Center.

Today, 'this monkey' will show you what you can do with some of your leftover turkey & celery!

WHAT YOU NEED:
3 c. COOKED Leftover Turkey - diced
1 T Mayo (optional)
1/2 c Plain Yogurt (I used Greek)
1 T Dijon Mustard
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Celery Stalks - diced
1/2 c Pecans - chopped
1 Gala Apple - finely diced
4 T Craisins
Kosher Salt to Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Chef's Knife
Cutting Board
Medium Bowl
Mixing Spoon

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Mix the Mayo, Yogurt, Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt & Pepper in the bowl until well blended.

2. Add the Diced Celery, Chopped Pecans, Diced Apple, & Craisins to #1 & stir until well incorporated.

3. Add the Diced Turkey to the above & stir well.

4. Make a sandwich & enjoy!

This was a breeze to make & is pretty good! Not quite as good as using mayo, but pretty close. I optioned out of the mayo, but will probably add just a bit next go 'round.

Here's hoping to a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Until next time...your favorite neighborweb monkey!

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS PANCAKES (a 2 banana difficulty level)

I really liked the recent savory pancakes I made which I called "Greek Griddle Cakes."

www.anymonkeycan.com/2011/10/greek-griddle-cakes-2-3-banana.html

Hoping to replicate that goodness, I thought I would try to make pancakes with some of my Thanksgiving leftovers.  Specifically, Turkey, Cranberries, & Sweet Potatoes would be used along with some other ingredients.  What better way to start than to just jump right in!

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 c White Whole Wheat Flour
2-3 T Oil - Coconut Oil was used today
1/2 t Baking Soda
1-2 t Kosher Salt
1 T Sugar
1.5 to 2 c Whole Milk
2 Eggs
2-3 T Butter -Melted
1 Avocados - sliced (optional)
Shredded/Shaved Cheese - Stella Fontinella etc (optional)
Thanksgiving Leftovers:  Turkey - chopped; Cranberries; Sweet Potatoes - cubed

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Large Skillet
Griddle (optional)
Spoon
Knife
Small Microwaveable Bowl
Whisk
Chef's Knife
Ladle or a measuring cup

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Microwave the Butter for about 1 minute at no more than 50% power. You probably want to do in 30 sec intervals to avoid the potential of a mess.
2.  Turn your Griddle/Large Skillet to Medium Heat & add the Coconut Oil.
(if your Griddle is not sufficiently pre-heated, your first batch of pancakes will be less than desirable...)

3. While the butter is in the Microwave, measure & whisk together the dry ingredients (Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Sugar.)
4. Whisk together the Wet ingredients (Eggs, Milk, & Melted Butter.)

5. Mix your Wet ingredients into your Dry ingredients until fully incorporated. The batter should have the consistency of slightly thick paint. If yours is too thin, then add 1-2 T of Flour. If too thick, then add 1-2 T of Milk

6.  Prepare your Pancake "add ins" & have them easily accessible.

7. Using a Ladle, carefully ladle about 1/2 c worth of the Pancake batter onto your Griddle trying to maximize your space.

8. Working quickly, add in your "add ins"

Poor job maximizing space...

Better Cooking Space utilization!

9.  Cook until the pancake surface is filled with bubbles (around 4-5 min), then carefully flip to the other side & cook for another 4-5 minutes

10.  Cool on plate or wire rack, then serve and Enjoy!

I wish I had included the Shredded or Shaved Cheese when I made these.  I think that added a nice flavor dimension with the "Greek Griddle Cakes."  The cheese gets a nice golden brown after you flip and cook the Pancakes.  Nonetheless, the "Thanksgiving Leftovers Pancakes" were a creative way to incorporate some of my Holiday leftovers!

Until next time, your friendly neighborweb Monkey!

TURKEY LENTIL RICE SOUP (a 2 banana difficulty level)

"Thanksgiving Leftover Soup"

After braising the Thanksgiving Turkey, I realized what was leftover in the roasting pan was the start to a fantastic Thanksgiving Leftover Soup!  I mean, we cooked that bird on a bed of Carrots, Onions, Celery, Garlic & Herbs as well as Chicken Stock & Dry wine.  Now we have the goodness of a cooked Turkey mixed in there as well.  This is going to be good!  I decided that I wanted this soup to have Lentils & Rice. 

Let 'this monkey' show you that 'anymonkeycan' make a fantastic Turkey Soup!

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 c Medium Brown Rice - Rinsed (Cook time around 20 min)
1 c Lentils - Rinsed (I used 1/2 c French Green & 1/2 c Spanish.  Cook time around 20 min)
2 1/4 c Leftover Braising Liquid & Vegetables from your Turkey
www.anymonkeycan.com/2011/11/braised-turkey-3-banana-level.html
2 c Leftover Turkey - Torn/Cut in small pieces

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  In a Large Pot, Add the 2 1/4 c Braising Liquid** & combine with 2 1/4 c Water & bring to a boil.  Stir in the Rice & Lentils & bring to a Simmer.  Cover & reduce Heat to Low for 20-25 minutes.  **If the leftover braising liquid is too thick, cook it in the Microwave for 1-2 minutes**

2.  Add the Turkey

3.  Mix in the remaining Braising Liquid & Vegetables (Be sure that the herbs have been removed at this point)

4.  Bring back to a Gentle Boil, then Simmer for 10 min

5.  Serve & Enjoy!

As you serve this soup for leftovers, you may have to cut in some water from time to time since the rice & lentils will slowly continue to absorb the liquid.  I guess it all depends on how thick you like your soup.  I personally add Triscuits to mine.  So Good!!

What a perfect soup as we fully embrace fall temps, even in Texas!

See you next time, your favorite neighborweb monkey!

TURKEY and SWEET POTATO OMELETTE (a 3 banana level difficulty)

At this point, you may be in the same boat as me.  I have a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers.  I do like to re-create the Thanksgiving Dinner Feast, but eventually I need to do something different with those leftovers.

Let me introduce the "Turkey & Sweet Potato Omelette" a Thanksgiving leftover production!

The hardest part of this is actually cooking the omelette.  Don't worry, you'll be able to handle this.  Let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
3-4 Eggs per Omelette
Kosher Salt to Taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
1 c Fresh Spinach
1/4 Avocado per Omelette - Sliced
Shredded Cheese (Stella Fontinella is what I used)
Olive Oil (or Coconut Oil)
Leftover Turkey - Torn/Cut into small pieces
Leftover Sweet Potato Dish (optional) - www.anymonkeycan.com/2010/12/sweet-potato-hash.html

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Large Skillet
Medium Skillet
Rubber Spatula
Medium Bowl
Whisk

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Drizzle 1 T of Oil onto the Large Skillet & heat over Medium
2.  Add Thanksgiving leftovers (Turkey, etc) & cook until warm, about 6-8 minutes. 

3.  Add the Spinach to the Large Skillet & Cook until Wilted, about 3-5 minutes

4.  Heat 1 T of Oil in the MEDIUM Skillet over Medium Heat.  Whisk Eggs, Salt & Pepper in Medium Bowl until they fully combine.
5.  Pour the Egg mixture into the MEDIUM Skillet.

6.  As the Omelette cooks on the bottom & edges, use your Rubber Spatula to GENTLY lift up an edge, then SLOWLY tilt the pan so that the uncooked egg runs underneath the lifted edge & onto the pan.  Rotate the pan & repeat the Lift & Tilt method until most of the top of the omelette has been cooked.
7.  Sprinkle the ENTIRE omelette with Salt & Pepper
8.  Sprinkle half the omelette with the Cheese.
9.  Add the Turkey, Spinach etc on top of the 1/2 sprinkled with cheese.  Take care not to over fill.

10.  Using the Rubber Spatula, carefully Fold the omelette half over the top of your filling.
11.  Serve & Enjoy!!

There you go!  When you are tired of Turkey sandwiches, give a Turkey Sweet Potato Omelette a go!  I wonder what else I can do with Thanksgiving Leftovers...oh yeah, Turkey Lentil Rice Soup.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get that one posted!

Until next time, your friendly neighborweb Monkey!

BRAISED TURKEY (a 3 banana level difficulty)

There's not a shortage of different approaches to cook the Thanksgiving Bird.  Last year I went with Cook's Illustrated Butterflied Glazed Turkey.  It was delicious and it looked fantastic!  But it took a bit of work.  In the past I tried the "shopping bag" cooking technique.  One year it was the Deep Fried Turkey.  Delicious, but the fact that you not only Deep Fried the Turkey, you also injected a butter/oil mixture in the skin was a little over the top for me. 

This year I tried another Cook's Illustrated inspired Turkey event, Braising the Bird!  To simplify things I opted only for the Turkey Breast. 

Just a heads up, you start the brining the night before or first thing in the morning.

BE SURE TO ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME TO ALLOW THE TURKEY TO THAW. This info is usually on the packaging and can take 3-4 days depending on the size of your bird. 

So....

'Anymonkeycan' Braise the Bird for Thanksgiving (or anytime) and 'this monkey' will show you how!

WHAT YOU NEED:
7-8 lb Whole Bone-in Thawed Turkey Breast
Freshly Ground Pepper
1/2 c Salt
1/2 c Sugar
2-3 Red Onions - Chopped
2-3 Celery Ribs - Chopped
2-3 Carrots - Peeled & Chopped
5-6 Garlic Cloves - Peeled & Crushed
2-3 Bay Leaves
6 Sprigs Fresh Fennel
6 Sprigs Fresh Mint
6 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
1 oz Dried Mushroom Medley - Rinsed
3-4 T Unsalted Butter - Melted
4 c Low Sodium Chicken Broth
3/4 c Dry White Wine

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Large Pot/Container for brining
Deep Roasting Pan
Aluminum Foil
Paper Sack Square or Parchment Paper (12x16")
Cooking Thermometer

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  In 1 Gallon of Cold Water, Dissolve the Sugar & Salt.  Lower the Breast into the Brining Solution making sure it is fully covered by the water, then cover the Container & store in the Refrigerator 4-8 hours.

2.  Pre Heat Oven to 500 deg after adjusting oven rack to the lower-middle position.
3.  In the Roasting Pan, mix together the Onions, Celery, Carrots, Garlic, Mushrooms & Herbs.  Arrange in an even layer & Drizzle with Butter.

I wish my Roasting Pan was just a little bit deeper!

4.  Remove the Breast from the Brine & pat dry with paper towels.  Place the Breast on top of the bed of Vegetables & Herbs.  Brush the Turkey Breast with the remaining Butter, then Sprinkle with Pepper

A special thanks to Chef Pastry Brush!

5.  Place in the Oven for 25-30 minutes or until the Skin is lightly tanned (add 5-10 min if needed).
6.  Reduce Oven temp to 325 deg & Remove the Bird from the oven.  Pour the Broth & Wine around the Breast.

I should have left it in the 500 deg oven for another 5-10 min for some more browning.

7.  Place a Piece (about 12x16") of a Paper Sack (avoid ink & glued areas) or Parchment Paper over the top of the Bird, then cover the Roasting Pan & Bird tightly with Aluminum Foil.

"Whew, this is hard work!  I need a break!"

8.  Place the covered Pan back into the Oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the Breast reaches 160 deg.
9.  Move the Bird to the Cutting Board & cover loosely with Aluminum Foil for 20 minutes

"Oh man, this smells great!"

10.  Time to Eat!

See that Turkey Dripping/Vegetable/Wine/Stock in the background?  That has the making of a Post Thanksgiving Soup in its future.

I see me making this again next year.  This was incredibly moist & delicious!  And remember that bed of vegetables & aromatics we poured the stock & wine over in the beginning?  Now it has been inundated with the goodness of Turkey Drippings.  It will soon become (and be posted) "Thanksgiving Leftovers Lentil & Rice" soup!

Happy Thanksgiving & until next time...

your favorite neighbor web monkey!

CRANBERRY SAUCE with PEAR & ROSEMARY (a 3 banana difficulty level)

I've never been a fan of Cranberry Sauce at Thanksgiving or at least what I always thought was Cranberry Sauce.  It really does beg the question, 'Should Cranberry Sauce be the shape of a can?'  Yeah, probably not.  I decided to give it another shot this Thanksgiving.  A made from scratch version that is.

Here's a 'monkey-fied' version of Cook's Illustrated Cranberry Sauce.  Let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 t of Coconut Oil (or Olive Oil)
1 Shallot - minced
2 t Fresh Rosemary - chopped
1/2 t Kosher Salt
1/3 c Water
1/3 c Orange Juice
1/4 c Apple Cider Vinegar
1 c Packed Brown Sugar
12 oz Fresh Cranberries
2 Bosc Pears - Peeled, Cut in 1/4" pieces (D'anjou Pears may work well)
1 Lemon - Wide Strips of Zest & Peeled Segments

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Medium Sauce Pan
Vegetable Peel to Zest the Lemon

WHAT YOU DO:

1.  Over Medium Heat in the Saucepan, Heat the Coconut Oil thoroughly
2.  Add the Shallot, Rosemary, & Salt; Saute for about 1-2 minutes.
3.  To the Saucepan, add Water, OJ, Vinegar, & Brown Sugar; Increase heat to High & bring to a Simmer.  Stir frequently until Brown Sugar is Dissolved.

4.  Add 1 1/2 c (half) of Cranberries, as well as the Pears, Lemon Segments & Zest; let it return to a Simmer, then reduce heat to Medium Low stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes to allow the Cranberries to breakdown & the Sauce to thicken.

5.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 c of the Cranberries, simmer & stir occasionally until the "new" Cranberries soften & just begin to burst; about 6-8 min.
6.  Ideally, allow to cool, then store in the refrigerator overnight.  However you can cool for 1-2 hours, then serve.

This tastes GREAT with Thanksgiving Turkey!  I'm glad I gave 'real' Cranberry Sauce a try.  It's well worth it!

I do think the next I make this recipe, I'll try D'anjou Pears instead of the Bosc.  Either that, or cook the Pear a bit longer.  For me, it was still a bit too crunchy in the final product.

Enjoy and 'anymonkeycan' cook great tasting 'Real' Cranberry Sauce because 'this one' just did!

Until next time, your friendly neighborweb monkey!