Best Thanksgiving Turkey

 Place the still frozen turkey, breast up in a roasting pan (2 1/2 to 3" sides)  Make an aluminum foil tent that covers all of the breast and thighs.  This tent should be loose fitting so as to make it easy to pull off for browning and so the skin will not stick to it.

Place the turkey in a cold oven, turn the oven to 250 degrees and use the time schedule to approximate cooking time.  Your total time may differ, depending on oven.  A meat thermometer should be inserted into the center of the breast tissue about half way through the roasting period.  Pop-up timers are set for around 180-185 degrees, and will not have popped up at 170 degrees.  Cooking the turkey over 170 degrees causes the turkey to be dry.

To brown the bird, remove the foil tent for the last 15-20 minutes of the roasting time and turn the oven up to 400 degrees.

Roasting time at 250 degrees

8 lbs  -  7 1/2 hours

10 lbs  -  9 1/2 hours

12 lbs  -   11 hours

15 lbs  -  13 1/2 hours

18-20 lbs  -  15 1/2 hours

FROM: Susan Jaggi via newspaper

Oven Baked Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe

 Ingredients

• 2½ cups long-grain white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth (I use two cubes of chicken bouillon dissolved into 2 cups hot water.)
• 3 cups hot water
• 2 limes
• 6 tbsp softened butter or canola oil
• ¾ tsp salt, divided
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (or ¼ tsp garlic powder or dehydrated garlic)
• ¼ cup chopped onion (or ¾ tsp onion powder or 1 tbsp dehydrated onion)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves, very loosely packed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a 9x13 pan combine rice, chicken broth, water, the juice of ONE of the limes, butter OR oil, ½ tsp of the salt (reserve the other ¼ tsp for after rice is cooked), crushed garlic, and chopped onion.
3. Next, carefully stir to distribute ingredients evenly, cover with foil, and place in the 350-degree oven and bake for 1 hour.
4. Remove rice after 1 hour. In a small bowl, mix the juice of the second lime, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, and ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves. Pour mixture over baked rice and stir carefully until well combined.
5. Serve and Enjoy!

FROM: Real Life Dinner

Instant Pot Smoky Honey Cilantro Chicken

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup salsa verde or tomatillo salsa
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional, but delicious)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2-3 cloves, finely minced
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Whisk together the salsa verde, honey, liquid smoke, chili powder, salt, dried oregano, cumin, garlic powder (or fresh garlic), smoked paprika, and black pepper.
• For the Instant Pot: Add the salsa verde mixture to the insert of the Instant Pot. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. 
• Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before manually releasing the rest of the pressure. 
• Shred the chicken with two forks (right in the Instant Pot). Stir in the fresh cilantro and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
• For the Slow Cooker: Add the salsa verde mixture to the insert of a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. 
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours. If the mixture starts to look dry during cooking, add 1/2 cup or so chicken broth to the slow cooker and continue cooking. 
• Shred the chicken with two forks (right in the slow cooker). Stir in the fresh cilantro and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
• For serving: serve the chicken as desired in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, on salad, etc.

FROM: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

The Best Chocolate Zucchini Cake

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup buttermilk (see note)
• ½ cup (113 g) melted coconut oil, avocado oil, canola oil or vegetable oil
• 2 cups (283 g) finely shredded zucchini
• 1 ½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (43 g) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. I always use an aluminum/metal baking pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, sugar, buttermilk and oil.
• • Stir in the shredded zucchini.
  • Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, soda and baking powder.
  • Stir until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
  • Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 25-35 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Let cool completely.
  • Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened chocolate whipped cream (see note) or spread with chocolate frosting and cut into squares.

  NOTES

  Zucchini: I don't squeeze any excess liquid out of the zucchini for this recipe; however, previously frozen, shredded zucchini tends to be a bit more liquidy so if using thawed zucchini that's been frozen, you might drain slightly.

  Frosting: this cake is delicious all by itself! But it's also super tasty with chocolate frosting or my favorite, lightly sweetened chocolate whipped cream. For the cream, combine 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder (Dutch-process cocoa powder is delicious here but you can use natural, unsweetened too), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Whip until thick and creamy.

  Bundt Pan: my Aunt Marilyn says this recipe works great in a bundt pan - bake for about 45-50 minutes.

  Buttermilk: here are some buttermilk substitutions if you don't have buttermilk on hand.
  FROM:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe 

Avocado Chicken Salad

 

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice, or a combination of both
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
• Pinch black pepper, I use coarsely ground pepper

Salad:

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (see note)
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh (cooked) or frozen and thawed
• 2 medium/large ripe avocados, peeled and diced
• ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Optional Add-ins:

• Halved cherry tomatoes
• Cooked, crumbled bacon
• Feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS 

• In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.
• Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Add optional add-ins if desired. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

  • Serve immediately. If making ahead of time, mix everything together except the avocados. Refrigerate the salad and stir in chopped avocados right before serving.

  NOTES

  Nutrition Facts: the nutrition facts for this recipe were calculated based on the salad (but do not include the optional add-ins as those are added based on personal preference). 

  For the chicken: a rotisserie chicken works great as does marinated grilled chicken (this lemon garlic grilled chicken is my favorite and super delicious in this salad) or even canned, drained chicken, if that’s your thing.
  
  FROM:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe