Category Archives: Autumn

IMG_0654In many ways, tossing a turkey in the oven is simply one of the easiest dishes for Thanksgiving. With minimal maintenance hours later the turkey pops out ready for carving. However, there are a few simple methods that can give you a higher possibility of having the tastiest bird ever. And it is not brining the bird every 20 minutes… I am lazy and skip that opting for these tips below:

1. Brine it! 

Ever since I have started brining, I have been very, very, satisfied with my turkeys. It is all about the brine, baby. It is surprisingly simple to make the brine, but a large container for submerging the bird, an XXL Ziploc bag or brining bags are needed to complete the mission.

The simple way to brine is to bring the following up to a boil:
1/2 gallon of water
1 cup of kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar up to a boil

Simmer until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Cool. Once it is no longer steamy hot, stir in another 1 1/2 gallons of ice packed water. It will now finish cooling.

Submerge the bird.

If it is not fully under the brine, add water until it is. You may need to double the brine recipe if your bird is gigantic or your container is too big. Next pull out the bird, air or towel dry and then follow your favorite turkey recipe.

Rest at least 8 hours up to 24 hours. Overnight is the general rule. Last year, I was super lazy and tired. I didn’t fully submerge my bird (space was an issue) and we fully intended to flip it several times. I failed miserably and while the turkey was fine, it was oddly half-brined with a strange combination of delicious and then ho-hum pieces. Learn from my mistake and fully submerge!

Bags are awesome for this, too. I know where my bag is located (couldn’t find it last year- hence the issue) and I am excited to use it this Thanksgiving.

Of course, if you want to follow a more detailed, flavorful recipe, try my Cranberry Spice Brined Turkey.

2. Want a Crispy Skin? Butter it up! 

If you brined your turkey, let the skin dry out a bit in the air before cooking or pat dry with towels/paper towels.

Next, generously rub the turkey with a big old stick of butter. I am serious about being generous with the butter, the goal is for it to penetrate down into the flesh. Better yet, if you can slip some of the butter below the skin directly on to the flesh, even better. Olive oil can work as well, but it is more challenging to maneuver and massage in.

If you skipped the brine, season it with at least a 1/2 cup of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper everywhere, too.

If you want an even more flavorful skin and bird, try my Herb Roast Turkey.

3. Cook it Breast Side Down

The juice from the legs and thighs will run into the breasts which have a tendency to get dry by the time the legs have cooked through.

Also, this gives the skin on the legs and thighs have an additional opportunity to get a bit crispy and flavorful, too. (Have you noticed? I am a big fan of the skin!)

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If you want some of the juices from the bird going into the stuffing, just pour some drippings across the stuffing afterwards. I prefer a super moist stuffing, but find that a homemade turkey, chicken or vegetarian broth is all I need to satisfy that flavor. Also, since I often have a vegetarian guest or two, this gives them another dish to enjoy.

The stuffing can often cause issues when being cooked inside the bird. It means, you have to cook the bird longer to ensure the bird and the stuffing are all safe.

And it is messy. Ugh. Since I am hardly neat and tidy when it comes to cooking (I try, I swear!) I cut out messy when necessary.

Rarely, is the cavity empty though! I usually toss in a few handfuls of onion quarters, apples, oranges, lemons and a bouquet of herbs. Just fill it about half full in big chunks with lots of space in between. If desired, some of these fruits & veggies can be chopped and added into the stuffing as well afterwards.

5. Use a thermometer

There are certainly methods to check the turkey, such as pulling the leg up and out to reveal juices that run clear, but a thermometer is crazy helpful when you are running around the kitchen multitasking as I so often do on T-day when the turkey is needing my attention.

Test your thermometer if possible or buy a new one if you are unsure. I am a big fan of this remote thermometer, since I can stick it in the thigh and close the oven door.

Once you hit 160 degrees, check the rest of the bird in a few of the thickest parts (center of the breast, center of the thigh, deep in the joint where it meets the body) the goal is for at least 160, but hitting 165 is considered safest.

6. As John Lennon said…

Let it be, let it be,
Let it be, yeah, let it be…

Remove the turkey from the oven and cover with a lid or tent of foil. Allow it to rest and come up to temperature, at least 10-15 minutes. The internal temperature should usually come up to about 170-175.

This also gives you an opportunity to place all of the side dishes in the oven to finish warming up. I try to make sure most of my sides are warm before this final heating process, but if that is not possible, I blast the heat in my oven (about 425) making sure everything is tightly covered and moist. I have more tips about making side dishes and the whole meal in general, too… coming soon, so stay posted!

I certainly could go on from here, but these are the tips I share off the top of my head whenever I am talking turkeys!

What do you always do for your turkeys? Or what tips have you been curious to try?

Let me know below!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well! xoxo,

Chef Lilly  IMG_0683

photo-143Just after graduating from college, I remember browsing through a bookstore and spoting a cutie-pootie on the cover of a cookbook called the Naked Chef. Soon after, I moved to San Luis Obispo to live closer to my family and actually moved in with my older sister, bro-in-law and their four sweet little ones. Living about three hours from my dearest college friend, meant I traveled up there frequently to hang out and enjoy the city life. One of my favorite parts about visiting was her and her roomies was that they had one of Jamie Oliver’s books. I can no longer remember which, but I would skim the pages while crashing on their pull-out bed and dream of making Fresh Beet Pastas and beautiful salads.

During this time, I remember seeing him prepare a Roasted Chicken in Milk and I always wanted to try it. Clearly, I managed to keep that memory strong for at least 10 years.

Recently, we decided to have our milk delivered and we intentionally buy just a bit too much milk. My idea was it would force me to make cheese & yogurt from scratch. I have had much success with ricotta. And Lulu has become the yogurt queen. But, I have yet to make Mozzarella- although, I made a botched batch that turned into a delightful ricotta instead.

Prior to dinner, knowing I had a happy chicken to roast up, I looked into the fridge and realized we had at least a gallon more than necessary, since the milk man was coming again the next day. Suddenly, the Milk Chicken recipe came flooding back and not long after it was assembled and in the oven.

I made a few minor changes. I can’t find my cinnamon sticks (long story, about not unpacking all of my spices yet. Argh.), so that was scratched. I used the zest of only one lemon, mostly because it was a big lemon. But, I was generous with the sage and garlic.photo-142

Of course, I couldn’t let the chicken have all the fun.

With a large bag of ripe pears sitting on the table, I cut them into similar sized, rustic-style chunks and tossed them with slices of onions and a generous splash of olive oil and sprinkle of salt. I pushed the casserole dish onto the bottom shelf below the roasting chicken and prepared the kale in large torn pieces. I massage the kale with olive oil and more salt, too. Once the pears and onions were ready for a playdate, I added the kale and piled the hot goodness on top of the bed of greens. The were back for a few more minutes altogether. Some of the kale became crisp, while others melted. The flavors merged together to make a comforting, yet refreshing side dish.

This is important: The milk sauce of Jamie’s Milk Chicken will be more of a flavorful juicy mess of curds and whey rather than some sort of creamy concoction. This sauce is the liquid gold, although the look is hardly reflective of the flavor. In other words, it is grey, curdled, awkward. Have a hearty artisan bread on stand by to scoop the goodness up or consider drizzling it across a steamy pile of grains such as wild rice or farro. Whatever you do, dive into this sauce. Love it like that geeky, awkward kid that you once were. And whatever you do, try this jazzy little Autumn side dish with it. You will not regret the main dish or the side.

Roasted Pear &  Kale

Experts claim that ED treatments, cialis generic tabs including oral medications, implants, vacuum devices, or pumps, are underutilized. Once they both were alone and Micheal initiated sex. welcomed it and both of them were generic cialis viagra soon on their birthday suits. You can use this herbal cure cialis sale online http://pdxcommercial.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/B39-New-Brochure.pdf twice or thrice per day. This absolute wonder creation of Eli Lilly pharmaceutical house in super cheap viagra the international drug market. 2 small sweet onions (one medium will work, too)
2-3 pears
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large bunch of kale

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cut the onions each into six quarters. If it is a medium onion, cut a bit smaller.

Cut the pears in half and remove the cores. Cut the pears into 2 inch pieces. Toss the onions and pears with a generous splash of the olive oil and half of the salt in a large casserole dish. Roast for about 10 minutes until the onions are sweating and the pears have a hint of color.

Wash the kale and dry it. Tear it into large pieces. Toss the kale with the remaining olive oil, salt and massage the oil into the leaves.

Push the pears and onions to the side of the pan. Pile the kale into the casserole dish and then scoop the pears and onions on top of the kale. Roast for 10 minutes. Toss and continue roasting until the kale is your desired tenderness.

photo-141

IMG_4448

Nasturtiums, Arugula, Kale, Tomatoes, Summer Squash & Blossoms, Basil

It has been awhile since I have posted here, as this past year has been packed with distractions. But, I have to admit it has been overflowing with joy as we  moved back to Colorado, bought a new home and the peak of the year was welcoming our sweet, full of smiles, son into this world. Fortunately, Kaycie has been keeping you up on the beautiful ways to fill your life with health. I am ever grateful not only for her friendship, but her generosity to me and my family during this crazy, packed with blessings year.

One of the joys of buying a new home was finding one with a large (albeit abandoned) garden box. We have made attempts in the past to garden, but I often claim that despite two parents with a couple green thumbs each, I received a recessive gene with a sad brown thumb. Maybe, just maybe, with the help of experienced gardening friends, that will change…

We moved into our home on May 10th, my daughter’s birthday, and within a couple of week’s we sectioned half of the garden box off and filled it with dirt. We were only a couple of weeks behind Colorado’s recommended start time. We filled that half of the box with five tomato plants, radishes and a variety of my favorite greens including arugula, chard, two types of kale and a mix of lettuces.

The radishes came up and were harvested quickly. They were delicious, but they mostly inspired us to plant more. The tomatoes were the most exciting we have ever grown and they managed to take over the rows of greens we had planted. So, we filled the other side of the box with more of “Mel’s mix” as a dear family friend and master gardener recommended and then filled it with summer squash and several big pots of basil that I kept collecting from the grocery store.

I recently heard the biggest mistakes made by new gardeners is crowding and overwatering. We clearly fit the mold, but for the first time we were complaining about the abundance rather than the lack. Okay, we didn’t actually complain about the delights coming from our garden, rather we were thrilled and then we started looking at the rest of our backyard which was full of dirt, mud and weeds and examined the hours of sun in certain areas. We also have huge, old trees, so we mapped out a plan to expand our garden beyond the box and fill it with even more delicious food.

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Just last week, we had our first snow and the following night our first frost here in the Denver metro area. A few days before, I looked around at the tomatoes that were started late, with half green, half almost red fruit all over it and the summer squash which seemed to have a rebirth after the intense rain storms and sunny weeks that followed. As I heard warnings of snow, I imagined these plants freezing and figured I would call my favorite Rocky Mountain gardener. When I called Kaycie she was in the process of harvesting everything she could from her plants and recommended I follow suit.

Later that day, just before dinner, we picked our final harvest. Within 48 hours most of the plants were shriveled and brown, but a week later we are still munching away on summer.

Have you harvested summer yet? Or are you still a few days/weeks from your first frost? Tell us about it in the comment section!

Happy Harvest Time! With joy,

Lilly

I’ve been checking on our stores from the garden this week.  Potatoes, parsnips and apples have moved to the downstairs fridge, garlic, onions and shallots are in our cool basement, winter squash is in a large pile in the kitchen serving the dual purpose of decoration and dinner, and popcorn has been taken off the cob and is dry enough for popping.  I’m debating whether to harvest the carrots now before this next storm or just keep digging them up as we need them.  I also finally got the garlic into the garden and covered it over with dried up parsnip greens to wait for springtime sprouting. We are bringing things indoors and getting ready for the cold months ahead.

During the summer our energy is all about the external.  We run fast, play outdoors, soak up sun and eat fresh, light foods.  As the light fades and we move towards winter solstice, our energy moves inwards.  We reconnect with activities that require more mental focus such as work and school.  Autumn is a season of Gathering–bring our harvest in and bring our energies in so we have sustenance for the cold months ahead.

Autumn holidays are wonderful expressions of what we experience during this season.
With Thanksgiving coming up this week, we are reminded of the importance of being with our loved ones.  We are making plans to gather together, reconnect, and rekindle the human relationships that support us through the winter.  And there is no better showcase for the foods of the season than Thanksgiving.  You need look no further to get an intuitive feeling for fall support foods than your menu for dinner this Thursday.

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As I have mentioned in other posts, the primary systems that need support in the fall are the immunity and upper respiratory system.  Coming back indoors and spending more time in close quarters with people means that colds, flus, and other infections become far more common.  Beets and crucifers help to detoxify the system, and apples and pears contain pectins that improve elimination. These both help the body can fight infection more effectively.  Onions and garlic are highly antimicrobial.  Mushrooms boost the activity of immune cells.  And winter squash and sweet potatoes are warming to the system.  Also, don’t forget the spices of the season:  ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves all improve circulation and the movement of lymph to quickly resolve colds and flus.

One last thing to remember is the star of the Thanksgiving show: the bird.  If you have the good fortune to end up with a turkey carcass, put it to good use!  Bone broths are an excellent support for the immune system.  All of our blood cells including our immune cells are manufactured in the marrow of our bones.  When we boil the bones of an animal (be it beef, chicken, turkey, or whatever mammal you happen to be eating) we mobilize those immune cell making parts of the animal and can consume them to nourish our own immunity.

Whatever your traditions are, enjoy this great festival this week and enjoy the opportunity to give yourself what is needed during this season: community and immunity.
Happy Thanksgiving!