Thanksgiving dinner

As the Holidays is just around the corner, I thought it would be nice to put together my favorites for the Holidays. I'll start with the Turkey and add my side dishes.  These recipes have been tweaked by me, with the exception of the Turkey recipe which I dare not and do not want to tweak.  The Pies are the ones I want to try this year!!

THE MOISTEST TURKEY

Ingredients
* 1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs.*
* Juice of a lemon
* Salt and pepper
* Olive oil or melted butter
* 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
* Tops and bottoms of a bunch of celery
* 2 carrots
* Parsley
* Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme

For precise cooking directions, go to:
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000037moms_roast_turkey.php

Otherwise here is the shorten version. 7 simple steps:
BRINE the turkey! Or in other words soak it in salt water

1. Remove the neck and giblets (heart, gizzard, liver). Use the heart and gizzard for making stock for the stuffing.
2. For flavor, put in inside the turkey a half a yellow onion, peeled and quartered, a bunch of parsley, a couple of carrots, and some tops and bottoms of celery.
3. Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey.
4. Add several sprigs of fresh (if possible) thyme and rosemary to the outside of the turkey.
5. Place turkey BREAST DOWN on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings
6. Start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350 F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half.
7. Check to see if it's done. The dark meat in the thigh should be about 175°F. The white meat in the breast should be 160°F to 165°F

                                                                    Green Beans Casserole

Ingredients

1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup diced onions or dry onions
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups cut green beans
1 can cream of chicken 
A handful of dry chow mein noodles

 1 cup grated Cheddar 

 Onion dip seasoning for taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in skillet. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Boil green beans for 10 minutes and drain. Mix all ingredients. Stir well. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.  Top with chow mein noodles after removing it from oven.

Mashed Potatoes

3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt 

1 cube of butter

4 slices of bacon, cooked to crispy and crushed up
 1/2 cup of half-and-half
6 cloves garlic, crushed
6 ounces grated Parmesan
  

                                                    Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallow

 Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt and garlic and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Drain and add the rest of the ingredients

• 4 potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or round slices
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups mini marshmallows or chopped regular marshmallows 
• Pinch of salt

1.  Cook potatoes in saucepan with cold water with salt Bring to a boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, and return to pan.
2. Remove pan from heat; add milk, butter, and nutmeg.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake until marshmallows are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

                                             Broccoli Avocado Spinach Salad 

 2 cups baby spinach
1 cup broccoli florets

 1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red cabbage, diced
1/2 large avocado, diced

1/4 cup of sliced almonds

1/4 cup of diced purple onions

Dressing:

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup of olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper
Small drizzle of maple syrup

  

PIES

Ingredients

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
4 to 7 tablespoons ice water or more, if needed

 

Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie

• All-purpose flour, for surface
• 1/2 recipe Basic Pie Dough
• 2 c. pecans
• 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1 c. light corn syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll 1/2 recipe to a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, fold edges under to align with the rim of the plate; crimp.
2. Scatter pecans, chips, and coconut over bottom of pie shell; place on a baking sheet. Whisk together sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter, and salt; pour into shell.
3. Bake until filling is set, 50 to 60 minutes (tent with foil if coconut becomes too dark). Cool, on a rack, at least 4 hours.

Nutella Swirl Pumpkin pie

For the Crust:

• 1 and 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the Filling:

• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 15 ounce can pure pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar, I prefer dark)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger¹
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves¹
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg¹
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Nutella, warmed (or 4 oz melted high quality chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)  Spray 9 or 8 inch pie dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. Grind up gingersnap cookies into a fine crumb. Mix with melted butter, and sugar. Press into prepared pie dish. Do not press the crust far up the sides of the dish, or the cookies will end up burning. About halfway up the sides. Bake crust for 10 minutes and allow to slightly cool.
2. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the Nutella) and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into pie crust. Drop spoonfuls of warmed Nutella (I usually kust stick in the microwave for 30 seconds) onto pie, swirling gently with a knife. Do not swirl too much, just lightly.
3. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is set. The center will still look wet but will not "jiggle" too much. Allow to cool completely and serve at room temperature. Pie is good up to 4 days covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. Pie freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Cha gio - Vietnamese Egg rolls

It would be a shame for me to not include this recipe in my favorite recipes website.  Whenever I bring up Vietnamese egg rolls, my husband always has a story to tell.  When Dan met me, he had all sorts of questions for me.  He didn't believe that I grew up in Vietnam for half of my life.  With no accent he thought that what I meant was I was there for a visit 12 years ago.  He thought that my love for food meant just Vietnamese food but soon after learned that I just love all good food, no matter the region.  Growing up in Phoenix he felt like he doesn't know what good food to share from that region, but he was eager to learn what I've got to share.  He said still to this day, "that's why I married you.  You bring so much spice into my life that I lack".  Yes SPICE, that is the key for flavor.  Vietnamese food is all about the flavor not quantity.  Of course, we love quantity too because Vietnamese are little hobbits that like to eat all day.  First time he met my parents it was 11:00 at night.  They picked us up from the PHL airport and when we came home, a big bowl of Pho was served along with Vietnamese egg rolls.  Dan cringed his eyes when he saw the egg rolls.  He has had some not so good experiences with eggrolls, but they were Chinese eggrolls and they were filled with cabbage, hardly any meat, and usually fried in the worst egg roll wrappers.  I assured him that Vietnamese eggrolls have no cabbage, have lots of meat, and very tasty.  He took one bite and froze.  He said, "wow your mom's eggrolls are AMAZING!"  Yes, yes they are!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb of shrimp, chopped up (optional)
• 1 medium taro root or potato if you don't have taro, shredded (1/2 cup)
• ⅔ cup chopped onion
• ⅛ cup wood ear mushrooms, chopped (optional 
• ½ cup of carrots, shredded
• ½ cup bean thread noodles or clear vermicelli noodles
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 egg yolk (to help hold wraps together.  I work the white into the ingredients)

 
 Start rolling!!  Make sure you don't add too much in each wrap so that they don't take too long to fry and burn on the outside but not cooked in the center.  Drop them in hot oil and fry them up until they are golden brown!

My favorite Vietnamese dishes

There are some comfort food that I go to when I feel a bit homesick.  My parents would often fix these dishes 2-3 times a week.  One of my favorites is called Bun Thit Nuong.  My dad's favorite is beef but I think the rest of the family would say pork is their favorite.  You could substitute this pork recipe for either chicken, beef, or shrimp.  My parents would often add cha gio, or Vietnamese egg rolls, which is in another post that you could go to for the recipe within my blog.  Enjoy and take some pictures of your work!!

BUN THIT NUONG

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds pork, sliced
• 1 package rice vermicelli
• 4-6 egg rolls (optional)

Marinade

• 3 tablespoons onions, minced
• 1.5 tablespoons garlic, minced
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Vegetables

• mint or cilantro
• Vietnamese perilla – tiá tô
• cucumbers, sliced

Garnish

• Pickled daikon and carrots
• Scallion in oil 
• crushed peanuts

Dipping Sauce

• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
• 2 chilies peppers, thinly sliced

Bake the pork at 375F for 10-15 minutes


MI QUANG
Mi Quang is a noodle dish that is very popular in Da Nang, where I was born.  The best way to make Mi Quang is to buy the noodle fresh.  Luckily, we have Viet Wah here in the Seattle area where I could get the noodles freshly made the day of.  The noodles you use makes the biggest difference in this dish.  I have made it before with dry packaged noodles that I added tumeric to when I boiled but it did not even compared to fresh noodles.  This noodle dish does not require a lot of broth and for my husband who does not like soup very much, this is one of his favorites also. 
 
Ingredients

• Half a chicken (best chicken is free range chicken but you may use any) 
• 5 cups of chicken broth
• 2 tbspTurmeric and paprika
• 2 oz fish sauce
• 1 oz peanut oil
• Pearl onions (củ nén) or garlic 
• Spices: fish sauce, salt, chicken stock, pepper, sugar, chilli sauce
• lettuce, radish leaves, cilantros
• Toppings: green onion, roasted peanut, grilled rice cracker, lemon, green chilli

Directions:
– Chop chicken into small pieces, marinade with 1tsp of fish sauce, chicken stock, sugar and pepper. Cover and leave in fridge for several hours or overnight.  When ready, smash củ nén and fry until it turns golden. Then add in smashed turmeric and 1tsp fish sauce and mix them for about 1 min.
Add in marinated chicken, mix and leave it for 10 mins. Then add in water to approx. the level of chicken.
Cover the lid, turn to low heat and leave it there for 20 mins.  Add chicken broth and cook until it boils.
Serve up!

BANH XEO (Vietnamese dinner crepes)

My memory of eating banh xeo is this:  It's rainy outside, time to crush up some rice and make some banh xeo.  My aunt will tell you that there is no need to buy the banh xeo mix or rice flour, just put the raw rice in a bowl and add water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for 3 to 4 hours. Drain rice and transfer to a blender.  There are 3 ways to make this.  If you want to do it from scratch, here is the recipe for the batter:

Ingredients

Crepe batter with regular jasmine rice

• 1 cup raw jasmine or regular long-grain rice
  2 tablespoons firmly packed leftover cooked rice
  1 tablespoon firmly packed ground steamed mung bean*
  3/4 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  1/4 cup coconut milk, canned or freshly made*
  1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
  1 scallion, white and green parts, thinly sliced 
  
  
  Crepe Batter with Rice flour 

• Rice flour -- 1 cup
• Sugar -- 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt -- 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric -- 1/4 teaspoon
• Coconut milk -- 1 cup
• Water -- about 1/2 cup

 Or you could buy the packaged batter mix and follow the instructions on the bag
Filling
3/4 pound ground pork or thinly sliced boneless pork shoulder
1/2 pound shrimp
1 can (15 ounces) whole or broken straw mushroom or cabbage
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup oil

Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 cups Basic Dipping Sauce made with garlic

Vegetable Garnish Plate

2 heads leaf lettuce or Bibb lettuce
1 bunch mint leaves
1 bunch Thai basil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high flame and add shallots or scallions and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes without browning. Add the shrimp and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. Add the fish sauce and salt to season. Remove shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
2. Wipe out the sauté pan and reheat over medium flame. Add a small amount of oil. Stir the crepe batter well and pour 1/2 cup batter into the saute pan. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Lay 3 or 4 of the cooked shrimp over one half of the crepe and then sprinkle a small handful of sprouts over the shrimp. When the the middle of the crepe looks cooked through and the edges of the crepe begin to brown, fold the crepe over to cover the filling and side onto a plate. 
3. Serve with lettuce or wrap up with spring rolls wraps