My husband doesn't like dark meat so, even though it is my preference, it doesn't always make sense to get a whole big turkey just for the two of us. If we get a hankerin' for a turkey dinner, and it's only us, then I'll just get a bone-in breast.
I don't know about you, but I can't have turkey without stuffing. It just isn't right. One of my favorite stuffing recipes uses sausage and water chestnuts. The sausage adds moisture and flavor and the water chestnuts create wonderful texture.
Sausage Stuffed Bone-in Turkey Breast
1 (5-7 Lb.) Turkey Breast, Bone In, Skin On
Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning (Or Salt And Pepper To Taste)
1/2 Cup Butter
3/4 Cup Chopped Celery
1 4-Ounce Can Water Chestnuts, Drained and Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Lb Bulk Sausage
4 Cups Stale Bread Cubes
1/2 Tsp. Dried Sage Leaves
1/2 Tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
1 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
1/4 To 1/3 Cup Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Butter, Softened
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse turkey breast and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
In large skillet, brown the sausage until most of the pink is gone. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter and cook celery and onion until tender.
Return the sausage to the pan and add the rest of the ingredients (except 2 tbsp butter). Add chicken stock and toss until lightly moistened.
Loosely stuff the breast cavity, don't over stuff because the stuffing expands. In a large baking dish (I use a large cast iron skillet) place the breast, stuffing side down.
Loosely stuff the neck cavity and cover with skin flap. Rub the breast all over with the remaining butter. Sprinkle with Tony Chachere to taste.
If there is extra stuffing left over kind of pack it around the base of the breast and cover with foil. The foil will keep it moist and prevent it from burning.
Roast the turkey and stuffing at 350 degrees for 2 to 2-1/2 hours until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the meat reads 165 degrees F.
You can baste it if you want to but I find it unnecessary.
Serve with all your favorite fixin's.
This concoction is a match made in heaven. The sweet richness of vanilla bean mead mixed with coffee porter tastes like a beerific cappuccino whipped up a coffeehouse barista.
Javanilla Cocktail
2 Ounces Saphouse Meadery Vanilla Bean Mead
11 Ounces Berkshire Brewing Dean's Beans Coffeehouse Porter
Pour chilled vanilla mead into a 16 ounce glass. Top with coffee porter.
Enjoy!
This ain't your gramma's apple pie!
The apples are marinated in beer so when they get put into the crust their pretty well sauced.
As for the crust, I would almost rather chew glass than make pie crust from scratch. I literally want to chuck the dough across the room when it comes time to roll it out. But this crust is a must-do! Beer and sharp cheddar cheese mixed into the dough make this crust amazing!
Beerific Apple Pie With Rustic Cheddar Beer Crust
Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6-8 tbs pale ale or wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter
Filling:
7 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
16 oz pale ale or wheat beer
1 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbs flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch
Note: I used Samuel Adams Summer Ale in the crust and a combination of the Summer Ale and Boston Lager for the apples. Delish! (I drank what was left in the bottles :D)
Combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix until well combined. Add the remaining flour and continue mixing for about a minute.
Move to a bowl and add the cheese and 6 tbs beer, mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix. If the dough is too dry, add more beer until the right consistency is reached.
Split into two equal sized portions and form into disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and chill until very firm, about two hours. Because this dough is so soft, it is very important for the pie dough to be very cold and very firm.
Place the apples, lemon juice and 16 ounces of beer in a bowl and allow to soak at room temperature for 2 hours. If the apples are not fully submerged, toss every half hour to redistribute. Remove the apples from the beer and allow to drain and dry for about 30 minutes, or until fully dry.
Preheat oven to 350.
Add the apples and the remaining filling ingredients to a bowl and toss to coat.
On a well floured surface, place one of the disks, add flour to the top of the disk as well. Roll out into an even thickness.
Add you pie dough to a pie pan and press into shape, removing any excess. Add the filling.
Roll out the second disk of pie dough and add to the top of your pie. Press the top crust and the bottom crust together at the edges, cut holes to vent steam.
Brush with 2 tbs melted butter.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cover the edges with foil of the edge starts to brown too quickly.
One of the ways I save money is by making my own trail/energy mix in bulk. I'll make a huge batch and then vacuum seal them. The mix stays fresh until I need to refill the container I keep on the kitchen counter for snacks.
Getting the ingredients in bulk from BJ's, Costco or Amazon definitely saves money.
Easy to make and you can add whatever you like.
My basic mix includes the following:
56 Ounce Can Mixed Nuts
10 Ounce Dried Chopped Dates
10 Ounce Craisins
10 Ounce Raisins
16 Ounce Planters Peanuts
Sometimes I'll add dried bananas, prunes, M&M's and/or chocolate chips.
I mix that all together in a gigantic mixing bowl. Then I divide it into equal portions and vacuum seal it with my handy-dandy food saver. You could even vacuum seal them into small packets so you'll have personal sized packets for the go.
If you read my blog with any kind regularity then you know that I try to cook everything from scratch whenever possible. It's my preferred method. However, sometimes reality doesn't allow me to spend so much time making a meal. So, yes, sometimes I cheat and take shortcuts. Shocking, I know!
This is one of my favorite cheater recipes using stuff I keep in the pantry for just such a dinner emergency. It basically requires very little work on my part and is yummy.
Stovetop Chicken Skillet
1-1/2 Cups Hot Water
1/4 Cup Butter Or Margarine, Melted
1 Pkg. (6 Oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix For Chicken
6 Small Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves (1-1/2 Lb.)
1 Can (10-3/4 Oz.) Condensed Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1/3 Cup Sour Cream
Mix hot water, butter and stuffing mix.
Brown chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 5 minutes on each side.
Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing; cover. Cook on low heat 10 min. or until chicken is done.
Note: If you have an anti-mushroom crowd like I do, then substitute pretty much any cream-of-whatever soup that floats your boat - like cream of chicken.
This is comfort food! A hugely flavorful recipe using chicken and beer. Easy to make, impressively delicious. An excellent dish to prepare for a social gathering or as a nice satisfying meal.
Beer-Braised Chicken & Peas
3 3/4 Pounds Chicken Parts
Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Small Red Onion, Finely Chopped
1/2 Cup Pale Ale, Such as New Albion Ale
2 Tablespoons Spicy Guinness Mustard (or Other Grainy Mustard)
2 Cups Frozen Peas, Thawed And Drained
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken all over with Creole seasoning or other seasoning of your choice.
In a large Dutch oven or other ovenproof deep pan, heat the oil over medium heat.
In batches cook the chicken in the hot oil, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes per side. Then transfer to a plate.
Add the onion to the pan and cook until the they start to brown, about 5 minutes.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the beer and mustard, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Return the chicken to the skillet, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes, turning chicken halfway through cooking time.
Transfer the chicken to a serving dish, keep as much of the saucy goodness in the pan as possible.
Place the skillet over high heat and add the peas. Cook until the peas are tender but still green and the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the sauce and peas over the chicken. Serve immediately.
Awesome with a side of smashed taters!
Sausage Stuffed Bone-in Turkey Breast
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