Avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters AND roast a Low calories turkey
First of all I want to wish my blog readers a happy Thanksgiving Day. On occasion of this I want to share you with Low calories turkey recipe and some tips to avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters.
Evade Problems in the First Place
Here's the best piece of advice we can share to ensure your Thanksgiving dinner is a success: Plan. (Or more specifically, plan, plan and then double-check your plan.) Two weeks beforehand, plan the menu. From there, assemble all your recipes. Then, make a shopping list.
Make as much ahead as you can. Plot out your cooking activities for the big day and—most importantly—the day before. Make yourself an hour-by-hour agenda that includes prep and cooking time for every recipe. What can be made ahead? Pies and cranberry sauce, for instance, can be completely prepared and baked the day before. Chop any vegetables for your stuffing, seal them in plastic bags (better than containers when space is at a premium) and refrigerate. If you're making stuffing with fresh breadcrumbs, prep those on Wednesday.
Give the turkey a head-start. You can roast the turkey earlier and keep it nicely warm for up to an hour: Remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the bird to a big platter or tray. Wrap very tightly with foil, and then cover with a heavy bath towel until you're ready to carve and eat.
Whether you're a veteran of Thanksgiving meal preparation or this is your first big feast, here's one more sanity saver: Ask for help. Graciously accept any offers from friends or family members who want to contribute a dish to the meal. And when guests arrive on the holiday, don't hesitate to put folks to work in the kitchen. That's where people will want to hang out, anyway.
Common Thanksgiving Mishaps (and How to Fix Them)
So, despite your best planning, you run into a kitchen problem on Thanksgiving Day (we won't call it a disaster). Here's how to resolve some common issues.
1. The sliced turkey is very dry!
The key to avoiding dry turkey is in the preparation. Many home cooks prefer to brine the whole turkey before roasting (this involves soaking the bird in a solution of water, salt, herbs and spices for several hours or overnight). Others soak a large piece of cheesecloth in melted butter and drape that over the bird. Roasting a stuffed turkey can also cause dryness. Whichever cooking method you choose, follow your recipe or directions carefully, and don't over-cook. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness: the temperature should be 180 degrees when you insert the thermometer deep into the thigh.
2. The pie crust is browning too quickly
Use foil to cover the crust only. For a 9-inch pie, cut roughly 10-inch circle of foil. Fold the circle in half, and then cut out the center, yielding a 3-inch-wide ring of foil. Place that ring over the crust and continue baking.
3. The gravy is lumpy
Pour the gravy through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps of flour or cornstarch.
4. The potatoes are done too early
This one's easy. Go ahead and finish preparing the mashed potatoes. Transfer them to a greased baking dish, dot them with butter and cover tightly with foil. They can be kept warm (or later re-warmed) in a 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
If your turkey still winds up a bit on the dry side, then heat up about 1 cup of chicken stock or broth, pour that over the sliced meat in a baking dish and wrap tightly with foil. Warm the moistened turkey in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
What is final piece of advice for everyone?
Just Relax. No one at your holiday table will go hungry
How to roast a Low calories turkey
Tasty way to cut the calories, not the tradition of roasting turkey
Ingredients needed
1 Whole Turkey (12 pounds)
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water
How to prepare low fat turkey
Nutritional
Amount per Serving
Calories: 203.4
Total Fat: 12.5 g
Cholesterol: 43.0 mg
Sodium: 1,155.5 mg
Total Carbs: 5.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
Protein: 17.3 g
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Clean turkey and place into a roasting pan with a lid.
2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic powder, dried basil, ground sage, salt and black pepper. Using a basting brush apply the mixture to the outside of the uncooked turkey. Pour water into the bottom of the pan and cover with the lid.
3. Bake for 3 to 3.5 hours or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh measures 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
4. Remove bird from oven and allow standing for about 30 minutes before carving.
Makes 15 servings
