Belated Turkey Stuffing & Gravy, With or Without Giblets

Finally, pictures!

So I realize this may be a little late, but I'm sure you know how busy the day before Thanksgiving can be for household cooks. Since the turkey is in the oven as I type, I won't have my usual pictures until later this evening or tomorrow.

Mom and I tag-team Thanksgiving dinner, but she's happy to give me the "hard" projects - i.e. pies, stuffing and turkey. This stuffing recipe is an amalgamation of my mom's traditional recipe and several years of experimentation. There are many ways to alter this recipe to accommodate vegetarian diets and particular tastes. For Christmas, I use the same recipe but add a bag of fresh cranberries. They add lovely color and a delicious tang.

I should qualify that I've never actually measured any of these ingredients. This is my best approximation. Unlike baking, there's no chemistry going on here, so you can add and subtract to taste, but the important part of stuffing is moisture level. Simply be sure to have enough liquid so that the stuffing is moist but NOT wet. It's ok if you come up short on the liquid; you can always drizzle a little water over the stuffing until it's the right moisture.

Makes stuffing for one 20-25 lb turkey, usually with enough left over to fill a small crock pot. If you aren't stuffing a bird or if you're a vegetarian, this stuffing cooks beautifully in a crock pot. More directions on that to follow.

Ingredients:
3 loaves bread, cubed and dried. (Some notes about the bread: Do yourself a favor and don't go cheap. A variety of artisan breads make an enormous difference over cheap Aunt Millie's or Wonderbread. I like to use a combination of crusty white sourdough, chewy multigrain and honey whole wheat. So suck it up, go to Panera or the artisan bread section of your grocery store and get the GOOD stuff. Also, make sure bread is completely dry. If you're short on time, lay the bread out in a shallow, wide pan and dry in the oven at 150 degrees.)

1 onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cups portobello or baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
1 head roasted garlic (diced is ok too, but not as mellow)
1/4 cup fresh sage, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh thyme, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, finely diced (while you can substitue dried herbs, fresh herbs make a world of difference. I recommend keeping an herb box in your house to make dishes like this fresher and more fragrant.)
1 Tblsp. salt (kosher or fresh ground is best)
1 Tblsp. black pepper
1 tsp. curry powder
3 cups chicken broth (or 3 cups water mixed w/ 2 Tblsp. or 6 cubes chicken bullion)

Sautee celery, mushrooms, onion, herbs and spices in a wide, deep pan until lightly browned. Next, mix in chicken broth and cook until warm. Place cubed, dried bread in a large bowl and slowly drizzle broth mixture over bread, stirring constantly. Stop pouring when the bread becomes moist but NOT wet. If you have leftover broth mixture, strain out vegetables and put in the stuffing, using leftover broth for gravy. If bread is still dry, drizzle warm water until it's the proper moisture.

Stuff turkey until full, being careful not to pack stuffing too tightly. If you're using a crock pot instead, place stuffing in a turkey roasting bag and place in 3 inches of water in a crock pot. Poke 3 holes in the bag and slow cook for 5 hours.

It's easy!

Turkey was awesomely moist - the secret is low heat & oven bags.

If you are making a turkey, here are some tips on what to do with giblets, neck and gravy:

Giblets
Most people think giblets are pure yuck. Mom and I love gizzard and heart, and if it were just us at Thanksgiving dinner we would chop them finely and throw them in with the stuffing - which is the traditional way of cooking them. However, to prevent grossing out your guests (and wasting the giblets, if you love them like me), coarsely dice the gizzard and heart and boil along with the neck on low for 4-5 hours. This will be the broth for your gravy, so even if you don't want to eat the giblets, I still recommend boiling them with the neck for flavor.

Gravy
Unless you're a vegetarian, boiled turkey neck makes the best gravy by far. I usually put the neck and giblets on to boil while I'm stuffing the turkey and let it boil until about an hour before dinnertime. When the neck is completely cooked and the meat is falling off the bone, remove the neck and let cool in a separate dish. When it's cool enough, separate the meat from the bone. Season the broth to taste with salt, black pepper and chicken bullion, then thicken using 1/2 flour and 1/2 corn starch until desired thickness (remember to SIFT flour and corn starch, whisking constantly. Let the gravy boil before adding more, as boiling will thicken the liquid.) Finally, add neck meat. Done!

The entire meal together, in tablespoon-sized portions to save room for pie.

What do you think, Reagan?

As with every Thanksgiving, this year I'm thankful for my beautiful family. My mom's back-breaking holiday food traditions are the highlight of the year for me, and my husband is an absolute joy, as help in the kitchen and as food appreciator. What are you thankful for this year?

Venison Heart & Liver Steaks for the Backwoods Hemmingway Lovers

I know what you're thinking. Gross, right? I'm no fan of liver myself, but there are several factors that drive me to this post.

1: Having grown up on 40 acres with a father who hunted for sustenance made venison heart and liver a yearly tradition. It may make the vegetarians cringe, but the smell of freshly hung meat and simmering venison heart reminds me of childhood - in a very good way.

2: This year I hunted and caught the meat myself, and the harvest-to-table holistic chef in me can't pass up the opportunity to try my hand at what my grandparents considered high delicacies. Perhaps it's their "waste not" in me, perhaps it's the pride of foraging the land for food, or perhaps it's my kamikaze quest for extreme recipes. In any case, having fresh venison liver and heart is an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

3: My Pilipino husband and red-blooded Midwestern family truly enjoy these dishes. They're used to treating "yucky" scraps like delicacies, and I'm happy to humor them. After all, what meat could be healthier than wild deer - even if it is liver?

Additionally, venison heart is to die for, plain and simple. You will never find a more tender, rich, flavorful meat. OMG.

Before we get to the recipes, I have to brag. Here is my 5 point buck:

Isn't he awesome?

And here's my husband's 10 point buck:

Can you say "trophy"?

Ok, there's a story here. Long story short, my husband lives in the Land of Sunshine, and it was just his luck to land a 10 point buck on his first hunting expedition - ever. First time shooting a rifle, actually. I was tired of him whining about being left inside, and since I scored my buck early in the morning, I pushed him out the door with my dad's 45 after lunch. He waltzes back in with the heart and liver 2 hours later. And all the hunters say in unison, "AAAARRRRGH!"

Enough chest beating. Here's the recipe.

Chances are that if you have venison liver and/or heart, you probably obtained them yourself (or had them brought to you by a very happy hunter). So first we'll address cleaning.

Wash both thoroughly with lukewarm water, being careful to completely flush the heart chambers. The heart will need to have valves and ventricles trimmed off the top, leaving only the muscle. There is usually a layer of fat on the top of the heart, and I recommend trimming this back as well, since venison fat is not at all tasty.

Liver Steaks:

Slice the liver into 1/2 inch steaks, crossways. Pat them dry with some sturdy paper towels then let them air dry on the cutting board while you prepare the batter. Depending on the size of the deer, one liver usually yields 2-4 lbs, and I recommend setting half aside, sealing it in freezer paper AND freezer bags and putting it in the freezer for later - unless you have a house full of liver-hungry hunters.

Next, batter each liver steak evenly in dry Drakes batter (near the flour in the baking aisle). If you don't have Drakes, use my dry batter recipe:

1 cup white flour

1 cup fine ground corn meal

2 tblsp. coarse/kosher salt

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (don't worry, high-heat frying will all but eliminate the spiciness)

Prepare a large, deep skillet with oil on medium-high heat. I prefer to use virgin coconut oil - it has hands down the best flavor and nutrition, and it's excellent for high heat frying. However, I realize coconut oil is expensive and hard to get (look for your local food co-op), so if you need to use an alternative, use canola oil (never olive oil).

Fill the skillet with oil 1/4 inch deep. You want the oil to be hot before you fry, and you can test this by flinging drops of water off your finger into the oil. If it sputters and spits immediately, the oil is ready.

Meanwhile, prepare another pan with medium-high heat and fry sliced onions and bacon. For a special treat, use my caramelized onion recipe with 4-5 slices of bacon added to it.

Place the lightly battered liver steaks into the oil, making sure not to crowd them too much. Fry at high heat 2 minutes on each side, sprinkling each side with salt and pepper - don't overcook them! Remove from the oil and let drain on a paper towel for a few minutes before serving.

Serve the caramelized onions and bacon on top of the liver. Actually quite tasty, if you don't think about it too much.

Venison Heart Steaks:

Prepare and cook the heart exactly the same way as the liver, lessening the cooking time to 1 - 1 1/2 minutes on each side. You want the heart steaks to be slightly pink inside, so if you're unsure, take out a smaller piece and check the middle.

Heart steaks don't need caramelized onions to accompany them as much as liver. Their texture and flavor are far more tender and sweet, and I like them by themselves.

Another great way to cook venison heart is to simmer it whole in a crock pot for 6-8 hours, or until very tender. Stuff the heart chambers with sliced bacon, ginger, salt and black pepper before cooking. Once the heart is cooked, slice into 1/2 inch steaks and serve with a beef-based mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes. Try this gravy recipe:

2 cups water

2 tblsp. beef bullion concentrate (equivalent to 6 cubes)

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 lb. fresh sliced shiitake or portobello mushrooms (shiitake would be best, but portobellos are cheaper)

4 tblsp. flour

Dissolve the bullion, salt and pepper into boiling water, then carefully sift in the flour, whisking constantly. Add the mushrooms and boil until thick. If you'd like it thicker, add more flour.

Mmm! Tastes like Little House on the Prairie.

Easy, Cheesy Party Pizza

Just because pizza is party food doesn't mean it has to be saturated in grease and come from a cardboard box. Making pizza for parties is a tradition my mom started when I was in middle school, and it's become a staple for birthday parties, holiday parties and just-because parties.

It's always amazing how making food from scratch changes the chemistry of gatherings. Rather than everyone rushing to the pizza box, eating standing up then throwing their plates away and moving on to the next activity, the focus of the night shifts to the communal activities of making food, nourishing our bodies together and enjoying one another's company.

Pizza in particular is an amazing catalyst for community-style parties, because it's a longer process (you can only bake one pizza at a time!) and because everyone gets to take part by choosing toppings, watching and even engaging in the process. My kitchen-friendly friends often enlist to chop fresh vegetables, mix sauce and even assemble the pizzas. Overall, pizza-making parties can become reminiscent of gatherings which used to be traditional in Midwestern homes decades ago - like the kind my grandmother used to hostess.

Enough about food-making and community. Here's the recipe. (Makes 3 large pizzas or 4 thin crust)

Pizza dough:

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp honey/brown sugar

4 tsp (2 packages) baker's yeast

Activating the yeast. This is the trickiest part - follow these directions exactly, and you'll be fine. The water needs to be barely cool enough for you to hold your hand in it; if it hurts your hand, it will hurt the yeast. *Note: if you're using a metal or glass measuring cup, fill it with hot water to warm it first, otherwise it will lower the water's temperature.

Quickly dissolve the honey/sugar in the warm water, then dissolve the yeast in the sugar water. Mix out all the lumps with a wooden spoon, then set the mixture aside for 5 minutes, or until about 3 inches of foam have formed.

While waiting for the yeast to activate, mix:

4 cups flour (I like to use 1/2 whole wheat flour)

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup warm water

3 tsp salt

Once yeast is activated, add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and knead (if you're using a mixer, use a dough hook for this part. If you're kneading by hand, use a very lightly floured surface) until satiny and smooth.

Grease the bottom of a large bowl and place the dough in it, then place the dough in a warm place where it will not be bumped. A warmed oven is ideal, but DON'T forget you've put it there (that's the story of how I ruined my mom's favorite tupperware bowl).

Let the dough raise for 1 hour, or until tripled in size. Punch the dough down and knead the air out of it, then split it into sections (3 for regular large and 4 for medium thin crusts) and start rolling.

Tips on rolling pizza dough: squish each ball into a flat circle and knead flatter with your hands. Roll with a wooden or marble rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, turning over ever 3-5 rolls. The dough is very elastic, so it will take some muscle to get the dough the size you want. I like to toss mine intermittently to aerate the crust and make the rolling process go faster.

When the dough is a circle 1 inch bigger than your pizza pan, sprinkle your pan with corn meal and shift the dough onto the pan. With your finger, dampen the outside edge with water, then fold 3/4 inch in and press down with your fingers - like a pie crust. Now you're ready for sauce.

Fresh tomato, red peppers, poblano peppers, bella mushrooms, basil leaves and parmesean make this a high-powered Margarita pizza.

See? It's not hard.

Sauce:

1 14oz can tomato sauce

1 6oz can tomato paste

2 tblsp. parsley flakes

2 tblsp. oregano

3 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 - 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (fresh is best!)

Mix these all together and spread thinly on rolled pizza dough, being sure to reserve enough for the remaining pizzas.

You can substitute this tomato-based sauce with pesto and olive oil for a delicious, mediterranean twist.

Toppings: Everyone likes different toppings, but here are a few of my favorites:

sliced tomatoes

spinach leaves

artichoke hearts

black olives

basil leaves

broccoli

fresh cooked sausage

fresh fried & crumbled bacon

sliced baby bella mushrooms

sliced green peppers

red peppers

poblano peppers

canned banana peppers

Beware of piling ingredients too high, or the crust will be doughy in the center. Try to limit yourself to 3-5 of your favorite ingredients, and resist the urge to go crazy with the mozzarella. Also, water-laden vegetables like spinach and tomatoes tend to create a soggy top if too many are used.

Some toppings are fun to hide beneath the mozzarella cheese, like tomatoes and basil leaves. I like to grate fresh parmesan cheese over all the toppings to help them stick.

For meat-lovers, fresh fried sausage, red peppers, poblano peppers and parmesan.

Bake at 400 F, or until the edges of the cheese begin to brown. Let sit for 5 min before serving.

*Note: if you're using a pizza stone (which are awesome), be sure to pre-heat the stone to avoid doughy crusts. Always make sure baking surfaces are adequately dusted with cornmeal. A properly cooked pizza can be removed from a hot stone with a peel or flat-edged cookie sheet.

What do you think, friends?

Thanks, guys.