Thanksgiving Turkey

Here is my Thanksgiving Turkey. 10.5 pounds, 3.5 hours at 325ºF, stuffed. The bird was stuffed with Mrs. Cubbison's whole grain stuffing (too healthy, I won't use this one again) and was basted with butter and poultry seasoning. I tented it with a piece of foil for three hours and then removed it for the last half hour. I made gravy with the drippings, but used too much flour and had to thin it down with water. The turkey was moist and had good flavor.

Two things I did differently from previous years was to create the stock using a crock pot overnight and using a cheesecloth bag for the stuffing in the bird. I would do both again, the crock pot had water, onions, celery, seasoning, and the giblets for 3 hours on high and about 6 more on low. That is the stuffing bag peeking out of the bird!!

Rich Potato Salad

This potato salad was good, but a bit too vinegary for my taste. I will keep this recipe and modify it next time. I think that raw carrots would go well, and perhaps less onion, and grate the onion instead of chopping. And, of course, a bit less vinegar. Cut up chicken would go well in this salad, also. This recipe originally was from Good Housekeeping in July 1952.

Rich Potato Salad

1/4 c. salad oil
2 T vinegar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
4 c. diced hot cooked potatoes
1 c. sliced black olives
2 diced shelled hard cooked eggs
1 c. sliced celery
1/4 c. chopped dill pickle
1/4 c. chopped pimiento
1 minced small onion
1/2 c. mayonnaise

1. Blend first 4 ingredients together and pour over potatoes. Toss and set aside to cool.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Toss and chill. Makes 6 servings.

Company Potatoes

This is definitely a keeper recipe. Why is it that the most unhealthy recipes end up being my keepers? This was an easy and tasty recipe, good for dinner or a special occasion brunch.

Company Potatoes

5 lbs. potatoes
2 c. sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 lb. butter

1. Wash, peel, and cook potatoes until soft.
2. Turn into an electric mixer and add sour cream, cream cheese, and butter. Mix until smooth.
3. Spoon into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

Sesame Chicken

This chicken was not to my preference, too much soy sauce. I will not keep this recipe, but you might like it.

Sesame Chicken

1/2 c. sesame seeds
3 T flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 T sugar
1 t. salt
3 T soy sauce
1/2 t. MSG
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 chicken breast halves, boned
vegetable oil for frying
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T sesame oil

1. Heat skillet to medium-high and add sesame seeds. Toast for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from pan.
2. Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, soy sauce, MSG, eggs, and garlic. Beat until smooth. Coat all sides of chicken with mixture. Sprinkle each side of chicken with sesame seeds. Let stand for at least 1 hour.
3. Heat 1 inch of oil in skillet and add the chicken. Fry slowly until golden, about 8 minutes on each side.
4. Mix together soy sauce and sesame oil. Drizzle over chicken before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Sesame Chicken

I have been out of the kitchen for a while, working on another project that took over almost every surface in my little house. I am finished with that project, so back to cooking my meals.

This recipe was good, but I would have doubled the sauce portion. I served it over steamed rice and it was a bit dry without enough sauce. I would also make sure you pound the chicken breast the same thickness so that it cooks evenly.

Sesame Chicken

2 whole chicken breasts, split, skinned and boned
3/4 c. water
1 T cornstarch
1 T sesame oil
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
1/2 c. flour
1 egg
1 T sesame oil
2 T peanut oil
1 T butter

1. Pound chicken between 2 pieces of waxed paper to 1/4-inch thickness.
2. Combine water, cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Beat egg with 1 Tablespoon sesame oil.
5. Dip chicken in egg mixture and then in flour mixture, coating completely.
6. Heat oil and butter in large frying pan over high heat. Add chicken, reducing heat to medium-high. Cook chicken for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove to platter and keep warm.
7. Add sesame oil-cornstarch mixture into the same frying pan. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens.
8. Spoon a little sauce over the chicken and serve. Pass remaining sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Fung Lum's Lemon Chicken

Seems like I saved the best Lemon Chicken recipe for last!! One of the best Hong Kong style Chinese restaurants was Fung Lum, but the next generation didn't want to continue the restaurant tradition so they went out of business. The best I can recall is that a friend made this recipe for me once and I loved it, she copied the recipe for me. It looks like it was copied from the newspaper.

I liked this sauce the best of the three recipes I tested. I notice that there is no soy sauce in this recipe, but sesame oil instead. Also, it called for white wine vinegar, but I had none so used my balsamic vinegar. It also called for lemon extract in addition to the lemon juice. I served it over plain old steamed white rice. It seemed like there wasn't enough of the sauce, so I might increase the amount of sauce ingredients the next time. I ate my helping and wanted to dig into my leftover serving right away!! I might try to prepare the chicken with a cornstarch coating the next time, although this preparation was good also.

Fung Lum's Lemon Chicken

1 lb. boneless chicken, cut into julienne strips
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 drops sesame oil
3 t. cornstarch
2 t. salt
dash of black pepper
peanut oil for deep-frying
1/2 c. water
2 T white wine vinegar
2 T lemon juice
1/3 c. sugar
2 drops lemon extract
1 drop sesame oil
dash salt
1 T water
1 T cornstarch

1. Combine chicken, egg, 2 drops sesame oil, 3 teaspoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper until chicken pieces are coated and ingredients are blended.
2. Deep-fry chicken with marinade at 400ºF in peanut oil until lightly browned.
3. Drain chicken on paper towels. Cut into smaller pieces. Keep warm while preparing lemon sauce.
4. Blend together 1/2 cup water, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar lemon extract, 1 drop sesame oil, and a dash of salt in a wok or small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Blend together 1 Tablespoon water and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Stir into lemon mixture. Heat and stir until smooth and clear.
5. Pour sauce over chicken. Makes 1-2 servings.

Lemon Chicken

I have several Lemon Chicken recipes, and this is one I will not be keeping. I prefer the Chinese style of lemon chicken which has the crispy coating. I made the mistake of having Lemon Rice under the Lemon Chicken, which made it too lemony. This sauce was not as Sweet and Sour-tasting as the last recipe I tried, but I still didn't like it. The sauce didn't thicken well and I had to add some flour. Also, the way the recipe ingredients were typed on the recipe, it looked like the oil and ginger were included in the sauce, so that may explain why it didn't thicken up. I also don't like mushrooms so I left them out. I used powdered ginger rather than fresh.

Lemon Chicken

1 T lemon juice
1 T cornstarch
1 t. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 boneless, skinned chicken breast halves (5 ounces each), cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
1/2 c. water
2 T lemon juice
1 T sugar
2 t. soy sauce
1 T vegetable oil
3 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 t. grated fresh ginger
2 c. shredded iceberg lettuce or hot cooked rice

1. Combine 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, cornstarch, 1 t. soy sauce, garlic, and chicken in a small bowl.
2. Combine water, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, sugar, and 2 t. soy sauce in a bowl.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken with marinade. Cook, stirring, until chicken is lightly browned, 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
4. Add sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Serve over shredded lettuce or hot cooked rice.

Lemon Rice

This rice was good, but I had it with my Lemon Chicken and the combination was too lemony. I did not use salt & pepper or rosemary. Also, I forgot to do step 3, which may have made a difference to the lemonyness. I preferred the creamy Lemon Rice I made last week, so this recipe did not make the cut. I am having to get ruthless and a recipe has to be fantastic to make my downsized recipe box!!

Lemon Rice

2 c. chicken broth
1 c. long-grain rice
2 T butter
1 t. grated lemon rind
2 T lemon juice
2 t. chopped parsley
salt and pepper
rosemary

1. In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil with butter. Add rice and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until all moisture is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in lemon rind, lemon juice, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a sprinkling of rosemary, if used.
3. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Butter-Nut Crunch Toffee

Because I am a real toffee lover, I have so many recipes to try. This one didn't make the cut. It was not crispy enough. I don't know if that is because it didn't call for corn syrup or because it only got to 285 degrees. It tasted OK, but I liked the other one I made a couple of days ago better. This one was also a bit too salty.

Butter-Nut Crunch Toffee

1 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1 c. nuts, chopped fine
16 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1. Combine sugar, salt, water, and butter. Heat to boiling. Cook to light crack stage (285ºF) and stir in half of the nuts.
2. Pour on to a greased cookie sheet. Cool and spread the melted chocolate chips over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts.
3. Cool and break into pieces.

Lemon Chicken

I usually order Lemon Chicken at Chinese restaurants if they don't have Almond Chicken. I was disappointed in this recipe. Not because it didn't taste good, but because it should have been called Sweet & Sour Chicken instead. The sauce wasn't really lemony, in color or taste. Also, I would have served it over rice instead of lettuce, which was seemingly for decoration. I did like the manner in which the chicken was cooked (dredged in cornstarch before it went into the oil), so I will remember this technique when I try one of the other recipes I have for Lemon Chicken next time.

Lemon Chicken

1 1/4 lb. boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 T cornstarch
2 T soy sauce
2 T cornstarch
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. chicken bouillon
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 c. water
1/2 c. lemon juice
2 T catsup
additional cornstarch
vegetable oil
shredded lettuce or hot cooked rice

1. In a medium bowl, combine egg, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, and soy sauce. Mix well. Add chicken, stirring to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, sugar, bouillon, and garlic powder. Gradually add water, lemon juice, and catsup. Mix well. Over high heat, cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking and stirring until mixture thickens. Keep sauce warm.
3. Coat chicken with additional cornstarch. In a large skillet, cook chicken in 1/2 hot oil until tender and golden. Arrange chicken on shredded lettuce or rice. Pour warm sauce over chicken. Garnish as desired. Serve immediately. Serves 4.