COOK A TURKEY VERY, VERY FAST

Yep there we were with two frozen turkey breasts (7 lbs and 4 lbs), so now what? Well my idea is small one goes into the slow cooker with butter and seasonings after I thaw and pull out the plastic bag inside and larger one goes in oven. I let you know how this works out.

From http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/how-to-defrost-and-cook-turkey-fast-14757261

Welcome to Eat Like A Man's 2012 Holiday Survival Guide, wherein we tackle some of the season's thorniest issues in food and drink to help you make it to January in one piece.

In an ideal world, you would begin defrosting your turkey three days before you plan to cook it, and spend the day-of patiently basting the bird in a low oven until it reaches tender perfection. But sometimes time just kind of gets away from you. Sometimes it's 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day when somebody volunteers to check on the turkey and you're all, "Yeah, when should I fire that guy up, anyway?" Sometimes you have only one job to do, and still you manage to mess it up. And sometimes this occurs in highly public moments, like when you've got 12 people on their way over for a holiday dinner and the main event is still sitting in its plastic wrapper in the fridge. 

Whether you need to defrost a frozen bird fast, or want to roast a fresh turkey in one hour instead of four (or — let's face it — both), Matt Jennings of Farmstead & La Laiterie in Providence, Rhode Island, is here to help. What follows is his advice for thawing and cooking a Thanksgiving turkey with all haste.

How to Speed-Thaw a Turkey 

1. If you're reading this and your turkey is still in the freezer, this applies to you.

2. Immediately heat your oven to its highest setting. Blast the frozen turkey for 10 to 15 minutes in the oven to jumpstart the thawing process.

3. Submerge the turkey in a large pot or other vessel filled with cool (40 degree) water, changing the water every 30 minutes or continuously running a slow stream of water from the tap. It will take 20-30 minutes per pound for the turkey to defrost this way. Tempting as it may be to run warmer water to speed the process along, you'd effectively be creating a water park for bacteria, so... try that at your own risk. 

4. Once thawed, either proceed with cooking the bird immediately or hold it in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

How to Turbo-Cook a Turkey

1. Spatchcock it: Cut out the turkey's backbone and push the bird flat. Dry it off and liberally salt and pepper the whole thing, then rub softened butter and chopped herbs under the skin of the breasts. Place the sheet of meat breast-side-down in a roasting pan or large sheet pan (keeping it breast-down will mean the juices run into the breast and help keep it moist, though the skin will not be as crisp). Cover the pan with aluminum foil to retain moisture.

2. Place the turkey in a 400 degree oven, basting it every 15 minutes with a mixture of butter and stock to prevent it from drying out. 

3. When the breast meat reaches 165 degrees — this should only take an hour for a 14 to 16-lb bird — take the turkey out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. 

4. Carve the turkey according to this diagram. http://www.esquire.com/features/carve-a-turkey-0509 No one will ever know that you almost totally ruined everyone's Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Eggs

Sam Sifton's Thanksgiving Eggs

Exhaustive research into the business and culture of American breakfast suggests that you can always put an egg on it. Cold pizza? Heat in the oven while frying an egg to soft, yielding perfection. Slide it onto the slice and top with freshly ground black pepper: brunch. Is there some beef or pork or lamb sitting in the fridge after a dinner party? Sizzle up chunks of it with butter and diced potatoes and bell peppers, then serve with eggs on the side: brunch. Thanksgiving detritus is no different. Leftover dressing can be pressed into a pan and baked in the oven with eggs and a dusting of cheese to create a breakfast dish of remarkable heartiness and good flavor.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 to 4 cups leftover Thanksgiving dressing
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use the butter to heavily grease an 8-inch square baking pan and put into it the leftover dressing. Use the back of a spoon to press into this field of dressing 6 indentations into which you will later crack the eggs. Place the pan into the oven to heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove heated dressing from oven and crack the eggs into the indentations. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and return to oven to bake until the eggs are just set, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with hot sauce and coffee.

Excerpted from Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton. Copyright © 2012 by Sam Sifton.

Olive Garden Recipe for Lasagna Fritta.

Olive Garden Recipe for Lasagna Fritta.

Source: Amy O'Brien


This is the original recipe for the Olive Gardens Lasagna Fritta. It is Parmesan-breaded lasagna pieces, fried and served over Alfredo sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese and marinara sauce. You cant find this original recipe anywhere on the Internet. You can make this recipe ahead of time and freeze it when you are ready to fry and serve.

Ingredients


This recipe is rather simple to make. It is so delicious. Make this ahead of time and freeze it for later. No one will believe that you made this, although the mouth watering aroma in your house just might convince them.

Olive Garden Lasagna Fritta Ingredients:

2 eggs room temperature.

2 15 ounce containers of whole milk ricotta cheese. (no skim milk here).

1 Cup fresh Grated Parmesan cheese.

16 ounces fresh grated mozzarella cheese.

1 Cup Romano cheese grated.

1 Cup Asiago cheese grated.

2 Tablespoon Italian seasoning.

1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs for dipping

1/4 Cup fresh Grated Parmesan cheese for dipping.

2 eggs for dipping.

Jar marinara sauce. (5 cheese if possible)

(This recipe makes 12 possibly 13 fritta's)



Homemade Alfredo sauce recipe:

4 T butter

1 pint heavy whipping cream.

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste.





Directions

1). First freshly grate all your cheeses, and place in separate bowls.

Note: You do want freshly grated cheeses and not the shredded packaged kind. This does make a big difference. You can freeze any remainder cheese.

2). In a Large bowl, add egg, ricotta cheese, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, and Italian seasoning. Mix well. It will be thick. Set this bowl aside in the refrigerator till you are ready to use.

Making the noodles.

1). Boil your lasagna noodles according to package. Cook till al dente.

Make sure you do not overcook your noodles here. I normally just barely under-cook mine.

2). When they are cooked, rinse them with cold water real good, and place one on the cutting board. Cut off the curly edge of the noodle, and discard the ribbon piece.

Assembling your noodles

1). Place your cut lasagna noodle lengthwise on the cutting board. Spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture goodness over the noodle.

2). Start at the end of the noodle and fold over approx 2 inches. Fold over again 2 inches. You will have a little piece of the noodle left. You want to push this little piece over.

3). Lay them down on a plate and stick in the freezer for an hour till ready to serve. If you are making these later, then stick them in a freezer bag, making sure the ends do not touch, and gently lay them in the freezer until you are ready.



Serving

Don't use a jar Alfredo sauce. Once you make this simple Alfredo sauce recipe- you will never buy a jar again.

Homemade Alfredo sauce.

Now that our noodles are in the freezer- we can make our Alfredo sauce.

1). In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the pint of heavy whipping cream. Next add your garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer on the stove for approx 25 minutes until the sauce thickens well. Keep this on low till your frittas are ready.

2). When you are ready to make the frittas, add the romano cheese to your alfredo sauce and keep warm on the stove.

3). In another saucepan on medium heat- pour half the jar of marinara in the saucepan. Keep warm till ready to serve.

When you are ready to serve, you want to remove them from the freezer. (If they were in there longer than an hour it is OK). Let them sit out till on the plate for approx 15 min.

4). Get out 2 different bowls. One bowl you want 2 beaten eggs inside, and the second bowl you want to mix your breadcrumbs in with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Set your 2 bowls aside.

5). After the 15 minutes has passed and you are ready to make the lasagna fritta's,  heat up your fryer. If you do not have a fryer then you want to get a big saucepan and fill with enough canola oil to cover the lasagna fritta.

6). Gently dip your lasagna fritta in the egg, and then the breadcrumbs. You want to coat your fritta very well, and make sure you get the top and the end coated. Do each Fritta and set on the plate standing up.

7). When your oil is heated and ready to fry, gently fry your fritta just till light brown. Set on a paper towel to drain, until all fritta's are done.


This is the best part!

1). Get out your serving plate and lightly coat the bottom 1st with marinara sauce, and 2nd with the Alfredo sauce.

2). Set your fritta's on the plate standing up. Line each fritta on the serving plate, and lightly drizzle Alfredo sauce down the middle, and lightly drizzle marinara sauce down the middle. Sprinkle fresh Parmesan over the fritta's, and voila you have a Olive Garden Lasagna Fritta masterpiece.

If you love this recipe- try Olive gardens Shrimp Caprese recipe.
http://bluesbabys-rants.blogspot.com/2013/12/grilled-shrimp-caprese.html
Succulent shrimp encased in a basil cream sauce. It is so delicious and easy to make at home. It will go great with the Lasagna Fritta's as a main course.

To freeze the remainder cheese.

Just cut the cheese into sections, and stick it in separate freezer bags. A day before you want to use the cheese just let it thaw out in the refrigerator. Use the cheese immediately.

Note: Parmesan cheese is the only cheese that you can freeze grated due to its texture. All other cheeses freeze in sections or cubes.

Cinnamon Polar Bear Cookies

Cinnamon Polar Bears (Directions & Sources Below)

‪#‎christmas‬ ‪#‎fun‬ ‪#‎cookies‬ ‪#‎polarbears‬ ‪#‎cinnamon‬
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Powdered sugar
1 tbsp (96) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
48 red cinnamon candies


1. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add flour and cinnamon; blend well.

2. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling.

3. Heat oven to 350F. For each cookie, shape dough into 1-inch ball; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly.

4. Shape additional dough into 3 (1/4 inch) balls. Place 2 of the balls above and touching the larger ball for ears and 1 ball on top to resemble snout. Flatten slightly.

5. Bake at 350F for 11-15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.

6. Lightly sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar. Press 2 chocolate chips into each cookie for eyes and 1 cinnamon candy for nose.
source: http://momstown-meals.momstown.ca/node/317

Rigatoni Pasta Pie

 Rigatoni Pasta Pie:

1 lb rigatoni pasta
1 lb ground beef
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 small jar of spaghetti sauce
salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
4oz cream cheese
15oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 cup onion
spring form pan

DIRECTIONS:

Boil the noodles according to the directions on the box. Stop cooking when they're still very firm and avoid stirring so they do not fall apart. Once done, drain and run cold water over so they are cool enough to handle. You can add a little bit of oil if they start to stick.

Brown the ground beef and drain excess grease. Add chopped onion and garlic. After about 5 minutes add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add spaghetti sauce next.

Use a small mixing bowl to mix the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, oregano and 2 eggs until smooth. Set aside.

Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Use cooking spray on the bottom of the spring form pan first to avoid sticking.

Put a zip lock bag inside a tall glass and fill the bag with the cheese mixture. Close the bag and snip the corner of the bag and pipe a small amount into each noodle. After piping, pour the red sauce over the whole top and push down as much as possible.

Top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. (Recipe calls for 2 cups but you could use low fat or skim to cut calories.) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and then broil until the cheese turns bubbly.

Bubbe Frida’s Latkes

Bubbe Frida’s Latkes
found here:http://www.dailycandy.com/everywhere/article/160712/Bubbe-Fridas-Latke-Recipe
Serves four to six

Ingredients
5-6 med. Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and peeled
1½ tbsp. flour
2 eggs
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil

1. Shred potatoes on fine grater. Using your hands, squeeze until excess liquid is removed.

2. Add potatoes to a mixing bowl. Slowly mix in the flour.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Slowly fold eggs into the potato mixture. Add salt to taste. Let sit at room temperature 15-20 minutes.

4. Pour enough vegetable oil into a large frying pan to cover the bottom. Bring to medium heat.

5. Using a tablespoon, scoop dollops of the potato mixture into the frying pan. Fry until bottom becomes golden brown, then flip with a spatula (be careful to avoid oil splatter). Fry until the other side is golden brown.

6. Transfer onto several layers of paper towel to cool and drain. Serve with sour cream and apple sauce.

Sylvia’s Apple Cake

Sylvia’s Apple Cake
found here http://www.dailycandy.com/everywhere/article/160735/Sylvias-Apple-Cake-Recipe
Serves eight

Ingredients
6 lbs. MacIntosh apples
Raisins, to taste
5 eggs
1 c. sugar, plus 1 tbsp.
2 tsp. baking powder
1½ c. flour
½ c. oil
Cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Peel and slice apples.

2. Layer apples and raisins in a lightly buttered nine-by-thirteen-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the last layer with 1 tbsp. sugar.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, 1 c. sugar, baking powder, flour, and oil.

4. Pour over apple/raisin mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 1 hour.