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the minimalist table

serving up simple, wholesome meals

WHAT WE ATE THIS WEEK #13

I will admit, this was a very unusual week — meal planning wise. We’ve had a revolving door of illnesses in our home the last two weeks. So much vomiting, so much diarrhea. Plus pink eye, and ear infections, and sore throats. This week, I dipped heavily into my freezer stash, and the theme of the week is QUICK AND EASY, because my husband and I are running an in-home urgent care / laundromat for our three little turkeys. Did I mention we found smeared poop ON THE WALL of our powder room (barf)? Pray for me.

PS. I recently purchased the TushBaby carrier for my 14 month old. HANDS DOWN THE BEST PRODUCT OUT THERE FOR A CLINGY BABY. LIFESAVER ON MY BACK AND ARMS!

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E-A-S-Y as 1-2-3 Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these for my daughters 5th birthday party, and they were a big success. It’s a very easy recipe and comes out beautifully. I love to pair this recipe up with vanilla buttercream and a bit of food coloring to tie together the birthday theme. In our case, it was rainbow-unicorns, so. …

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Rich and creamy vanilla buttercream, and it’s super quick to whip up! Spread it, pipe it, it’s the perfect way to finish your cakes or cupcakes. It also freezes beautifully if you don’t use the entire batch — simply ensure you have an airtight seal on your ziploc freezer bag, and ensure to get all the air removed before freezing. Can last up to six months in the freezer, but I’ll be willing to bet you’ll find an excuse to use it up well before then.

This is my go-to recipe anytime my children request a color for the frosting of their cake. As pictured, my daughter requested a chocolate cake with purple frosting for her fifth birthday (theme: rainbow unicorns). The year prior she asked for a chocolate cake with pink frosting. Vanilla buttercream is so much fun to play with because it’s delicious (obviously) but also because it’s so diverse, the possibilities for decoration are usually endless.

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Thanksgiving: The Turkey + Stuffing + Gravy


Thanksgiving Turkey
 
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The Night Before: 1. Cut bread into cubes, spread out on baking sheet and allow to dry overnight 2. Place turkey on the counter, allow to rise to room temperature overnight
Author:
Recipe type: Poultry
Serves: 8
Ingredients

  • Stuffing
  • 1 loaf white or French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 3 cups chopped onions
  • 1 head garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    The Bird
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 10 pound turkey (must be completely defrosted)
  • 3 cups water or chicken stock
  • 1 onion, cut into wedges
  • 2 carrots, cut into chunks
  • 3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
    Turkey Gravy
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • ¼ cup dry sherry, masala, or brandy
  • 3-4 cups of pan drippings and chicken stock
Instructions
  1. In a large sautéed pan, melt butter, add onion, and celery, and garlic and sautéed until very tender, about 30 minutes. In a large bowl, put in the bread cubes, fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Add the onion mixture. Stir well. Set aside until ready to stuff the bird. If there is extra after stuffing, place in a baking dish and moisten with chicken stock. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Remove giblets from inside turkey. Put stuffing inside the cavity. Bring skin flap down to cover, if possible.
  3. Using your fingers, gently slide under skin of the breast as far down as possible. Place butter between skin and meat, using your hands. With twine, secure the turkey legs together. Fold wings underneath the bird. Season with salt and pepper. On the other side of the turkey, there is a small cavity that can also be stuffed, then secured with toothpicks.
  4. Roast the turkey upside-down, placing the breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Turn right-side up for the last hour of cooking.
  5. Put turkey on rack in roasting pan, and pour in a quart of water or chicken stock in the bottom of the pan, along with onion, carrot, and celery. Roast bird for 30 minutes at 425-degrees. Turn oven down to 325-degrees and roast until internal temperature of the turkey is 155 degrees. During cooking, if the pan dries out, add more water or stock to the bottom of the pan as needed. A 20-pound turkey will take about 3 hours to cook, if the bird starts at room temperature.
  6. Let the turkey rest for 30-60 minutes before carving. Use resting time to make gravy.
  7. To make the gravy, strain the cooking liquid left in roasting pan into gravy separator. The fat will rise to the top. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk until all flour is incorporated. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the sherry. Add the pan drippings (but on the fat). Whisk in stock until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
The turkey should be at room temperature before placing in the oven, which will ensure even cooking. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator for 8-10 hours before cooking and let sit at room temperature.

 

Apple Cider Donuts

These apple cider donuts are a true treat and were apart of our Thanksgiving dessert spread this year. Our kids adore them, especially our baby, who calls them ‘gu-gies.’ They’ll definitely make their reappearance next year as well. …

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WHAT WE ATE THIS WEEK #12

I’m teaching a cooking class on Thursday — ‘The Casserole Comeback‘ — and want to test out the three recipes ahead of time, as a refresher since these recipes aren’t in my usual wheelhouse, and it’s been years since I’ve cooked these… so the theme of this weeks dinners is recipe testing!

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