Last post of 2010

As we say goodbye to 2010, I'd like to share how our holiday food turned out.  

The Turkey

Needless to say learning how to do new techniques, like butterflying a turkey breast, is not something to do on a holiday or when you are semi pressed for time.  It did turn out rather tasty, but it did not have the look I was hoping for.  Also, it was a little dry.  It did, however, evaporate.  Nothing was left after everyone dished up!  

Stuffed Turkey Breast

The stuffing recipe was amazing, even if we didn't exactly follow it.  We substituted wild rice instead of the stuffing mix, and a cabernet sauvignon for the brandy.  The result was still a good stuffing, even if the taste wasn't quite the same.  We also left out the pine nuts due to an allergy in the family; I will say based on how it smelled we could have substituted walnuts or pecans for an amazing level of flavor...but again with the allergies.  Maybe for just us next time!

Stuffing

The Rolls

The rolls were amazing.  I cut back the flour, the recipe called for 7 cups for a double batch but I used 6 cups and a bit.  The rolls turned out a lot lighter, and brushing them with melted butter just before baking yielded a soft, fluffy whole wheat dinner roll the likes of which I've never made before.  I can't even begin to describe how surprised I was with how they turned out.  Usually they've got a tough exterior and a soft interior, but these were something else.  If you'd like the roll recipe, please check out my previous post!

Buttermilk Wheat Rolls

In the menu this week....

Matt got a new thermos in his stocking, one of those food canister ones.  Now we get to explore the wonders of thermos cooking for lunch.  I made some soup mixes for my dad's thermos last Christmas with my mother in law, and that's a good place to start.  We used dehydrated vegetables, granulated bouillon and seasonings, as well as different instant grains.  I'll post any fun stuff we try on here as we do them!

We also got some amazing new cookbooks for Christmas: Get Saucy, The Big Book of Thai Curries and The Sauce Bible.  I'll post any fun stuff we try from them too.  There look to be some fun stuff, and a Satay with Peanut sauce that I'm dying to try!

That's it for this post.  If you have any questions or anything you'd like me to try, drop me a line!  I'd love to hear from you!!

Eat Happy!