Tag: Stock

Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Advertisements

Mashed potatoes and gravy are a must in our house for any and every holiday! I’ve made chunky mashed potatoes and creamy, I’ve made watery mashed potatoes, and I’ve made airy mashed potatoes. I always use white or yellow potatoes. I find them easier to work with and the aren’t nearly as starchy as russets. Next, how chunky or smooth your potatoes are is based on how long you let them cook. If they cook until they are fully tender, you are more likely to get smooth mashed potatoes, if you strain them early, you will get a chunky mashed potatoes that will take longer to come together with a mixer. You want to avoid adding too much liquid of they will be runny, and if you want them airy, you can bake them for 10-15 minutes in a casserole dish. If you bake them too much longer, they will turn very starchy and heavy. Less cooking time for airy mashed is better.

Advertisements

As for gravy, I used the last of the turkey stock I had made last year. If you don’t have a turkey stock, you can make some the day of, by boiling the neck submerged in water for about 4 hours, but you can always use a chicken stock. You’ll want to season as you desire, salt, maybe some butter, sage, rosemary, or thyme. You also want to start by mixing the corn starch with a small amount of broth before adding it to the gravy. Corn starch doesn’t create clumps as much as flour, but it can still happen, so it’s good practice. This recipe makes 8 adult sized servings of mashed potatoes and gravy.

Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Recipe CardDownload
Advertisements

What You Will Need

  • 7 lbs White Potatoes, Peeled and Cubed
  • 1/2 Cup Butter (1 Stick)
  • 1-2 Cups Milk (As Desired)
  • Large Dutch Oven
  • Mixing Bowl
  • 2 Cups Turkey Stock/Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 Cup Turkey Drippings
  • 1/2 Cup Corn Starch
  • Small Saucepan

Directions

1. Place your cubed potatoes into the dutch oven. Rinse several times, then cover potatoes with 1-2 inches of water. Place over medium heat, cook for 30 minutes or until a potato falls apart when stabbed with a fork.

2. Strain your potatoes, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add butter and slowly add milk and begin smashing potatoes with a mixer or a hand masher. Taste and add salt as desired.

3. Add broth to a small sauce pan, reserving 1/2 cup. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Mix corn starch with reserved broth. Once fully combined, add to heated broth. Bring to a boil and serve once thick.

Advertisements
2

One-Pan Shrimp and Spinach Pasta

Advertisements

One-pan meals are easy to make and greats a great tasting dish. This one-pan meal is no exception. The chicken broth is absolutely delicious in this dish, then the milk and parmesan add a bit of creaminess to the sauce. The spinach also has it’s own flavor though it imparts a bit to the broth, then the shrimp don’t get much time to add to the over all flavor, but they do add a unique flavor, so not every bit is the same. I made some alterations to the recipe since I made it. I added too much broth at the beginning, so my dish was very runny, almost a sou;p. I also altered the order of adding the ingredients in the beginning. I added the pasta first, but I should have started with the spinach first, because I wanted the spinach to boil for at least 15 minutes total, but the pasta only needed about 14 minutes. This dish was absolutely delicious! It made 4 large adult sized portions.

One-Pan Shrimp and Spinach Pasta Recipe CardDownload

What You Will Need

  • 2-3 Cups Washed Spinach
  • 4 Cups Chicken Broth
  • 2 Cups Rotini
  • 1 1/2 Cup Cooked Shrimp
  • 2/3 Cup Milk
  • Large Saucepan

Directions

1. Begin by placing your broth in your pan and heating it over medium high heat until it boils. Add your spinach, let cook for 2-3 minutes, and then add your pasta. Let boil for another 13-15 minutes until your pasta is finished cooking.

2. Reduce your heat to medium, remove pan from heat and add your milk. After about a minute return your pan to heat, let cook until almost boiling. Add your shrimp, and stir into pasta. Turn off heat and remove from burner. Plate your pasta, then top with some shredded Parmesan before serving.

Advertisements
0

Thanksgiving 2020

For 2020, we’ll be trying to have as normal of a Thanksgiving as possible. This year will be my second year cooking dinner, and I have many new foods planned for this meal. Last year, was the standard three: turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, then we also had some crescents and 2 different veggies. This year, I am planning a sweet potato casserole, glazed and roasted beets, crescents again, and frozen green beans from this summer’s garden. This year I also made a pumpkin pie that we’ll be having with our dinner. Once the day is over, Friday, I’ll also be boiling the bones to make stock again this year. This year’s stock will be frozen like before, however this stock will likely be used almost strictly entirely for gravy.

To see recipes for what I’ll be making, you can click a link below!

Click here to see my recipe for Stuffing and Turkey!

Click here to see my recipe for Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!

Click here to see my recipe for Pumpkin Pie!

Click here to see my recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole and Honey Roasted Beets!

Click here to see my recipe for Turkey Stock!

0

Shrimp Stock

Advertisements

Shrimp stock is easy to make and versatile in many recipes. Shrimp stock can be used in soups, sauces, and additional flavoring in many recipes. First, stock should be seasoned to your liking. I added some of my seasoning to the recipe below, but I also added additional garlic powder and salt to taste once strained. Second, if you are using a finer shell for your stock, you could also strain through a cheese cloth and I would recommend that. I froze my stock. I froze about 2 cups in a larger container, and I froze another 4 cups as cubes. You can boil your broth longer to boil off more liquid which will make a stronger broth. I also didn’t strain off any fat/oil from my stock. If that is a concern of yours, you can remove your oils before preserving. This recipe makes about 5-7 cups of stock.

Shrimp Stock Recipe Card Without Preservation MethodsDownload

What You Will Need

  • 1/2 to 1 cup Shrimp Tails/Shells
  • 1 Medium Onion, halved
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 9 Cups Water
  • Large Sided Frying Pan / Dutch Oven and Lid
  • Strainer
  • Freezer containers/Freezer Bags/Canning Jars

Directions

  1. Heat a frying pan/dutch oven over medium high heat. Add butter and shrimp shell together, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until butter begins to brown. Add Onion and 1/2 of water. Bring to a high boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, add remaining water, and return to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 3 hours stirring occasionally.

2. Once cooked, place strainer over another container and strain out your stock. Discard shells and onion. Use right away, or let cool for 1 hour.

3. Once cooled, you reach the preservation stage. You could place it in the fridge, pressure can it, or freeze it. If you plan to keep it in the fridge, move the stock to several Quart Jars and store for no more than 4 days. If you choose to freeze, there are many approaches. You can freeze in 2-3 cup increments in glad containers, freeze your broth in glass jars with the lid off then add the lid when it’s fully frozen, and/or freeze your broth in ice cubes trays then transfer them to a freezer bag. There are many different choices, but these are the most common I’ve seen.

0

Turkey and Dumpling Soup

Advertisements

A cold front moved through the area this weekend, and boy was it cold. Causing our first frost to come 2 weeks early, we needed something to warm us up from all the things we were doing before winter. This recipe is a twist on the American classic Chicken and Dumplings. You can make this dish with chicken, and the recipe below allows you to do that, but I used turkey and turkey stock. Last thanksgiving, I saved all my leftover meat and froze it. I also made stock from the bones to have stock for this year. I used frozen and canned vegetables, and I made everything else according to the recipe below. This recipe was very good, and I will make this dish again in the future. Dumplings are surprisingly easy to make. This recipe makes 5-6 adult sized servings.

Turkey and Dumpling Soup Recipe CardDownload

What You Will Need

Soup
  • 4 Cups Turkey/Chicken Broth/Stock
  • 2 Cups Turkey/Chicken, Cooked and Shredded
  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • 2 Tbsp Flour
  • 1 Cup Diced Onion
  • 1 Cup Sliced Carrots
  • 1/2 Cups Green Beans
  • 1/2 Cup Sliced Peppers
  • 1-2 Cans Mixed Vegetables, Strained
  • 1/2 Tbsp Dried Thyme
  • 1/2 Tbsp Ground Sage
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • Large Dutch Oven/Stock Pot and Lid
  • Label
Dumplings
  • 1 Cups Flour
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Cold Butter
  • 1/2 Cup Milk
  • Bowl and Mixer

Directions

  1. Heat your dutch oven/stock pot over medium high heat. Add your butter and flour. Stir constantly until mixture turns golden.
  2. Add your vegetables and 1/4 cup stock, then cook for 5 minutes. Add your remaining stock and spices, then bring to a boil and stir occasionally.
  3. While Soup is heating, Mix together dry dumpling ingredients into a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly, then add milk. Mix.
  4. Add shredded meat to your soup and return to a boil. Once boiling, add batter a spoonful at a time to boiling soup. Once all batter balls are added, sprinkle with thyme, then cover and boil for 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat, and let cool 15 minutes before eating.
0

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started