Turkey and Biscuit Bake

Well it's been a while and it's a new year! Things have gotten a little hectic and we have fallen behind updating!

This was a wonderful dish that was way better than a pot pie. We used left over turkey to make it but imagine that it would be just as delicious with chicken and the biscuits from scratch really make this dish yummy! We did add more veggies to the dish than the recipe called for and do not regret it at all!

Here's the original recipe: https://www.thespruce.com/turkey-and-biscuit-bake-3061833

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons chicken stock base
1/4 teaspoon  poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups milk
3 cups diced turkey meat
2 cups mixed vegetables

Homemade Biscuits:
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup​ buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter (melted, for brushing the tops of the biscuits)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large casserole dish.
2. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until tender. Stir in the flour, chicken stock base, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is blended and bubbly. Gradually add the milk; cook, stirring, until the sauce mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in the diced cooked turkey and the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is bubbly, about 5 minutes. Spoon the turkey mixture into the prepared large baking dish.

Biscuits:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar; whisk to blend dry ingredients thoroughly.
2. With a pastry blender or fingers, work the 6 tablespoons of butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture is moistened and the dough begins to hold together.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just a few times, until a cohesive dough has formed. If necessary, work in a little more flour or buttermilk.
4. Don't overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough. Drop biscuits on top of the casserole and brush with melted butter.
5. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the casserole is bubbly.

What we liked:

Easy, quick and delicious!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was yummy

What Kaspian thought about it:

he liked the biscuits...as long as they didn't have any of the filling on them.

Next time:

no changes

Citrus Green Chile Turkey

We made a turkey for Astrid's Birthday dinner. We wanted to make it a citrus/soy with a hint of New Mexico - so we added some green chile to it. We made it in a bag and it turned out AMAZING. It was moist and yummy and well cooked! We completely made up the recipe and it was really great!

Ingredients:

18 lb turkey
turkey bag
2 onions, quartered and peeled
2 oranges, quartered
1 lemon quartered
1 cup soy
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons turkey herb seasoning (optional)
4 oz packet of green chile

Directions:

Preheat oven to about 350 F
1. Place defrosted turkey in a bag, making sure to remove all insides and gibblets and plastic bags that come with it.
2. Stuff with lemon, orange, and onion quarters. Ones that don't fit, just place on top and around.
3. Rub the Turkey seasoning on top.
4. Pour the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce around the turkey. Place the green chile on top.
5. Place the turkey in the oven and cook based on weight. Ours cooked for about 4.5 hours. 

What we liked:

It was really fun creating the recipe and the turkey tasted great!!!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great

What Kaspian thought about it:

He did not try it. 

Next time:

Definitely will make again!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce Wraps are the best! These were easy to make and super delicious... possibly even better than Pei Wei!

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 lb ground turkey
salt
pepper
1 can water chestnuts - finely diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp of sriracha - to taste
1 head of lettuce - butter or iceberg

Dipping Sauce:
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp honey
1 tsp grated ginger 

Directions:

1. Add oil to a heated frying pan. When heated, add the ground turkey until it is cooked. Stir to break up chunks.
2. Add onion, hoisin say, rice vinegar, sriracha and stir. Cook until onion is soft and almost no liquid remains.
3. Add garlic and ginger - cook for 1 minute
4. Add water chestnuts, green onions, salt and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro.
5. To make the dipping sauce combine all dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir.
6. Fill lettuce cups with the meat filling and serve with sauce. 

What we liked:

It was really fun to make and assemble and was delicious!

What we didn't like:

Nothing - it was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was not into it. 

Next time:

Try it with chicken. 

Citrus and Butter Turkey

This citrus and butter turkey cooked relatively quickly and didn't require too much attention. We did a little bit more water to it though as the chicken broth evaporated. The cheesecloth worked surprisingly well to keep the turkey from burning and gave it a perfect golden skin! We had a slightly bigger turkey (about 17-18 lbs) than the recipe called for, but we just scaled everything by about 30% to account for it. It turned out great! We really just used the zest of the whole grapefruit, orange and lemon - we didn't measure it too closely, but this might also depend on the size of your citrus; ours were pretty big.

Here is the original recipe for Citrus and Butter Turkey http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/citrus-and-butter-turkey

Ready to carve!

Stuffed with citrus

Pouring the citrus butter over the turkey

Turkey with soaked cheesecloth

Citrus Butter 

Salt/Peppered Turkey

Ingredients:

One 16-18 lb-pound turkey, rinsed and patted dry
Salt
Black pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely grated grapefruit zest, plus 1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest, plus 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
8 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped
2 tablespoon minced thyme plus 5 sprigs
1 grapefruit, cut into wedges
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
4-5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

Directions:

1. Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rack set in a roasting pan and let come to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the citrus zests and juices along with the garlic and minced thyme; let cool slightly. Transfer half of the citrus butter to a small bowl and refrigerate until spreadable. (We had to freeze for about 10 minutes as it was not solidifying in the fridge)

3. Run your fingers under the breast and thigh skin to loosen it, then spread the chilled butter under the skin and over the breast and thighs. Stuff the turkey cavity with the thyme sprigs and the grapefruit, orange and lemon wedges. Dampen an 18-by-18-inch double-layer piece of cheesecloth with water and squeeze dry. Soak the cheesecloth in the remaining citrus butter and drape it over the breast and legs; pour any remaining butter on top. (We had to use two cheesecloth pieces, one for each thigh/leg and half of breast)

4. Roast the turkey for about 30 minutes. Add the stock to the roasting pan and continue to roast for about 1 hour and 45 minutes longer, rotating the pan a few times, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 165°.

5. Carefully peel the cheesecloth off the turkey. Transfer the turkey to a board; let rest for 30 minutes. Skim the fat off the pan juices and transfer to a gravy bowl. Carve the turkey and serve with the pan juices.

What we liked:

This was one of the best turkeys we have had - it was moist and delicious. The only thing is that it did not have much of a "citrus" flavor. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great!

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was not too into the meat this holiday. 

Next time:

No change needed to this recipe.