Turkey for Few



Photo by Taste of Home



Not everyone is going to have 30 plus family members gathered in their home this Thanksgiving day awaiting a feast-o-plenty. For those lucky few, instead of fixing a huge bird with all the stuffing, casseroles a plenty, pies galore, and all the other do-dads that are synonymous with T-day, why not have a scaled down version of the feast-o-plenty. Here are a few ideas from Taste of Home:



1) Instead of a whole turkey, try just the breast. While your roasting up that chunk of juicy white meat, why not throw in some red potatoes and carrots. Here is a great dish from Taste of Home.



Photo by Taste of Home



2) Not a turkey fan? How about a Sweet N Moist Ham or a Savory Pork Loin Roast instead.

3) For a yummy side bake some butternut squash with raisins in a delish syrup sauce.



Photo by Taste of Home



4) Want a light, sweet side dish? Try fixing a simple fruit salad with apples and grapes, you could even through in some dried cranberries to turkey-day it up.



5) Can't decide which pie to fix? Try combining some of your favorite pies to get the best of both worlds. Here are a few pies to ponder:



Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Caramel-Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Four-Fruit Pie

Peach-Pear Pie



Photo by Taste of Home



What sort of yummy things do you have on your holiday table?

Giving Thanks with Pork

While turkey is the traditional meat of the Thanksgiving holiday, pork is a wonderfully tasty and healthy alternative or a great addition to any meal. If you're looking for a lean piece of meat that will leave your taste buds tingling and your belly sated look no further than a big juicy pork loin. Loin is the leanest cut of meat a piggy has to offer and is just as healthy as a piece of skinless white meat chicken.



Mitzi Dulan, a registered dietitian and a specialist in nutritional counseling suggests using a low-fat marinade for flavor and juiciness like a wine-flavored vinegar, fat-free dressing, or juice instead of an oil-based marinade. She also suggests seasoning pork with herbs and spices instead of salt to boost flavor and cut back on sodium. After seasoning or marinating your pork loin, Mitzi says to grill, roast, or stir-fry it to maximize flavor while keeping fat to a minimum.


Mitzi's suggestions are great if you want a low-fat, high protein, delicious meal. But here's what I suggest: Get yourself some Worcestershire sauce, Italian dressing, several shakes of Sticky Pig Seasoning Rub, some minced onion, a little garlic powder, a splash of soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste shake it all up in a big plastic bag and drop in the biggest pork loin roast you can get your hands on and let it sit in the fridge for a couple days. Then, roast it in a roasting pan with a rack, fat side up at no hotter than 325 degrees for about an hour, maybe more maybe less, just check it after 30 minutes or so until it hits 150 degrees. Then, pull the roast out, wrap it in foil and let it set until it reaches 160 degrees. Voila, it may not be fat free but it sure is good. You can also just rub the hell out of it with your favorite seasoning rub and bake it just the same. Yum!

Give it a try this Thanksgiving and let me know how it turns out.

Another Pulled Pork Success

  

You guessed it folks, I made pulled pork again. I'll admit that this recipe was inspired by the Pulled Pork in Root Beer Sauce recipe I previously posted but this one is all mine. I started by searing each side of a center cut pork roast in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, minced onion, and Yard Bird Rub. Then, I boiled a can of cream soda, some Worcestershire sauce, the drippings from the roast, a can of chicken broth, chili powder, more Yard Bird, and a bit of salt and pepper. Now, into the slow cooker it goes and 5 or so hours later you have a delicious pulled pork dinner.

A great summer time side dish that happens to be one of my favorite is steamed squash. I love yellow squash, acorn squash, zucchini, pattypan squash you name it, I love it. This side dish was super simple. I just sliced yellow and pattypan squash and steamed it in the microwave with a couple tablespoons of water and a little butter.

But wait, there's more...

You don't get just one meal from this, you get two! We had leftovers tonight and since I didn't have quite enough meat for everyone I decided to make loaded baked potatoes. I cooked up some potatoes, whipped up a quick batch of micro-baked beans, a dollop of Daisy (I use generic sour cream but it is a fun slogan) and I had a tasty, belly bulging meal. Given, if you're on a low carb diet don't eat at my house! I doubt any recipes of mine will work for dieters but by golly their tasty.

Give this one a try folks, tell me what you think. If you need exact measurements slip me a note in the comments box. I'll do my best to get accurate measuring even though I'm a measure by sight kind of cook. Have a good pulled pork recipe or any pork recipe? I'd love to try it.

One thing that I lack are good side dishes that are fast, easy, and my kids will eat them with minimal complaints. Any ideas?