Category: Holidays and RVs

The side dishes are nice and dessert is expected but what people really come to enjoy is the turkey at Thanksgiving. That is why we are sharing with you 5 common mistakes that many of us make in preparing and cooking our holiday turkeys and how you can avoid them.

Did you know that it takes 4 days for a frozen turkey to thaw properly? Ya neither did many other people which has left them dunking their bird in hot water or even worse, placing a half frozen turkey in the oven. Be sure to a lot the 4 days for your bird to thaw.
While common sense would tell you to keep your turkey refrigerated until time to cook you also need to allow time for the turkey to come to room temperature before placing in the oven. This will ensure even cooking and a moist meat.
You have probably heard that you must thoroughly dry the exterior of the skin of your turkey (paper towels do the trick) to ensure a crisper skin but did you know you should be doing the same to the cavity of the bird as well? And while you are in there drying don’t forget to season the interior generously as well.
If you buy only one kitchen product this year make it a roasting rack to put inside your pan. Without using a roasting rack the bottom of your bird will be overcooked, dry, and the skin will burn.
I know your mom did it, and your moms mom and so on but stop cooking your stuffing inside the turkey. You end up having to cook the turkey longer to get the stuffing cooked through in order to avoid a soggy salmonella bread slop. This dries out your turkey and makes the skin tough.
Basting your turkey? Stop it. Opening the oven door and losing the heat means it takes even longer to cook and therefore drying out the meat and even with that fact aside your are actually just making your turkey skin soggy.
Let it rest. I know that you have all been waiting for hours for a bite of that tasty turkey but letting it rest for at least 15 minutes out of the oven will ensure that the juices settle and all parts of the turkey remain moist.

With all the amazing food that gets dished out on Thanksgiving it’s easy to forget about the possibility of serving up a delicious and festive drink. Why not use some of the autumn flavors and mix up a beautiful Thanksgiving cocktail that your guests are sure to love.

Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Ingredients:

• 2 Honeycrisp apples plus a few apple slices for garnish
• 2 oranges, quartered
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 lime, quartered
• One 750-milliliter bottle Chardonnay, preferably unoaked
• 1/4 cup Calvados (apple brandy) or other apple liquor (optional)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 cloves
• Ginger ale (Club soda or lemon-lime soda are good substitutes)
• Garnish: 2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Peel (optional), core and chop apples. Cut one of the oranges, lemon and lime into quarters. Set aside.
In a large pitcher, combine the Chardonnay, Calvados, if using, and honey. Stir to combine. Add the chopped apples. Squeeze the juice of the orange, lemon, and lime into the pitcher before tossing them into the pitcher. (I squeeze the citrus through a strainer to catch the seeds and pulp.) Add the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Remove the citrus quarters. Slice the remaining orange and set aside.
On a small plate, blend the 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Moisten the glass rims and dip in the cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat. Garnish glasses with orange and apple slices.
Fill the glasses with ice. Pour in the sangria until each glass is three-quarters full. Top with a splash of ginger ale.