A Thanksgiving Grows in Brooklyn - Cranberry Chutney

I didn't get to go home to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, so I joined forces with some good friends in the neighborhood and had a spectacular Thanksgiving feast. Needless to say, we all cooked entirely too much, but it was all delicious! I had this cranberry chutney at Mary Margaret's house last year, and she managed to get the recipe for me from her co-worker, Kim. So here's to you Kim: I don't know you, but I like your chutney!


This isn't just for Thanksgiving, but can be served anytime. Mary Margaret served it with pork tenderloin, and it really complimented it well.

Ingredients:
1 bag of fresh cranberries
Less than 2 cups sugar - I wasn't really sure what this meant, so I used 1.75 cups.
1 cup water
1 T. grated orange peel
1 cup orange juice (this took about 3 oranges)
1 cup golden or dark seedless raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 t. ground ginger


In a 3 qt. saucepan over medium heat, heat cranberries, sugar and water to boiling, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook a few minutes more for flavors to mix. Cover and refrigerate or process and can.


I would personally cut the orange flavor a bit, maybe use a little less zest, next time. But taste as you go along, to get to your liking. Enjoy!

Shoepeg Corn Casserole

This is a staple at every Burnett Thanksgiving, so since I wasn't going home this year, I decided to bring this dish along with me to celebrate with friends down the street. Now, this is not a fancy dish. Actually, it's kind of embarrasing to even tell you the ingredients. But at the end of the day, this tastes like home, which means it tastes damn good!


Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 can french-style green beans, drained
1 can shoe-peg corn, drained
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 pint sour cream
1 stick melted margarine
1 stack Ritz crackers, crushed
salt & pepper to taste


Mix first 8 ingredients. Add salt & pepper. Place in a 9x13" dish. Melt oleo and mix with Ritz. Spread on top of mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Blake's Turkey Fry

In the spirit of all things Thanksgiving, I have to post a turkey recipe, right? I don't know a thing about cooking turkeys, but my friend Blake Oliver from Monroe, LA has been bragging about his fried turkey for years. He was nice of enough to share the recipe with me, so I figured I would share with all of you. I can't exactly fry this turkey in my apartment just to show you a picture of how it should look...if you happen to try to make this, send me a picture of the final product!

PREPPING:
First pick your bird, should range from 13 to 15 lbs. In order to know how much grease you will need, place the turkey in the frying pot using water to judge the height. It should be about 6 in. from the top of the pot with the turkey in.

The night before cooking, you must inject it. Use one bottle Cajun Butter and one bottle Tony’s Injection per turkey. (This may seem like a lot, but it’s worth it.) While injecting, focus on the breast and legs - you can shoot some in the other parts for cooking flavor, but the breast and legs are obviously most important. You then want to rub the outside and the inside with some good spices which will create a great crust. The Cajun Butter kit comes with a pretty good one.

** The most important part of the injection process is to make all of the juice fit. You have to work the needle back and forth to really cover all of the meat or you will end up with pockets of seasoning which you don’t want. I always put a good bit on the very top where it forms bubbles in-between the skin and breast.**

Next, put the bird in the refrigerator over night. The next day you must take it out of the refrigerator long enough to allow it to reach room temperature before cooking.

COOKING:
Heat the grease to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the turkey in the grease using the metal plated stabilizer deal with the handle. (WEAR GLOVES) The temp will go down -this is good. You want to cook it at 350 Degrees for 3- 3 ½ minutes per pound.

After the long and exciting wait, TURN OFF THE GAS FIRST, then remove your turkey.
Drain the grease over the pot as it will have pockets of hot grease still stuck in some of the crevasses of the cooked turkey.

Let cool, cut and enjoy!