Day 24: Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry-Orange Stuffing & Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

This seems like such a special meal to have in the middle of the week, but it really doesn't take a long time to prepare, so it doesn't feel like you're preparing a special meal.  Using pre-packaged cutlets and help from the bakery or your own baked goods for the stuffing makes it pretty easy to prepare.  One of my culinary role models is Rachael Ray.  This dinner idea came from her!

Here's how I prepared the meal as a whole:

Turkey Cutlets w/ Cranberry-Orange Stuffing & Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans
4 turkey cutlets
2 lg cranberry-orange muffins (4 cranberry-orange scones, without glaze)
1-2 celery stocks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 bay leaf

fresh thyme
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
dash of bourbon or orange-flavored liqueur (I used Grand Marnier tonight)
2 TB brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
green beans
salt, pepper
butter (total, about 1 stick)
2 TB flour
extra virgin olive oil

Start by getting the sweet potato chunks into a pot and covered with water--start boiling on a back burner.  Set the oven to warm (250-275*) for holding.
For the stuffing:
Place the chopped onion, celery, 6-8 fresh sprigs of thyme (de-stemmed, roughly chopped), and bay leaf in a saucepan with about 1 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  When onions are translucent, add 1/2 cup of chicken stock.  Crumble the muffins or scones into the pan, mix.  Season with salt and pepper, and place in an oven-safe container and into the oven to keep warm.
For the cutlets:
Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with some olive oil.  Season the cutlets with salt and pepper and place in the skillet.  Turn the cutlets when the first side is golden brown.  Once both sides are golden, place in the oven to keep warm.

At this point, get the green beans cooking.  Start steaming, or place them in water to boil.  In the winter, I tend to buy more frozen vegetables than fresh.  (They're cheaper, and I figure, more fresh since they're frozen right away (while really fresh) rather than shipped "fresh" from who knows where.)  So I get a pot of water boiling, and then toss in some frozen green beans.  Next, start the gravy.

For the gravy:
Melt 2 TB butter over medium heat in a small saucepan.  Add 2 TB flour and cook down about 1 minute.  Add 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a bubble, whisking continuously.  Once bubbling, turn the heat to low and season with salt and pepper.  Turn off heat.

Drain the sweet potatoes.  Add about 1/2 stick of butter, a dash of bourbon or liqueur, and 2 TB brown sugar.  Mash the potatoes.  Stir in some chopped pecans.
Drain the green beans.  Add 1-2 TB butter, and season with salt and pepper.
Plate everything hot and pour the gravy over the turkey cutlets.  (And don't forget to pull that bay leaf out of the stuffing before serving!)  Happy Thanksgiving in February!

My stuffing-loving husband always gets the extra stuffing!

Day 21: Roasted Chicken with all the fixings!

I love Sundays.  Even though I only cook for Randy, myself, a 2-year-old, and an 8-month-old who is just starting to eat what we eat, I still go all out on Sundays whenever I can.  I just love the idea and feel of coming home from church to a nice, big Sunday dinner.  (My grandmother always made it clear that "dinner" was Sunday noontime and "supper" was at night.) :)  Randy and I want more kids and one thing I look forward to is gathering all the family around for Sunday dinners--hopefully even when they're all moved out with families of their own.  Most of my extended family has stayed close, and I hope it's the same for our family as it grows.

I make a roasted chicken pretty often on Sundays.  I make it with citrus and herb and Randy loves it so much that I haven't messed with my recipe at all since I started making it this way a few years ago.  He once told me that he "wouldn't mind" if I roasted a chicken every Sunday.  My response was, "Oh, how nice of you to give me permission." ;)  It's actually not that hard, the biggest job, I think, is the clean up afterward.  But I make it whenever I need chicken stock for future recipes, so that's fairly often!  I also make chicken salad with the leftover chicken.  Look for my recipes for stock and salad in a future blog--probably the next time I make a chicken in just a couple weeks!

I also use Sundays as my day to make a baked good for the week; either a sweet dessert or a breakfast item.  This morning I made cranberry orange scones with icing.  I only iced some of them because I plan to use the leftover scones for a stuffing recipe later this week.  It's gonna be good!   I'll start with my recipe for the scones, followed by our Sunday dinner. (Although it was supper today since Randy had a luncheon after church!) ;)

Cranberry Orange Scones (Ina Garten)
(makes 14-16)

4 cups plus 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 TB baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp orange zest
3 sticks of butter, cold, diced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg + water for egg wash
1/2 cup plus 2 TB confectioners' sugar
4 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix all of the dry ingredients (except the extra 1/4 cup of flour!) and the butter.  Mix on low until the butter is the size of peas.  (It's important to use cold butter and to NOT let it mix in fully--the cold butter "peas" in the dough will turn into air pockets in the oven, leaving the scones light and flaky.)  Combine the eggs and cream and pour into the batter while mixing on low speed.  Combine the cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour.  Fold into the dough.  While the dough is still lumpy, dump it out onto a well-floured surface to knead into a ball.  Roll it out to 1-inch thickness and cut 3-inch circles out of the dough to place on the prepared sheet pan.  When all the scones have been placed, brush the tops with the egg wash.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Allow the scones to cool, then mix the confectioners' sugar and orange juice for the glaze.  Drizzle on top of the scones.

 
Citrus-Herb Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken
1 onion
1 lemon
1 orange
fresh thyme plus dried thyme
fresh rosemary
fresh parsley
1/2 stick of butter, softened
salt, pepper
chicken stock or water

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Remove the gizzards from inside the chicken and empty any liquid.   Rub the softened butter all over the skin of the chicken.  (After washing your hands, of course) peel the onion and quarter it.  Zest the lemon and orange over the chicken.  Cut them in half and juice 1/2 of each over the chicken. Then cut the citrus halves in half.  Place a quarter of the onion, lemon, and orange inside the chicken.  Place the rest of the pieces around the chicken (you can stuff pieces under the skin for added flavor if desired, but after
having it with and without, I don't think it's necessary.  Chop the fresh herbs and sprinkle them over the chicken.  Place a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary inside the chicken as well.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Fill the pan with water or chicken stock 1-2 inches and place in oven.  Bake at 400* for 30 minutes.  Then baste the chicken and drop the temperature down to 275* and continue slow-roasting.  Baste every 30-45 minutes.  Depending on the size of the chicken, it will take 4-5 hours to slow-roast.

I serve with mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, biscuits, and homemade gravy.
Here's my gravy recipe:

Melt 2 TB butter in a small saucepan.  Add 2 TB flour and cook 1 minute.  Add about 1-2 cups chicken drippings.  (If you are using 2 cups of drippings, use more flour!)  Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, whisking continuously.  Once it bubbles, drop the temperature down to low and simmer.  Add a little bit of milk or light cream.  Season with salt and pepper.  The gravy should be nice and thick by now.