Herbed Turkey Stock

Getting ready for Thanksgiving!! Yeah! This is the first year that it will be at my home and I can't wait! Both of my sisters and their husbands are flying in for the celebration. I just love Thanksgiving. It's such a warm, comforting time full of food, family, and heavenly smells. Only one more week!

I decided to start my preparations in advance so that I'm able to relax when my sisters are here. So I made my turkey stock from a recipe from Fine Cooking. I'll use it for my gravy on Thanksgiving. I roasted turkey parts with aromatic vegetables, then simmered them with fresh herbs: thyme, sage, and parsely. After straining, I popped it in the freezer. The aroma was great! Recipe coming soon!

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Pizza Sauce and Basic Pizza Dough

I really just love pizza. The house always smells amazing when they're baking. And today I made my own sauce, adding to the wonderful aroma. Pizza making is so simple, and so much better for you than pre-packaged pizza. It's fun to play around with the toppings or customize each slice for the varying tastes of your family. My husband is a strict pepperoni lover whereas I love everything on mine. We can enjoy two totally different meals, each to our liking, baked at the same time.
Tonight I made a basic crust--just flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil. It's a sturdy, bready crust able to withstand the weight of several toppings. It was ok but low on flavor. I definitely prefer my semolina crust or a thinner, herbed crust with a bit a sugar added to the dough. I topped one with pepperoni, Robert's standard, and one with tomato slices marinated in a balsamic/red wine vinaigrette. Continue for recipes.












Pizza Sauce

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 28oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 smaller cans)

1 large tablespoon tomato paste

Herbs: 1 t thyme, 1 t basil, 1 t rosemary, 1/2 t oregano (or 1 T fresh herbs)--these are just estimates; feel free to throw in seasonings to your taste--I always throw in large "pinches" and usually side with thyme.

large pinch of sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Fry onion and garlic until softened.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 min, or until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick pulp.

Let sauce cool a little and then puree in the blender. (I like my pasta sauce thunky but prefer a smooth pizza sauce--this is optional though.)

Basic Pizza Dough

For one pizza:

1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1 t yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 T olive oil

Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to mix. Stir in the yeast.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Pour in the water and oil and mix with a spoon to a soft dough.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover.
Let rise in a warm place about 1 1/2 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 425.
Gently deflate the dough, knead, and shape into a ball.
Roll dough out and place on baking sheet or pizza peel.
Push up the dough to make a rim or a twisted border.
Brush or spray pizza lightly with olive oil (use garlic oil or chili oil for a nice flavor).
Top with desired toppings/sauce.
Bake for about 15 min, or until crust is golden.

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Mango Chutney

My first canning experience! I'm so excited! It worked! I bought a large box of sweet Ataulfo Mexican mangoes at an outdoor market and wanted to try this chutney that I saw on Simply Recipes. It's a sweet condiment with a nice flavor from the ginger, raisins, and onions. I love it on turkey sandwiches, roasted chicken, and grilled pork. I haven't tried it yet with fish, but I think it would go really nicely in fish tacos. Interesting! Continue for recipe.

Mango Chutney
C&H Sugar

2 cups sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
6 cups mangoes (4 to 5), peeled and cut in 3/4-inch pieces (See How to Cut a Mango)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, whole
1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (hot)

1 Combine sugar and vinegar in a 6 quart pot; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

2 Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until syrupy and slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally during cooking.

3 Pour into clean, hot jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace; close jars. Process in a water bath 15 minutes.

Makes 6 (1/2 pint) jars

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Mom's Marvelous Marinade for Steak or Pork Kabobs

I just love this marinade. It reminds me of summer grilling: Dad outside tending the grill with a frosty mug of some unusual beer; Mom inside making her standard white rice, cutting a loaf of french bread, sampling a slice spread with margarine; guacamole and chips sitting on the counter to nibble on; the wonderful smell from the combination of all of these things. Summer.

Mom always used this marinade for beef kabobs, but the sweetness works really well with pork also. It can be used for larger cuts of meats too, not just kabobs--although the smaller surface area of the meat means more marinade coating--yum! I think I'll try this with a slow cooker roast next--pulled pork/beef sandwiches would be great. (Rump roast in a slow cooker with all of the marinade for about 10hrs. on low). I usually reserve a little marinade to coat grilled veggies. Continue for recipe.

Mom's Marinade

1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup wine vinegar
4 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic
pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.
Marinate with meat at least several hours, preferably overnight.

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