Kelly, Author at The Nourishing Home

2012 Thanksgiving Day Menu!

Thanksgiving is a special celebration that most certainly deserves a special menu! Yet, in the quest for serving up a memorable meal, often times simple is best. And that’s what I love about the following recipes. Although they do take some time to make, each represents the simple, traditional flavors of Thanksgiving – nothing super fancy, just some classic family style dining at its best!

Alton Brown’s Perfect Roast Turkey
I’ve made a lot of roast turkeys throughout the years, but this recipe is by far my very favorite. The secret to this fantastically juicy and flavorful bird is the extra step of brining. By submerging the bird into a salty, seasoned bath, it becomes infused with an amazing combination of flavors and doesn’t loose it’s moisture during the roasting process.

Recommended Real Food Variations: When making this recipe, I substitute the refined brown sugar called for in the recipe with rapadura (sucanat) instead. I also use fresh peeled ginger rather than candied. In addition, I use a combination of butter and olive oil place of canola oil. Another tip: If you don’t use or have a microwave, simply bring the aromatics to a boil rather than microwaving them as the recipe suggests. (Also note, you may want to start the bird at 475-degrees instead of the recommended 500-degrees, and then follow directions to reduce the temp as noted in the recipe.)

Healthier Homemade Stuffing
I may be a bit bias here, but this simple, yet savory herb stuffing is my family’s favorite complement to a perfectly roasted bird. (In fact, we like it so much, we enjoy it several times throughout the year and pair it with roast chicken or my quick-n-easy grilled herb turkey breasts.)

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Traditional Turkey Drippings Gravy
Creamy mashed potatoes covered in savory turkey gravy – yes, please! Frankly, I’m completely addicted to Ina Garten’s buttermilk mashed potatoes recipe, which is why I had to share it. And when you top these buttery whipped potatoes with some good old fashioned turkey pan drippings gravy, you’ve got a marriage made in heaven! I’ve never really written down my recipe for pan gravy, I just make the way my Dad taught me, but this recipe comes pretty close. (I remember as a kid thinking the giblets were so disgusting, but now I know better!)

Garlicky Green Beans
A simple, yet delicious side, garlicky green beans have been a family tradition since I was a wee-one! Ina Garten’s recipe is so similar to how I make these, except I use minced garlic instead. When serving these aromatic beans as part of a Thanksgiving meal, I reduce the garlic so that there’s just a hint. That way, it doesn’t overpower the other savory flavors on the plate.

Pumpkin Spice Cake
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a pumpkin dessert of some kind! And although we adore pumpkin pie, rather than going the traditional route this year, I’ll be serving this incredibly moist and delicious pumpkin spice cake instead. My boys absolutely love this cake and pleaded for it to be on the menu, so how could I say no? LOL!

Happy Thanksgiving!
As we gather together with our families this holiday season, may our hearts be centered on bringing glory to the One from whom we’ve received abundant patience, mercy, grace and love!

Wishing you and your family a very blessed Thanksgiving, Kelly

P.S. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe or family tradition you’d like to share? I’d love for you to share a link in the comments below. It will be fun to see what everyone has planned for this special time of giving thanks and counting our many blessings!

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Savory Herb Dressing (GF)

By Kelly · 19 Comments

Enjoy a healthier, savory dressing by making the bread cubes yourself using your favorite home-baked GF bread or healthier brand GF bread.

This recipe is always a huge hit no matter what the time of year! In fact, I often pair this dressing with some quick and easy Grilled Herb Turkey Breasts when we’re in the mood for the classic flavors of Thanksgiving without all of the fuss.

Ready to Go in the Oven: Perfect stuffing (a.k.a dressing) should be moist, but not soggy. If it’s not quite moist enough add a bit more milk, toss and let is sit for a minute. Then mix and check again. Once you have the right moisture, be sure to cover the dish and bake as directed in the recipe below.

Sharing delicious family recipes like this one, always reminds me that Thanksgiving is a holiday to be celebrated every day of the year!

Time-Saving Tips: Make the GF croutons ahead of time and freeze them until you’re ready to use. You can also prepare the veggie-broth mixture for the stuffing/dressing the day before, see recipe instructions for prep-ahead details.

Many blessings to you and your family for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Joyfully (and thankfully) serving HIM, Kelly

Savory Herb Dressing (GF, DF Options)

Yield: 8-10 servings

Savory Herb Dressing (GF, DF Options)

Ingredients

Step One: Baking Homemade Croutons

10 cups gluten-free or grain-free bread croutons, cut 3/4x3/4-inch in size
(approximately 1 to 1 1/2 loaves of your favorite GF bread; the better the bread, the better the stuffing)

Step Two: Preparing Stuffing

3/4 cup finely diced organic celery
3/4 cup finely diced organic carrot
3/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
5 tbsp butter (if DF, omit butter & increase olive oil to 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried poultry seasoning
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 heaping tbsp minced fresh sage
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 cups homemade chicken stock
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk of your choice (I use unsweetened almond milk)

Instructions

Step One: Baking Homemade Croutons

Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Using large chef knife, stack the bread two to three slices high and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. (You want at least 10 heaping cups of bread cubes.)
Arrange the bread cubes evenly on an ungreased baking sheet so they are not overlapping. Repeat process with remaining bread cubes. (You may not be able to fit all the bread cubes onto one baking sheet. So if you don’t have a second baking sheet, you will need to bake in batches.)
Bake bread cubes for approximately 1-2 hours (or more), making sure to check them every 20-30 minutes, until they are dried out and firm (like a salad crouton).
Once they are dry, remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Then proceed with making the stuffing. (See time and money saving tips below in the notes.)

Step Two: Preparing Dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely dice the celery, carrot and onion and set aside in medium bowl.
Pluck leaves only from fresh sage and mince, set aside two heaping tablespoons (freeze the rest for future use).
Preheat large skillet to medium-high; add butter and olive oil. Immediately add celery, carrot and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent and carrot begins to soften (about 5 minutes).
Add poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, sage, cranberries and broth; bring to a slight simmer. Cook about 3-5 minutes, just until cranberries begin to plump. Turn off heat and remove skillet to a cool area of stovetop.
In a small bowl, add milk and eggs and whisk to combine. Slowly pour a half cup of the hot veggie-broth mixture into the milk-egg mixture while rapidly whisking (this is done to temper the milk-egg mixture, so you don’t get scrambled egg pieces). Then, slowly add the milk-egg mixture to the veggie-broth mixture while rapidly stirring.
In a large bowl, add your homemade croutons (dried bread cubes) and slowly pour the veggie mixture over them. Using a rubber spatula or your hands, gently combine until bread cubes are moistened. If still dry, you can add a bit more milk or chicken stock to moisten.
Add mixture to a well-oiled 9x13-inch baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until completely heated through.
Remove foil and bake another 8-10 minutes, until stuffing begins to turn slightly brown on edges. Enjoy!

Notes

Time-Saving Tip - Make the bread cubes for the stuffing ahead of time and freeze them until ready to use. You can also make the veggie-broth mixture a day ahead of time. Just follow steps 5-8 (no need to preheat oven) and place the veggie-broth mixture into the fridge up to one day ahead of time. Then, when you're ready to make the stuffing, remove the croutons from the freezer and the veggie-broth from the fridge and allow them to come to room temp. Then follow the remaining steps to incorporate the eggs and milk, and bake as directed.

Money-Saving Tip - Here's a frugal way to make croutons, simply save all of the heels from your favorite bread, making sure to place them in a big airtight bag in your freezer. Once the bag contains about 20 or so heels, let them defrost completely and then follow the baking instructions above to make croutons.

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/11/savory-herb-stuffing-gf-df-options/

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Apple Streusel Upside Down Cake (GF)

By Kelly · 32 Comments

Before our boys started school, we would travel to New Jersey every October to see my husband’s family and enjoy the amazingly gorgeous display of fall colors throughout the countryside. While there, one of our favorite traditions was to go apple-picking together. It was such a treat to pick an apple right off the tree and eat it! Of course, we’d come back with barrels of apples and that’s when the fun would really begin … coming up with all kinds of delicious ways to enjoy our bounty of apples!

Since then, we try to make a yearly trip during Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately, apple season has passed and all of the beautiful leaves have fallen from the trees. However, our favorite family-owned apple farm is still open, selling their scrumptious fresh-pressed apple cider and lots of fresh-baked apple treats. Inspired by their delicious apple creations, I developed this delightful grain-free apple streusel upside down cake. It’s like having a little slice of fall each time I bake it!

As shown below, to make this cake as pretty as it is tasty, arrange the apple slices in a pleasing pattern on the bottom of a springform pan. Then, spoon the walnut mixture in a circular pattern across the top of the apple slices, filling in the gaps between the apple slices. Beautiful and delicious!

Apple Streusel Upside Down Cake (GF)

Yield: 8 slices

Apple Streusel Upside Down Cake (GF)

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Apple Topping

1 medium organic apple
2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter), melted
1 tbsp rapadara (or 2 tbsp maple syrup)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cups crispy walnut pieces

Instructions

Step One: Prepare Pan – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the bottom round of an 9x3-inch springform pan. Using parchment paper, trace the bottom round and cut the paper slightly smaller than the traced circle so that it fits neatly into the bottom (no overlap). Place the bottom back into the springform pan and secure in place. Lightly oil the pan and then place the parchment cut-out into the bottom of the pan and lightly oil. (If you don't have a springform pan, you can use a parchment-lined 9x9-inch baking dish instead.)
Step Two: Prepare Topping – Core and slice one apple (about 1/4 inch slices) and arrange the apple slices in a pleasing pattern on the bottom of the prepared pan/baking dish (as shown in photo above).
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, rapadura (sucanat) and cinnamon. Then toss the walnuts in the mixture until well coated.
Spoon the walnuts in a circular pattern across the top of the apple slices, filling in the gaps between the apple slices (as shown in photo above).
Place the pan in the oven and bake the topping for 6-8 minutes, just until the apples begin to soften. Then remove from oven and add the cake batter, as described below.
Step Three: Prepare Cake Batter – While the topping is cooking, prepare the cake batter. In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
Using an electric hand mixer, blend (on low speed) the applesauce, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla, until well combined.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet and continue mixing for a full minute, until smooth and well blended.
Gently pour the cake batter over the partially baked apple topping, using a rubber spatula to help remove all of the batter from the bowl. Spread batter evenly across top.
Place back in oven and continue to bake for approximately 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (If using a springform pan, I recommend placing the cake pan onto a baking sheet, as some of the apple juice may leak out of the pan during baking.)
Allow cake to cool completely, then remove the springform pan and invert the cake onto a plate or cake stand to serve. (If using a 9x9-inch baking dish, place a serving platter over the top of the baking dish and invert the cake onto the platter.)
Slice, serve and enjoy!

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/10/apple-pie-cake-gf/

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