A bone-in turkey breast, rubbed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and baked. Pictured here with southern cornbread, dressing and skillet green beans with turkey gravy.

Classic Oven-Roasted Bone-in Turkey Breast

One thing that I have certainly learned in this world of cooking is that when it comes to large cuts of meat, you really need a digital in-oven probe-style meat thermometer (#ad), and not just the typical stick-in instant read thermometer.

I bought this Polder back in 2012 and so far it's still hanging in there!

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Since all ovens vary in the way that they cook, using a digital in-oven thermometer means that you can insert the probe, set the temperature you need the meat to reach and it will set off an alarm as soon as that temperature is reached. There's no need to keep opening the oven and removing the turkey toward the end of the cooking time to keep checking the temperature because every time you do that you lose some heat.

A quick small batch turkey or chicken soup with corn and noodles.

Turkey or Chicken and Corn Soup

Tis the season for soup!

Even though the weather has been pretty consistently inconsistent here in the Deep South.

We've been flip-flopping between freezing to humid and warm down here along the beach - and mostly warm and humid lately. But you know what they say... just wait a day or three and that's subject to change of course!

A bone-in turkey breast, oven-braised in chicken stock with aromatics, in a covered pot and pictured here with a baked sweet potato and my Super Creamy Macaroni and Cheese.

Braised Turkey Breast

It's rare that I will cook a turkey or chicken without brining it first. Although I use an in oven thermometer {affil link} these days, there has been many a time that I thought I had that timing down perfect, only to result in an overcooked, tasteless and dry bird. It's not hard to do given how poultry is bred today. Those thermometers are a godsend, especially with roasting any meat.

A brine gives a little extra insurance against that, whether you're using a thermometer or not, as well as infusing some salty goodness into the meat. That said, since this turkey breast was going to be cooked with a braising method, I decided to give it a try without either. The braising process does wonders to meat and I was delighted with the result!

Stovetop Smothered Turkey Wings

Turkey wings, slow stewed with onion and bell pepper and finished with gravy.

Smothered Turkey Wings

You may see those packs of turkey wings in the meat case at the market and think back to those dried up Thanksgiving turkey wings, asking yourself why anybody would want those!

When they're attached to a whole turkey, that's often the case. Overcooked, dried up wings that nobody wants to eat. If you're not from the south, you may never have even considered stewing them on their own. It really makes a big difference and they are delicious!

 

An easy chili, made leaner with ground turkey, more hearty with vegetables and beans, and gets a flavor boost from basic pantry seasonings.

Turkey Chili with Beans

You may have noticed that boneless, skinless chicken breasts are not my favorite piece of chicken to cook... but of course, they're on sale often enough that I still buy them. With a little help, they can make for a quick and inexpensive meal.

While I very much love a brined and roasted turkey, I don't use a lot of ground turkey either. Though it is less fatty and therefore more attractive to those dieting and trying to cut back on fat, the lack of fat also means lack of flavor. In my dig through the New Year Freezer Cleanse however, I found a pound of mixed (85/15) ground turkey I had picked up at some point to make something that I've now long forgotten. With winter in the Deep South waning, and the Big Game coming up, I thought I would give some turkey chili a spin.

My classic oven roasted turkey begins with a brine, then is left uncovered in the fridge overnight, is trussed, then stuffed with aromatics, and basted with a turkey or chicken stock or broth that is infused with apple cider throughout the roast.

Classic Oven Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy

It took me a few years to get the Cooking of the Holiday Turkey down, but this method has worked out so well over the years that it is how I have finally settled on doing my holiday birds.

I would love to show you step by step pics, and the finished slices, but they are currently being held hostage by my iMac, thanks to me stupidly doing an OS update, that I should have waited on. 

Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini

Transform slices of cooked turkey or chicken with this mushroom cream sauce, served over spaghetti noodles. Great casserole to use up leftovers.

Turkey Tetrazzini

This is just a basic tetrazzini, but it's sure a tasty way to re-purpose some of that leftover turkey from the holidays, or later on down the line, chicken and ham even.

A simple, rich cream sauce, fresh mushrooms, chicken stock and a nice splash of white wine and you'll forget you're eating leftovers.

If you're looking for a few more ways to use up some of those holiday leftovers, be sure to pop by this page for a little inspiration.

My Roasted Turkey and a Happy Thanksgiving to You!

Oven Roasted Turkey

How to Roast a Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving! We are lucky to spend these major holidays with family every year, so I don't host the typical large spread at my home. I do, however, always do a little mini spread either before or after the main event, just for The Cajun and me, where I roast a turkey and do some of my favorite sides, including homemade turkey gravy from the drippings (sometimes with giblets, sometimes without), homemade mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, because I have to have my green bean casserole and dressing at the very least. What else I add depends on my mood, or if I'm trying something new.

I've outlined the entire turkey process, step by step, here, and provided a great printable too. Just click the link!

I just want to express my gratitude for all of you. Thank you for visiting my little site here, for having confidence in my recipes, and for being a part of this experience here and on the Facebook page. Thank you for your friendship, for your sweet comments and heartwarming emails sharing bits and pieces of yourselves and for the tears we sometimes share together. You are all truly a joy and I am grateful to have met you. Go. Enjoy your family and make some memories. Food. Family. Memories. Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Love and hugs, Mary

☛ Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.

Posted by Mary on November 23, 2011

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A Kentucky classic from the Brown Hotel in Louisville, a Kentucky Hot Brown is an open-faced turkey sandwich, topped with a rich Mornay sauce and garnished with slices of fresh tomato and crisp bacon.

Kentucky Hot Brown

Ever had a Kentucky Hot Brown? Chances are if you've traveled to The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky you probably have, and though I've certainly been to Louisville, I've never been to The Brown Hotel, so I hadn't!

In honor of the Kentucky Derby this weekend, which frankly has been kinda lost in the shuffle of Cinco de Mayo menus and Mother's Day, I thought I'd get this posted to share what all of the hub bub is about, and so I went straight to the source to find out how.

A Kentucky Hot Brown is a sort of open-faced, hot turkey sandwich that comes with a history.  Don't you just love food with a story?

Turkey Bone Gumbo - Turkey Carcass Gumbo

A delicious gumbo made from the carcass of the holiday turkey.

Turkey Bone Gumbo

Turkey bone gumbo, Thanksgiving gumbo or Turkey Carcass Gumbo - no matter the name you use, it is a great way to transform at least one of your Thanksgiving leftovers into a whole 'nother meal, by extracting every ounce of flavor from that holiday bird. While everybody is busy traveling and gathering for the big feast on Thanksgiving, I wanted to remind you not to toss that turkey carcass after your Thanksgiving feast!

And by the way, once all the feasting is over, pop back by here and check out my list of Thanksgiving leftover recipes too. You're bound to find something to transform those leftovers into something else your family will be happy to gobble down.

Classic Turkey Club Sandwich with Cajun Mayonnaise

A classic turkey club sandwich with deli turkey, crisp bacon, garden fresh tomatoes, romaine lettuce and finished with a spicy Cajun mayonnaise.

Classic Turkey Club Sandwich

Recently we were having a discussion on the Facebook page about what to eat when it's too hot to cook and two of the most popular responses were tomato sandwiches and BLTs - both of which I love. I couldn't help but think of an old fashioned club sandwich though, so the next time I cooked some bacon, you know I planned a few extra slices to have ready for one! Sliced turkey breast, crisp bacon, garden fresh tomatoes and lettuce, sandwiched between lightly toasted bread with a bit of mayo - what a great summer sandwich! Be sure to sprinkle just a bit of salt and pepper on those tomatoes too to really bring out their garden fresh flavor.

Grilled Pimento Cheese Turkey Burger with POM Coca-Cola Glaze

 

A moist flavorful turkey burger, filled with sweet onion, apple, pepper jelly, fresh herbs, a touch of oatmeal and finished with a pomegranate glaze, pimento cheese and coleslaw.

Turkey Burger with POM-Cola Glaze

I represented POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice in the POM Wonderful Recipe Battle with a Take 2 rematch against another blogger representing Coach's Oats. The recipes were required to be both savory and summertime BBQ related, and make use of both products.

I have certainly shared my love of POM Wonderful, it's amazing antioxidant properties and great taste, both straight up out of the bottle and as an ingredient in beverages and cooking, but Coach's Oats were new to me. Well, I know that some of you are big fans of steel cut oats, so I tell ya, these are definitely worth a look y'all. Imagine a 100% whole grain oatmeal with the texture of steel cut, that is stovetop ready in 5 minutes, and can also be microwaved! Yep! Not 30 to 45 minutes - but only 5 minutes - thanks to a special process called Cracked n' Toasted™.

Bacon-Wrapped Roasted and Stuffed Boneless Turkey Breast

 

Turkey Roulade, a whole turkey breast, butterflied and deboned, pounded thin, stuffed, rolled and roasted.

Bacon-Wrapped Roasted Stuffed Boneless Turkey Breast

A turkey roulade recipe is a fantastic way to go, if it's just you and your significant other for the holidays, or you just don't want to deal with roasting an entire turkey. A turkey roulade is simply a boneless turkey breast that has been butterflied, pounded flat, and then stuffed, rolled and roasted in the oven. It is an excellent way to get a taste of your traditional turkey and dressing, without having a boatload of leftovers.

A hash of fried potatoes with chopped turkey breast, stirred with eggs.

Spicy Turkey and Egg Hash

I so love breakfast foods. I love food and eating, but I really enjoy a good breakfast.

But seriously, since I have the time in the mornings I love making a hearty breakfast occasionally - especially oatmeal when the weather is cool - but eggs of any kind, any time. Okay. Sometimes muffins or some kind of sweet bread. But most often, eggs. They are a super food for sure, loaded with nutrition.

I really enjoy this hash because it's very satisfying and filling and super delicious and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. I really love the spice of the Cajun fried turkey, but I've used regular deli turkey, and ham also works really well here. You can also switch up the cheese to your favorite of course.

Little dogs or cocktail sausages wrapped in dough and baked. I think when you have a gathering of any kind, you pretty much have to have pigs in a blanket in attendance, don't you?

Pigs in a Blanket

These are without a doubt a great snack food whether just for the two of you for snacking, for family movie night, or as a party finger food and since you can cut the hotdogs into four pieces, its a snacker that you can really stretch out.

I like them with tender hot dogs the best - and since I always stock up on dogs when they go on sale, it's very budget friendly, especially when you make your own dough. Y'all know I rock the Lil Smokies here too though they aren't my favorites, but those tiny smoked cocktail sausages also work great and save a little cutting up time, but their more costly too.

This cabbage soup is often referred to as zero point or free soup, because it is low calorie and primarily tomato and vegetable centered. Filling, satisfying and tasty too!

Diet Cabbage Soup with Turkey

Good ole Cabbage Soup. It's the dieters friend isn't it? Filling, satisfying, tasty and low calorie.

Don't toss that leftover turkey carcass! Repurpose it into a whole new meal with a stock made from the bones for turkey noodle soup.

Turkey Carcass Soup

Don't throw away that leftover turkey carcass. Turn it into a warm and comforting turkey soup.

Here's how to make it.