Christmas Turkey, English Style - Gordon Ramsay

Tradition to England and the UK country-states for Christmas dinner has been the goose. Depicted in the Christmas tale entitled A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens with main character Ebenezer Scrooge, the Christmas goose was a must have main dish. Americans have been serving turkey on holidays, especially Thanksgiving, since the 1600s when North America was colonized by the English.

Sometime after the English colonized North America, the American turkey, not found in Europe, was imported and raised for dinner tables. Eventually, the turkey pretty much took the place of the goose for Christmas dinner, especially after the Victorian era. 

The video following the recipe shows how Gordon Ramsay (has 24 restaurants worldwide) prepares and cooks his Christmas turkey that includes how to make his fabulous onion and bacon turkey gravy. Some families have turkey on both American holidays, while others serve lamb, roast beef, or ham for Christmas. In the UK, Thanksgiving Day is not celebrated, making Christmas the big feasting holiday.

Food & Wine: Great Bacon Weave for Bacon Sandwiches!

Food & Wine is a great YouTube channel with great food ideas ...

Tea and Currant Scones: A British Legacy in United States

The British left a legacy in the New World – tea. Americans moved away from being tea drinkers while colonists to coffee drinkers after the Boston Tea Party revolt and American Revolution. The Tea Party movement (see also Tea Party Patriots) has been revived, evolved into a pro-constitutional movement that promotes the return of lost liberties, economic freedom, sovereignty, repeal of income tax, and economic freedom. Tea is not dumped into the Boston bay, but instead enjoyed in homes and restaurants across America. 

Coffee is still huge in popularity in the American West, a tradition continued by ranchers and cowboys (and cowgirls).

7-UP Biscuits

4 cups Bisquick

1 cup sour cream
1 cup Seven Up or Ginger Ale
1/2 cup melted butter

1. Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7 up. Dough will be very soft - don't worry. Knead and fold dough until well mixed.
2. Pat dough out and cut biscuits using a round biscuit / cookie cutter.
3. Melt butter in bottom of cookie sheet pan or 9x13 casserole dish.
4. Place biscuits on top of melted butter.
5. Bake @ 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

NOTE: Ginger Ale is a good replacement for Seven Up.

Thanks to Aunt Helen for this recipe. 

Irish Lamb Stew

Irish Lamb Stew

This recipe is not only a traditional St. Patrick Day feast, but it is something to serve on cold arctic days like the last week of February here in Wisconsin …

½ cup flour

coarse salt and ground black pepper

3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat, shoulder best, trim excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped or 2 tablespoons minced onion

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

1-1/2 cup dark beer

1-1/2 pounds red potatoes, quartered ( I do not peel them)

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into ½ thick slices

3 tablespoons chopped fresh or dried parsley

1. In large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge lamb in flour mixture, shaking off excess. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
2. Pour ¼ cup water into pot, scraping up browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add onion, cook, stirring occasionally until water has evaporated and onion is beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to pot; stir in thyme, beer and 1-1/2 cups water. Cover; simmer until lamb is tender, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
3. Add potatoes, carrots, and ½ cup water. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely before storing. Stir in parsley just before serving.

St. Patrick's Day Dessert: Kiss of Bailey's Fudge Cookies

Saint Patrick's Day is coming soon, so this recipe is a dessert/snack to have the traditional corned beef, Irish stew, lamb roast with traditional Irish trimmings. Dark chocolate is best in terms of health wise over milk chocolate. The recipe serves 36.

1 Duncan Hines Fudge Brownies mix

½ cup flour

1 egg

¾ cup butter, melted

2/3 cup milk

3 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream

½ cup dark chocolate chips

Shipwreck Stew: Revised From Original Recipe

I made this recipe from an old sailor galley recipe that has various ingredients, but modernized and minus some ghastly (today's standards) ingredients. Pirates and ship cooks would make stew out of anything they could find when ashore for fresh game and wild vegetables that were not already in casks aboard the ship.

1 pound stew meat – sirloin or chuck cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks

1 can chicken meat, drained and chopped

2 cups beef stock

1 medium onion, chopped or one tablespoon of minced onion

1 can of diced potatoes or 4 red potatoes cut into chunks with skin on

1 can kidney beans, undrained

1 cup green beans, diced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup broccoli

Pirate Stew to Serve To Your Crew

Since the last article was about the Golden Age of Piracy, I thought it appropriate to pass on a modern version of pirate/sailors stew; more appetizing than the recipe at the aforementioned article. The recipe was put together by Pam and Corey of Alberta, Canada whose Recipe Box has 122 recipes online. 

Pirate Stew [Modern Version]

1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons flour

salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small sweet potato, chopped

3 small potatoes, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 turnip, chopped

2 parsnips, chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, chopped

¾ cup pineapple juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4-cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 cube beef bouillon

3 tablespoons rum

Mushroom Sauce and Pasta

Mushroom Sauce and Pasta

Serves 4

12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed

12 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and black pepper

2 shallots, minced

2 tablespoons minced sage

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine

1/2-cup dry white wine

4 cups water plus 1/4-cup hot water

12 ounces (3-3/4-cups) companelle, penne, or fusilli

2 ounces Pecarino Romano cheese, grated (1-cup) plus extra for serving

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

A big thanks to my Aunt Helen who passed this “Hillbilly Recipe” to me via Facebook. 

2 Boneless skinless chicken breast
4 tablespoons cream cheese
1/4 cup Pepperjack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
4 to 8 pieces of bacon
1. Cut chicken into 4 equal size pieces. Pound breast so it is about 1/4" thick.
2. Mix together softened cream cheese, chopped green onions and shredded pepperjack cheese. Put 1/4 of this mixture into the middle of each piece of chicken.
3. Starting at the long side, roll chicken breast up, keeping the cheese mixture to the middle.
4. Wrap 1 to 2 slices of bacon around the chicken breast, secure with toothpick, if needed.
5. One piece of bacon wrapped around each breast is enough. But 2 pieces of bacon for each breast fully wraps the chicken and is outstanding.
6. Place on baking sheet and back for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.
7. Broil topside for about 5 minutes to fully brown and crisp bacon. Turn each breast over and broil for another 3 minutes or so to crisp up the bottom side.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

It is difficult to imagine that there could be another method of making meatloaf, but I ran across this recipe from Cook's Country who developed it from another recipe in their test chicken to make the “Ultimate Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf”. Like Cook's Country, I suggest using Bulls-Eye original barbeque sauce; but, of course, to each their own. This recipe has been slightly modified by me. If you have cooked bacon-wrapped turkey, you can see that it truly adds flavorful moisture.

Green Goddess Dressing: Chef Roemer Original

Green Goddess Dressing

Green Goddess as Veggie Dip - Wikipedia photo

Crunchy romaine with bacon and avocado or some Alfalfa sprouts added is a tasty salad. But some salad dressings overwhelm all that flavoring, especially the oil/vinegar types or even one of my favorite creamy dressings: Bleu Cheese. Green Goddess creamy dressing is the answer, but sometimes it is hard to find at the local grocery store for some reason. So, try a hand at making your own.

Tortilla Soup

Corn Tortillas

Tortillas are one of the great foods that crossed our southern border. Available in local grocery stores as corn or flour tortilla, the latter being the favorite around here. Making sure there are tortillas on hand for a variety of recipes, they can be frozen ready for the next feast. However, when trying to pry frozen tortilla from each other it is easy to tear the tortilla. To prevent that, put a square piece of parchment paper between each tortilla before freezing, like you would for frozen prepared raw burgers. The parchment paper squares can be reused.

Southern Style Green Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, halved and sliced thin

4 cups water

1-1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths

2 (12-ounce) smoked ham hocks

3 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

Salt and black pepper

1 pound red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
2. Add water, green beans, ham hocks, garlic, and 2-1/4 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in potatoes, cover, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes longer, stirring halfway through cooking.
3. Off heat, remove ham hocks and let cool for 5 minutes. Chop meat and return to pot; discard skin and bones. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Porterhouse Steak

The Porterhouse is a steak lover's treat and as beef prices have climbed increasingly less affordable. It is a unique steak, usually cut thick that has a bone separating the strip steak portion and the tenderloin portion. A Porterhouse cut 2 inches thick, weighing in about 3 pounds will feed eight, is an alternative to roasted beef.

Steaks this thick can be a challenge and prevent outer edges from being overcooked trying to get medium-rare effect in the interior.

Sear the edges of the thick steaks for a few minutes to cook the exterior fat until crisp.

Let the steak rest for about 10 minutes, which is about as long as it takes to prepare Béarnaise Sauce.

When cutting the steaks, cut the tenderloin (smaller portion) and the larger strip steak from the bone and slice thinly against the grain. Reassemble the slices around the bone for presentation, but also keeps the sliced steak warm at the table on a platter. It serves 8.

2 (2.5 to 3-pound) porterhouse steaks, 2-inches thick, trimmed

Kosher salt and ground black pepper rubbed in per taste

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275° F. Set wire rack in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place steaks sided by side on prepared rack with tenderloins (smaller steak on bone) facing the center about 1-inch apart. Transfer steaks to oven and cook until thermometer inserted sideways 3 inches from tip of strip, registering 115 to 120 degrees, 70 to 90 minutes for medium-rare, rotating the sheet halfway through cooking time.
2. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke. Place one steak in skillet and sear until well browned, about 2 minutes per side, lifting occasionally to redistribute the oil. Using tongs, stand the steak upright to sear edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Return the steak to wire rack, tent loosely with foil, repeat with second steak. Let steaks rest for 10 minutes.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with Béarnaise Sauce, steamed or roasted vegetables, baked potato, and Pepperidge Farm Baked Artisan French Dinner Rolls. Chocolate Cheesecake would be an excellent dessert.

Béarnaise Sauce

Makes 1-1/4 cups.
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
1 shallot, minced, sliced thin
3 large egg yolks
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt [Sea salt or Kosher]
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Extra seasoning per taste
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and hot
Hot water
1. Bring vinegar, tarragon sprigs, and shallot to simmer in small skillet over medium heat. Cook until vinegar is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Use fork and discard shallot slices and tarragon sprigs.
2. Process egg yolks, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cayenne, and vinegar mixture in blender until frothy, about 10 seconds. With blender running, slowly drizzle in hot butter until emulsified, about 30 seconds. 
3.  Stir in minced tarragon. Adjust consistency with hot water as needed, 1 teaspoon at a time, until sause slowly drips from spoon. Extra seasoning per taste.

Surf-N-Turf Dinner For Two - Two Recipes

This recipe was inspired by Lake Geneva Meats in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin – a well-known meat market, who also has great recipes, some can be found on YouTube.

It has become a tradition to serve a “Surf-N-Turf” dinner for New Year's Eve at Lake Geneva Meats. Since I love Surf-N-Turf meals, I thought I would include this recipe with a Lake Geneva Meats video (end of article) to add to the recipes I am posting for the upcoming holidays. The pair of recipes that follow can be a dinner for two on any special occasion.

Kitchen Herbs and Homeopathic Remedies

When religion was strong and medicine was weak, men mistook magic for medicine; Now when science is strong and religion is weak, men mistake medicine for magic.

• Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin

Doctors and patients today have returned to the knowledge of homeopathic medicine, the ancient world of herbs and spices as preventives and methods of maintaining the needs for a healthy body. 

Herbology (Herbalism) has become a scientific genre, not just something listed in a Harry Potter novel. Indeed, there are courses one can take on the subject and even obtain a degree.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Cook's Country has an outstanding recipe for a rendition of the standard cheesecake – Milk Chocolate Cheesecake. It is a great addition to any special or holiday meal for dessert.

Part of the ingredients is an American historical cookie called the Oreo, originally called the Oreo Biscuit when it was introduced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, founded in 1898 and later changed to Nabisco. Its corporate office opened in the world's first skyscraper building in Chicago in the same year. Introduced by Adolphus W. Green, who died in 1917 at the age of 73. The Oreo, like the Barnum's Animals crackers has been an historical tradition in the United States. The Oreo was made to compete with the Hydrox cookie made by the Sunshine Company, introduced in 1908. The modern-day Oreo, known as the 'sandwich cookie' was developed in 1952 by William A. Turner, when the company name changed to Nabisco.

With that tidbit of historical information aside, here is the recipe for Milk Chocolate Cheesecake:

Sirloin in Wine Sauce with Linguine

This recipe is with Sirloin Steak made Italian style, served with linguine and serves four.

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground mustard

1 pound beef Top Sirloin Steak, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed beef consomme, undiluted

1/2-cup dry red wine or beef broth

1 jar (4.5 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

¼ cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Cooked linguine

1. In large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and mustard. Add beef, a few pieces at at time, and shake to coat. In large skillet, brown beef in butter.
2. Add consomme and wine. Stir in mushrooms, onions and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Serve with linguine. Side dish suggestion: Pan-Fried Asparagus. If you are going to serve with dinner rolls, I suggest Stone Baked Artisan French Dinner Rolls by Pepperidge Farm. Quality is excellent for frozen rolls, costing $4 for eight dinner rolls.