Here is a real treat for you – a Complete Thanksgiving Dinner Menu – with all the recipes to make your festive celebration easy and organized.

Salad of Greens, Fennel and Tangerines

Salad of Greens, Fennel and Tangerines with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

12 cups torn mixed salad greens
1 small fennel bulb
2 seedless tangerines or small oranges

Honey-Lime Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup tangerine juice
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp minced shallot
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp (liquid honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt

• Place greens in large salad bowl. Halve and core fennel bulb; slice paper-thin (using mandoline if available).Place over greens. Peel tangerines; cut off white pith and cut out segments from membranes. Place over fennel bulb.

Honey-Lime Vinaigrette:

• In small bowl and using whisk or hand blender, whisk together tangerine juice, oil, shallot, lime juice, honey, mustard and salt.

Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy

Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy

1 Spanish onion or 2 onions

2 stalks of celery

1 large carrot

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped sage

4 springs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

5 crushed peppercorns

1 turkey – 12 – 14 lbs.

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

¾ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of pepper

Pan gravy:

¼ cup of flour

6 cups of turkey stock

¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

• Dice onion, celery and carrot into small pieces. In a skillet, heat up oil and sauté vegetables until lightly browned. – That will take about 7-8 minutes on medium heat. Let cool, then mix in sage, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns. You can make this ahead and refrigerate the mixture for up to 8 hours.
  • Pat turkey dry inside and out. Stuff body cavity with vegetable mixture and close cavity shut with a skewer. Tie legs together and tuck wings under back.

  • Lace turkey, breast side up on a greased rack in roasting pan. Brush with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast at 375F oven for 1 hour.Remove foil, roast, basting with drippings every 20 minutes, until meat thermometer, inserted in the thickest part of thigh registers 185F – that should take about 1 – 1-1/2 hours.

    Remove skewers. Spoon vegetable mixture and juices into a bowl; set aside. Lift turkey onto warmed platter, tent with foil and let stand for at least 15 minutes – up to 30 minutes.

  Pan Gravy:

• Meanwhile, skim all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from pan juices ; whisk flour into pan.

• Place pan over medium heat, cook for 2 minutes, stirring and scrapping up any brown bits from bottom of the pan.

• Gradually whisk in stock.

• Add vegetable mixture to pan juices along with salt and pepper. Bring to boil and boil, stirring constantly, until reduced by half – about 15 minutes.

• Stir in lemon juice, adding a little more to taste. Strain into warmed gravy boat.

Turkey Stock:

Turkey neck, gizzard and heart

1 onion, quartered

1 stalk celery with leaves chopped

1 clove of garlic

3 springs of parsley

2 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon each salt and pepper

• Chop neck into 5-6 pieces, cut gizzard and heart in a halfPlace in large sauce pan and cover with 8 cups of cold water. Bring to boil and skim off foam. Add onion, celery, garlic, parsley, cloves, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Strain.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

1 cup of wild rice

1/3 cup of butter

2 cups of cubed crustless bread

1 cup of sliced shiitake mushrooms caps, cremini and oyster mushrooms

½ cup of diced sweet red pepper

2 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage

½ teaspoon of each salt and pepper

1-1/2 cups of chicken stock

2 eggs beaten

• In large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook rice covered until tender and split – about 40 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, melt all but 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place bread in bowl and drizzle with butter, tossing to distribute evenly. Spread on rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 450F oven, tossing once until golden – about 8 minutes. Add to rice.
• In skillet, heat remaining b utter over medium heat; sauté mushrooms just until browning at edges, about 7 minutes. Add to rice mixture along with red pepper, sage, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Stir in stock and eggs. Spread in greased 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan; cover with foil and bake at 375F for 45 minutes.

Potatoes Gratin with Caramelized Onions

Potatoes Gratin with Caramelized Onions

2 cups of whipping cream

4 cloves of garlic, slivered

3 peppercorns

2 springs of fresh thyme

¾ teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 spanish onion or 2 onions, finely sliced

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

½ cup of shredded Gruyere cheese

• In saucepan, bring cream, garlic, peppercorns, thyme and salt to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat cook onion, stirring often until light brown. Slice potatoes as thinly as possible. Layer one quarter of the potatoes in greased 8 inch square glass baking or casserole dish, top with one third of the onion and one quarter of the cheese. Repeat twice. Top with remaining potatoes. Strain cream mixture over potatoes, shaking casserole to distribute evenly, sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake at 300F oven until tender and knife inserted in bottom pierces potatoes easily. – 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Cranberry Relish

Cranberry Relish

1 orange

1 package of fresh cranberries (12 oz.)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

¼ cup of maple syrup

Pinch of salt

Granulated sugar – optional

• Remove rind from orange. Chop rind and place in food processor. Working over food processor to catch juice, cut off white pith; cut between membrane and pulp to release fruit into food processor.
• Add cranberries, jalapeno peppers, maple syrup and salt; blend until fairly smooth. Let stand for at least one hour. Add up to 2 tablespoons of sugar if desired to sweeten.

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Easy Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

16 ounces baby carrots

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup water

dash salt

pepper, to taste

• In a medium saucepan, combine the baby carrots with remaining ingredients. Stir to blend ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling (uncovered) for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until carrots are tender and the liquid has evaporated.
  Serves 4 to 6.

Caramel Pumpkin Custard

Caramel Pumpkin Custard

1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb)
2-3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup 10% cream
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch salt

• Cut squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place, cut side up, on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake in 425°F (220°C) oven for 25 minutes. Turn over; bake until soft and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Scoop out flesh and place in food processor; purée until silky smooth.
• Meanwhile, in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir 1 cup (250 mL) of the sugar with 1/2 cup (125 mL) water until dissolved. Reduce heat to medium; cook, without stirring but brushing down side of pan with brush dipped in cold water, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately divide among eight 6-oz (175 mL) ramekins or custard cups, swirling to coat bottoms and 1/2 inch (1 cm) up sides. Set aside.
• In large bowl, whisk together 1 cup (250 mL) of the squash purée eggs, yolks, cream, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and remaining sugar until smooth. Strain through sieve into large measuring cup; pour into prepared ramekins.
• Place ramekins in large roasting pan; pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover with foil; poke several holes in top. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until centres no longer jiggle, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes longer. Remove from water; let cool.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holidays and remember to give thanks for all you have!

That famous bird is the star of your Thanksgiving so selecting it and cooking it the easiest and safest way – especially if this is your first Thanksgiving dinner – is of the utmost importance.

First – decide if you want to go with fresh, unfrozen turkey or a frozen one. Remember that a free-range and large turkeys will be bit tougher and have stronger flavour. If you decide to go with frozen turkey, plan ahead so that you can thaw it properly.

Then decide if you want to stuff it or not. It is not a problem to cook the stuffing outside of the bird – it is actually more and more recommended by food experts.

Make sure you have an accurate meat thermometer to get your turkey properly and fully cooked.

Step-by-step guide to cooking turkey:

• 1 6- to 24-pound dressed turkey, fresh or frozen (allow 1 pound per serving for birds 12 pounds or under, and 3/4 pound
• Kosher salt and ground pepper
• Dried herbs and spices of choice: sage, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder
• Dressing (stuffing) of choice, optional
• Vegetable oil

If you buy frozen turkey, the safest way to thaw it is in the refrigerator. You can also thaw it in cold water or in the microwave.

To thaw turkey in the refrigerator:

Keep the turkey in wrapping you bought it in, place in a pan and leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours for each 5 lbs. of weight. That would mean you need to leave large turkey defrost in your refrigerator for about 5 days – something you need to take into consideration when purchasing it. Remember that giblets and neck are usually packed in the neck and body cavities of frozen turkeys. You can take them out near the end of thawing period – it will speed up the thawing process and you can use them to make turkey stock for your gravy.
To thaw turkey in cold water:

First thing you need to make about is that the turkey is in a leakproof package. It will prevent bacteria form getting to the meat and also prevent poultry tissues from absorbing water – that would ruin the meat. You will need to change the water about every 30 minutes and you will need to calculate about 30 minutes per pound of turkey. And make sure that you start cooking the turkey right after thawing in the cold water.
To thaw in the microwave:

If you decide to use this method, you will need to remove the turkey from the wrap it came in. Consideration has to given to the fact that most plastic wraps and other packaging materials are not designed for microwaving and may contain chemicals that would transfer into the meat. The best approach here is to actually consult manufacturer’s instruction and start cooking immediately after defrosting.

To refrigerate fresh turkey:
A whole turkey, purchased fresh (not frozen) may safely be refrigerated up to 2 days before roasting.

To prepare the turkey for roasting :

Do not stuff your turkey, until you are ready to start cooking it.

First – rinse the outside and inside of the bird under cold,running water. Cut away and discard any fat. Place the turkey on layers of paper towels and make sure it drains well. Pat outside and inside dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper.

To do the stuffing part, stand the bird on its tail in a large bowl and using a tablespoon, stuff the neck cavity first. When done, pull the neck skin over the dressing and fasten it to the body with a metal skewer.

Then turn the bird, place neck end in the bowl and stuff the cavity loosely with your dressing. It is important to stuff the dressing fairly loosely – it will expand during cooking.

Then remove the turkey from the bowl and place, breast side up on a clean working surface. Pull the legs close to the body and tie the ends together with cotton string. Then fold the wings under the bird – it will provide a platform for roasting.

When the turkey is prepared like this, place it – again breast side up on a wire rack in a shallow roasting pan and brush all exposed parts with vegetable oil. The sprinkle with your choice of herbs, spices, salt and pepper.

Before placing in the oven, you will need to insert a meat thermometer. Make sure you insert it into one of the inner thighs near the breast, making sure the tip of the thermometer is not touching a bone. Many commercially prepared turkeys are packed with a disposable thermometer, which is inserted into the breast. This thermometer should pop when the bird is done – but – I definitely recommend using proper meat thermometer – it is a lot more reliable. The additional benefit is that you can actually watch when the turkey is close to being done – and that will help with preparation of rest of your meal.

To roast the turkey:
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Cover the turkey with extra-heavy aluminum foil – leave space between the bird and the foil – that means lightly tucking the foil around the front, back and sides of the bird. Do not add water to the pan, and roast the turkey until your thermometer reaches 180 F and juices run clear.

Roasting time will vary depending on the bird and your oven as well. That is why it is important to use reliable meat thermometer. When you insert thermometer into the dressing, it need to read 165F for food safety.

Remove the aluminum foil about 30 minutes before the turkey is done to complete the browning.

When your turkey is cooked, remove it from the oven, place it on a serving platter or carving board; cover loosely with aluminum foil and let stand for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Basic Bread Stuffing:

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup butter

4 cups bread cubes

1 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

turkey or chicken broth

Sauté onion and celery in the butter until softened. Combine onion mixture with bread, pepper, eggs, salt, sage and poultry seasoning in a large mixing bowl. Stir in broth until well moistened. Enough for an 8 to 10-pound turkey.

Or, bake in a greased covered shallow casserole at 325° for about 35 to 45 minutes. Take the cover off the last 5 minutes to brown.

Hope this guide was helpful to you – please send in your comments and suggestions – your imput is always welcomed!