Martha A. Cheves's Blog, page 158

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving #5

Today's tip is so simple and cheap. I have a turkey baster but it seems like every time I "suck" some of the drippings up into the tube it starts running out before I can hold it over my turkey. Here is a tip that won't cost you the price of the baster.

Use a wide spoon to baste your turkey. It works especially good in the beginning when there's so little juice. This also works great with chickens, hams, roasts and anything else you need to baste.

Was that not simple enough.? Everyone has...

Stir, Laugh, Repeat - Review

My son has adopted your cookbook and I swear every other page is rabbit-eared. He absolutely loves it. He tried the pork chops with mustard. I must admit it was unusual, but I liked the different taste instead of it being bland. Yesterday, when I got home, he had made pulled monkey bread which was out of this world. Loved it!

Joan Carter

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving #4

While living in Georgia I had a friend who worked as a butcher at one of the local grocery stores. Thanksgiving was getting close and I told her that my turkey breast always came out dry. This was her solution to the problem.

Tip #4
Place your turkey in the pan breast side down. After about a third of the estimated cooking time, turn it over and finish cooking as usual. This allows the breast to absorb the juices as it cooks, as well as any flavors from herbs that you may have added. Belie...

Stir, Laugh, Repeat Review

I'm so tickled with this review for my cookbook Stir, Laugh, Repeat that I had to share with everyone. This was written by one of Amazon's top reviewers.

The recipes in this book are the treasured kind of American home cooking you find in regional church cookbooks. (Artichoke chicken, fried pickles, chikin'n'dumplins, chicken-fried beef tips.) Note; not diet food. But these are great for covered-dish events or when nothing but "mommy-food" will soothe your jagged nerves.

The humor is genuine, ...

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving #3

There have been times, while cooking my turkey, that it's browned too quickly. Today's tip should help if you have that problem too.

Tip #3

When your turkey is ready to go into the oven, position it with the legs pointing toward the back of the oven where it's the hottest. If your turkey is large, the hot air may have trouble circulating and may create hot spots. If one part of your turkey starts browning too quickly, try rotating the pan during roasting or cover it with foil about 2/3 of th...

Shrimp Casserole

The Shrimp Casserole dish that I've just posted on Martha's Kitchen Korner is so easy to make and so delicious. It can also be made with imitation crab meat or tuna instead of the shrimp. If you don't like seafood.. use chicken. View the full recipe by clicking on Martha's Kitchen Korner in the right sidebar.

Shrimp Tips

I found a short article in a newspaper insert called "Celebrating America's Love of Food." This article pertains to shrimp and I want to share the highlights with everyone. How do you know where you shrimp comes from? Fresh and frozen fish is now required to have an "origin of country" label. Shrimp is the number one seafood consumed by Americans, outranking tuna and salmon. Wild-caught shrimp is seasonal and generally of the brown or white variety. Pink shrimp are considered...

Pomegranate Refresher

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This is another recipe that I've worked up for POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice. This drink can be made with or without alcohol and has such a refreshing taste that you can't help but love it.

1/2 cup lemon-lime flavored soda
1/4 cup POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
1 orange wedge

In a glass mix soda and pomegranate juice. Garnish with orange wedge.
Before drinking, squeeze juice from orange wedge into your drink.
Delicious!

Orange Soaked Pound Cake

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This cake can be made in a variety of flavors. The one shown is made with 1 orange, peel and juice, cornstarch, sugar and a store bought pound cake. You can change the flavor by using lemon or tangarine and even pineapple. It can be made using a homemade pound cake but for a quick dessert, the store bought cake works great.

To view the full recipe click on Martha's Recipes in the right sidebar.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving #2

Some people like to stuff the cavity of their turkey. I personally, don't. I bake my stuffing/dressing by itself. What I do add to the cavity of the turkey is an onion, herbs and a little butter. But... if you are one of those that does want to add stuffing to the inside of your bird, try this.

Tip #2
Before stuffing, line the empty cavity with a layer of rinsed cheesecloth. This make removing the cooked stuffing easier. To remove the stuffing, simply grab the edges of the cheesecloth and...