Video: How To Carve A Turkey

Stocking up for the Holidays

Right now you'll notice the traditional Thanksgiving fare going on sale in the supermarkets. This is a great time to stock up on these sale items for December's holidays too!
I've seen boxed stuffing mixes going for as little as 88¢ and canned cranberry sauce, gravy, and dried pasta on sale for $1 or less! Canned sweet potatoes and pumpkin are always handy for when fresh is not available and you can also puree them for use in soups or breads.
Most of these items are all shelf stable and you can always stock up on them and keep them in your pantry even for next year!

Video: How To Zest

Feel free to skip the ads to view the instructional video.
Remember to rinse and dry the fruit before zesting to remove wax, dirt, and/or pesticides.

Recipe: Spaghetti Al Limone

Sorry it's been a while since I last blogged but hopefully it gave you a chance to look over my older postings for Summer recipes for August. ;)
It's been mainly salads and the basic Summer BBQ fare on my end but as Summer ends and the cool Fall weather approaches, here's a last taste of Summer for you.

While perusing the online sales circular for Pathmark, I noticed that San Giorgio Pasta is on sale this week for 88¢ a box and a 2 pound bag of lemons is $2.99 perfect for making this classic simple and quick Italian dish of spaghetti in lemon sauce. There are many recipes on the internet for Spaghetti al Limone ranging from the use of heavy cream and white wine to the additions of garlic and shallots but in it's simplest form, it is just a sauce made with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. A Microplane rasp or the fine side of a box grater is needed to get the lemon zest off the lemon before you juice it. Depending on the size of the lemons you buy, you may need 2-3 lemons for this dish.
This will serve 4 people and pairs well with my Lemon Roast Chicken with Parsley.


Ingredients 

• 1 pound spaghetti 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• Salt
• Ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or basil leaves (whichever is on sale, in your garden, or your taste preference)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook spaghetti according to manufacturer's directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking we make the sauce. In a large serving bowl, add the lemon juice and zest. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until it is emulsified and looks creamy. Then mix in the Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. When pasta is al dente, drain in a colander and add to the large bowl with the lemon sauce.
4. Toss well to coat pasta in the sauce and then sprinkle the chopped herb on top.
5. Serve. 

Note: It's best to allow the pasta to sit a bit in the sauce to absorb more of the flavors.

Video: How To Mince Garlic

Here is a Video How To that shows different ways to mince garlic. Basic knife skills are a must for being in the kitchen as you can injure yourself severely if you don't know what you are doing.
Invest in a good, sharp, Chef's knife.

Video: How To Debone Chicken Thighs

There are many useful how to videos out there on the internet.
Here's one courtesy of allrecipes.com to learn how to cut up chicken legs and debone the thighs.

Recipe: Chicken Teriyaki (revisited)

Chicken legs are on sale at my local supermarket for 99¢ a pound. I bought thighs and watched Youtube videos to learn how to debone them myself and save money. Boneless and skinless chicken costs more per pound because the butcher did it for you but if you learn the technique and do it yourself, you can save much more money.

I decided to make chicken teriyaki with the thighs as dark meat is more flavorful than white and traditionally, legs are used.

I have another recipe for chicken teriyaki posted earlier on this blog but this recipe requires the chicken marinate in a brine first so that the meat has more flavor and is tender. The teriyaki sauce is cooked separately and brushed on afterwards.

Ingredients

 For the brine marinade:

•     1/2 cup water
•     2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons sugar
•     2 tablespoons mirin (sweet sake cooking wine)

•   6 boneless chicken thighs with skin on

  For the teriyaki sauce:

•     2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
•     2 tablespoons soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons mirin
•    1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
•    1/2 tablespoon minced ginger

Directions

1. Mix all the brine marinade ingredients together in a measuring cup.
2. Put the boneless chicken thighs into a zip lock bag and pour the marinade all over.
3. Squeeze out the air from the bag and zip close.
4. Allow chicken to marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour. (I marinated the chicken overnight and it was more tasty.)
5. Make the teriyaki sauce by heating the soy, mirin, and sugar (or honey) until the sugar dissolves.
6. Stir in the ginger and garlic. Set aside.
7. When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat your grill until hot and then grill the chicken skin side down for 10-12 minutes then flip over and cook until done (about another 10 minutes).
8. If you are pan frying, heat a few tablespoons oil in a large non-stick pan and lay the thighs skin side down. Cook as above.
9. Remove cooked thighs and allow to rest on a cutting board.
10. Brush on the teriyaki sauce, slice, and serve.