Like most families, we saw each other mostly on holidays, and the order of the day was, of course, the food. Turkey, in particular, with homemade cornbread stuffing, though there would be literally tons of other dishes and desserts. My mother and grandmother would usually handle the dressing personally, bickering good naturedly over amounts and cooking times up until the point that one of them went to sleep (as the stuffing is usually made the night before, and the bird is started in the morning.)

Nan: Doris, there’s not enough onions in this.

Mom: Niki won’t eat them if she can see them, Mom.

Nan: *Chuckling* Oh… I seem to remember someone else who used to say the same thing, we’ll just cut them smaller. I think this needs more sage, or maybe some poultry seasoning.

Mom: It seems right to me, but we’ll add a bit more if you think it needs it.

Nan: Oh… It’s fine if this is the way your kids like it…

…

All right, maybe just a tad.

Mom: O.K. Mom, but just a bit.

Nan: Didn’t we have more cornbread?

Mom: We did… I think Jerry got to it.

Nan: Does that boy ever stop eating?

Mom: No.

I’ve generally shied away from the traditional version, both for the time it takes to make it properly and because I tend to be extremely messy when making it, but I took the plunge with dinner last night, just to have the taste of many, many happy days with me, and the memory of a very special lady at my table.

I hope Y’All enjoy, and whatever your holiday tradition is, be sure to share it with family. Read more…

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Oh the feeling of visiting another food blog, only to discover you’ve begun to salivate uncontrollably over the recipe you’ve found there. You’ve discovered the perfect meal idea sitting right there in front of you, with photos and all. You just have to make this as soon as possible.

That’s what happened to me the other day when I popped in to Simply Recipes, culinary home of the lovely and talented Elise Bauer. If you haven’t checked out her site, please do. She’s not only one of the nicest food bloggers out there, she’s also very likely one of the most influential, and with good reason.

The inspiration for this dish came from her recipe for Spicy Grilled Turkey Burger with Coleslaw which had me on the edge of my seat the moment I saw it, and well, I just had to make something like it!

(Note Elise’s Photos are much prettier than mine, and I apologize for that, but there aren’t too many flat surfaces in our new house yet, and I’m forced to use the counters in the kitchen, where not only is the lighting not that great, but there really isn’t any contrast to anything… That will get better as we get settled in.)

Of course, I couldn’t follow exactly in her footsteps. My wife makes ground turkey patties fairly often, and I love them so much that I decided to mix the two concepts for a variation of my own, which would have been perfect, I think, except that a few of the ingredients I was just sure I had already moved to the new house either:

1. Weren’t here…
2. Were no longer viable sources of nourishment. (i.e., they’d gone bad on me while I wasn’t looking. Traitors!)

In the end, however, what I ended up with was not only wonderful, but wonderfully simple, and took less than an hour total for all prep, including a prerequisite rest in the chill-chest for the patties themselves and heating the grill, which of course is not gas, because I think if I’m going to grill, beer and fire are required in the process. (Besides, you can’t Barbecue on a GAS GRILL… If you’ve tried, you know what I mean… blech!) Read more…

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About two weeks ago I posted a link to the dish that inspired this one. I couldn’t get the combination out of my head. I tried, I really tried, but I failed.

The only other option? Make it myself, of course.

Whether you’re looking for a taste of the holidays, or just something that’s delightfully savory and sweet at the same time, this dish is sure to please. To top it off, it’s about as simple as it gets. With only three ingredients in the mix, it’s the perfect workday meal, or a great start to the weekend.

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I don’t know what made me decide to roast a turkey in February. Then again I don’t really dwell on these urges much, I just go with them, especially when the turkey is selling for 60¢ per pound. When I find a bird like this at a price that low, I just can’t help myself.

Perhaps it was because some of my fondest memories regarding food revolve around this grand foul, this prince of poultry. Meals around the Thanksgiving and Christmas table with family and friends I’ve not had the chance to see in years. Perhaps it was the thought of all those yummy turkey sammies in the week to come.

Whatever it was, I couldn’t resist, and Turkey was on the menu for Thursday.

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