Tag Archives: cooking

Pine Tree Fruit Kabobs

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The pine in this case is pineapple, and laden with colorful fruit kabob branches, it’s one holiday center­piece almost too good to eat. To assemble one, cut off the top and about 1 inch of the bottom (for stability) of a large pineapple. On 4 to 5 inch bamboo skewers (you’ll need about 50), thread 3 to 5 pieces of assorted fresh fruits — melon chunks, grapes, strawber­ries, and the like — leaving an inch or so of skewer to stick into the pineapple; if your skewers are too long, you can easily cut them to size with the cutting blades of a pair of pliers. As you finish each skewer, insert it at a slight down­ward angle into the pineapple, starting at the bottom. Top with a skewered slice of star fruit or a star carved from the extra pineapple. Once the branches are eaten, don’t forget to slice up the tree trunk!

Frozen Turkey??? Here’s A Fix!

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Did you forget to unthaw your turkey?

No problem!

It’s perfectly safe to cook a frozen turkey. Here’s how- Remember it takes about 50% longer to cook a frozen vs. a thawed turkey so make sure you don’t buy one over 18 lbs. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Unwrap the turkey and bake in the oven for one hour.  Remove the turkey and brush with olive oil and season with poultry seasoning.  Place turkey back in the oven for two more hours.  Then remove turkey again and pull out bag of giblets. The bag should be soft at this point and no longer frozen.  This is the hardest part but you have to do it because you don’t want the bag to melt or you won’t be able to eat the turkey.   After you remove the plastic bag of giblets continue roasting the turkey until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.  A 12 lb frozen turkey usually takes about 4 ½ – 5 hours to roast. Use an instant read thermometer not the pop up button to determine how done it is.

Your turkey is done and problem solved!

PS: As noted by a comment… this technique should also work with a chicken… and a ham!

Cranberry Vinegar For A Special Gift

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Cranberries give mild rice vinegar a snap that celebrates salads.

Very berry, very red vinegar

LEAR VINEGAR BOILED WITH cranberries turns bright red and absorbs the fruit’s fla­vor. The blend makes attrac­tive holiday gifts in decorative bottles.

Splash the vinegar over salad greens, orange slices, raw or cooked red cabbage, and turkey salad.

Cranberry Vinegar
2   cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
3   cups rice vinegar
About 3 tablespoons sugar

In a 2- to 3-quart pan on high heat, bring to boiling cranberries, vinegar, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Simmer, covered, until cranberries pop and are soft, about 5 minutes. Add more sugar to taste, if desired. Let stand until cool. Pour vinegar through a fine strainer into a container with a pouring lip; discard residue. Pour vinegar into decorative bottles, using a funnel if necks are narrow. Seal with lids.
Use, or store at room temperature up to 4 months. If an opaque film de­velops on surface, spoon it off or, to preserve clarity of vinegar, pour vin­egar through a fine strainer into a 2-to 3-quart pan and bring to boiling. Wash bottle, then refill with vinegar. Store as before. Makes about 3 cups.
Per tablespoon: 7.4 cal; 0 g protein; 0 g fat; 1.9 g carbo.; 2.5 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.