Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast

Yum

If you're sharing the holidays with a smaller group this year, I highly recommend cooking a full or half turkey breast. A turkey breast is easy to handle and a cinch to make, plus you'll still end up with plenty of leftovers!

My moist and flavorful Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast is the perfect union of sweet and savory.

For 4 people I chose a half bone-in turkey breast that was about 3 pounds.  If you have 6 or more (or love lots of leftovers) to feed, go for a full turkey breast.  The glaze is the key to this recipe and I would double the glaze for a full breast.

You start out with a high oven temperature to get a great crispy skin on the outside and then reduce for the remaining time to ensure the juiciest turkey you will ever have!  No kidding this turkey was soooo moist. 

I also used a new "must have" thermometer.  You place the probe in the thickest portion of the breast up front, and it stays in the turkey in the oven during cooking time.  This ensures the perfect cooking temperature is reached.  No more guessing!  After tasting this turkey I think this thermometer was the best buy ever!

This Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast never fails to impress in presentation and in taste.

Enjoy!

Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast

serves 4-6

1/2 c apricot preserves
1/4 c orange juice
2 Tbls honey
1 Tbls Dijon mustard
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 c white wine
1/2 bone-in full turkey breast (about 3 -4 pounds)
Garnish:  rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, orange wedges, pomegranate arils

In a medium saucepan over medium heat add apricot preserves, orange juice, honey, Dijon, garlic, and rosemary sprigs.  Bring to a boil and then remove from heat and allow to cool.  Once cooled discard the rosemary.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Pat turkey breast to dry the outside.  Place rack in a roasting pan and spray with non-stick spray.  Place turkey breast on rack.  Pour wine in the bottom of the roasting pan. 

Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and brush breast with glaze.  Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 155 degrees. (depending on size of the turkey breast possibly 1 hour more)  Brush with glaze every 30 minutes. 

Transfer turkey breast to a cutting board and tent with foil.  Allow to rest  20 minutes before slicing.  Turkey will continue to cook during this time and reach the proper temperature.  Remove the breast in one piece from the bone and then slice the breast crosswise into slices.  Place slices on a platter and garnish with rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, orange wedges, and pomegranate arils.

Sheet Pan Meal: Simple Citrus Herb Chicken and Tomatoes ( and a Product Review )

Yum

Sometimes you just have to give in to it.

Give in to the pressure.  You know the one, using the oven in summer?  Yea, that pressure.  The other night I came home late from work and I was dog tired.  I did not want to stand over the stove or the grill cooking anything.  Nope not today.  So I gave in and cranked up the air conditioner and turned on the oven.  Sometimes you need a break like that and it's okay.  Truly, to save me some work in cooking dinner that night I would stand any extra heat the oven caused.

So with chicken breasts in the refrigerator I decided to make a sheet pan meal.  Love them!  You just throw everything on a large baking sheet pan and cook it all together.  This meal was particularly easy with just chicken and tomatoes.  Yum, golden chicken flavored with citrus and blistered cherry tomatoes bursting with flavor!  You could easily substitute chicken thighs, or pork or fish with this dish as well as changing up the vegetables.  It's all good and easy to put together.

For the chicken I used some help from my favorite store, Williams-Sonoma, by using the Williams-Sonoma Citrus Herb Rub.

It is a dry rub that you sprinkle over your protein and can also be used on vegetables, or mixed in with a salad dressing...yum!  Here is their promo for the rub:

The sweet-tart flavors of orange, lemon and lime mingle with jalapeño peppers for a Latin-inspired rub that brings gentle heat and mouthwatering flavor to everything from beef and pork to poultry and vegetables. The rub is blended with California garlic and Mexican oregano, and finished with pure citrus oils for an aromatic finish.

Ingredients:

California garlic, kosher salt, jalapeno pepper, cane sugar, crystallized orange (evaporated cane juice, citric acid, orange juice, orange oil, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), lemon peel, cilantro, crystallized lemon (citric acid, evaporated cane juice, lemon oil, lemon juice, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), crystallized lime (citric acid, evaporated cane juice, lime oil, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), orange peel, citric acid, Mexican oregano, orange oil.

I always feel confident using Williams-Sonoma's products because of the ingredients.  You can read them...understand them, and they don't use all the chemical fillers/preservatives you find in most commercially produced spice blends.  You can purchase this rub at your local Williams-Sonoma store or online here.

So dinner was a success.  I mean look at this gorgeous meal.  I really must say this was the perfect seasoning for our chicken dinner.  It was light and citrusy and perfect for a light summer dish.  Oh, and the heat from the oven was totally worth it!

Enjoy!

Simple Citrus Herb Chicken and Tomatoes (a Sheet Pan Meal)

serves 4

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
citrus herb rub (Williams-Sonoma Brand)
olive oil
salt and pepper to season
2 pints of multi colored cherry tomatoes
cooked rice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the chicken.  Sprinkle both sides liberally with rub.  Arrange the chicken breasts on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the sheet pan and add the tomatoes around chicken.  Place back in the oven and cook another 15 minutes.  Turn on the broiler and broil meat and tomatoes to obtain a little char on it, about 4 minutes.

Serve each chicken breast with the tomatoes over cooked rice if desired.

A Wonderful Technique: Baked Bacon

Have you tried making your bacon in an oven yet?

So many people have picked up on this technique as it is the perfect way to make bacon for a crowd. Plus who wants to stand over a hot stove trying to dodge splattering bacon grease?  Not I.  Not anymore!

Crispy, smoky bacon it one of life's guilty pleasures.  I love it, MGG loves it...and I'm sure you do to. What ever you call this method, roasted bacon, oven bacon, baked bacon, or oven roasted bacon, this is a hassle free and hands free to cook that wonderful breakfast item.  

I was a skeptic at first but then I tried it.  It's wonderful for big batches, plus there's no flipping!  You could possibly cook 1 pound of bacon at a time using a large pan. Or just use two pans.  How great is that?  You can just lay the bacon on a baking sheet but for crispy bacon I suggest that you place a cooling rack on the sheet to elevate the bacon and this will create the crisp bacon we love.

Simple, easy, crispy, smokey bacon!

Enjoy!





Baked Bacon

serves 2

Ingredients:
6 slices of applewood smoked bacon (or your favorite)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lay the bacon on a rack placed on a sheet pan.  Baked for 15 to 20 minutes until the bacon is crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Honey Balsamic Drumsticks

One way I feed my hobby obsession for cookbooks is through my Kindle.

When you have a bookshelf overflowing with cookbooks it's time to get creative. Using my kindle to buy the books I desire (umm...deserve) digitally allows me to feed my passion and keep the "stuff" in the house down to a minimum.  

So the other day I heard about a new cookbook put out by one of my favorite blogs (Our Best Bites). They have several books and this one is centered around low calorie cooking.  We all need that right? I quickly purchased "400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites" on my Kindle and started perusing the recipes to see which I wanted to make first.  I found that I bookmarked a LOT of recipes, but chose their "Honey Balsamic Drumsticks" as the meal to make today.  

It's a very economical recipe using drumsticks as your chicken pieces, and I found the dish to be simple to put together.  Don't go for drumsticks?   Make this dish with any chicken piece you wish adjusting the baking time as needed. The chicken is covered with a nice rub (which I doubled) and then a sweet, tangy, sticky glaze that really makes this dish. Don't skimp on this part, the sauce is so delishhhh!  Both MGG and I loved this dish and know your family and kids will love it too.

A simple easy meal for a relaxed weeknight or weekend dinner served with my Lemony Arugula Pasta Salad (recipe coming soon) is dinnertime at it's best.  

If  you not like me (a book hoarder) and love an actual book, you can find the book here.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  Here's a link to Amazon's Kindle Store and Fire Tablet store.  We have both items and I can't imagine ever being without them.  This isn't sponsored, I just love mine to death and want to share a great product!

Honey Balsamic Drumsticks

adapted from "400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites" Cookbook by Sarah Wells and Kate Jones, 2015

serves 5-6 (2 drumsticks per serving)

2–2½ pounds chicken drumsticks (10–12 drumsticks) 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon paprika 
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper 
4 teaspoons olive oil,  divided

Sauce 
2 tablespoons honey 
2 tablespoons balsamic 
2 tablespoons ketchup 
4 cloves garlic, minced  
2 tablespoons water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat dry the chicken and set aside. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and red pepper. Drizzle chicken with 2 teaspoons olive oil and rub in to coat all the pieces. Sprinkle the spice mixture over chicken and massage in. 

Heat large cast iron braising pan (or heavy oven-proof skillet with an oven-proof lid) to medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil and brush to cover bottom of entire pan. If more is needed, add a light spray of nonstick cooking spray. Brown chicken 2 minutes per side. (Cook in batches if necessary.) 

While chicken is searing, whisk sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Add the sauce to the pan after the chicken has seared. Toss the chicken to coat. Cover and transfer to oven. 

Bake for 20 minutes, rotate chicken pieces, and baste with sauce. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and place drumsticks on a foil lined baking sheet.  Turn your oven on broil.  

Bring sauce that remains in the pan to a boil on stove top and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6  minutes until thick and glossy.   Meanwhile return chicken to the oven and broil 3-4 minutes until lightly charred.  Place chicken on a platter and drizzle with sauce.  Serve with extra sauce if desired.  

How to Roast a Turkey 101

Roasting the Turkey


The information that follows includes general guidelines for roasting a turkey.


What Size Turkey to Buy
To ensure ample servings for Thanksgiving dinner as well as generous leftovers, allow for 1 to 1 1/4 lb. of turkey per person.

What Size Pan to Use
For best results, roast your turkey on a wire rack in an open roasting pan. Because of the turkey's weight, a sturdy pan with good handles is recommended. If you use a foil roasting pan, double it for extra strength and take special care when transferring it into and out of the oven.


Turkey Weight               Minimum Pan Size

Up to 12 lb.                      14" x 10" x 2 3/4" high (small)

Up to 16 lb.                      15 3/4" x 12" x 3" high (medium)

Up to 20 lb.                      16" x 13" x 3" high (large)


Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Do not leave the turkey at room temperature longer than 1 hour.

Roasting an Unstuffed Turkey
The times listed below are calculated for an unstuffed turkey brought to room temperature and roasted at 400°F, breast side down, for the first 45 minutes, then turned breast side up and roasted at 325°F until done.


Turkey Weight                           Approximate Roasting Time

10 to 12 lb.                                   2 1/2 to 3 hours

12 to 14 lb.                                   2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours

14 to 16 lb.                                   3 to 3 3/4 hours

16 to 18 lb.                                   3 1/4 to 4 hours

18 to 20 lb.                                   3 1/2 to 4 1/4 hours

20+ lb.                                           3 3/4 to 4 1/2 hours


   
Roasting a Stuffed Turkey

Stuff the turkey just before putting it in the oven (do not stuff it earlier). Spoon the dressing loosely into the body and neck cavities. Do not overfill, as the dressing will expand during roasting. Truss the turkey (see related tip at left).

To facilitate removing the stuffing, first line the inside of the cavity with a double layer of cheesecloth, allowing it to extend beyond the cavity by a few inches. Then spoon the stuffing inside. After roasting the bird, gently pull the overhanging cheesecloth and the stuffing will slip out easily, neatly tucked inside the cheesecloth.

To ensure that a stuffed turkey cooks evenly, roast the bird slowly, breast side up, at 325°F, covering the breast loosely with foil for the first two-thirds of the roasting time. Using the chart above, add about 30 minutes to the total cooking time for stuffed birds weighing 16 lb. or less, and about 1 hour for birds weighing more than 16 lb.

Additional Tips
1. After taking the turkey out of the oven, let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. This allows time for some of the juices to be absorbed back into the meat, which makes it easier to carve and more moist.

2. If roasting a stuffed bird, remove all of the stuffing at serving time.

3. After dinner, remove any remaining meat from the bones and refrigerate the leftovers.


article and picture courtesy of Williams-Sonoma



My Favorite turkey recipe....the compound butter is the secret ingredient!


Oven Roasted Turkey with Sage Butter

By Tyler Florence

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 3 hr 0 min
Serves: 10 to 12 servings

1 (12 to 14) pound fresh turkey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sage Butter, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and remove the top rack of the oven.

Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with stuffing and, if required, truss the legs. Cover the turkey with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Push the sage butter under the skin of the turkey, being careful not to puncture the skin.

Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, and into the oven. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound). If the legs or breast brown too quickly during roasting, cover them with foil.

Sage Butter:
2 sticks butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped sage
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

 

One thing I love about fall is all the fresh vegetables....root vegetables...roasted.

Roasting brings out the best flavors in a vegetable that may be otherwise bland.  The caramelizing brings a sweetness to them that is unbeatable.

So I often make roasted vegetables as a side dish to some sort of protein.  It's fast and easy, and they can round out a meal nicely.  

Shhhh!  Here's a secret...roast extra vegetables so you can use them in a salad the next day!  Roasted Vegetable Salad can be very hearty and satisfying.  Really...they are perfect in a salad.

I roasted potatoes and green beans.  You can use any combination you like.  Here are some of my favorites:  

Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans

Roasted yams, sweet potato, and pumpkin

Roasted Parmesan Summer Squash

Potato Coins

The salad is easy to put together.  Just use your favorite greens, (I used mixed greens) add the roasted vegetables, plus any additional vegetables your would like, add a nice vinaigrette and some Parmesan cheese.  Nothing fancy is needed so that the flavors all shine through.  

Tell me...what's your favorite roasted vegetable combination?

Roasted Vegetable Salad

serves 4

1 bag of pre-washed mixed greens
2 - 2 1/2 cups of left over roasted vegetables
Oil and red wine or balsamic vinaigrette, to taste
1/3 c Parmesan cheese

Place greens in a large bowl, add vegetables and toss with vinaigrette to taste.  Top with cheese and serve.

Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans

 

Fresh in season vegetables are calling out to me!

I love going to the farmer's market and picking out fresh fruit and vegetables to use in a fabulous dish.  My problem is that I get so flustered from all the gorgeous looking items that I tend to want to over buy.  I mean really over buy, to the point I can't carry it out of the market to the car!

Talking to our local farmers is so interesting.  You can learn a lot about fresh veggies and how they are grown, picked at their peak, and even what their favorite cooking techniques are.  I found some wonderful green beans, potatoes, eggplant, and squash at one farmers stand.  I could just smell all the freshness around me and knew I had to have some for a quick dinner for MGG and me.  

Sometimes the simplest way to cook something is the best.  Roasting vegetables is easy, hands off, and brings out great flavor in your ingredients.  Add a little garlic to the mix and  you turn plain roasted green bean from ho-hum to fabulous!
Try it, you'll be pleased.

I made this dish to accompany my Chicken Cutlets with Almond Butter and it was just perfect.  Elegant yet simple.  Flavorful yet subtle.  

You decide...and make sure to let me know.

Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans

Serves 4

Time 30 min

1 lb red potatoes quartered

3 T olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic minced, divided

Salt

8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and halved

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the potatoes with 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 clove of minced garlic.  Season with salt.  Spread in single layer on baking sheet.  Roast for 15 minutes.

Toss green beans with remaining olive oil and garlic.  Season with salt.  Add green beans to the baking sheet along with the potatoes.  Roast for 10 minutes.  Toss green beans and potatoes together before serving.

Best of 2012

Cheesy Garlic Herb Bread

As the year comes to a close I thought it would be fun to review the top 16 food items (10 is such an over used number don't you think?) viewed by you.  It was one tasty year.  I'm looking forward to sharing more flavors and dishes with you next year.  Here's to a tastier 2013!

The most popular dish by far is the one pictured above.  The Cheesy Garlic Herb Bread.  Enough said!

Chicken Pot Pie Pockets

major comfort food

Sue's Famous Loaded Baked Potato Salad

awesome!

Cashew Chicken

oh yum!

Roasted Parmesan Summer Squash

perfect

 Chicken Saltimboca

delishhh!

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

Divine...

Creamy No Roux Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

hello!

Thanksgiving in August : Tomato Dressing

need I say more?

Pineapple Grilled Pork Tenderloin

wow...so good

Cowboy Salad

so darn good!

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

want some now...

Cajun Chicken Pasta

a taste of Louisiana

Teriyaki London Broil

heaven...

Quinoa Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans

tasty!

Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Herbs & Lemon

simple and excellent!

I hope you enjoyed some of these dishes!  I think I just reminded myself to make a couple of these next week!

Cheers to 2012...a sweet adieu!