Turkey gravy that will knock your socks off

I must be drunk on coffee right now because as a general rule of thumb I sooo don't give out my super uber awesome recipes because then you know, you might out do me or something, but this shit is so good you get to have it so, yeah, here, next year go be a star!

1- bag of turkey ummm innards
1- turkey neck
1- box chicken stock
5- chicken bouillon cubes
11- cups water
about 1/4 cup turkey drippings, the fatty ones
2/3's cup flour
1 stick butter
lotta pepper
pinch salt

Pour about 6 cups of water in a pan over medium high heat (high enough for a small boil) add innards and neck and bouillon cubes and some pepper. Boil until liquid reduces by half and add in half of chicken stock. Continue boiling until you've used all the stock. At the end I start adding a cup of water here and there so I keep a decent amount of gravy I think I made about 8-10 cups total (this is never enough, in my house there is never enough gravy). Anyway I basically cook this for as long as I cook the turkey. After the first two hours I just let it simmer and add broth or water as it evaporates. Right before the turkey is done I strain out all the parts and leave in the tiny bits. I pour the liquid into a bowl and over high heat I melt the butter and combine it with the fatty drippings, then I add in the flour making a roux. I whisk that until it turns a golden brown and pour the gravy liquid back in and whisk on high heat with remaining pepper and salt until it boils and starts to thicken. Then I reduce to low and keep stirring until serving time. If it is too thin I pour it back out and make a second roux. If it is too thick I keep about a cup of stock left over to thin it out with.

This shit will blow your mind!

My stuffing recipe

1 Pack large Italian Sausages (mild) (I actually use hot but a lot of people whine about that)
1 box seasoned stuffing (with out mix)
1 white onion, chopped
Garlic chopped
Carrots to taste
Bunch of celery chopped
5 cans chicken broth
1 stick of butter
Olive oil

* Remove the casing from the sausage and separate into pan
* In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil, brown the sausages until still just pink inside. Be careful not to overcook. Discard oil and put sausage aside.
* In another saucepan, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add carrots, salt and pepper. Cook till carrots soften.
* Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until all is soft.
* Add one can of chicken broth
*Allow meat and veggies to cool.
* Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl and slowly and gently add the sausage/veggie mix. Do not over-mix or the stuffing will turn mushy. If the stuffing seems dry, add more chicken broth.
* Place the stuffing mix in baking pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. If stuffing is still too moist, continue cooking. If it's too dry, add some chicken broth and cook until satisfied. Uncover and cook for 5 min to crisp top.

This can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth and eliminating the sausage. You will need more broth since you will not have the fat from the sausage.

Tuesday's dinner, steak with carmalized onions & garlic, mashies with beef gravy and a caprese red onion salad.

First of all I'm a huge asshole who didn't take a picture even after my husband said are you sure you don't want a picture. But I didn't' because I didn't like the presentation. Yeah I suck I know. This is also another one of those recipes with absolutely no measurements to most of it.

Also the marinade and salad and gravy all tie in so I recommend using my marinade and not your own for this.

Steak
Place on tri tip whole in a large plastic bag add the following (stab it with a knife a few times first)
Balsamic vinegar, umm about a quarter cup
Soy sauce, about the same
5 cloves rough chopped garlic
Lot of pepper
Couple squirts lemon juice
Couple squirts hot sauce
About a tbsp or more of crushed red peppers
about 1.5 cups of water

Allow to marinate on counter for about an hour (on the counter brings the steak to room temperature causing it to be more tender when grilled.)

Throw steak on grill on low heat. I did my outside burners on low and the inside one off. I like to cook slow and steady it taste better and cooks more even.

Mashed potatoes
If you don't know how to make mashed potatoes, I can't help you.

Gravy.
2.5 cups chicken stock
3 beef bullion cubes (I use a lot when its beef because their bullion cubes tend to be less flavorful then chicken.)
Chopped onion, couple tbsp
chopped garlic, couple tbsp
Shit load of pepper
2.5 tbsp butter
2.5 tbsp flour

Bring broth and bullion to a boil and stir until bullion dissolves. Pour into heat safe glass and put butter, onions and garlic in pan and stir over medium heat until bubbly then add in flour and stir until combined and bubbly. Pour broth back in pan, add pepper and stir over high heat until it is almost boiling. Reduce to low heat and stir till it thickens. Keep on low heat and stir occasionally until serving time.

Caramelized onions and garlic
1 Onion sliced into quarter inch rings
lot of garlic sliced
Butter

Throw all this into a pan and allow to saute, being stirred often until onions caramelize. Watch heat level so as not to burn garlic.

Caprese salad with red onions
7 small sweet tomatoes chopped into bite size pieces
1/4 small red onion chopped thin
Basil chopped
about 1.5 cups chopped fresh mozzarella (bite size pieces)
1/2 cup balsamic
couple squirts EVOO
Kosher salt
Pepper

Toss in bowl. Leave on counter to bring to room temp.

When steak is done (about 20 minutes for medium rare) place on cutting board and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Slice into thin pieces and put on place. Top with onions and garlic. Plate mashies and top with gravy. Add your salad to the side and wala!

Sorry I have no pictures like I said I'm an asshole!

LOADED MASHIES

First of all, this is one of those recipes with no actually recipe involved because really it's all about taste.

Potatoes-skinned and boiled ( I prefer white)
Mild chedder- shredded
Sour cream
Bacon
Salt
Pepper
Milk (more fat the better)
Real butter (A lot)

While potatoes are boiling fry bacon in a pan and set aside to cool and dry (I like to let it cool and dry so it gets more crispy). After potatoes are soft drain, put back in pan and set on low heat for about 1 minute to boil out all water. Add in about 1/4 cup milk and half stick butter, 2 tbsp salt and some cracked pepper. Use a potato masher (I prefer a masher for this dish because I like a few lumps) and mash it all together. Put in a bowl while steaming hot and top with tons of fresh shredded cheddar cheese. Allow cheese to melt then top with sour cream (a big heaping spoonful) and a handful of crispy crumbled bacon.

Spicy beef and sausage chili

1 lb good ground beef
1 package spicy Italian sausage removed from casing
1.5 large onion diced
7 cloves garlic rough chopped
1/8 cup chili powder
4 Tbsp ground cumin
2- Tbsp crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1- Tbsp cayenne pepper
1- 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1- 4 oz can tomato sauce
Lots of shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper

In large pot/dutch oven brown beef. In skillet crumble sausage into 1 inch pieces and brown with 1-onion (reserve rest for topping) and garlic. Once beef is brown add chicken stock and spices. Cook until mixed well, add sausage, onions and garlic and combine. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and simmer on low until you are ready to eat. The longer it cooks the spicier it will get. Also the longer it simmers the more flavor you get. Top with cheddar cheese and onions. I like to dunk Fritos in mine!

Also, this recipe has no beans because my husband hates them. I think you should add a can of red beans though!

Beef Stew with Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Beef Stew with Polenta (premade) and Parmasen

To start off, this isn't one of the quick and easy receipes that could be features on Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals". This meal takes some commitement. But the rich stew and creamy polenta you end up with are worth it. And to make you feel better for the 3 hours you'll spend on making this the first time, if you make enough to freeze a few servings, the stew freezes and reheats great!

I divided this receipe into 2 parts. The first part is the stew, which of course, can be served without the polenta. The second part is the receipe for the polenta.

Ingredients for Beef Stew

• Olive oil, for searing
• 1.5-2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, cut into 6ths
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour or to cover
• 10 cups beef broth or cold water (broth leads to a more intense favor)
• 6 sprigs fresh parsley
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 1/4 pounds medium red or yellow potatoes, quartered --> do not use russet potatoes, the texture is not right for a stew
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 5 (for step 2, 1 tbsp of tomato paste can be substituted) + 7 medium sized tomatoes (for step ___, canned whole tomatoes can be substituted), cut into medium-large pieces
• 2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, or to taste

Cook's Notes:

• You will need some kitchen twine for this recipe.
• Beef chuck, from the shoulder, because of its marbling of intra-muscular fat, is the choice for any type of stew. If you can't find chuck cubed for stew in your meat department, buy a thick chuck steak and cut it into 2-inch cubes.
• I've found that using tomato paste in step 2 leads to a much more tomato-y (how's that for a word?) base for the stew. I'm not really a big fan of tomatoes so I use fresh ones because the tomato flavor is much more subtle than when using the paste. By the way, I totally cannot spell tomato.

Directions for Beef Stew

1. Heat a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. You can also use a large soup pot with a well-fitting lid. Pour in enough oil to fill the pan about 1/4-inch deep. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Saute half the meat, uncovered, stirring only occasionally, until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef. Discard the oil and wipe out the pan.
2. If using a Dutch oven, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. If using a pot, you will not be using the oven. Return the pot to the stove and melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the 5 chopped tomatoes (or tomato paste) and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Add the reserved beef and scatter the flour over the vegetable and beef mixture (enough to lightly coat) and cook stirring until lightly toasted. Add the water or broth, and bring to a simmer.
3. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with a piece of kitchen twine and add the bundle to the pot. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste. Cover and transfer to the oven (if using the Dutch oven) or cook over low simmer on the stove. Cook the meat until just tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove pot from the oven (if using the Dutch oven). Skim the fat from the cooking liquid with a spoon or ladle. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.
5. Remove and discard the herb bundle. Stir in the vinegar (taste as you go along...too little and the flavor isn't right, too much and you may have just ruined an entire pot of stew!) and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. If serving without the polenta, divide among bowls and serve. Remaining stew can be frozen.

Ingredients for Polenta

Polenta is now readily available in most grocery stores. You can either by it in a roll that just needs to be reheated, or you can buy uncooked, dry polenta/corn meal. I prefer the uncooked because it is so easy to make and tastes a little fresher than the roll. The crappy picture I included is featuring the premade roll of polenta instead of homemade polenta.

• ~1 cup Dried Polenta or Corn Meal
• 4 cups water
• Salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp butter

Directions for Polenta

1. Boil water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and add dry polenta until mixture begins to thicken. Continue to stir and add polenta until mixture is like a think gravy, but not too thick. The polenta will continue to absorb water over the next few minutes so there should be some free water in the pan.
3. Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add grated Parmesan and butter, stir to combine.
4. To serve with the stew, add a serving of the polenta (~1/2 cup) to the bottom of a bowl. Fill remainder of bowl with beef stew and top with some freshly grated Parmesan. Serve and Enjoy!

Walnut, Pear & Jack Cheese Salad

It's just what the title says it is...a quick, easy and tasty salad.

Ingredients
Green Lettuce (for decoration)
4-5 Ripe Pears
.5lbs Jack Cheese, cut into ~1/2" cubes
1/2 cup Roughly Chopped Walnuts

Directions
Line medium sized bowl with green lettuce. Chop pears and jack cheese into ~1/2" pieces. Roughly chop walnuts and combine with pears and cheese. Serve.