Food!

About the only thing most of us can agree on about the holiday? FOOD.
Some gain weight over the holidays and complain bitterly, but that hasn't appeared to stop many from indulging. This year, I am able to indulge as I am back in my size 6 jeans. HAH!
I have food traditions here, even though the stressfest is not my big thing, I still get a turkey and make all the fixings.
Never anything glamorous though. Just recipes that Granny or Mum taught me. (with occasionally a few changes for lower fat content, or more flavours...or experimenting)

Easy peasy Cranberries.

1 bag cranberries. (pick through when washing to get rid of any stems or REALLY unripened berries)
3/4 cup water.
1/4 cup fresh orange juice.
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.(or so. Maybe this is too little or too much. Eyeball it for what is right for you)
Dump in all in a pot, and slowly bring to a small boil. When the berries all mostly "pop" open they are done. Cool.

Add some orange zest after the heat is off. usually half an orange worth. Store for a few days before using for the party in the fridge effect. They freeze really well.

My family cranberry tradition: Open can of chilled cranberry jelly, and slide out intact in a log. (Used to make my ex mother in law nuts when I did this. "Trailer trash", she would mutter....HAHAHA. Yup.)

Xmas eve will be baked ham and scalloped potatoes.

Always. Tradition.

Stressfest turkey dinner, stuffing, brussel sprouts, potatoes, gravy, black olives, and cranberry sauce.

Stuffing with no real measurements.....:) (I do not stuff my turkey anymore. Makes it dry and is a salmonella farm if not really careful. Increases the cooking time by a lot, and it is a pain in the ass. You still stuff the turkey? Whatever floats yer boat.)

Big bowl of dried bread cubes.
Add warm water or chicken stock till it is reconstituted and softened a bit.
2 carrots and 2 stalks celery and one onion. All finely chopped. Sauté in a bit'o' butter until the onions are translucent. DO NOT BROWN. Makes it bitter.
Poultry seasoning. (Have no clue as to the amount, I eyeball just about everything. Maybe a tablespoon and go from there. )
Salt and pepper.
Optional: Ground pork, browned and drained. (my family used to use raw sausage meat, way better browned first)
And if you use the pork cooked, you can adjust seasonings to taste safely....I betcha you could use ground turkey or chicken too....
Mix the whole mess together. Grease a big casserole pan and dump it in. Put some chunks of butter on the top. Couple tablespoons? Press down a little. Sometimes this puffs up, so beware.
Cover with foil and bake for an hour at 350. Uncover for the last 10-15 mins to brown the top a little.
Maybe too simple for some, but it fits the bill. (My ex mother in law uses stuffing in a box and docters it up with oranges. I prefer my peasant version thank you very much)

Turkey:
Alton Browns version. Seriously. Hands down. I saw this on the food network a few years back, and it is the most foolproof and yummy way EVA. Even if you skip the brining process? This is the best cooking method in my humble opinion. And I hate basting. Blech. The entire turkey recipe here.

The cooking process only:

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Not in there, but was on the show: A bit of foil, greased, just over the breast part of the bird, leaving the legs uncovered. (fold foil into a triangle, grease with oil lightly. Do this JUST when you turn it down to 350.)

Have a happy caloric holiday!