Keep It Simple Turkey Recipe

I have used this easy, no baste method for years...

Prep Bird: Thaw, Remove Giblets, Rinse in and out, Pat Dry

Soften 1 stick Butter, mix in 1 Tbsp Poultry Seasoning

Place 2 cups Chicken Broth in sauce pan and bring to boil (can sub 1 cup white wine or beer)

Gently loosen skin around breast, sides and back. "Rub" seasoned butter inside the skin and distribute evenly. Tie legs together with kitchen twine or mint-free dental floss and fold/tuck wings under-neath bird. Season Turkey with salt and pepper, inside and out.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use lowest oven rack so Turkey is not too close to top of oven.

Line Roasting Pan with foil (easy clean up). Spray inside of large Baking Bag with Pam and place Turkey in bag. Open bag wide enough to expose turkey and gently pour the hot stock/wine mixture over entire bird. This will "shrink wrap" the skin to the meat! (It looks cool--let kids watch this part). Press all the air out of the bag and tie with the twist tie or kitchen twine.

Place in warm oven and bake a 10-12 lb Turkey for 1 hour**. Open the cooking bag and press all the way down the sides and back. Lower oven temp to 350 and cook for one more hour

Poultry should be 160-170 degrees done.

Remove from oven, over with foil and a clean bath towel and let rest for 30-45 minutes so juices will re-distribute. If you slice too early, it will be dry!

** For any lb above 12 lbs, add 5 minutes cooking time per pound. If above 18 lbs-20 lbs, add 4 minutes cooking time per pound. (If over 20 lbs buy a HAM too!!)

ENJOY!!! Happy Thanksgiving...

Makes Me Smile

I have decided to keep track of stuff that makes me Smile :)

Some folks may refer to this as "life's simple pleasures," Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman had their "Bucket List," Julie Andrews had "...a few of my favorite things," and each holiday season there is "Oprah's Favorites List" that is a marketing phenomenon and creates overnight millionaires. Then there is that crazy hoarding thing that has found a place in the weekly reality TV lineup...scary!

I am just gonna jot down things that make me smile for whatever reason. When I think about it, I will add to a Scott's Smile Stuff list. I may also try to get rid of some of the clutter and junk-stuff in my offices, car and around our house. (I have shown a few hoarding symptoms if I'm brutally honest...scary!).

It's no surprise that this list starts off with foodie stuff. What did you expect?

SCOTT'S SMILE STUFF

Black-eyed Peas and Cornbread in a bowl; Burnt Ends of BBQ Brisket; That crunchy piece that you nibble off the stick of a Corn Dog! My girls in their matching PJs first thing on Christmas Morning; Sunrise/Sunset in the N. Georgia Mountains; Kim's Blue Eyes when she laughs; Real Lemonade; Chubby Babies; Pictures of my Parents and Grandparents; Making a Par in Golf; Funniest Home Videos; Banana Nut Bread; Janie's Chocolate Gravy on hot Bisquits; Brunswick Stew; Oskar's-Lake Martin, AL; Mussels from JTC Kitchen-Atlanta; Rudy's BBQ-Texas; my new Corny Cornbread Pudding; ALL things Wonka!

More to come...

Oops! Dang! Man This Pie is GOOD!

My best friend from high school was coming to our cabin for a guy's weekend and I thought I would make a pie to go along with all the Chicken Fried Steak, Junk Food and BBQ we were planning on fixin and eating for the 3 days.

It started out as my Mom's Buttermilk-Chess Pie (with a few chocolate chips thrown in) just because. Then, a late night idea, a bit bad planning, and a dash of gut instinct turned a layered concoction into something that made our eyes bug out on the first bite!

I didn't have all the ingredients, so I had to improvise. Our cabin near, Blue Ridge, GA, is 2o minutes from town and because of the late hour, I couldn't run to the store. I decided to hit the kitchen anyway. In addition to not having all the ingredients, I hit a few wrong buttons on the oven's "Timer." Instead of setting it to cook for 20 minutes and then go "ding," I set it to turn off after 20 minutes...needless to say, I forgot about the pie. With no buzz or ding to let me know it was done, it sat there cooking, then cooling for 2 plus hours!

So, here's the recipe...it really is amazing and one piece of this pie sent two country boys from West Texas into a sugar coma. You've been warned!

CHOCOLATE-CRACK PIE

(The name comes from how the top looks when you pull it out of the oven--you have to make this thing to really get that part)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

I used a prepared Pillsbury Pie Crust (the kind you unroll out of a box) and layed it into a 9 inch glass pie plate--no need to blind bake.

In mixing bowl combine the following ingredients:

4 Eggs
1 C Sugar
1/2 C Light Brown Sugar
1/2 C Butter, melted
Beat together until fluffy

Add 1/2 T good Vanilla
3/4 Cup Milk or Cream
1 T White Vinegar
2 T Flour
1/2 T Salt
Mix well

Sprinkle enough Milk Chocolate Chips on the bottom of the crust to just cover, disperse evenly...about 1/3 of Cup of Chips should do.

Pour filling over chips to fill pie shell. Place on baking sheet and put into oven, shut the door, and Bake for 15 minutes THEN TURN OFF THE OVEN and Leave it ALONE for 90 Minutes!!

Best eaten at room temp, but store it in the icebox.

Note: Let it set out for a few minutes before eating to take the chill off...ENJOY!