Quick & Kosher

Finally, after much, difficulty, could even call it agony – and I am not exaggerating – we have our 2 nominees. The pumpkin recipes submitted this month were beyond amazing, creative, and diverse. I kept saying to myself, “This month we can’t pick just two finalists. Maybe we need to to change the rules so we can have more finalists.” I couldn’t even choose which recipes to make.

I almost had a fight with Tamar over our first finalist’s recipe – Melinda’s Pumpkin Fritters. I had a gut feeling they would be delish and I wanted to make them, but Tamar chose them before I could! Then I was hoping she wouldn’t have time to make them before her trip to Italy, but alas, she did and she loved them as much as I knew I would. She loved ‘em, her kids loved ‘em, and she was barely able to put one away for her hubby.

Another one I just knew was going to be a winner (our second finalist) was fbogus’s Roasted Pumpkin Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Ricotta – divine beyond words. Because whole pumpkins can be hard to find and even harder to work with, I tested this with canned pumpkin, spread on the dough like sauce, topped with a nice sprinkling of kosher salt and then I followed the directions as printed. It was great even with this labor-saving adjustment though roasted pumpkin is the way to go. (Roasted sweet potato and/or butternut squash would also be wonderful substitutes.) The recipe also calls for a handful of sage leaves which I subbed for a sprinkling of dried thyme on my first round of testing. Had to do that ‘cuz Hubby went shopping for me and couldn’t find any sage leaves in the spice aisle, so he came back with bay leaves – he missed that I had said FRESH sage leaves.

Honorable mention goes to Nechama Tawil for her Pumpkin Pots de Crème (I accidentally left out the maple syrup from the recipe, but found it to be perfectly sweetened without it); also to LeoraB for her Pumpkin Stew. This was a strong finalist contender – kitchen-tester Hadassah said her family licked their bowls and became immediate fans of LeoraB and her savory stew. Special kudos to Emi for her Pumpkin Crème Puff. It didn’t make the finals because we had some difficulty with the recipe, but I am beside myself wanting to experience this dish. It seems like a real delicacy. So should anyone test it with success, please leave a comment in the notes so we can all enjoy it.

In order to vote for your favorite recipe, please click through to South African Pumpkin Fritters OR Roasted Pumpkin Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Ricotta and click on the thumbs up sign. The winner will be the recipe with the most thumbs up. You have until November 30th 2011 at 9 am EST to vote.

Wild & crazy.

As I write this in my Rockland County home, there are bears on the loose in my neighborhood. Not 1, not 2, but 3 bears, and they are not cuddly and they are not going for a harmless stroll while their porridge cools. They’re big, black, and one was just spotted digging into my neighbor’s garbage just 3 blocks away. AHHHH! Check out this video.

I’m a city girl. When I moved here, I didn’t know that the police simply issue a “warning” when something like this happens. I guess they figure that when you live “in the country,” it’s ok have an occasional wild turkey, deer or bear peering into your windows. It goes with the territory – oy vey iz mir.

Meanwhile, my friend Anita (you can meet her here), Rabbi Lawrence’s wife, takes it all with true pioneering spirit. Gitta neshamah (good soul) that she is, on Shabbos she calmly walked someone over a mile home because that someone was scared of walking alone for fear of encountering the bears. She packed the bottom of her baby’s stroller with a broom, a 10-inch kitchen knife, a pot and a rock. Who does she think she is, Davy Crockett? Was she planning on using those weapons against three bears? Or perhaps cook them a meal? Should I look for a saner friend?

Anyway, I’m not that chivalrous. I kept my family securely locked inside– had a zoo of my own for a while there, with 4 neighborhood kids joining my 5. (At one point, I thought I might be able to handle the bears better than this balagan.)

Till the bears are gone for good, I am housebound, cooking with the kids, and enjoying hot cocoa as well as these other goodies.

Spicy Hot Cocoa
Roasted Pumpkin Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Ricotta
One-skillet dinners
And Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Whipped Cream.

If you were housebound for a few days, what delicious dishes would you be whipping up?

OK, let’s have a show of hands. How many of you have ever cooked a fantastic, expensive cut of meat to perfection, then watched helplessly as it overcooked when you reheated it? You splurged on a beauty – probably for Shabbos or Yom Tov – and now you have a leathery, unappetizing chunk.

I’ll be the first to admit it has happened to me, and more than once. And that’s why brisket is my favorite cut! You can’t mess up when you braise a brisket. A top of the rib roast is equally foolproof, just treat it like a brisket and the meat will become softer the longer you cook it.

If you’ve never braised, here’s the scoop. The principles of braising are moist heat, lengthy cooking in a closed, tightly sealed vessel, and low, low temperatures. Essentially, the meat is constantly basting itself, browning slowly, and taking on deep, rich flavors; it becomes so tender it could fall off your fork.

Of course, for this process to work, you have to give it loads of time to cook. But that’s a plus, because the aroma will fill your home, enticing everyone – your kids, your guests, your mailman, your neighbors. (Better be sure to get a big roast.) By the time they sit down to the meal they’ve been sniffing for hours, they’re ready to savor it to the max.

Beer is a wonderful braising liquid and I love the spice mix for my Beer Braised Brisket. It includes instant coffee, paprika and brown sugar; and that forms a nice spicy crust when you sear the meat before cooking.

This cool crockpot dish comes out equally delicious from the oven. Cover and cook for 2 hours at 350° and then uncovered for another 30 minutes to 1 hour until soft. Most important – allow it to cool at least 15 minutes (if not completely) before slicing against the grain. You could even put it in the fridge overnight (after it cools, of course), before slicing. Oh BTW, to ensure soft meat, how you slice your brisket is as essential as how you cook it. Check out my “how to slice against the grain” post.

When making this in the oven, you aren’t left with much liquid to turn into gravy, so consider these basic gravy recipes. You’ll certainly want to use them if you plan to reheat the brisket before serving. One more tip: practice saying “Beer Braised Brisket” before you announce it at your table, so you won’t twist your tongue too badly. Betcha can’t say it three times fast.

Just because I love pumpkins,
and because I love you, dear readers,
and because there can never be too many pumpkin recipes in this world,
and because I am in a sweet mood,
here’s another perfectly pumpkin treat:
Pumpkin Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

If I were Maria, my Sound of Music moment would go a little something like this:

Pumpkin in pasta and pumpkin in pie shells,
Pumpkin in soups that really go down well,
Pumpkin in cookies and pumpkin in tarts
These are the dishes that speak to my heart.

Lasagna with pumpkin and pumpkin in muffins,
Pizza and puddings and hamantashen,
Fritters and oatmeal, sorbet and cake,
There isn’t anything pumpkins can’t make.

When the cake falls
Or the main flops,
When I’m feeling sad;
I simply remember my pumpkin delights
And then I don’t feel so bad!

So tell me: What’s your fave pumpkin recipe? Extra points for answering in poem or song.

So turkey day is almost here. Ain’t such a big deal for kosher cooks – after all, we’re used to cooking 130 feasts per year, when you combine holidays and Shabbos. So what’s one more? Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving in your family, the flavors are classically fall. In my life, turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie don’t have to be reserved for the last Thursday of November, with football playing in the background.

Cranberry Mustard Sauce

Thanksgiving food is my hubby’s favorite and his annually requested B-day meal. It’s my mom’s favorite too. Legend has it that when she was expecting my sister, due at the end of November, she insisted that my grandparents cook their classic Thanksgiving meal for her just in case she would miss it. Like many immigrants, my grandparents embraced America and all of its freedoms with love and enthusiasm, and they made it a point to prepare a Thanksgiving feast that would rival that of any Mayflower descendant. And we all know that foodie obsessions pass from mother to daughter even quicker than dating advice. So I love everything about Thanksgiving fare. I’ll make sweet potato casseroles and pumpkin pie any time of the year, using any excuse. “You got an A on your report card? I’m going to make you a pumpkin pie!” “What a lovely summer day, I think I’ll make a pumpkin pie.” “You fell down and scraped your knee? Wouldn’t a pumpkin pie make it all better?” That’s how it goes around here. Truth be told I am the only one that really loves a good Pumpkin pie so all the excuses are just so that I can bake one for me, myself and I.

Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Whipped Cream

So for this season, we have a non-dairy Quick & Kosher Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmin’s. They’re all new recipes, exclusively for you. We’ll rolled ‘em out one day at a time; and I hope we were able to whet your appetite – ‘cuz that’s what we do here – this is the full, mouth-watering menu:

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY BREAST & GREEN CHILE STUFFING
CRANBERRY MUSTARD SAUCE
SKILLET CORNBREAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES & SAGE
BLACK PEPPER GRAVY
CHIVE BISCUITS
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH MARSHMALLOW TOPPING
PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS & WALNUTS
AND
PUMPKIN PIE WITH CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM (bc it’s thanksgiving and you must have a pumpkin pie!)

Stress nisht! These are all quick prep recipes for your homemade kosher Thanksgiving meal. Now if that’s not something to be thankful for, then I don’t know what is. And just as it doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving to eat turkey, it doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving to thank G-d for all that you have: use this buzz to remember that.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping

There’s something about the Thanksgiving season that stimulates a reflex: we start to enumerate our blessings. I have an incredible list of personal thanks to G-d for all that I have. And as I write to you now, I feel so thankful for the JoK family we have built here together. Every person who visits this site deserves credit for building this family. As in every family, each person is different, each has a different voice. Every recipe and every comment you bring makes us stronger, for you offer your unique perspective, opinion, kitchen tip or words of encouragement. With G-d’s help, we have created this kosher cooking kitchen universe together and I am so appreciative.

It’s important that this virtual kitchen we’ve built together has all the bells and whistles of your dream kitchen, and that requires solid communication lines. So for your last chance to win a free turkey let us know in the comments below what you want to see more of, what you like, what you want, what you wish we had, what you’d like us to feature. The sky is the limit, my friends. Give us your ideas about the site’s functionality, recipes, topics we cover… anything that you want to see on JoK.com in the coming year, anything you want us to expand. We are here and we hear you. Please also add a note to let us know if you have bought my latest book, Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes, and/or subscribed to “Joy of Kosher” magazine. Please be assured that our winners are picked at random and purchase is absolutely NOT required to be eligible to win. It just makes us feel good to know that you want to support this enterprise, and we hope it will encourage others to support us as well.

Here’s why. You know we don’t charge anything for our website. For the almost 5,000 recipes you see posted here (and we try to grow it each day for you so that when you search, you NEVER want for a recipe, and you can find one that suits your needs perfectly.) When you buy our magazines and books, you are telling us that you appreciate what we do and you want to help keep it going!

With Chanukah just around the corner, this is the perfect time to give a special cooking gift to someone you love. Buy a subscription to the magazine for yourself or for someone that you know will just love you for it! Right now, a one year subscription is only $18 (Chai!) The regular price is $24, so that’s 25% off! And there’s a Chanukah sale on my latest book, Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes. It’s now only $18 (regularly $34.99 – that’s almost 50% off) and that includes FREE shipping anywhere in the US. These are great as Chanukah gifts, hostess gifts, bridal and wedding shower gifts, teacher gifts, welcome to the neighborhood gifts, etc. Stock up now – while these sales are going on. You can give them out all year long. Purchasing our books and magazine lets us know you enjoy what we are doing and helps us continue.

So thank you for being you! Thanks for coming to the site, for taking the time to write how we can better serve you, and for joining us at our table. Tamar, Hadassah and I are thankful for you this Thanksgiving as we are every day, because without you, we wouldn’t be here. We’d be talking to ourselves, we’d be cooking alone. We love the family that you have created with us and we look forward to sharing even more with you in the future.

WIN A TURKEY!! We’ve been giving away turkeys all week – this is your last chance to win! If you want to win an Empire turkey for your Thanksgiving Feast, let us know in the comments what you want to see more of here on JoK.com, what you like, what you want , what you wish we had, what you’d like us to feature.  If you own one of my cookbooks or are subscribed to the magazine, let us know too in the comments! Contest closes 9 am Sunday Nov 20 2011. For more info just check out the contest info post. For full contest rules and information click here.

THE TURKEY HAS BEEN GIVEN AWAY BUT WE STILL WANT YOUR FEEDBACK ON JOYOFKOSHER.COM

Entrants must be aged 18 and over, and US Residents. By entering the contest you give JoyofKosher permission to share your email address with Empire Kosher.

The trees don’t have to be all shades of orange, yellow, and red for me to crave pumpkin pie. After I graduated high school, my family moved to hot, humid Miami. I dreamed of returning north and consoled myself all summer by eating loads of pumpkin pies, like it was my job.

Yes, I freely admit my love of food. It seems that my standards of food categories and portion size are not exactly like everyone else’s; and that point was brought home to me by my agent who is working with me on a proposal for my next cookbook. I was considering including a pastrami-layered potato kugel, and I put it into the chapter on side dishes. She took one look at it and said, “Jamie, you misplaced this recipe. It should go into the chapter on mains.” It was an “aha!” moment. Hubby and I got a good kick out of it. “Oh, so that’s our problem? Eating ‘mains’ as ‘sides’!” And too many pies.

But I digress. Back to the pumpkin…

Luckily, it’s inherently not bad for you. A pumpkin has lots of fiber and vitamin A and it’s low in calories and fat. When I am feeling well-behaved, I make my pie using fat free milk (for my dairy rendition) or low-cal soy or almond milk (for my pareve rendition), a sugar substitute and NO crust. That’s when I let my responsible nature take over. Or I happened to get on the scale that day. I mean, how would I look if I downed an authentic pumpkin pie daily, like my vitamins? (This is not a question to be answered in “comments.”)

This special Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Whipped Cream that I dreamed up for you sits in a chocolate graham cracker cookie crust. You simply fold a few tablespoons of caramel into whipped “cream” and spread a generous layer on top of your pie before serving. Give me a call and I’ll come taste-test it for you.

WIN A TURKEY!!  If you want to be in with a chance to win an Empire turkey for your Thanksgiving Feast, answer this question in the comments: What’s your pumpkin pie twist? Or do you prefer traditional?  Contest closes 9 am Friday Nov 18 2011. But you can win a turkey every day this week – just check out the contest info post for more details. For full contest rules and information click here.

THIS TURKEY HAS BEEN GIVEN AWAY – LAST CHANCE TO WIN HERE!

Entrants must be aged 18 and over, and US Residents. By entering the contest you give JoyofKosher permission to share your email address with Empire Kosher.

Do you want to have a chance to win this phenomenal wok? It will certainly add class to your kitchen!

Jamie’s newest cookbook is on sale for a great price, and everyone who purchases it this week will be entered to win this Wok from Mauviel, plus a One Year Subscription to the Joy of Kosher Magazine with Jamie Geller. How can you pass this up?!

From Thursday 11/17 Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes can be yours for the awesome price of $18 PLUS FREE SHIPPING within the USA!! It retails at $34.99 – so that’s a huge savings. Buy up a few copies – it’s the perfect gift for a bridal shower, wedding present, or to give to a busy mom. Need a Chanukah gift? A hostess gift? You cannot go wrong with Jamie Geller’s Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes!!

Click over to our friends at Feldheim, decide how many books you want to order (remember, $18 each, free US postal service media mail shipping), enter coupon code QKFT18 into the “discount code” box on the shopping cart page BEFORE proceeding to checkout. Simple!

Wait! There’s more!

Everyone who takes advantage of this special offer will be entered into a random drawing to win one of FIVE fabulous prizes:

Four Winners will win a One Year Subscription to the Joy of Kosher Magazine.

One Lucky winner will win the Grand Prize: A One Year Subscription to the Joy of Kosher Magazine plus a Mauviel M’cook Stainless Steel Wok valued at $341.00!!

*No purchase necessary to enter. Simply email your name and address to info@joyofkosher.com and put MEALS IN MINUTES GIVEAWAY in the subject header.

I’ve been kvetching a lot about Hubby’s turkey day favorites. And yes, I dutifully plan to recreate all of his childhood memories, even serving up his beloved jellied cranberry sauce from a can. But at my house, the feast was quite different. I’m not saying superior. I’m just saying different.

Back home, my gourmet chef grandparents made the most exquisite Thanksgiving meal – with a strong focus on turkey stuffing and gravy. Everything in the stuffing was finely minced by hand and it was loaded with onions and mushrooms. Absolutely superb! (Um, guess who doesn’t like mushrooms.) Though we were gathered for a real American feast, there was no cornbread, and no sweet potato or green bean casseroles. They were dedicated citizens, but those were lines these immigrant cooks wouldn’t cross. And it would never occur to them to bake with marshmallows. It took my very American aunt –who had married into the family – to bring the pumpkin pie and whipped cream. Without her, we would have missed out on that quintessentially American dessert in favor of a Hungarian cake with an unpronounceable name.

I loved their Thanksgiving menu, and wish they were around to show me how to recreate that magic (I wish they were around for so many other more important reasons too). I’ve had to figure a lot of this out on my own and with a little help (ok a lot of help) from my friends and new family. So after picking up a few tips from my mom-in-law’s Thanksgiving table I can now present you with this Americana side (just like hubby had growing up) a super-sweetsie sweet potato casserole topped with hot, golden marshmallows. If you like your sweet potatoes as sweet as I do, add a 1/3 cup of brown sugar to the mashed sweet potatoes and you’re good to go.

WIN A TURKEY!!  If you want to be in with a chance to win an Empire turkey for your Thanksgiving Feast, answer this question in the comments: What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side? Or your favorite Thanksgiving memory?  Contest closes 9 am Thursday Nov 17 2011. But you can win a turkey every day this week – just check out the contest info post for more details. For full contest rules and information click here.

THIS TURKEY HAS BEEN GIVEN AWAY – ANOTHER CHANCE TO WIN HERE!

Entrants must be aged 18 and over, and US Residents. By entering the contest you give JoyofKosher permission to share your email address with Empire Kosher.

Not sure if this happens only in my house, but Hubby really wants certain things exactly the way he grew up with them. His mother always served dinner rolls with Thanksgiving dinner. I want biscuits.

In marriage, compromise is everything. I will buy him his dinner rolls, since that’s what his mom did anyway, and I’ll bake my biscuits. This year, I’ll add chives to the biscuits. Hubby hates chives. But I can go wild: he’s not eating them anyway. Biscuits with chives for me, dinner rolls for Hubby and the kids. (Ever notice that baked goods with green things are more suited to the adult palate?) I know my mom-in-law will try them and she will love them because that’s how good a mom-in-law she is. As far as she’s concerned, everything I make is delicious, and it doesn’t matter that I’ve deviated from her tradition. Now if I could only get Hubby on board…

WIN A TURKEY!!  If you want to be in with a chance to win an Empire turkey for your Thanksgiving Feast, tell me in the comments whether you bake up your own biscuits or if you serve store bought dinner rolls! Contest closes 9 am Wednesday Nov 16 2011. But you can win a turkey every day this week – just check out the contest info post for more details. For full contest rules and information click here.

THIS TURKEY HAS BEEN GIVEN AWAY. DIDN’T WIN? ANOTHER CHANCE TO ENTER HERE! 

Entrants must be aged 18 and over, and US Residents. By entering the contest you give JoyofKosher permission to share your email address with Empire Kosher.

OK – so I said I was going traditional this Thanksgiving. Here’s tradition with a hint of mustard. Cranberry Mustard Sauce is often served with the other white meat, a four-letter word that starts with P that shall not be referenced on a kosher site. But it’s also great with chicken and salmon, so I figured hey, how about with turkey?

I did a mix of cranberries and blueberries, and a mix of grainy and Dijon mustards, then added a nice helping of sugar to help the medicine go down. The sweetness of the blueberries, boosted by the sugar, cut the tartness in the cranberries. Voila – a full-flavored sauce with just a slight mustardy tang.

Of course, I will have to serve Hubby the jellied cranberry sauce out of the can – just like his mommy did. (Is it “sauce,” if you clearly see the can lines embedded in it?) But all you foodies out there will appreciate this recipe. I know some people may find it easy when their significant other wants store-bought dinner rolls and jarred cranberry sauce. Me, I find it stifling. My kitchen creativity can’t take such an onslaught. I say, can’t we both just enjoy a little Cranberry Mustard Sauce one day a year? Is it asking too much?

Hopefully, you will try this outrage on your traditionalist.

WIN A TURKEY!!  If you want to be in with a chance to win an Empire turkey for your Thanksgiving Feast, tell me in the comments whether you serve the canned cranberry sauce or if you make it fresh!! Contest closes 9 am Tuesday Nov 15 2011. But you can win a turkey every day this week – just check out the contest info post for more details. For full contest rules and information click here.

CONTEST IS CLOSED – Another chance to win a turkey here: CHIVE BISCUITS.

Entrants must be aged 18 and over, and US Residents. By entering the contest you give JoyofKosher permission to share your email address with Empire Kosher.

Jamie Geller’s newest cookbook – Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes – can be yours for the awesome price of $18 PLUS FREE SHIPPING within the USA!! It retails at $34.99 – so that’s a huge savings. Buy up a few copies – it’s the perfect gift for a bridal shower, wedding present, or to give to a busy mom. Need a Chanukah gift? A hostess gift? You cannot go wrong with Jamie Geller’s Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes!!

Wait! There’s more!

Everyone who takes advantage of this special offer will be entered into a random drawing to win one of FIVE fabulous prizes:

Four Winners will win a One Year Subscription to the Joy of Kosher Magazine.

One Lucky winner will win the Grand Prize: A One Year Subscription to the Joy of Kosher Magazine plus a Mauviel M’cook Stainless Steel Wok valued at $341.00!!

What to do

Click over to our friends at Feldheim, decide how many books you want to order (remember, $18 each, free US postal service media mail shipping), enter coupon code QKFT18 into the “discount code” box on the shopping cart page BEFORE proceeding to checkout. Simple!

PLEASE NOTE! JUST TODAY AND TOMORROW (11/15 and 11/16) the book can be bought for $10.15 plus $2.95 shipping and handling. No coupon necessary.

*No purchase necessary to enter. Simply email your name and address to info@joyofkosher.com and put MEALS IN MINUTES GIVEAWAY in the subject header.

Question: How can you make delicious gravy without pan drippings? Answer: Black Pepper Gravy.

In place of pan drippings, use margarine, chicken stock and white wine for flavor, and add flour to thicken. It’s as simple as that. Oh yeah, of course, add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. What’s important here is the technique: you are whisking the entire time. That constant motion incorporates each ingredient and layer of flavor and helps prevent lumps, giving your gravy a nice, smooth consistency. As far as thickness goes, the longer you simmer it, the thicker it will get. You can also always add a little broth to thin it out, if you went a little overboard with your simmering.

To make this recipe vegetarian, just use vegetable broth: then you have gravy for when you make stuffing that hasn’t been stuffed in a bird. I love to do that. Then I can eat all I want, and I’m not fleishig! (Renowned speaker, Rebbetzin Tzipporah Heller once quipped that “the Number 1 Fear of American Jews is being fleishig.” Well, I’m no exception. I confess that fleish-a-phobia is a force in my life. And now that I’ve discovered these fab little milchig weight watchers snacks, my fleish-fear has reached new heights.)

Anyway, I know you’re going to love this smooth, creamy gravy with just a hint of white wine. Do you have any gravy secrets to share?

I went super traditional with my Thanksgiving menu this year. Yeah, I took some twists and turns with the Southwestern Turkey and Green Chile Stuffing, but the rest of the menu is classic. Really. And it’s quick too, because you’ve got enough to juggle that day.

A slice of warm cornbread, dripping with butter (or margarine), is one of life’s indescribable pleasures. Corn muffins, corn bread, cornmeal cakes — I adore them all! In this Skillet Cornbread, the dried cranberries and sage complement each other like Fred & Ginger; Shrek & Fiona; Fred & Wilma, you get it I’m sure. Leave ‘em in if this sounds good to you (and, believe me, it’s not just good – it’s great!) Leave ‘em out if you want a more traditional, no frills, classic cornbread.

Just because I would give my Bubbie’s secret brisket recipe for a slice of warm cornbread doesn’t mean you have to. Plenty of people enjoy it at room temp, which makes this a nice make-ahead recipe. But if you want to experience Jamie Geller Heaven, wrap it in foil and place it in a warm oven to heat through right before serving.

And don’t worry! The recipe calls for a cast iron skillet, but you can make it in any pan you have. Just don’t forget the margarine before serving – now that would be like spending five hours at the mall and coming home empty-handed.

I’m starting our grand Thanksgiving feast recipes with its star… the bird. Everyone and their Grandma will be doing a BIG bird and we have tons of recipes for BIG birdies here on our site. But I figured that since we all fight over the white meat (at least in my family), I devised a quick-prep, quick-cook, easy boneless, skinless, turkey breast recipe: Southwestern Turkey Breast with Green Chile Stuffing. Southwestern cuisine is a fusion of Spanish colonial, cowboy, Native American and Mexican style food – a “melting pot” concoction that is true Americana. It’s a cool flavor profile to introduce to your friends, family and T-day table.

Of course, if you want to make the biggest bird on the block, you can still use this southwestern spice rub; you just need to convert the measurements. For a 10-pound whole turkey, use 2 teaspoons each of chili powder, mustard powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, and ground coriander; and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste). The cayenne is optional, depending on how much heat you can handle. For every additional 2 pounds of turkey, increase the spices by a ½ teaspoon and the cayenne by a ¼ teaspoon (or to taste). Bake whole turkeys according to this how to roast a perfect kosher turkey chart.

For the savory Green Chile Stuffing: you’ll find green chiles from Ortega with an OU kosher certification in the canned goods aisle of your supermarket. Don’t drain them before using. There’s not much liquid in them and the chunky mixture adds nice moisture to the stuffing.

So let’s enjoy a little south-of-the-border taste on turkey day. Your guests will just gobble it up! (Doesn’t get old, does it?)