My First Turkey- Cider-Brined Turkey with Star Anise and Cinnamon

Thanks to Bon Appetit Magazine's "Thanksgiving Edition", I have roasted my first Turkey! Please note..I couldn't find Star Anise, so I just used loose Anise.

Ingredients

* 2 quarts plus 1 cup apple cider
* 1 cup kosher salt plus more
* 1 cup soy sauce -I omitted this since it's not gluten free
* 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
* 16 whole black peppercorns
* 8 whole star anise pods plus more for garnish
* 6 garlic cloves, smashed
* 6 scallions, white parts only, trimmed, split lengthwise
* 6 1/4”-thick slices unpeeled ginger
* 5 dried shitake mushrooms
* 2 3”-4” cinnamon sticks plus more for garnish
* 2 sprigs cilantro
* 1 12–14-lb. turkey
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into sixths
* Melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil (for basting)

Preparation

*
Bring 2 quarts cider, 1 cup salt, and the next 10 ingredients to a boil in a very large (16-qt.) pot, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in 1 1/2 gallons cold water. Add turkey to brine and press down to submerge. Cover; refrigerate overnight.
*
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a large heavy roasting pan and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the remaining 1 cup of cider and 3 cups water in roasting pan. Scatter apples around. Brush turkey with butter. Flip breast side down.

Roast turkey, breast side down, basting occasionally, for 1 hour. Using paper towels, flip turkey. Roast, basting occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°, 1–1 1/2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to a platter. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, strain the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan, reserving apples. Simmer over medium heat until juices have thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve the cider jus alongside the turkey and apples and garnish with extra star anise pods and cinnamon sticks.

Gluten Free Cranberry Apple and Pecan Muffins

I made A LOT of homemade Cranberry sauce this weekend and none of it was used. So, I needed to find a way to put some of it to good use. Hence, I searched for "leftover Cranberry sauce recipes" and I found this. From "Seriouseats.com. I made this gluten and dairy free!

Ingredients:
* 1 cup flour - Domata Gluten free flour
* 1/2 cup whole-grain wheat flour- Domata gluten free flour
* 1 cup oats
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 ½ cups of leftover cranberry sauce
* 1/2 cup skim milk- I used almond milk
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil -I used butter flavored Crisco
* 1 egg - I used 2 eggs
** I added one Granny Smith Apple, diced


1. Heat oven to 400 Degree. Line muffin tin with paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine regular flour, whole-grain flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, oil, cranberry sauce (and apple)and egg; blend well. Fold into dry ingredients all at once; stir until dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Fill muffin cups about three-quarters full.
4. Bake 25 and then cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Break off that seductive muffin top, then inhale the rest!

Gluten Free Pizza

I have decided to post a non-Bon Appetit recipe on my blog. After all, I don't want people to think that all I eat are desserts. This meal is usually ready in 30 minutes!
This pizza crust is made with Domata brand Pizza mix. You can find it next to the other Domata Gluten free flour mix at the store
The mix is very easy to follow.
Two cups of flour/mix and one cup water. Mix it in your blender until a dough ball forms. Then, what I do is this:
I dont have a pizza stone, so I greased a cookie sheet with a little bit of olive oil. Put the dough ball on that greased pan. Use a roller and roll out the dough. You'll need some gluten free flour to help you roll the dough out. Then once a thin crust has been rolled out, put a little bit of olive oil on the crust. I sprinkled parsley, salt and pepper over the crust, to add some flavor because the gluten free pizza dough does taste a bit bland.
Next pre- bake the crust for about 10 minutes on the middle rake in the oven at 400 degrees.
Next, sautee some vegetables. I used red and yellow onions and red peppers. I sauteed them in a bit of olive oil in a skillet.
When the crust is done, let it cool for a couple of minutes, let add pizza tomato sauce, cheese, veggies, pepperoni, and a bit more cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. If cheese and pepperoni aren't melted/crispy enough, you can switch the oven to broil for a few minutes. BUT, you must watch the oven closely, or your pizza will burn.
I added pineapple to my pizza, but I added it at the very end, when broiler was on.
Enjoy!