 Thanksgiving and turkeys are synonymous. Like baseball and hot dogs, birthdays and cake, you can't think about Thanksgiving without thinking about the turkey. Giant turkeys are the centerpiece of countless tables around the country on Thanksgiving Day. Not only that, its the stuff that great leftovers are made of. Turkey sandwiches, soups, salads and casseroles - the delicious sustenance that gets us through the week following Thanksgiving. Our turkey may take center stage on our Thanksgiving table but there is no shortage of great side dishes and desserts to indulge in too. Sweet potato soufflé, green bean casserole, freshly baked rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan squares - I have to be strategic to even fit it all on my normal sized dinner plate. I do some serious prioritizing so that I can manage to taste a little bit of everything before I get too full. The Thanksgiving struggle is real.  So why am I talking about Thanksgiving turkey in the middle of the summer? We're at least 3 months away from our next great Thanksgiving meal. It's because I don't feel like I can fully appreciate the turkey on Thanksgiving because there is so much other great food to consume. AND I just love turkey so much that I make one every couple of months. Turns out all those great leftovers are just as delicious even when we're not in a post holiday slump. My recipe for herb, lemon and garlic turkey is a perfectly simple way to prepare a turkey any time of year. It can be prepped a day in advance and then roasted on the day that you want to serve the deliciously juicy bird. This recipe is so easy but your family will think your a turkey rockstar.  Herb, Lemon and Garlic Turkey 14 pound turkey 1 Tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon sugar 6 sprigs each rosemary, thyme and sage 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 bunch flat leaf parsley 2 lemons 1 head garlic, halved 1 1/2 cups dry white wine 1/4 cup chopped chives 4 cups chicken stock 1/4 cup flour 3/4 teaspoon pepper
Serve turkey with gravy.   Slice and enjoy.   You've probably figured out by now that I made a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey like indicated on the recipe. The only reason that I did that was because I could not find a whole turkey anywhere! Apparently, I'm the only person cooking turkeys in August. Oh well, turns out a turkey breast works just as well with this recipe.
Ciao!
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 I find that even people who are not regular blog followers will seek out recipes, tips and advice for Thanksgiving menus. (I am no exception either.) It's the one holiday where the food takes center stage and everyone wants to present their very best recipes to their guests. It's no wonder that we look to the internet for inspiration for our Thanksgiving meal. If you're a regular follower or just a curious Thanksgiving browser who happened to land on my website - welcome. I hope that you will take a minute to browse my step by step illustrated Tuscan turkey recipe and then sign up to follow my blog on Facebook or email. (or both) If you have any questions about your Thanksgiving turkey, feel free to leave me a comment. I'll do my best to get your questions answered as quickly as possible.  Tuscan Turkey 3 garlic heads 6 Tablespoon butter 1/4 cup chopped sage 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper 1 whole turkey 5 sage sprigs 1 lemon, halved 1 onion, quartered 1/4 cup olive oil 1/3 cup white wine 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Reduce oven temperature to 350 Bake another 1 hour. Baste turkey with remaining mixture. Bake 10-20 minutes longer or until turkey registers 165. Remove from oven. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.   If you find that you need more immediate help with your turkey, you can always access the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line or give them a call at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372). There is really no excuse for NOT trying to cook a turkey this year.
Ciao!
It's apple season. I always get overly excited about apple season. Am I the only person who gets sucked into the over the top apple displays at the grocery stores and then buys way more apples and cider than you could possibly consume? Apparently, I'm a dream shopper for the marketing department at my grocery store. I come home from the grocery store and fill the basket on my counter with all of the delicious red, green and yellow fruit in hopes that the sight of it will encourage me to make better snack choices. Let me be honest - that doesn't always happen BUT we do eat a lot of apples.  No matter how many apples we eat, I always seem to end up with an excess of fruit and cider. When the apples need to be eaten - I bake pies. But the question is, what can I do with the extra cider? I normally make apple cider doughnuts to use up extra cider but I would love to hear your ideas for leftover cider too. I recently tried a new recipe for Apple Cider Cupcakes. These cupcakes were really delicious and when topped with a sweet apple chip, they are beautiful too.  Apple Cider Cupcakes
Bake 24 minutes at 350.
Top with a swirl of cream cheese frosting and an apple chip. 
 Admittedly, I went a little (or a lot) overboard with the apple cider cupcake pictures. I just couldn't help myself.
If you've got a sweet tooth like me, you should probably make an extra batch of the sweet apple chips too. They make a great snack. There's nothing like soaking a perfectly good piece of fruit in sugar until it doesn't even resemble anything remotely healthy. Either as a cupcake topper or a sweet snack - you'll love these little treats. Ciao! That might possibly be the longest blog title that I have ever used. I did try and cut it down but I couldn't figure out what word I could possibly eliminate. Chocolate? Heck no. Chocolate is the essence of this decadent cupcake. Bourbon? No way. Bourbon is what makes these cupcakes extra special and holiday worthy. Pecan Pie? Ummm No. The pecan pie filling that oozes out when you bite into the center of this cupcake is just about the best thing to ever happen to a cupcake. Butter Pecan Buttercream? Never. The buttery, nutty, creamy frosting swirled on top of this cupcake is the perfect compliment to this elegant treat. So I guess the name stands: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Buttercream.  Add these Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes to my other Thanksgiving favorites like Apple Pie Cupcakes and Browned Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes, and you've got the perfect trifecta of Thanksgiving cupcakes.  So for all of you looking for an extra special treat for your Thanksgiving table - allow me to share my Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcake with Butter Pecan Buttercream recipe with you.  Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Buttercream
1/4 cup chopped pecan pieces
Add to chocolate mixture. 
Bake 22 minutes at 350.
Cut a hole in the center of each cupcake.  Fill each hole with cooled pecan pie filling.  Swirl some remaining filling into a batch of vanilla buttercream and pipe onto cupcakes.
 It's a lucky Thanksgiving table that has these beautiful cupcakes on them.
Ciao! We had 2 days of cool-ish morning weather and that is all it took to launch me into full blown "Let it be Fall" mode. (I'm in denial about the fact that it's still August and that the hot weather will inevitably return so please don't burst my bubble.) Even if we can't keep the Fall temperatures outside, I've decided to declare it Fall - INSIDE my house. I carried 4 boxes full of pumpkins, cornucopias, wreaths, and Fall baskets up from the basement yesterday and I officially unleashed Fall inside the Davis house. Our livingroom is a mecca of brilliant orange pumpkin candles, golden yellow mums and vibrant red berry garlands.
 It's a breath of Fall air in this house - even if I do have to turn the air conditioning down to create my own Fall-like temperatures. It won't be long before the trees in my front yard catch up with the season in my living room.  To continue with my Fall themed house, I've decided to make some Fall food this week and nothing says Fall to me like a great big pot of home made chili and cornbread. One bite of my Sweet Potato Cornbread will have everyone ready for Fall. 
Sweet Potato Cornbread 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes 1/2 cup whole milk 8 Tablespoons butter + 1 Tablespoon 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups cornmeal 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
Melt 1 T. butter in cast iron skillet. Pour batter into skillet.  Bake 25-30 minutes at 425.
 Slice.
 Ciao!
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