Thanksgiving recipes

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We thanked the turkey for its life that it gave us. Then we went around the table and those who wish to – no one was forced – would say what they were thankful for.

Some talked about those who made it to this meal and how thankful they were all together but one young girl struck a chord in my heart. Alysa talked about how thankful she was for the food, a roof over the head of her family and how they were all together. I felt for those who were caught up in the US recession and couldn’t enjoy what we had. Please remember all those affected even here in Eeyou Istchee and the rest of Canada.

Usually Will on the Grill isn’t so serious but I have a few recipes to make up for it. By the way I found the best way to make lobster is to toss them into boiling water and to wait for it to boil again for five minutes. Then you lower the heat to simmer the lobsters for 15 minutes. Did I mention I was in Maine?

King Eider’s Pub Crab Cake Recipe – 8-12 servings

This fantastic recipe comes from the King Eider’s Pub in Damariscotta, Maine. One night we got some oysters, lobsters and to make the night truly a Maine seafood fest I asked where the best clam chowder was made in the area. Chris Covel took me to the King Eider’s Pub.

It was so good my taste buds nearly shutdown from sensory overload. Well the Pub also brags, and rightfully so, that they have the best crab cakes in New England. It is proven by the number of awards they have won with these very delightful crab cakes I just had to order. They not only lived up to their reputation but surpassed it.

If you are ever in Maine drop on by. The trip is worth it in every sense of cooking done fantastically. All of the items from the menu were out of this world and the atmosphere was a truly Atlantic experience combined with old New England charm.

3 oz melted unsalted butter

3 eggs

2 and _ oz sour cream

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 pounds fresh crabmeat

1 cup breadcrumbs (Italian bread is best)

Mix the first 8 ingredients together, add crabmeat (check for small pieces of shell), add breadcrumbs and mix well.

Form crab cakes using _ cup measuring cup – pack well

Sprinkle crab cakes lightly with cornmeal and place in refrigerator for 24 hours allowing crab cakes to setup.

To cook – use medium sauté pan

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil – sauté on each side over medium heat until golden brown. Finish 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Serve with tartar sauce and wedge of lemon

The Flying Rabbit

For too long the rabbit, a main stray on a Cree country winter diet, has not been a feature of Will On The Grill. The reason is simple. I have always enjoyed the traditional methods of preparation of the tasty rabbit. Here is another tasty rabbit recipe created in the spirit of traditional foods.

2 lbs rabbit cut up

1/3 cup of goose or duck drippings (oily) i.e. from the pan beneath a spinning goose

2 cups onion chopped in eighths

1/2 cup flour

3 teaspoons salt or salt substitute

1/2 teaspoon of pepper, black or white

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

Skin, wash and clean rabbit. Cut up and coat with flour, pepper and salt or salt substitute.

Heat the goose or duck drippings in a frying pan. Add the rabbit. Cook until it’s golden brown on all sides.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and simmer for a couple of hours. Check the tenderness and gravy. You’ll know when it’s ready.

Bev’s Bake Easy Chicken

This is a recipe both for the health and for cleaning out the fridge before shopping. When my mom made this I immediately asked for the recipe because I kept going back for more.

2 to 4 chicken breasts

Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter (or your choice)

1 small container of mild salsa (your choice)

1/2 bag of shredded cheddar cheese (your choice)

Some veggies, such as zucchini or tomatoes, may be added

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper toweling.

Roll the chicken breasts in Italian bread crumbs.

Brown in a skillet with butter.

Transfer to a baking dish. Toss with veggies

Add salsa and cheese on the top

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Serve with rice (your choice of white or brown but brown is healthier)

This a good recipe to add, i.e. any leftover tomatoes, bottom of ketchup bottle or tomato juice.

A load of Crock Backwoods Moose Stew

Sometimes I just make this for the fantastic way it tastes and smells. Trust me, your loved ones will enjoy coming home to the warm scents wafting throughout the house and want to eat right away with this winner. It always gives me a feeling like my mother or grandmother is at home. It’s great for two working parents as the crock-pot can be started in the morning and left until suppertime.

2 lbs or more moose meat cubed

8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 medium onions, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

8 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 cups fresh green peas (frozen or dried can be substituted)

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

3 cubes beef bouillon

2 (14.5 ounce) cans beef broth

2 tablespoons browning and/or seasoning sauce

1 bay leaf

Salt (or salt substitute) and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 cup water

Start in a pot by combining the moose meat, potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, bouillon, broth and seasoning sauce and putting in enough water to cover. Turn to high and cook until the stew comes to a boil. Add peas at this time if they are dried peas only.

Put mixture into a crock-pot on low and continue cooking until the moose meat is tender, about 8 to 10 hours.

Put back into a pot after ladling off any fat that has collected on the surface.

In the pot add in the fresh peas and mushrooms if using. Dried peas are added in the first stage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes on medium-high.

Whisk together the cornstarch and water. Stir this into the stew, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until the stew has thickened and the peas have warmed through.

To remove as much fat as possible, try the following: rather than ladling the fat off before you add the peas, mushrooms and cornstarch, allow the stew to cool, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, the fat will have hardened on top and can be easily removed. Proceed by adding the remaining ingredients, and cooking until thickened.

Chris Covel’s Cheesy Cauliflower

6 heads of cauliflower

2/3 of a liter of 10% coffee cream

250 grams of Romano cheese, grated

750-1000 grams of processed cheese slices

450 grams of grated sharp cheddar, grated

Pastene Italian Bread Crumbs, enough to garnish

Remove the stems from the cauliflowers and cut the remaining cauliflower into small floweretes

In a large stock steam the cauliflower until cooked but still firm

In another pot, heat the cream on very low temperature, do not allow to boil.

Add the grated Romano cheese first and stir until thoroughly. Repeat the same process with the sharp cheddar and then the processed cheese, leaving enough to cover the dish before baking (about 1/5 of the processed cheese should cover the dish)

The sauce shouldn’t lumpy and yet not so thick that it is difficult to stir. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin it out with a bit or milk or cream but also not to the point that it is saucy.

Place the steamed cauliflower in a large glass Pyrex baking dish. If you do the full recipe, you will need at least two baking dishes and perhaps one smaller baking dish as well. Be sure to use glass or ceramic baking dishes as metal will give a tin like taste. As the cauliflower tends to crumble a bit while it steams, when it comes to placing the cauliflower in the dish, mix together the larger and smaller bits so that the texture is even.

Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and mix it around in the dish so that all of the cauliflower is covered. The cheese sauce should go right up to the brim of the dish

Cover the dish with the remaining cheese slices so that the entire dish is covered

Dust the layer of cheese covering the dish with the bread crumbs. The bread crumbs should just lightly cover the dish but not in excess

Bake the casserole at 375 for approximately 45 the dish is done when it is a light golden brown and bubbling on the sides.

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