Cruddy Little Kitchen

 Fabulous Turkey Brine 3/4 cup kosher salt 1/3 cup sugar 2 Tbsp whole coriander seeds 1 Tbsp fennel seeds 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 4 cloves garlic, crushed 3-4 bay leaves 2 carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 1 onion, diced (or half of one onion plus 1-2 shallots, diced) 2 gallons cool water A 12 to 21-pound turkey Combine the vegetables, aromatics, herbs, salt, and sugar with the 2 gallons of water in a large vessel (21-quart pot for a small turkey, 5-gallon bucket for a large one). Stir. Add turkey. Ensure the breast is under water -- employ weights if necessary. (A foil-covered brick has been known to make itself useful in such circumstances in my kitchen.)  Brine for 2 to 3 days. Remove the turkey from the brine the night before Thanksgiving. Pat dry and -- ideally -- chill the turkey in the refrigerator, uncovered, to allow the skin to dry out overnight. Dry turkey skin gets browner during cooking. Follow the directions on the turkey's packaging for the actual co...

 Mama's Pot Roast recipe, kinda tweaked a little  3 lb. rump roast  Salt and pepper   Plain flour  1 envelope onion soup mix  A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or red wine vinegar  Chicken stock  Water   Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks  Salt, pepper, and flour a roast. Heat a deep skillet with a lid, or a Dutch oven with a lid, to medium hot. Add a bit of vegetable oil and brown the roast on all sides. (By the time you finish browning it, the skillet might be smoking a bit, so remove it from heat.)  Lift the roast from the skillet and prepare it for long-term cooking – you’re going to want the roast to spend half of its time with the fat side next to the heat. Pour a cup of chicken stock and a half cup of water into the skillet. Put the roast back in the heat, making sure the fat side is down. Sprinkle the half-envelope of dry onion soup mix all over the roast and around the perimeter of the pan. Sprinkle a few das...

Lumpy Chicken Salad 2 to 2.5 cups cooled rotisserie chicken, pulled off the bone and chopped into 1/2" dice 3/4 cup light mayonnaise 3 to 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard 2 to 3 Tbsp light Italian dressing 1/2 cup small diced celery 1/3 cup red grapes halved (quartered if they're very big) 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped pecans 1/3 cup Honeycrisp apple, peeled and 1/2" diced scant 1/4 cup green onion, greens sliced diagonally Salt & pepper to taste Optional: diced red pepper, dill pickle relish Combine the ingredients, chill for 2-3 hours, serve. Delicious and easy! My friend Erik reminded me today that it's too dang hot to cook in the kitchen right now, and he is absolutely right. When July takes over the Cruddy Little Kitchen, I take the toaster oven outside to the porch for anything that needs to be baked. I run an ugly orange extension cord out there and use electric tape to try to make sure nothing gets electrocuted if a thunderstorm blows the rain sideways toward the toaster ove...

Easy Pork Chops & Gravy recipe 5-6 pork chops 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup ½ envelope dry onion soup mix Worcestershire sauce 1 cup water Salt, pepper, flour Salt, pepper, and flour the pork chops. Turn on your favorite burner to a high medium heat -- 6.5 or 7, in other words. In batches, brown the chops in a couple of tablespoons of oil in a well-greased cast iron skillet. In a bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, the half envelope of onion soup mix, cup of water, and several dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Return pork chops to skillet; pour soup mixture over, raising the chops a bit to allow the mixture to get all around the pork chops. Turn the burner down to medium-low (3), cover, and cook for one hour. Check frequently to ensure even cooking of the pork chops; add water as needed 1 tablespoon at a time; may add a little Worcestershire sauce as needed, too. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans. My sister called me long distance from Ellicott City, Maryland, to t...

Chicken & Dressing Casserole 3-lb. chicken, cut up (or rotisserie chicken)* (onion, salt, and poultry seasoning)** 1 can cream of mushroom soup*** 1 cup mayonnaise 1 or 2 cans of sliced water chestnuts, drained 2-3 cups dry herb stuffing mix (like Pepperidge Farm, not like Stove Top Stuffing) Boil the chicken along with one small sliced onion, salt, and a fistful of poultry seasoning. Skim off any scum that forms. Boil gently for one hour. Remove from heat; remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool. Set aside a cup or so of the liquid from the chicken; make sure you get some of the fat in there. Strain the liquid and save it as stock, if you wish, for other uses. Discard the solids that you strained off. When the chicken is cool, remove the flesh from the bones and skin, and pull it apart into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Discard the bones and skin. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9x13" casserole dish, combine the canned soup, mayo, water chestnuts, and a ...

Easy Steaks with Even Easier Steak Sauce 4 modest steaks*, 6-7 oz. each, 1 to 1.5" thick 2 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated 3 Tbsp ketchup 1 Tbsp brown sugar 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp wine vinegar (sherry, white wine, red wine, etc.) Salt & pepper Olive oil Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30-40 minutes before you plan to cook them. (So if you started baked potatoes 20 minutes ago, now is the time to take the steaks out.) Dry them off with paper towels -- gently, use a patting motion -- and salt and pepper them liberally. Set them aside while they come up to temp.  Maybe now is a good time to slice up the green onions and measure the other stuff. When the steaks are at room temperature, combine the ingredients for the sauce (whites of the onions, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcerstershire, wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper) in a bowl or measuring cup. (I use my Pyrex measuring cups a lot. They...

Honey Bourbon Salmon ⅓ cup bourbon ⅓ cup honey 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 teaspoon brown or whole grain mustard 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 medium clove garlic, minced fine ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot) 1 tablespoon lime juice For the salmon: Four 6-ounce salmon fillets (or 1 pound salmon, cut into fourths) kosher or sea salt freshly ground pepper lime slices Line a sheet pan with 2 layers of foil for easy clean up. Spray the top layer with cooking spray or rub lightly with oil. Combine the bourbon, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat to medium and maintain a steady boil for about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently until it's reduced by about half. At this point, the stuff will be the consistency of good maple syrup -- you know, not as sticky as the cheap "pan...