Welcome to my Kitchen

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and many local kitchens are already bustling with meal preparations. Food allergies and health concerns dictate special menus that leave some searching culinary books for suitable recipes to accommodate all tastes.

Cereal party mix is a favorite in many families and this Hawaiian Party Mix version shared by Coleen Janke, comes from her niece Kaci Bleau. Select gluten free cereals and pretzels and you will have a tasty traditional holiday treat.

Hawaiian Party Mix

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup butter

2 Tbsp. gluten free shoyu

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup sesame oil

Garlic powder to taste

1 packet furikake 2 boxes gluten free Crispix or corn chex cereal

1 can (12 ounces) unsalted nuts

1 package gluten free pretzels

Combine corn syrup, butter, shoyu, sugar and sesame oil in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.

Combine cereal, nuts and pretzels in a large roasting pan. Pour heated mixture over cereal and stir well to mix. Sprinkle with garlic powder and furikake. Continue mixing until well combined.

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Bake mixture in roaster for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely before packaging in airtight containers. Yield: about 1 1/2 gallons party mix.

Note: two unusual ingredients, shoyu and furikake can be found in Japanese markets or the Asian section of larger supermarkets. Shoyu is a soy sauce made from fermented soy beans. It has a slightly sweeter and saltier flavor than regular soy sauce. Furikake is a Japanese seasoning mix consisting of ground dried fish, sesame seeds, seaweed, sugar, salt and monosodium-glutamate (MSG), used to season rice. It has recently become popular in many dishes prepared by Hawaiian Islands cooks.

Having said all that, I used regular soy sauce and extra garlic powder when I prepared the recipe, and it was eaten up in short order.

Joyce McClanahan shared her recipe for Baked Winter Squash. This colorful side dish is prepared with Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, making it ideal for menus calling for reduced sugar.

Baked Winter Squash

6-8 cups parboiled, peeled winter squash, cut in large cubes. (Butternut, Hubbard, Banana or Sweetmeat Squash are good choices)

1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

2-3 Tbsp. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cubed squash in an 8-inch square baking dish. Dot evenly with butter cubes. Crumble Splenda Brown Sugar Blend evenly over squash. Bake 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Yield: about 6 servings.

Parboil might be an unfamiliar cooking term to some. Parboil means to cook in a shallow amount of water until partially cooked. This may be done by stovetop in a cover pan, in the microwave or in the oven.

Joyce noted that this recipe is great for baking along side a main dish such as chicken, beef or pork roast, or casserole. My observation is, it would be easy to have this prepared ahead and ready to pop in the oven with dinner rolls or another dish you wish to bake after removing the Thanksgiving turkey from the oven to let rest 20-30 minutes before carving. Sweet potatoes or yams could be substituted for the squash if desired.

Speaking of turkey, there are about as many ways to prepare a turkey as there are cooks. Most frozen turkeys come with some thawing and cooking instructions on the package, and have been seasoned before packaging. Follow the instructions and you will have an acceptable roast turkey for your meal. A fresh turkey, on the other hand, is going to require some seasoning, salt, pepper and some poultry seasoning, at the very least.

Then there is the stuff or not stuff dilemma. Personally, I believe stuffing the bird, better infuses the seasoning flavors throughout the meat, but it is faster to cook a turkey without stuffing. Either way, make sure the turkey is completely thawed in the refrigerator before roasting. Plan 20 minutes per pound for birds under 12 pounds, and 15 minutes per pound for those over 12 pounds, at 325 degrees. If you stuff the turkey, include the weight of the stuffing in the poundage.

Invest in an oven thermometer and check your oven temperature. You may need to adjust your dial up or down to get a correct temperature reading. Be sure the oven is hot enough. A meat thermometer is helpful for checking the internal temperature of the turkey. 170 degrees is recommended poultry reading.

My favorite seasoning for a turkey with out stuffing includes all the seasonings that are in the stuffing, plus a few extras.

Roast Turkey Seasoning

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp. ground sage

1/8 tsp. ground thyme

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

6-inch rosemary sprig

1-2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin

Combine the poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, paprika, celery salt, onion powder, salt and black pepper in a salt shaker. Sprinkle about two thirds of the mixture inside the turkey, turning to coat all the inside surfaces. Place the bird, breast side up in roasting pan, with or without a roasting bag, and sprinkle the outside of the bird with remaining seasoning. Place shallot slices and rosemary sprig inside the turkey. Seal bag if using, and roast according to package instructions for bird weight. Cover loosely with foil if not using a roasting bag, to prevent over browning. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. This is about right for a 12 pound turkey, increase amounts for larger birds. This seasoning mix is also good for roast chicken, making enough for two whole chickens or the equivalent in chicken parts.

What family favorite would you like to share with your fellow readers? Maybe you have traditional German favorites your family enjoys each year. Each ethnic group has favorites and many families combine several cuisines in seasonal celebrations.

Share your favorite holiday recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email: therecord@odessaoffice.com, or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Try sprouting some lemon or grapefruit seeds for a fun winter indoor gardening project with your children.