Apartment Blog

Recommended again from our very own ‘food expert’ at ForRent.com…..’Ok so this recipe isn’t healthy but I have to share it with you.  I straight up lied and told my family I came up with this recipe myself, sorry Tyler (Florence).  If you are doing a big family dinner and you want to impress everyone, this is the bird to do.  Do exactly what the recipe says and you will be a legend in the kitchen.  This recipe was so good I wanted to slap my mama!  Garnish with the extra sage, roasted baby carrots and whole cranberries and people will be begging you for the secret.’ Try it out and let us know if she’s right!!!

Ingredients

• 1 (12 to 14) pound fresh turkey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing, recipe follows
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Sage Butter, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and remove the top rack of the oven.

Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with stuffing and, if required, truss the legs. Cover the turkey with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Push the sage butter under the skin of the turkey, being careful not to puncture the skin.

Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, and into the oven. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound). If the legs or breast brown too quickly during roasting, cover them with foil.

Sage Butter:

2 sticks butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped sage
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients.
Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing:
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
6 large cornmeal muffins, cubed
Handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Add sage and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Add the cornbread pieces, season well with salt and pepper, and give it a good toss until it’s well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and stock, and pour that over the cornbread. Stir the stuffing together and stuff the cavity of the turkey. You could also spoon it into a buttered baking dish and put it in the oven along with the turkey. Bake until hot and crusty on top, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Taken from the Food Network

Impress your family at the dinner table this Thanksgiving by sharing a bit of knowledge from the ‘Did You Know’ category.

For example, did you know that the most popular Thanksgiving dinner includes a menu of turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie? (yum….pumpkin pie is my favorite!) Or, did you know that there are at least three American towns named after Thanksgiving dinner’s main course? There’s Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, Louisiana; and Turkey, North Carolina.  And finally, did you know that as many as 107 million American homes will celebrate Thanksgiving this year?

And a ‘did you know’ just for all you crazy shoppers out there (kudos for fighting the Day-After Thanksgiving-Day crowds). Did you know that ‘Black Friday’ (which is widely touted as the biggest shopping day in America) is actually not the biggest shopping day!?! In fact, the Saturday before Christmas has historically been the largest volume shopping day. Neat, huh?

So there you go! Some fun facts to share with your family and friends today! For more ‘Did You Know’ facts, check out Holidays.net.

 From all of us at ForRent.com, we wish you a happy & safe Thanksgiving! Gobble, Gobble!

This is actually the first post we’ve done regarding diet, but it is one that is near and dear to my heart. Last year during the holidays I searched & found an exercise regime that would meet with my holiday ‘sin’ such as cocktail parties, buffet dinner or dessert binges. But this post is more directed as proactive rather than reactive. Here are tips for you to avoid overeating in the first place during the holiday gatherings:

• Portions, Portions, Portions: When you are getting dishes to eat make sure you pay close attention to the size of the portions you are choosing. The recommended size is the palm of your hand or smaller. Given that during the holidays there are a plethora of delectables to feast on, you may want to go smaller so you can enjoy all there is to offer.
• Seasonal Favorites: It would be foolish of me to state that you should limit yourself to only 2 sides, when I know that I don’t do it. It’s hard with all the options to choose just a few but it might be easier if you were to look at it in a different manner. You’ll want to make sure you get seasonal favorites as those choices may not be around all year, so stick with those for your first round and if you’re still hungry then you can get other options. Wouldn’t you rather get cranberry sauce rather than bread and butter?
• Know your limits: This seems to be where people get themselves in to trouble. With all the goodies everywhere they continue to snack and snack and snack, bringing plate 1 to plate 4 or 5. When you are eating it is important to listen to your body for signals that you are getting full. This will help eliminate the overfull belly which can sometimes be painful (I know)! Again, sticking with the first two tips try everything you’d like, but make it smaller portions such as slivers of deserts and go back for more if you want (and are able to eat it). Don’t hoard everything onto your first plate as you will probably feel more obligated to finish it.
• Exercise: And keeping with my statement in the intro, exercise is a particular staple in my holidays. As I start to down my second sliver of pumpkin pie (personal seasonal favorite), I start to feel guilty. The easiest way for me to feel better about it is the promise to walk around my neighborhood twice afterwards (or do the stairs in my house a few extra times). I even ask my mother to join me so I’m still spending quality time with family. Exercise is important for any person, but during the holidays it is especially important as there is typically more stress and overeating.

With these tips in mind, hopefully everyone will be able to stick to their plan of not overeating. With the holidays being so close together, it really is key to be prepared so you can enjoy all to the fullest!

As with tradition when a big holiday is around the corner, we like to post recipes for everyone to see. With this posting, however, we have posted a complete meal! The delicious main course, the heavenly side dish and the ever-so-needed scrumptious dessert!

Cranberry Chicken

Tender baked chicken gets dressed for the holidays with a chunky spiced fruit sauce in this recipe shared by Linda Rock of Stratford, Wisconsin on TasteofHome.com.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds)
• 1 can (16 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1 large tart apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:

• 1. Place chicken in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear.

Yield: 6 servings.

Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole

This tasty side dish is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Just seeing the yummy picture is making my stomach growl!!! Provided by TasteofHome.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• TOPPING:
• 1 cup crushed cornflakes
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Spoon into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20 minutes.
• Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over potatoes. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the topping is lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings. 

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I’ve actually made this little dessert. Not only is it very delicious, but it’s super easy to make too!

Ingredients:

• Yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon (divided)
• ¼ teaspoon of ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
• 2 ½ cups ov vanilla frosting

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs, water, canned pumpkin, tspn of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then 2 minutes on medium.
•  Pour into well greased/floured pans (2 9-inch round pans or bundt cake pan). Bake 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.
•  Mix remaining cinnamon with frosting. Frost top of one 9-inch round cake, place the second 9-inch round cake ontop and frost all around the cake. Or if using a bundt cake, frost on the outside.
•  Serve and Eat!!!