FOUR KITCHEN GADGETS I NEVER KNEW I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT!

First one is..... OXO's Poultry Shears..... I mentioned these in a blog last month.  They are awesome, and as I said before, you could cut up a BODY with these babies..... and they come apart for easy, thorough cleaning.  And snap closed for safety.  About $25 and worth every penny.

Next is another OXO product - the trusty salad spinner.  As long as this has been on the market, I can't believe anyone doesn't have one.  Fantastic for washing ALL things 'salad'..... spin 'em dry... and even great to store your greens in inside the fridge.  Only problem is space in the refrigerator for the gadget - and space in the kitchen cabinet for the gadget.  About $25 and worth every penny.  Save $5.00 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with a 20% off coupon.  Same for the shears.

Third one I reviewed right after I bought it... and now that I've had it a few years, it's still totally awesome.... and that's my Pyrex bacon press.

This little gem is 9"x9" and works great on a flat griddle pan from Walmart (11"x11").  It keeps bacon flat and in contact with the heat from end to end, it prevents shrinkage, and it really reduces splattering on the stove surface.  And it's not just for bacon!  This thing works great on sausage and hamburger patties.  Put it on the meat and press down gently all around - this makes the patties all the same thickness for even cooking.  The press is dishwasher safe but I find it gets cleaner if I pre-wash it with my brush.  CAUTION:  DO NOT PUT THE PRESS IN COLD WATER after use - it could crack.  Allow it to cool on paper towels, or put is in HOT soapy water.  This gadget is a must! [The proper name for this on the internet is:  Cooks Essentials 9-x-9 Square Glass Press.  I got mine from QVC/Amazon.  I think this was $20 but not sure.

And last but not least.... is the Waring Pro Electric Wine Opener.... This one is self-explanatory.... runs forever on a single charge.... extracts corks and then 'releases' them... gives wine drinking a whole new (easy) take!  $30 at BB&B without the 20% coupon.   Enjoy!  *CLINK*

PRODUCT REVIEW: SAM'S CLUB FULLY COOKED HAM (SOLD AT WALMART, TOO)

If you only read one sentence of this post - read the next one.

I wouldn't feed this ham to a dog!

All my family was coming here for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I bought this ham at Walmart - it was to be my Thanksgiving dinner.  At the last minute I decided to cook a fresh turkey.  After all, what's Thanksgiving without a turkey!  Thank God I did!  (Cooked the turkey on the grill and it was to die for.)

Here's how you do THAT!

http://firebird-cooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/best-turkey-you-will-never-cook-in-your.html

Moving right along.....

Pulled out the ham yesterday and baked (reheated) it according to the package directions.  When I took it out of the oven for a taste test.... it had none!  I'm serious - the ham had no flavor AT ALL!  So I grabbed the 'enclosed packet of glaze' and put that on the ham and popped it back in the oven for the required 25 minutes.  Before that time was up, I knew I had made a terrible mistake - the smell of cloves was overwhelming.

Sure enough - took the ham out of the oven for another taste test.... OMG - it was disgusting.  After a wee panic attack, I started pulling out the leftovers from Thursday.  Fortunately I had cooked a big bird.  While I was reheating the sweet potato casserole, the dressing, and the turkey.... I had a thought....

Grabbed a large wire mesh colander that spans my sink - put the ham in it - and rinsed it from head to toe in hot water, removing as much of that disgusting glaze as I could - let the ham drain, and then patted it dry.  Basically a waste of time because the ham still reeked of cloves, but at least it was dry when I dumped it in the garbage.

I DID call Walmart and tell them about the ham, and said I'd be bringing it back one day next week in a garbage bag.  Luckily, they told me all I needed to do was the receipt and they would refund my $30.00

Happy belated Thanksgiving.....

HOLIDAY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

SERVES 6-8

5-6                    sweet potatoes  (large, all the same size)

1/3 C                    salt

(2x) 1/4 C              sugar

(2x) 3 TBSP          flour

(2x) 3/4 C             brown sugar

1 stick                  butter

(2x) 1/2 C              pecans

(2x) 1/2 tsp.           salt     

1/3 C                    orange juice

                           Zest of the orange

1 tsp.                    vanilla

         

DIRECTIONS:

This is best cooked in a 3”+ deep Pyrex baking dish (9x9 if you can find one)… spritzed with PAM

Early in the day (or the day before), boil the WHOLE, unpeeled potatoes with 1/3 C salt – water to cover.  Check after 20-25 minutes with a cooking fork…DO NOT OVERCOOK (the fork should go about 1/3 of the way in with a little pressure)…. Place them in a colander and let them drain/cool completely.

About 1:30 before serving time, preheat oven to 350°

Peel potatoes and slice about 1/2”-3/4” thick… place one layer bottom of dish.  Sprinkler with: sugar, flour, brown sugar, light salt, half the butter (pats) and a sprinkling of pecans

Repeat above with second layer of potatoes.  Cover and set aside until time to cook.  

Just before cooking, combine 1/3 C orange juice and 1 tsp. vanilla and sprinkle over casserole.  Top with orange zest.

Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes.  Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

HELL NO! NOT IN MY KITCHEN! SPATCHCOCKING? YOU GOTTA BE JOKING!

SPATCHCOCKING..... WTF is THAT?  Yeah - that's what I said : SPATCH-COCKING (and yes - I spelled that right!)

Raise your hand if you want anything named this going on in YOUR kitchen!  LOL  Well, if it's good enough for Martha Stewart (is this something she picked up in jail?) then it's at LEAST good enough for me to try!

As an aside - I really needed to know the origin of this word - seems it's an 18th century Irish combination of 'dispatch' (fast) and 'cock' (bird).... oh - whew - I can work with THAT!  This is a FAST way to cook a chicken or turkey... ok - that's cool.

Away we go.  First, you have GOT to get a pair of OXO poultry shears!

These things are AWESOME - and OXO thinks a lot of them - they will run you $20 - $25, depending on where you get them.  But trust me on this - you could cut a BODY into small pieces with these things - absolutely necessary for separating segments of chicken wings or ribs - and SPATCHCOCKING a bird!  HAHAHAHA  They come apart for EASY cleaning, which is a 'must' I didn't know existed!

Next.... you need a bird.  I suggest starting with a chicken - cheaper and easier to handle than a turkey.

Step 1:  remove all that krap inside the bird that they cram inside in a waxed paper bag that adds to the weight of the bird.... Ditch the liver but keep the gizzard and heart for stock, along with the neck.

Step 2:  Lay the bird on a couple of folded paper towels so it won't scoot off the counter with the BREAST DOWN - and with your mighty shears, cut from the tail (that nasty looking triangle thing at the base of the spine) all the way up one side of the spine to the neck opening.  Repeat on the other side.  If that tail thing is still attached to the bird, please cut it off immediately!  (Wash the neck, organs,  and backbone and put in a medium pot and cover with water.  Continued below***)

Step 3:  Press the two sides of the bird apart as far as you can.  Using a sharp knife, make a cut on each side of the 'keel bone' - the dark oblong bone in the middle of the breast.  

Flip the bird over and spread him/her flat on the counter.  Press down strongly with the heel of your hand on the center of the breast - like you are panicking and doing CPR. You should hear a crack and feel the bones give way.

At this point (and this is truly why I LOVE spatchcocking) wash that baby under cold running water.  Clean it really well with a stiff-bristle brush, removing any bits of liver (OMG - they are always there) and other nasties left behind from processing.  Lay your bird on CLEAN paper towels and pat dry all over.  The bird should look like a modest sunbather!

At this point, assemble the few ingredients necessary:

2 TBSP         soft butter
1/4 tsp.          Ground thyme
1/4 tsp.          Garlic powder
1 tsp.              Lemon zest
                     Kosher or Sea Salt
                    Fresh ground black pepper

Line a shallow roasting pan with foil and spritz with Pam.  Preheat oven to 425° - yup -  425°

Add the ground thyme, garlic powder and lemon zest to the butter and blend totally with a fork

Place the bird BREAST DOWN on the paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Flip it over and lay it in the roasting pan - breast up.

Get your CLEAN hands ikky by rubbing the butter mixture all over the skin side of the bird.  Give that chickie a total massage, including the under side of the wings and legs.  Sprinkle generously with salt and fresh pepper.

Pop in the hot oven and set a timer for 40 minutes.  Check with an instant read thermometer.  When thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°, remove from the oven and cover with foil.  Let the birdie rest (it's been through a lot!) for 15-20 minutes before serving.

NOTE:  You can also toss this bird on a hot grill and cook (indirect method) about the same length of time..... any poultry that's grilled is totally awesome!

***  Make chicken stock:  Since you have a few organs, the neck and the backbone in a pot, make stock!  Cover the pieces/parts with water by about an inch.  Add 8-10 whole peppercorns, a medium onion - chopped, and 2 of those outer ribs of WASHED celery that look like krap that you'd never EAT - and celery greens if you have any of those.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook about an hour.  Strain the liquid into a clean pot and toss the chicken stuff and the veggies.  Voila - stock!  This is great for chicken soup, but I love to use this to cook rice - all you need is 2 cups of stock, a cup of (long cooking) rice and a teaspoon of salt.  Excellent with the bird!  GO FOR IT!