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THE BEST Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe You’ll Ever Taste

September 9, 2020 by Wendy

THE BEST Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe You’ll Ever Taste

If you love savory garlic, butter and shrimp then this is sure to be your favorite shrimp scampi recipe! Because, it’s easy to make but makes you look like s rock star.

My father-in-law was a bonafide food snob. He had great taste, and he knew what he liked. And, I admired him more in the short time I knew him than most people I’ve known for a lifetime. And, man, do I miss him.

He shared this recipe with a very few, select people. It was an honor to have him show me in my own kitchen how to make this delicious dish. I did what any mom would do, I grabbed my stepson (his grandson) and said, let’s do this! He let me know he wanted to share this with me because I was special. Food was his love language, and he was good at both. But, more than knowing how to make fantastic shrimp scampi, knowing all of what this recipe meant to my husband’s family – and getting to be a part of that for close to 20 years – that is the real treat.

He also never wanted to write the recipe down. He believed sharing recipes should be done like breaking bread: together.

His tried and true advice: Always cook when you’re hungry. Imagine the tastes, and savor the journey. (Also important is reading that word “hungry” like he said it. With gusto!)

With this shrimp scampi recipe, the trick is not to overcook the shrimp. But, the real secret is in adding the ingredients in the right order. Add the garlic too soon, and you’ll lose the taste. Add it too late, and it won’t infuse with your meat.

Then, there’s the wine. I fondly remember Jim teaching me how to make his delicious Shrimp Scampi. First, he poured us both a glass of white wine. He handed me my glass, and had me smell it. Now, I’m not talking just a sniff, but really drinking it in through its smell. Then, he slowly took a small, deliberate sip. When you sample your wine, go slowly! Let the wine sit on your tongue first, and then slowly move it around your mouth to really experience the flavors. Relax. Let it soak in. Savor it, because it’s the base of the dish you’re about to create.

The difference between cooking food and creating a masterpiece is being at one with the taste.

Choosing Your Seafood

Many people aren’t aware that there are lots of choices when it comes to seafood, and shrimp is no different. For example, there’s farm-raised and wild-caught. It doesn’t take a culinary genius to realize that wild-caught is going to be healthier and better for you.

When it comes to shrimp scampi, size does matter! Of course, choose the size that you like. However, know that small shrimp may cost less but will take much less time to cook and is easier to over cook. Huge shrimp may catch your eye, but for this recipe I’d suggest a Large or Extra large shrimp. And, I’d recommend avoiding prawns which look like giant shrimp (how’s that for an oxymoron?) Because, they actually lose flavor the bigger they are.

Lastly, while pre-cooked shrimp is available I would not recommend it for this recipe. Buy raw shrimp so you can control how “done” it gets, and allow the seasonings to penetrate for a more tasty dish. Buying peeled and deveined shrimp may seem more appealing, but it usually costs a bit more. If you have time and want to save money, you can peel and de-vein them yourself. Either way is fine. I calculated the time for this recipe based on having the shrimp already peeled and de-veined.

Serve it up

Shrimp Scampi can be served as-is, drenched in the incredibly tasty sauce its made with. Or, use it to top angel-hair pasta or a soak up in a bed of rice. Add a side of green salad to complete this meal.

J.R.’s Shrimp Scampi

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THE BEST Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe You’ll Ever Taste


  • Author: gimmie
  • Total Time: 23 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. large shrimp
  • 1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 3–4 T dry white wine
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice (fresh, if possible)
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Rinse shrimp and set aside. If shrimp is not peeled & deveined, do that now.
  2. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat until melted.
  3. Saute garlic 1-2 minutes or until softened but not browned.
  4. Add ingredients, one-at-a-time, allowing each to cook for 5 minutes between them: wine, onion, lemon – use more or less to taste. (In other words, add wine, cook 5 minutes, then add onion, cook 5 more minutes, etc.)
  5. Simmer on very low heat. Saute for 15 minutes, until achieving desired taste.
  6. Add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink and firm (1 minute one one side, then flip shrimp and cook another minute (for uncooked shrimp… less for cooked shrimp).
  7. Add chopped parsley and salt & pepper before serving.
  8. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprigs if desired.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Category: Seafood
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: shrimp, shellfish, seafood, wine, butter

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Filed Under: Main Course, Meat, Recipes, Seafood Tagged With: butter, seafood, shellfish, shrimp, wine

Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe {Manwich Style Copycat}

March 4, 2015 by Wendy

Sloppy Joes Recipe {Manwich Style Copycat}

If you love Manwich sauce to make a quick and yummy Sloppy Joe’s meal, you’ll love this super easy Manwich copycat recipe that tastes just as good (or better!) And, it’s pretty easy too!

Since you need a pound of ground beef whether you’re using Manwich or this recipe, that cost is going to be the same either way.

The rest of it is small amounts of stuff that lasts a long time and you probably have around the house anyway. Just simple ingredients; nothing exotic here.

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Sloppy Joes Recipe {Manwich Style Copycat}


  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x
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Description

Who doesn’t love America’s favorite, Sloppy Joes? Here’s a Manwich Copycat recipe that’s quick, easy and so tasty your whole family will love it!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1⁄2 cup ketchup
  • 1⁄4 cup steak sauce
  • 1⁄4 cup barbecue sauce
  • 3 Tbsp finely diced red bell pepper
  • 1⁄2 cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp hot mustard
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1⁄2 clove garlic (or 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder)

Instructions

  1. Brown 1 lb ground beef, drain fat.
  2. Mix ingredients above, add to hamburger and bring to boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Serve on large white or wheat hamburger buns.

Notes

Serve on large white or wheat hamburger buns.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins

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Filed Under: *Lunch, Main Course, Meat, Recipes, Sauces Tagged With: evergreen, hamburger, manwich copycat recipe, manwich recipe, sandwich, sloppy joe, sloppy joes recipe

Quick & Easy Chicken & Spinach Lasagna Recipe

February 25, 2015 by Wendy

Quick & Easy Chicken & Spinach Lasagna Recipe

Don’t miss this Quick and Easy Chicken & Spinach Lasagna Recipe that’s a great way to use leftovers! And it’s SO much faster than traditional baked lasagna. You will LOVE how it’s ready in under 30 minutes!

Like it? Repin it on Pinterest to save for later!

Chicken & Spinach Lasagna Recipe

I thought up this recipe one night last week when I was wondering what to make with leftover chicken breast. Because, I wanted to use up the leftovers. And, since it was already cooked, it made making this that much faster!  So, my goal was to create a chicken breast recipe that wasn’t boring, and wasn’t something we eat all the time. After all, we hate eating the same old thing almost as much as I hate wasting leftovers!

Do You Like Leftovers?

Typically my family doesn’t want to eat leftovers, so it’s always a struggle! But, every now and then I hit a home run. Then, they not only ask for seconds, but I find them foraging around the kitchen in search of my culinary masterpiece for lunch the next day. That’s when I, as a chef, know that I’ve arrived. Ha, ha, ha!

About the Ingredients

Chicken

Amazingly enough, I only needed ONE chicken breast (they were huge) for this whole pan of lasagne! Talk about a frugal meal! One chicken breast fed my whole family.

Pasta

I used whole wheat pasta, but you can use whatever you like!  And, I used previously canned tomatoes from my garden. But, you can use spaghetti sauce or marinara, fresh or store bought. Whatever you happen to have on hand.

Spinach

I try to sneak in healthy ingredients, which is why I added spinach. I know some people don’t like spinach, which is why it’s totally optional in this dish. This lasagne is great without spinach too. My family loves it with spinach. So, it works for us.

Cheese

And when it comes to cheese, I used two types – yellow and white.  For the topping I used yellow cheese. You can use something like cheddar (either mild cheddar, or even sharp cheddar is great), Monterrey Jack and Colby or Colby-Jack cheese. It just depends on what taste you and your family prefer.

And then for the inside soft cheese, I love cream cheese lasagna (as in Philadelphia cream cheese) but I know people who like ricotta. Alternatively, cottage cheese lasagna is a great frugal alternative to using ricotta!

Let’s Go!

This leftover-chicken lasagna is super quick and easy to put together! And seriously, it’s so tasty!

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Easy Chicken & Spinach Lasagne Recipe


  • Author: Gimmie
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Description

This healthy version of the classic Italian fare will surprise even those who aren’t wild about vegetables. And it’s perfect for putting leftover chicken breast to good use!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups cheese (shredded Cheddar, Colby, or Monterrey Jack)
  • 1 package cream cheese (or ricotta cheese)
  • 1/3 cup spinach (optional)
  • 1 quart tomato sauce & 1 small can tomato paste (or use spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce)
  • 1/2 box lasagne noodles (I prefer whole wheat)
  • 1/2 – 1 lb meat (I used shredded chicken breast, or you can use ground beef or sausage)

Instructions

  1. Cook meat (e.g. brown hamburger or steam chicken breast)
  2. Bring a pot of water with 1 T oil to boil, add noodles and boil for 8-10 minutes (until noodles are al dente*)
  3. Place one single layer of noodles on bottom of pan
  4. Layer 1/3 sauce along with meat
  5. Add another layer of noodles
  6. Layer 1/3 sauce with cream cheese (or ricotta) cut into small pieces
  7. Add another layer of noodles
  8. Layer 1/3 sauce with 1 cup spinach
  9. Top with shredded cheddar cheese (or choice)
  10. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes

Notes

*al dente describes pasta and (less commonly) vegetables, rice or beans that are cooked to be firm to the bite

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian

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Filed Under: Recipes, Main Course, Meat Tagged With: chicken breast recipes, Easy Chicken & Spinach Lasagna Recipe, evergreen, lasagna recipe, lasagne, leftovers, spinach recipes

Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage {Easy Recipes under $2}

February 13, 2015 by Wendy

Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage {Easy Recipes under $2}

Dinner Ideas: Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage {Easy Recipes under $2}

After a long day when you don’t have much time to cook, you need quick and easy dinner recipes! You’ve got to try this Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage recipe. It’s easy and super inexpensive. Sometimes I like taking my time and preparing complicated recipes that can take all day. But usually, for every day meals, fast and easy wins out!

Spice it up! My family loves smoked sausage. Normally I just fry it up in some olive oil, and serve with a few side dishes such as veggies and rice. But, that gets a little boring after a while. So, I decided to spice up our plain old sausage with this incredibly tasty recipe I made up.

Substitutions for Maple-Orange

The taste of this Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage reminds me of Honey Bourbon. But, that’s just the end result. There’s actually no honey or bourbon in it!

You can substitute similar tastes to get a similar dish. For example, mix something sweet with something tart and see what you get!

You can also substitute other types of meat easily, such as bratwurst, kielbasa or polish sausage. And you don’t even have to use beef! You could use turkey or pork sausage as well. Use your imagination!

Save time and money

Making it yourself from ingredients you have at home is not only frugal, it’s fun! Start with a taste in mind and hit up your cupboards to see what you have in stock. Because, using basic ingredients you already have is a great way to cook frugally. In other words, combining sweet and salty, or sweet and savory, or tangy and tart will help you invent new meals!

Price Breakdown

The cost of this meal can be very low. You can’t compare this under $2 meal for a family of five, to eating at a restaurant. That’s for sure! And, the ingredients used cost much less than a bottle of ready-made marinade. However, if you want more exquisite ingredients the cost will obviously increase. So, do what works for you!

  • maple syrup – it goes without saying that imitation syrup is much cheaper than real 100% pure maple syrup. I buy locally because I live in the country and there’s nothing like real maple syrup. But, if you buy imitation (such as “Log Cabin” brand) you can get it without a coupon for around .14 per ounce. Real maple syrup can cost double that. Our recipe calls for 1/2 a cup which is 5.6 oz, or 78¢ total.
  • oranges or orange juice – obviously, there are cheap varieties here too. I used real oranges that I chopped up in my Ninja blender. My daughter spit out the rind (hey, that’s fiber and it’s good for you!) So, if you’re going for cheap you can use concentrated orange juice which is as low as $1 per container that makes 2 quarts. That equates to 12.5 ¢
  • apple juice or Captain Morgan spiced rum – again, figuring the $1 containers that make 2 quarts, you’re at 12.5 ¢ per cup and you’re only using 1 oz, so that’s just under 2¢ (the Captain costs slightly more at around 30¢ per ounce if you get a 1.75 L bottle for $18, like I do at Costco).
  • smoked sausage – these can vary a lot! I got mine on sale for $1 each. I’ve seen them much higher and much lower in cost. Shop around!

Total = $1.92 for this whole main dish!

Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage – a Main Course or an Appetizer?

You can serve as an appetizer – smoked sausage bites, by piking them with toothpicks and passing on a tray. These are perfect to bring to parties, such as a Super Bowl Party!

Or, Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage is hearty enough to serve as a main dish for dinner or supper. Just add a few colorful sides and you’re all set.

Step by Step

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Maple-Orange Glazed Smoked Sausage {Easy Recipes under $2}


  • Author: Wendy
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 5 1x
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Description

This quick and easy recipe is perfect if you’re looking for the perfect appetizer or dinner! Add 3 simple ingredients to smoked sausage for a crazy good taste your whole family will love. Ready in 20 minutes.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • An orange or two, puréed (or 1 C orange juice – with or without pulp)
  • 1 oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum or apple juice
  • Package smoked sausage

Instructions

  1. Cut sausage into chunks
  2. Mix ingredients in a bowl and add all to a frying pan
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until liquid becomes carmelized
  4. Serve as main dish or appetizer

Notes

To serve as appetizer, use toothpicks to spear each chunk.

  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: American

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Don’t miss all of our favorite main course recipes.

Filed Under: Recipes, Main Course, Meat Tagged With: beef, bourbon maple glaze, bratwurst, dinner ideas, Easy Recipes, evergreen, healthy recipes, honey bourbon, Honey Bourbon Smoked Sausage Recipe, Orange maple glaze, recipe, recipes, Sausage, Sausage Recipes, smoked sausage, smoked sausage bites

Quick & Easy Hamburger Pie Casserole (Hotdish) Recipe

February 5, 2015 by Wendy

Quick & Easy Hamburger Pie Casserole (Hotdish) Recipe

Quick & Easy Hamburger Pie Casserole (Hotdish) Recipe

I love my mom’s cooking more than the Food Network. Her recipes are amazing, and thankfully most of them are simple enough I can make them at home. Because, after all, homemade is best, and it costs less! 🙂 So, this is her Easy Hamburger Pie Casserole Recipe, which in the Midwest we call a hotdish.

If you’re looking for dinner ideas that use ground beef recipes and soup recipes, this is the perfect meal for you! Give it a try. Your whole family will love it!

Why Hamburger Pie?

WHAT’S IN A NAME? I struggle with what to call this recipe. I Google’d it and found Hamburger Pie Casserole. Boring. Or, something like Tomato Soup, Ground Beef, Mashed Potato Skillet is boring, but at least more definitive.  I guess the best ever Hamburger Pie Hotdish is a little closer, but still doesn’t do it justice. It’s not shepherds pie, although I do love a good shepherds pie recipe. Oh, and Best. Recipe. Ever. was taken. To be honest, OMG that Awesome Stuff Mom Makes with Tomato Soup, Hamburger and Potatoes is close but doesn’t explain what it is to the unsuspecting-yet-hungry passerby, unless they’ve already eaten it in which case it’s the perfect name. So, you see my dilemma.

Hotdish vs. Casserole

A word about hotdish and casserole – they’re essentially the same. Different parts of the United States call meals like this different things.  Hence the dual name. 🙂

What You’ll Need

SOUP IT UP You can make it a Campbells soup recipe, instead of using generic. I admit in this case name brand often tastes better than generic. But if you find an off-brand soup that tastes good, then go for it and save a little money.

HANGA-BURR (How two of my favorite little people used to say it!) We’re fortunate to live in the country where good hamburger is available. The grocery store in my teeny-tiny little town, Nilssen’s – named after the family that owns and operates it, makes award-winning ground beef. I use 80/20 from them, but it’s not like 80/20 from other stores. It’s very lean and incredibly tasty. If you’re buying regular hamburger meat, you might want to opt for a leaner variety such as 93% lean or better.  If not, be sure to drain the fat after you brown the meat.

Price breakdown: 

  • Tomato soup:  this can vary in price from $0.25 a can to over $1
  • Hamburger: Ground Beef in my area ranges from as low as $2 per pound if you buy in bulk, but the good stuff I buy costs $3.79/lb at my local butcher which is still cheaper than most places I’ve found!
  • Mashed Potatoes: You can make from whole potatoes, or from potato flakes – whichever you prefer. Neither are very expensive, but obviously you pay for convenience. A serving of 6-8 instant potatoes costs about 25¢, if that. Real potatoes are going to be more like 10¢
  • Total = You can make this whole meal and serve up to 5 people for around $4 – $5!!

Easy Hamburger Pie Casserole

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Food: Easy Hamburger Pie Hotdish Casserole | Recipes


  • Author: Gimmie
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 5 1x
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Description

Easy and fast, can be baked or made as a one-skillet meal! This tasty meal uses as few as 3 ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef hamburger
  • 1/2 cup onion (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • dash pepper
  • 1 can green beans (optional)
  • 1 can condensed tomato soup – undiluted
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Prepared Instant potatoes
  • 1/2 cup shredded American or Cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Brown meat in skillet, add salt and pepper. Add onions (if desired) and saute. Drain off grease.
  2. Add condensed soup, water and green beans (if desired, or serve on the side) and simmer on low for 5 minutes.
  3. Prepare 4-6 servings of instant potatoes, as directed. Or peel & quarter 5 medium potatoes, boil in water for 20 minutes or until fork tender, remove and mash with 2 cups milk and 3 T butter.
  4. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of potatoes.
  5. For quick skillet meal: spoon mashed potatoes on top of meat mixture and cook for 5 minutes
  6. For oven baked meal: pour meat mixture into casserole dish, spoon mashed potatoes as top layer, leaving a crater (hole) in center for faster baking time. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are golden.
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: American

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Filed Under: Recipes, Main Course, Meat Tagged With: all recipes, beef, breakfast casserole, campbells soup recipes, casserole, dinner ideas, Easy Hamburger Pie Recipe, evergreen, food, food network, green bean casserole, ground beef recipes, hamburger hotdish, hamburger pie recipe, hamburger recipes, healthy recipes, homemade, hotdish, mom's casserole, potato hamburger casserole, recipe, recipe using ground beef, recipe using hamburger, recipe using tomato soup, recipes, recipes with ground beef, shepards pie, shepherds pie, shepherds pie recipe, sloppy joe casserole, soup recipes, tater tot casserole

How to Brine Your Thanksgiving Turkey

November 21, 2014 by Wendy

How to Brine Your Thanksgiving Turkey

It’s that time of year again, and I feel my mission in life is to spread the word about brining your turkey.  Do you brine? Are you asking yourself what in the world “brining a turkey” is anyway? Brining is simply soaking the turkey – marinating if you will – in a salty solution before you cook it.  It’s suggested that you soak the turkey in brine 12-24 hours, so you’ll need to plan ahead. Don’t worry, this won’t make it taste salty, and for goodness sakes, don’t TASTE the brine! It’s to soak the turkey in, not eat. 😉

Why brine?  Someone on my local Freecycle cafe told me about brining a few years ago. I decided to try it, and let me say this as eloquently as possible: “Once you Brine, you’ll NEVER go back!” The salt solution breaks down the turkey’s molecular structure, acting as an extreme meat tenderizer.  I’ve never had a more moist, tasty and tender turkey. It is really amazing!

While you’re in planning mode, check out Butterball’s conversion charts which include:

  • how long to THAW your turkey
  • how many POUNDS of turkey you should get for your number of guests

*** And don’t miss all our fantastic Thanksgiving (and other) recipes at GimmieRecipes.com

Gimmie’s Brine Recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey

What you’ll need:

  • A day. It’s suggested that you soak the turkey in brine 1 hour per pound* before cooking. You’ll want to brine a non-frozen turkey. If you can buy it that way, all the better since frozen turkeys are often treated with a salt solution.
  • Brining container.  They sell brining bags [amazon.com] [Bed Bath & Beyond] [Williams Sonoma]. Technically, you can use any large food-grade bag (they don’t recommend trash bags, especially those that are scented or treated with chemicals). Or, use a tub, a bucket, a large pot, even a cooler – something that will house your turkey and the liquid brine, AND fit inside your refrigerator. I got mine at my local crash n dent store for $1!
  • Room in the fridge. Refrigerator space is prime real estate the day before Thanksgiving, so plan ahead that you’ll need to soak your bird in a cool spot for a day ahead.  Some use a cooler and pack it with ice. If you’re in a cold weather state, you may be able to keep it outdoors as long as it’s contained inside something critters can’t get to it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups kosher salt
  • 2 cups sugar (white or brown)
  • 2 gallons water (orange juice or apple cider can be substituted for some of the water)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup of dried herbs and spices (whatever you like: sage, oregano, thyme, basil, cloves, cinnamon, etc.)
  • Orange peels or slices (and/or lemon peels or slices)
  • 1 Tablespoon cracked black peppercorn
  • lemon or orange slices
  • crushed garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS

  1. In large stockpot over high heat, combine half the water, salt, sugar and optional herbs/spices. Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved but don’t let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Put turkey in brining bag or container of choice, breast side down, cover turkey with cooled brine and add the rest of the water/juice/cider and orange or lemon slices or peels. You can add ice to cool it down more. Then seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Keep turkey at 40 degrees Farenheit with either ice or by refrigerating for one hour per pound.*  Don’t over brine or your turkey will be salty.
  3. Remove from brine, scoop out herbs, spices and peels and spread on skin. Brush turkey with oil or melted butter and cook as desired (roasted, smoked, baked, etc.) until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Farenheit. Remaining brine can be discarded.
  4. Roast as you usually would

* Brine for one hour per pound.  e.g. a 15 pound bird will soak in brine for 15 hours before cooking.

TIPS: You can store a brined turkey for up to a day before cooking it. Don’t leave it in the brine longer than 1 hour per pound.

An alternative to making your own brine is using a prepackaged brine (which includes a brining bag!), such as Fire & Flavor, which I’m trying out for the first time this year. Check out their how-to video!

Filed Under: Recipes, Holiday, Main Course, Meat, Thanksgiving Tagged With: brine, evergreen, recipe, thanksgiving, turkey

Halloween Finger Dogs

October 21, 2014 by Wendy

Halloween Finger Dogs

Halloween is my favorite Holiday of the year. I love to serve up some fun and creepy Halloween treats, snacks and meals!

Nothing says Happy Halloween like a creepy, gross looking Halloween dinner to eat up before the trick or treating fun!

Try these Halloween Finger Dogs to serve up for your family on Halloween night! They are very easy to make and the family will either get a kick out of it or be totally grossed out! Either way this a very fun dinner idea! Serve with any side you wish! Mmmm fingers!

Check out the simple recipe below and let us know if you serve these delicious fingers to your family!

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Halloween Finger Dogs


  • Author: gimmie
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Description

Halloween party food: finger dogs! Just cook up some hot dogs as usual, and carve them into eerie dismembered fingers! They’re finger-licking good!


Ingredients

  • Hot dogs

Instructions

  1. Carve raw hotdogs into fingers.
  2. Add a package of hot dogs to a pan of water, boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Serve warm.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Halloween, Holiday, Meat Tagged With: evergreen, Finger Hot Dogs, halloween, Halloween Dinner Idea, Halloween Finger Dogs

Halloween FeetLoaf ~ Best Meatloaf Recipe with a Gory Twist

October 16, 2014 by Wendy

Halloween FeetLoaf ~ Best Meatloaf Recipe with a Gory Twist

What in the world is Halloween FeetLoaf? Ha! Of course, it’s a fantastic and fun meal for Halloween. In other words, it’s perfect for parties or any time.

My mom makes the BEST meatloaf I’ve ever had. Coincidentally, she uses the Heinz Ketchup recipe! And, it’s pretty easy to make! So, Halloween FeatLoaf uses that recipe. And, makes it a little extra fun. I was so glad when she shared her secret! Because, that meant I could make it too!

Now, you can make it yourself at home. As a result, you need to try this meatloaf for everyday meals. Or, make it for Halloween with this gory twist in presentation: the Halloween FeetLoaf!  Because, your trick-or-treat Halloween party will be complete with this scary main dish!

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Again, the recipe below is tried and true but if you have a different recipe for meatloaf, that’ll work too!

To create Halloween FeetLoaf, prepare your meatloaf and shape into two “feet” on a baking pan.  Cut onions for toenails and ankles and then drizzle the piquant sauce (the extra red sauce for top) on top of ankles to make them look severed. It’s delightfully disgusting!!  And, so yummy!

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Halloween FeetLoaf ~ Best Meatloaf Recipe with a Gory Twist


  • Author: gimmie
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
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Description

Make this delicious meatloaf recipe come alive by shaping it into a foot! Your whole family will love this Halloween FeetLoaf!


Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
1 cup Heinz Tomato Ketchup
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
1 cup soft, fresh breadcrumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Heat oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook onion, celery and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ketchup. Remove pan from heat and divide sauce mixture in half.
2. Combine one half of the sauce with ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Mix gently. Pat mixture into a lightly greased 9-x 5-in (2 L) loaf pan. Adorn with onions cut to form “toenails” and ankle bones. Bake for 1 hour or until an instant read thermometer reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
3. Rest for 5 minutes. Reheat the reserved sauce mixture. Slice meat loaf and serve with sauce.

Notes

Piquant Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 c thick ketchup (heinz)
  • 1/2 c light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground dry mustard
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions:

  1. Mix all piquant red sauce ingredients together.
  2. Before putting meatloaf into oven, top with red sauce.
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Dinner

Keywords: meatloaf, feet loaf, halloween, party food, meat, hamburger, ground beef

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Original Heinz Meatloaf recipe

Filed Under: Recipes, Halloween, Holiday, Meat Tagged With: creepy, disgusting, evergreen, gory, halloween feetloaf, meatloaf, party food, recipe

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