Food for Thought : Creole Thanksgiving meal

Hello viewers that love good food ,I have a confession. Although I love a good meal shared with family and friends, I've never been a fan of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.Dry turkey, jellied cranberries and mushy vegetables? Pass. 
Louisiana take on a traditional turkey dinner, I couldn't be more thankful.
Juicy, seasoned turkey? Cranberries that don't wobble? Vegetables that aren't in casserole form?
Tell me more. Fill my plate.
Here are all the recipes you'll need to prepare your own impressive, Creole Thanksgiving spread.
Oven-roasted turkey injected with Creole butter marinade: 

Serves: 15-20        Cook time: 2 hours
1 young turkey, 15 to 20 pounds 
1 bottle Tony Chachere's Butter Injectable Marinade 
4 tablespoons Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning 
2 large onions, cut into 2-inch pieces 
4 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces 
4 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces 
1/2 gallon water or chicken stock 
Heat oven to 325 degrees
1 .  Using a large cutting board or work surface, separate the major muscles from the turkey. Remove wings. Remove legs and thighs. Then cut breast away from the backbone. Reserve backbone, cutting into 4 equal pieces with the neck, tail, liver, gizzard and heart. These will be used for stock and/or gravy.
In a large roasting pan, add onions, celery and carrots.
2 .  Carefully inject turkey wings, legs and thighs, and breast with marinade. Inject into meat without going through the skin. Inject in as many places as possible without getting too close to the bones.
Season the outside of each piece of turkey with Tony's seasoning and place the pieces on top of the onions, celery and carrots in the roasting pan.
3 .  Add water or stock to the roasting pan. Cover pan with foil and place in oven. Cook covered for 90 minutes. Roast uncovered for another 60 minutes to brown and crisp skin. 
4 .  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
Place wings, legs and thighs on a serving dish. Remove breast from bone and carefully slice. Reserve drippings to make turkey stock and/or gravy.
                           Turkey stock and gravy :

Reserved drippings from roasted turkey pan 
Reserved turkey backbone, cut into four equal pieces and seasoned liberally with Tony's 
Reserved turkey neck, tail, liver, gizzard and heart 
1 onion, diced 
1 yellow bell pepper, diced 
2 stalks celery, diced 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1/2 cup white wine or water 
2 quarts water 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
Tony Chachere's Brown Gravy Mix

1 .  Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Place reserved and seasoned turkey backbone and innards into the pan and caramelize for about 15 to 20 minutes or until all pieces are browned.
2 .  Deglaze with white wine or water. Add in onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Continue to saute until onions are translucent.
3 .  Add two quarts of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for an hour. Water can be added in as the liquid reduces if necessary.
2 ..Use the stock after cooking for an hour in the cornbread dressing and stuffing recipes or use the stock to make a gravy.
For gravy, strain the stock, add liquid to pan and thicken to desired consistency with Tony Chachere's Brown Gravy Mix.
                                 Creole cornbread dressing :

Serves: 12     Cook time: 45 minutes

2 packages cornbread mix (prepare your favorite kind ahead)
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 pound ground pork 
1/2 pound chicken livers, pureed 
2 cups turkey or chicken stock 
1 sweet onion, diced 
1 stalk celery, diced 
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning 
3 tablespoons Tony Chachere's Brown Gravy Mix 
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped 
1/4 cup green onions, chopped 

1 .  Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2 .  Prepare cornbread ahead of time using directions on package. This can be done days in advance and refrigerated.
3 .  In a medium pot on medium-high heat, add oil. Once hot, add the ground pork and pureed chicken livers and brown, about 15 minutes.
4 .  Add about 1/2 cup turkey stock, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add in remainder of the turkey stock and Tony Chachere's and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Follow instructions on brown gravy mix (mixed with cool water first before adding to hot mixture) and add to pot. Allow pork mixture to thicken for about two minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
5 .  In large mixing bowl, crumble cornbread and add in ground pork mixture, green onion and parsley. Mix well.
6 .  Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray. Spoon dressing into pan. Place into heated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot.
                   Stuffing muffins :

Serves: 12        Cook time: 45 minutes
1 loaf French bread, diced 
1/2 stick butter, melted 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
2 cups turkey or chicken stock 
1/2 cup white wine
1 sweet onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning 
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped 
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped

1 .  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2 .  Place diced bread on a sheet pan, drizzle with melted butter and place pan in the oven, allowing bread to toast for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
3 .  In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add in olive oil and allow to get hot. Place mushrooms in the pan and caramelize. Try not to move them around too much, letting the pan do the work. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup turkey stock and add diced vegetables, garlic and seasoning. Cook down until onions are translucent. Add in the last cup of turkey stock and remove from heat.
4 .  In a large mixing bowl, mix the sauteed vegetables and toasted bread. Add the beaten eggs, parsley and green onions and mix until well combined.
5 .  Portion bread mixture into coated muffin pan and place in heated oven. Cook 45 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from the muffin tins to serve.
                                      Fresh cranberry sauce :

Serves: 8-10       Cook time: 20 minutes
1 cup white granulated sugar 
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest 
1 12-ounce package cranberries 

1 .  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the water, orange juice, orange zest and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the cranberries and cook until they all start to pop, about 10 minutes.
2 .  Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve hot or cold.
Sauteed Brussels sprouts with green beans and bacon :

Makes: 8-10 servings        Prep Time: 25 minutes
1 pound bacon, chopped, rendered and drained; reserve bacon grease 
1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and outer leaves removed 
1 cup water or chicken stock 
1 cup fresh green beans 
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning 

Heat large saute pan over medium-high heat.
Toss Brussels sprouts in reserved bacon grease and place cut side down in hot saute pan. Cook for 6 minutes, until caramelized, adding water as needed. Add green beans and simmer for 5 minutes or until green beans are cooked.
Remove from heat and lightly dust with seasoning. Top with crumbled bacon. Serve hot.
                                        Kale butternut squash salad :

Serves: 10 -12         Cook time: 35 minutes
Salad:
1 bunch kale, washed, removed from rib and broken into bite size pieces 
2 cups butternut squash, roasted and seasoned with Tony's Original Creole Seasoning 
4 clementines, segmented 
4 ounces goat cheese, broken up into pieces
1 cup pecan pieces, toasted 
                  Dressing:
1 cup pomegranate juice 
1/4 cup Creole mustard
3 tablespoons pepper jelly 
1 tablespoon orange zest 
1-1/2 cup olive oil
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning to taste 
Place kale into a medium salad bowl. Top with butternut squash, clementines, goat cheese and pecans.
Mix together all ingredients for dressing.
Top salad with dressing just before serving.
TIP :
Remove clutter from your kitchen and clean out your fridge before you grocery shop for your holiday meals. Be sure to read new recipes all the way through and be sure you have storage containers, foil and plastic wrap for leftovers. Clean as you prep and cook, but don't be afraid to let pans soak so you can spend time with your family. Keep a few simple snacks — a few chunks of nice cheese, smoked sausage, fresh fruit, crackers — on hand through the holiday season, so you'll always have something for unexpected guests to snack on.

Have  a happy and  safe Thanksgiving Day .

A proud Grand-poppa             G .