Easy Roast Turkey

The Fujimotos love turkey.

When I came into the family, it was the first thing I noticed--Turkey was my mother-in-law's signature meal, along with her Cheese Macaroni, and my father-in-law carved it like a surgeon.

As they're getting older, my mother-in-law no longer cooks the turkey and my father-in-law doesn't do much carving anymore.

Bachan has simple instructions on how to cook a turkey.

Cook the turkey with the breast down, 20 minutes per pound if the turkey is stuffed, 15 minutes per pound unstuffed in a 325 ºF oven.

Very simple instructions, and it comes out juicy and moist every time.

The first thing you do is wash the turkey and take the neck out of the large cavity and the giblets out of the smaller neck cavity.

Put them aside, you'll be using them later.

Pat the turkey skin dry with paper towels and rub about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil all over the skin of the turkey.

Season the skin with salt and pepper.

I prefer a dressing casserole instead of stuffing the turkey, so I don't stuff it.

You can put carrots, onions and celery into the cavity of the turkey along with a bouquet of rosemary, thyme and marjoram if you like.

I made this simple turkey a few weeks ago for a Thanksgiving meal request--I had been cooking once a week for my friend Gwenn's sister Diane as she was going through chemotherapy treatments, and this meal was the last one I made for her in celebration her cancer free body scan.

Put the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan with the breast down and the wing tips tucked in and use a small skewer to close the neck cavity.

Tent the turkey with foil and put into a 325ºF oven.

This turkey was 16 lbs. and roasted for 4 hours.

After you've got the turkey in the oven, put the neck and giblets into a large pot with half an onion, 1 large carrot, 1 stalk of celery, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 bay leaves.

Simmer gently for at least 2 hours and remove from heat.

If you want a nice presentation of the turkey on a platter, you can turn the heat up to 400 for the last 30 to 45 minutes, turn the turkey breast side up, and baste the turkey with the juices in the bottom of the pan every 15 minutes.

That will make the skin brown and crispy.

After you flip the turkey to breast-side up, cut the leg ties apart.

I usually don't do that because when I cut the turkey up, I take all the skin off and serve it buffet-style, so the skin doesn't matter.

Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes covered with foil before carving.

It looks anemic, I know, but nobody will see it but you.

While the turkey is resting, make the gravy.

Pour the drippings from the pan into a measuring cup.

I do that so I can see how much fat there is, and it makes it easy to control how much fat goes into the gravy.

This turkey didn't have a lot of fat, about 1/3 cup, so I skimmed the fat off with a small ladle and put it into a 5 quart pot for the gravy, with the heat on medium/high.

Skim the rest of the fat off the top and discard, only having the brown drippings left.

You don't need a lot of fat for gravy.

You don't want the big clumps of fat in the bottom of the pan, skim those out and remove them, but you do want the crisp drippings.

Add a little water and stir with a whisk to loosen the crispy bits and add to the measuring cup.

Here's the fat from the drippings.

Don't worry if a little of the brown juice gets into the fat.

Add an equal amount of flour and stir until bubbly.

Watch the roux so it doesn't burn--stir over medium heat until golden brown.

Turn the heat to medium/low and then add what's left in the measuring cup, stirring constantly.

When that is evenly combined and bubbly, add the stock from the giblets & vegetables about a cup or two at a time, adding about 6 cups of broth.

Bring to boil over medium/high heat, stirring to insure a smooth consistency.

Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Check the consistency of the gravy.

If it's too thick, add some water, a little at a time.

If too thin, mix a slurry of 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and add, a little at a time, stirring constantly, to reach desired thickness.

Gently simmer for 10 more minutes so the cornstarch is cooked.

If you like giblet gravy, finely chop the giblets and neck meat and add--when I make giblet gravy I like to mash up the carrots, onion and celery too and add it to the gravy as well.

That's how my mom makes giblet gravy--it's got little orange flecks in it from the carrots.

Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

I'm not good at carving, I kind of saw at the turkey.

I like the slices on the thick side, my in-laws like it cut thin--that's how Jichan carved it.

Seiichiro likes the leg.

A couple of years ago, Karen made pumpkin pies from scratch.

Karen and Mitchell are celebrating Thanksgiving this year in Florida with Mitchell's family.

We miss them, but they'll be home for Christmas.

Beeto and Rick make the deviled eggs,

And spam musubi.

As you can see, Beeto is a lot of fun.

There's lots of photo ops with everyone in the kitchen.

My brother Warren is famous for his fruit platter.

Gordon's stretching to be taller than his brothers.

Do all brothers do this?

Ken's a little on the quiet side--the kids like to try and draw him out and gain new insight into Uncle Ken.

Reiko always makes the mashed potatoes.

Yum!

Amy is one of the hardest workers in the family, always helping and keeping the kitchen clean.

Thanks, Amy, we'll miss you, Gordon, Leslie & Kelly this year!

Auntie Nancy works hard and is a lot of fun!

That's Nancy's husband Bill in the background--Uncle Bill is UB for short.

Auntie Lorraine is camera shy.

She and Rick share the same birthday.

These photos were taken a few years ago when Karen worked for Guitar Hero and it was at the height of popularity.

All the cousins had lots of fun together singing and laughing!

The kids loved making Uncle Ken the singer.

Yes, even I played!

Gary and I sang Hotel California, one of my favorite songs of all time.

I sound a lot better when I'm singing alone in my car!

Wes got married this year, so he and Connie will be coming over together!

Their rule was:

Separate holidays until we're married.

Now they'll be covering both sides on the same day.

That's Cody in the Dodgers hat.

Cody!

We miss you!

Please come for Christmas!

The food is always good because everyone brings something--whether it's their signature dish or they've tried something new and want everyone else to try it--but we don't really remember the food.

The best part of Thanksgiving is having the whole family together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

No printable recipe.

Energy Bars

Have you had these energy bars?

They're made like Rice Krispies Treats with peanut butter and trail mix ingredients--but I haven't made them before a couple of weeks ago.

I had them at a craft show recently and thought my family would like them, so I rummaged through my pantry and refrigerator to see what I had on hand.

This was my first attempt and my family loved them.

I gave a few to my mother-in-law, she liked them so much she said she wanted to take some for omiyage when she visits Japan soon.

Then she hid them and didn't share them, she liked them so much.

She's funny sometimes.

I've already made them twice.

The first time I made them with an assortment of Chex cereals that I had in my pantry, but this time I'm making them with the called-for Rice Krispies.

They're a great way to use up left-over cereals.

Energy Bars

adapted from the Senshin Cookbook

Ingredients:

5 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups Quick Quaker Oats
4 cups assorted unsalted raw nuts--sunflower seeds, pepitas, cashews, almonds, pecans, peanuts or macadamia nuts
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup diced dried apricots, raisins or dried berries

Mixture:

1/2 cup butter
2 (10 oz.) packages small marshmallows
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Optional:

1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
furikake nori

Put all the dry ingredients into an oven roasting pan and put into a 300ºF oven for about 6 minutes, then remove.

Transfer into a large bowl sprayed with non-stick spray.

I had measured all the ingredients into this sheet cake pan, but it didn't fit in the oven--but it was perfect for setting the energy bars.

Spray the pan (or two 9 x 13 inch baking pans) with non-stick spray and sprinkle 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds in each.

Over medium/low heat, melt 20 ounces marshmallows, 1 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup butter.

Stir frequently.

Stir and cook until mixture is smooth, well combined and all the marshmallows have melted.

Pour over dry ingredients and mix well with a shamoji or large spoon that has also been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Stir until all the oatmeal has been incorporated into the mixture and sticks together.

Turn mixture into the sheet pan or baking pans.

Sprinkle with remaining toasted sesame seeds.

As I was pressing the sesame seeds into the mixture, I wondered if adding furikake nori would give the energy bars a nice sweet/salty taste.

I've been sending the energy bars with Gary & Rick when they've gone golfing, and today Rick ate all the ones with furikake on them first.

It's easy to simply sprinkle a little furikake nori on part of the batch of energy bars.

When they're cool, cut into squares or small rectangles that you can wrap in waxed paper and twist the ends closed, or simply put into an airtight container.

Itadakimasu!

***




Remember my mother-in-law?

She made her Cheese Macaroni here on FOODjimoto?



My mother-in-law has been working on a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle since January.

I posted this picture of it a little while ago in my Grilled Fresh Trout post.

She finished it!

It took her a long time--I gave her this puzzle last Christmas.

My in-laws used to do jigsaw puzzles a lot when my kids were little but stopped when one of the younger grandkids came over and messed the puzzle up.

They haven't done another one until this year--and it was such a difficult one!

She couldn't have finished it without my son Rick.

Rick was conscientious about going over to help Bachan finish The Puzzle.

Whenever we'd go over to help, there would be several pieces--sometimes more than twenty--placed in the wrong spots, but Rick would never call out that he took out a misplaced one.

He's nice like that.

The last time Rick and I worked on The Puzzle we left it like this--with just a little bit left and hoping she would be able to finish it herself.

Sure enough--the next day The Puzzle was done.

Bachan and Jichan finished it the next morning.

Sometimes Bachan wouldn't get one single piece in The Puzzle for A WHOLE WEEK--but she didn't give up and persevered until it was done.

She worked on it for ten months and wanted to hang The Puzzle on the wall when it was done.

When it was done, there were four pieces missing--we all looked high and low, but couldn't find them.

But Bachan didn't let that get her down--she still loved The Puzzle and she decided she was going to make pieces to fill the gaps.

My husband went to help her and they cut pieces from the picture that comes with the puzzle, to fit into the places of the missing pieces.

Then Gary and his sister Nancy helped their mom spread glue over the pieces and frame it.

The Puzzle is finally done.

It was a nice project that brought the family together.

She's got it hanging in the living room right next to the entry so everyone can see it.

***

Energy Bars

Ingredients:

5 cups Rice Krispies

2 cups Quick Quaker Oats

4 cups assorted unsalted raw nuts--sunflower seeds, pepitas, cashews, almonds, pecans, peanuts or macadamia nuts

2 cups dried cranberries

1 cup diced dried apricots, raisins or dried berries

Mixture:

1/2 cup butter

2 (10 oz.) packages small marshmallows

1 cup creamy peanut butter

Optional:

furikake nori

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Spray 2 9 x 13 inch baking pans with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds in each. 

Put the cereal, oats, nuts and dried fruit into another large pan and roast in the oven for 6 minutes, then remove and transfer to a large bowl sprayed with non-stick spray.

On medium/low heat, melt butter, marshmallows and peanut butter, stirring frequently until marshmallows are melted thoroughly. Pour sauce over mixture of dry ingredients, mixing quickly with a large shamoji or large spoon sprayed with non-stick spray. Divide into two 9 x 13 inch baking dishes and pat down firmly. Sprinkle with more sesame seeds before giving a final pat.

Cool. Cut into desired sizes. Wrap in waxed paper. Store in air tight container.

Chicken & Wild Rice Pilaf

When I was a little girl, Chicken & Wild Rice Pilaf was one of my favorite dishes.

I asked my mom if she remembered how to make it or if she had a recipe, she said no to both.

I remembered some of the ingredients--it had a package of Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup in it along with wild and white rice, artichoke hearts and green olives--which I later remembered were pimento stuffed green olives.

I also remember Mom cooked it in the oven and she cut up a whole chicken for the recipe.

Sometimes when I get it into my head to make something, I don't always have all the ingredients and I'm not one to run to the store just to get them.

I like to improvise.

I only had chicken thighs, so I used those instead of a whole fryer.

I made it for dinner and then made it again the next morning so I could take some to my parents since Mom and I talked about the recipe and the dish is a childhood memory of mine.

I made it two ways, in the oven the first time, and on top of the stove the second time--the first time with carrots, the second time without.

The one on top of the stove came out better, the rice cooked in the oven could have used a little more water.

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken thighs or other pieces browned in a tablespoon oil

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups long grain rice

2 tablespoons wild rice

1 envelope Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup

3 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup sliced pimento stuffed green olives

garnish with chopped chives, parsley or jalapeños

Brown the chicken on both sides in a tablespoon of oil and drain on paper towels.

Don't worry if it's not completely done, it will cook thoroughly when you put it back into the pot later.

This made such a mess on the stove--the splatter!

When I made it again, I made it in a deep dutch oven--the oil didn't splatter but the chicken stuck to the pot.

Figuring out what's the best way will come with experience--the best way may be simply to serve the rice pilaf on the side and cook the chicken separately--but it was very tender.

Drain the fat from the pot and discard.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion and celery until wilted.

Then add the white and wild rice and the envelope of Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup--fry the rice for a few minutes over medium heat until lightly browned.

Add 3 1/2 cups water, 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts cut into bite-sized pieces and 1/4 cup sliced pimento stuffed green olives.

Bring to boil and place the chicken on top, cover, reduce heat and simmer on low for 45 minutes.

Turn off heat and let steam for 10 more minutes.

I took this platter to my parents for lunch.

I put down some curly endive that my dad grew on a long platter, scooped some rice on top of the endive, then the chicken--garnishing it with chopped chives and jalapeños.

Mom & Dad love spicy food.

Itadakimasu!

***



When I was young, the Japanese community was a big part of my family's life.

I didn't understand the importance of the shared experience and commonality of my parents generation then, but I appreciate their efforts in building a Japanese-American community for all of us to grow up in now.

When I was young, the year generally began with a New Year's party with my grandparents' Japan home-town club, summers were filled with various organization's picnics, and during the fall there were fun-filled carnivals.

To me, the Japanese community as I knew it consisted of basically these people.

Mrs. Ikeda, in the white jacket, taught Japanese school and was so nice.

Mrs. Sechi, next to her, was an amazing seamstress and now is my mother-in-law's friend--they spoke on the phone just last week when I was visiting.

Mrs. Mita, on the right, has been my mother's friend for as long as I can remember, and they used to play golf together every week.

Mrs. Hatakeyama is the woman in black and she taught us Japanese dancing--odori.

We danced at picnics the ESGV Japanese Community Center had each summer.

I think I'm about 9 in this photo and my sister Margaret must be about 3.

We'd learn the dances from Mrs. Hatakeyama during practices we'd go to for several weeks before the picnics.

In front of me and behind me are my friends Cherie and Laura.

They're the ones I made Peanut Butter & Jam Mochi with.

It was fun to get dressed up in kimonos.

That's Mrs. Hatakeyama behind me.

Later, when we were in high school, we danced at different places around the community.

Here's a picture of Laura, me, and our kids getting ready to dance at the Obon festival--our oldest kids are now approaching...30!

My whole life, I've learned the Obon dances from Mrs. Hatakeyama.

I hadn't danced at the Obon for several years and Laura and I decided we would dance that year in honor of our childhood friend Arnold, who had died the year before from cancer.

Arnold's in the old photo, too, next to Laura.

When I went to practice the dances, Mrs. Hatakeyama was no longer the teacher.

I knew she had an assistant, Jen's been teaching with Mrs. H for years and years, but I was surprised not to see Mrs. H there and found myself really missing her familiar instruction.

It felt good to be dancing the Bon dances again, some were the same and it seemed like my feet and hands knew what to do when the familiar music began, but most of the dances were new and it was tougher to get them right than I remember.

I'm so thankful Stephanie Jitosho took me under her wing and patiently taught me the steps.

I really missed Mrs. H's instruction--Jen is a really fun teacher and has a great personality which I adore--I've known her forever too--but it wasn't the same without Mrs. H.

In any organization I have been involved with as an adult, from St. Matthew's Nursery School--to PTA when Rick & Karen were in elementary school and middle school--to the ESGVJCC board--there were always those individuals that go above and beyond to volunteer their services to the community.

Mary Hatakeyama is one of those people--an icon in our Japanese community.

Thank you, Mrs. H, for giving so much of yourself to all of us when we were growing up.

Our lives are so much richer because of you.




***

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken thighs or other pieces browned in a tablespoon oil

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups long grain rice

2 tablespoons wild rice

1 envelope Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup

3 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup sliced pimento stuffed green olives

garnish with chopped chives, parsley or jalapeños

Brown the chicken on both sides in a tablespoon of oil and drain on paper towels. Drain the fat from the pot and discard.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion and celery until wilted. Add the white and wild rice and the envelope of Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup--fry the rice for a few minutes over medium heat until lightly browned.

Add 3 1/2 cups water, 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts cut into bite-sized pieces and 1/4 cup sliced pimento stuffed green olives. Bring to boil and place the chicken on top, cover, reduce heat and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Turn off heat and let steam for 10 more minutes.

Garnish with chopped chives, parsley and/or jalapeños.