mom Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

K and I are both cooking up a storm in our kitchens this weekend so we asked our mom to do a guest post on her traditional make-ahead turkey gravy recipe. By completing this step ahead of time, it cuts down on a lot of the cooking time (and stress!) on Thanksgiving day. Take it away mom!

I love to get many of the sides for Thanksgiving dinner done ahead of time. There are so many tasks to complete towards the end of the cooking session that this recipe is a great time saver and delicious, too! Before I found this recipe, roasting a turkey dinner and then making gravy was a dreaded event. After nearly four decades of cooking for my husband and family, I have resolved that part of my holiday stress.

On a calm day in early November, this recipe comes together easily – don’t let all the steps scare you. Most of the time is spent smelling the awesome vegetable -turkey broth simmering on the stove. Easy enough to place in a couple quart mason jars, and freeze up to 1 month. Then, take out two days before Thanksgiving, put in refrigerator to thaw. The final steps of reheating can easily be delegated to a willing guest or one of my four daughters in my case!

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Recipe type: Sauce

Cuisine: American

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 3 hours

Total time: 3 hours 30 mins

Serves: 10

Makes 6-7 cups Planning tip: Freeze up to 1 month then refrigerate 2 days to thaw. Reheat in saucepan, whisking to combine.Turkey drippings from roast pan can be added at that time.

Ingredients

4 turkey wings ( 3-4 lbs)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
8 cups chicken broth ( RESERVE 2 CUPS)
1 cup dry white wine or water
1 cup sliced carrots
3 peeled garlic cloves
½ tsp. dried thyme
¾ cup flour
2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put wings in a single layer in a roasting pan. Scatter the onions on top. Roast 1 and ¼ hours or until wings are nicely browned.
Put roasted wings and onions in a 5- to 6-qt. pot. Add 1 cup of the broth to the roasting pan and scrape any of the brown bits from the bottom. Add this back to pot with 5 more cups chicken broth,( Keep the remaining 2 cups broth in the frig until later), carrots, garlic and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered 1 and ¼ hours.
Remove wings from broth. Optional: When cool, pull off skin and can save meat for another use. Otherwise discard.
Strain broth through fine mesh strainer, pressing vegetables to extract as much broth as possible. Discard vegetables. Skim fat off broth ( easy way to do this if time permits, refrigerate overnight and remove any solidified fat.)
Whisk the flour into the reserved chicken broth until well blended and smooth.
Bring strained broth to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture. Whisk until thickened and boiling. Boil 3-4 minutes to cook out any flour taste. Stir in butter , season to taste.
On Thanksgiving, after the turkey is removed from the roasting pan, you can spoon the fat off the drippings and add 1-2 cups of the drippings to the gravy as it is being reheated.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

-2S2C Mom

Today we have a guest post from someone near and dear to our heart- our mom! K and I owe our love of cooking to her. She is always sharing the latest recipes she has found on various food blogs. Today she shares with us a cookie recipe she recently made: chewy chocolate cookies with fleur de sel. If you can’t find fleur de sel at your local store, it can be found in the 2S2C Amazon store or at O&CO.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Fleur de Sel

One of my fun memories as a newlywed in the 1970s was searching for and trying five new recipes a week. At that time, my search was limited to magazines and my collections of cookbooks, which grew not surprisingly large with time. Trends over the years certainly have changed. I remember the very first Asian stir-fry beef recipe that I cooked- it used 3/4 cup of oil . A contemporary version would have a tablespoon or less!

The quest for new recipes continues 38 years later, but today there are so many new options for finding them, including food channels and of course , blogs, that m. introduced me to a few years ago. She may have created a monster. I follow so many blogs that it often takes a full afternoon to read through my blog list, but I am partial to 2 Sisters 2 Cities!!

While my 4 children were growing up, we baked and cooked and ate together! Although, some of their memories are fading and only k. can remember great details about every recipe that I cooked! Now,my 4 daughters are all grown adults , but I still like to bake for my husband and myself. The evening is not complete without a “treat” with our tea. Here is a recent cookie recipe that I tried. I just enjoyed one with a glass of milk this afternoon- so good!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Fleur de Sel

Author: Mom

Recipe type: cookie

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs ( I try to bring to room temp, it makes the mixture cream together easier)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup cocoa powder ( I used "Special Dark" but regular would work)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Fleur de Sel for sprinkling (or coarse sea salt)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats, if you are lucky enough to own them.
In a medium size bowl, whisk or sift (if yours is lumpy) together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and light, about 3-4 minutes with mixer on medium high. Add each egg, 1 at a time, mixing briefly after each and then add the vanilla extract.
Now, add the dry mixture to this and gently combine until mixed. Using a medium cookie scoop ( or 1 rounded tablespoon), drop onto prepared cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with your hand and sprinkle the tops with the fleur de sel.
Bake about 9-10 minutes until the edges are crisp. Cool slightly on pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They keep well for several days if you can keep them that long. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Source: Adapted from Erin’s Food Files

-Mom