Alaskabites

Categories: Thanksgiving

Thankful for Turkey Soup

Published on: November 29, 2011

Categories: Thanksgiving

Tags: Rebecca Palsha, Thanksgiving, turkey soup

Comments: 2 Comments

I think I”m still full from Thanksgiving. I had to work late this year and my super-sweet husband had to cook the turkey by himself. We texted between commercial breaks.
Kyle: “Should I be expecting to take turkey out before u come home?”

Me: “Check it’s temp. Might be ready by about 630.”

Me: “is it out? Have u been basting it?”

Kyle: “It’s still in. Been soaking it in that sauce, (butter and white wine). Thermometer doesn’t seem to work.”

It goes on and on. He had turkey-nervousness. After all the cooking and cleaning we wanted, (needed) a laid back weekend. Of course that includes turkey soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for Sunday night dinner. I kept it simple:carrots, celery, onions and pasta sprinkled with a little bit of parmesan cheese. What do you do with your Thanksgiving left-overs?

Turkey Carving

by rebeccak2

Published on: November 23, 2011

Categories: Thanksgiving

Tags: new york times, Thanksgiving, turkey

Comments: No Comments

I thought this might be helpful. The New York Times has a great video of how to carve your turkey.
Carving the perfect turkey

What’s Your Idea?

by rebeccak2

Published on: November 22, 2011

Categories: Thanksgiving

Tags: facebook, Rebecca Palsha, Thanksgiving, turkey

Comments: No Comments

Our web nerds (and I say that with love) put up a Facebook post recently asking, “Is there such thing as Alaska-style turkey? How are you preparing your bird this year?”

There are some really amazing ideas, and I’d love to hear more! Here are a few of my favorites:

Christine Dean, “Shoving bacon under the skin ”

Kelsey Walker, “Injected with redhot or Mr.Yoshidas teriyaki… Deep fried is the best ”

Rita Prunes, “Baking it with apples onions baste it with butter an rub it down with salt an let it bake all night long on about 200 degrees it will cook slowly an be oooo so juciy”

Jeannie Moore, “satuing celery, carrots,onions and garlic let cool than making a herb butter and put it all under the skin nummy”

Amanda Schupbach, “Injected with Tony Chachere’s marinade and fried in peanut oil”

Judy Roberts Colin, “In the bag ~ it comes out so juicy! Rubbed down with butter and spices for a crispy skin. Need to do the herb butter under the skin….that sounds yummy.”

A Spicy Holiday

by rebeccak2

Published on: November 22, 2011

Categories: recipes, Thanksgiving

Tags: coconut currys soup, google, martha stewart living, Rebecca Palsha, Thanksgiving

Comments: No Comments

You’re busy, right? Me too. I’ve got the turkey in the fridge and, by some small miracle, almost all the things I’ll need for Thanksgiving are already bought. This year I’m cooking for 11 people, that includes babies. I have to work during the day, but I think if I’m super organized and I get up really early, all I’ll need to do is have my husband stick the turkey in the oven and I can come home to a beautiful meal. I. Can. Do. This. I’m not complaining, I’m a fanatic for Thanksgiving. If I have more than two seconds by myself I’ll start Googling Thanksgiving meal ideas. So, here’s an easy, quick idea for dinner tonight so you don’t have to do much cooking before Thursday. Coconut-curry soup. Make it and chill out, and plan for the big day. BTW, I want to know what you’re favorite Thanksgiving dish is, send me ideas!!

What you’ll need
I tweaked this, very slightly, from the December issue of Martha Stewart Living
10 ounces Chinese wheat noodles or rice noodles (if you can’t find them just use Roman noodles)
4 spoonfuls of red curry paste
4 cups chicken stock
A drizzle of Safflower oil
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
(Next time I’ll also add bamboo shoots)
1 lemon

How to make it
Boil noodles according to manufacturer’s instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toss with 1 teaspoon oil.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook curry paste until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock. Raise heat, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and whisk in unsweetened coconut milk.
Cut lemon in half, and squeeze 1 half into saucepan. Divide noodles into 4 bowls. Garnish with basil or mint and lemon wedges.

Winter Wonderland

by rebeccak2

Published on: November 14, 2011

Categories: recipes, Thanksgiving

Tags: balto seppala park, bechamel sauce, cauliflower, Fort Richardson, Rebecca Palsha, snow, winter

Comments: No Comments

One of my best memories of growing up is sledding down a snow covered hill on Fort Richardson with my parents two beagles running after us barking frantically. We’d, of course, put the dogs in the sled at one point–much to their horror. My brothers and I would take turns pushing each other down the hill so we could go faster. Everything around us was blanketed in a glittery-white blanket of snow. This weekend’s big storm made me think about those days and my husband and I decided it was time to bring out the old, red, plastic sled to take our two year old sledding at Balto Seppala Park. She loved it. When we came home I made an all white dinner to continue our snow-white theme.
Baked potato’s with roasted cauliflower and bechamel sauce.
Wrap potatoes in tinfoil and bake for about 45 minutes or until soft.

Cauliflower
While the potatoes cook, cut up a head of cauliflower and roast it tossed with olive oil and Kosher salt. About 25 minutes with the oven at 425.

Bechamel Sauce
Melt about two spoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, over medium heat, and slowly start adding flour. Whisk continuously. Cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes. It should look dry. Start adding milk until the sauce is a consistency you’d like. I also tossed in sharp cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and pour over your potatoes and cauliflower.

Thanksgiving Dreams

by rebeccak2

Published on: November 8, 2011

Categories: recipes, Thanksgiving

Tags: Fred Meyer, Green Beans, Rebecca Palsha, Thanksgiving

Comments: No Comments

I started planning my Thanksgiving menu this week. While some may call this as obsessive, I prefer to think of it as organized. I bought green beans at Fred Meyer Sunday night, (before my wallet was stolen in the parking lot!! Grrr) and made the tastiest dish ever. I figure that since I”m now wearing baggy sweaters (darn cold winters) there’s no need to just steam or roast my vegetables any longer. It’s time to start sauteing them in butter–lots of butter. You must try this:

1 lb green beans
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cups chicken broth
1 spoonful of butter
pinch of kosher salt and a dash of pepper

Snap the ends of the green beans off. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add garlic that has been pushed through a garlic press. Toss in green beans and saute until they turn dark green. Slowly start adding in the chicken broth and cover. Continue to add broth until the green beans are tender and most of the broth has evaporated. Serve warm.

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Fearless cooking and eating in the Last Frontier. We've all heard someone say a restaurant is good...for Alaska. That's no longer true. The Lower 48 can have their Olive Garden, we have some of the finest chefs, best seafood and local farmers in the country. Our goal is to explore the state one bite at a time to find the most delectable, savory dishes Alaska has to offer. In this blog you can expect cooking tips, dining suggestions and advice on how to find local products. We also want your advice to share! Send emails to rpalsha@ktuu.com. Let's get some Alaska bites!