Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"With the holidays fast approaching I wanted to send in the way I learned to cook a turkey," writes Loretta Newberry.
"It's always juicy, tender and golden brown."
Newberry cautions against using a disposable aluminum roasting pan for this recipe as the pan could collapse under the weight of the turkey.
Editor's note: A new, 100-percent cotton pillowcase is recommended.
Never Fail Turkey
2 cups butter, divided use
1 turkey, thawed
Salt, optional
Special equipment:
1 pillowcase (Newberry uses a white one with the seams cut or ripped out)
Roasting pan
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
In a saucepan, melt half of the butter.
Before removing packaging from turkey, measure the pillowcase round the turkey to make sure it will cover it and overlap just a little underneath. Depending on the size of the turkey and the pillowcase, you may have enough material to cover two turkeys.
Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat. Place the pillowcase in the saucepan to saturate with the melted butter.
Remove turkey from packaging. Remove giblets and gravy pack from inside the turkey and set them aside. Rinse turkey in cold water. [Editor's note: Food safety experts caution against rinsing poultry as this can spread harmful bacteria to the sink and other surfaces in the kitchen.] Pat turkey dry with paper towels.
Place turkey in roasting pan, breast side up. Season with salt if desired. Place the remaining butter inside the cavity of the turkey. Wrap the butter-soaked pillowcase around the turkey, tucking the ends underneath. Bake 20 minutes per pound or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast and the thickest part of the inner thigh reaches 165 degrees.
Let roasted turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the pillowcase and carving.
This recipe is for Pat Hines.
Southwestern Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings
For the dumplings:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the chicken soup:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
Ground red pepper (cayenne) to taste
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
5 to 7 cups chicken broth
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, lightly drained
2 cups fully cooked shredded chicken breast
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and black pepper. Stir in the buttermilk and melted butter. Let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon-size balls; set aside.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the cumin, chile powder, cayenne pepper, and a dash of salt and black pepper. Cook for an additional 1 minute. Stir in 5 cups of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, green chiles and chicken breast. Simmer the soup for 10 more minutes. If mixture is too thick, add enough of the remaining broth to create desired consistency. Add the dumplings to the soup, cover and simmer gently until the dumplings are tender, about 25 minutes.
Adapted from cookingandbeer.com
Do you have a favorite, tried-and-true Thanksgiving or Christmas recipe? We may not be able to publish every one, but we'd love for you to share.
Send recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email:
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Food on 11/01/2017