Archive for the ‘Special Recipes’ Category

November 25th, 2021 Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Cooking Technique, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner Comments Off on How to Roast a Thanksgiving Turkey: Picture Book Directions

How to Roast a Thanksgiving Turkey: Picture Book Directions

First, I wish you, your family and your friends a fun, relaxing (ha!) and fully flavorful Thanksgiving!

A very close second: there’s not a lot that feels and smells better than being in a kitchen while a turkey roasts in the over and all the side dishes cook on the stove. Terrific stuff!

The last few posts showed how to prepare Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts. This post shows how to make the traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, roast turkey, which I found best to roast at high heat – and upside down – to start and then finish off a more moderate heat, as shown below.

I also strongly suggest not cooking the turkey stuffed but instead cooking the turkey and stuffing separately. The reason: roasting a stuffed turkey only adds mores cooking time and causes the meat to dry out.

Click this link or the picture below for step-by-step picture book directions that show both how to roast a turkey and remove the meat from the bird.

You can also click this link or picture below for complete Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook Thanksgiving help.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24th, 2021 Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner, Video & Picture Ebooks, Videos Comments Off on Two Traditional Thanksgiving Sides: Bread Stuffing and Fresh Mashed Potatoes – Made Easy with Picture Book and Video Directions

Two Traditional Thanksgiving Sides: Bread Stuffing and Fresh Mashed Potatoes – Made Easy with Picture Book and Video Directions

Fresh mashed potatoes and bread stuffing are most flavorfully enjoyed when made just before serving dinner.

Last post showed how to make fresh cranberry sauce: killer flavor and as easy to make as boiled water.

This post shows how to make 2 traditional Thanksgiving side dishes: fresh mashed potatoes and bread stuffing, which you can learn how to make on the fly with the picture book and or video directions shown below.

First, here’s what you need to make fresh mashed potatoes, which are best made just before you serve dinner.

Fresh mashed potatoes and bread stuffing are most flavorfully enjoyed when made just before serving dinner.

Click this link or the picture above or below for picture book directions or…

…this link/picture below for quick video directions.

Here’s what you need to make quick & easy bread stuffing, which is also most fully flavorful and best made just before serving dinner.

Click this link or the picture above or below for picture book directions or…

…this link/picture below for quick video directions.

Of course, please click this link for complete Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook picture book Thanksgiving help.

November 22nd, 2021 Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner Comments Off on Fresh Cranberry Sauce and More Thanksgiving Help

Fresh Cranberry Sauce and More Thanksgiving Help

Fresh homemade cranberry sauce blows the canned version out of the water and is as easy to make as boiled water

Only three days til Thanksgiving but no need to make yourself – or anyone else – crazy.

One of the best ways to make Thanksgiving Day as fun as possible is to get some easy dishes made in advance, like fresh cranberry sauce. Fresh, homemade cranberry sauce, with its rich sweet and sour flavor and mouth pleasing snap-pop, blows canned cranberry sauce out of the water, is no-kidding just as easy to make as boiled water and keeps fresh for weeks in the refrigerator.

Here’s all you need for ingredients. You’ll see a carton of orange juice in the picture below. Most cranberry sauce recipes call for cooking the berries in water. Instead of water, I like cooking fresh cranberries with fruit juice – orange juice as shown or apple or any other juice – for added flavor.

Click this link or any picture above or directly below for an easy to follow picture book recipe and/or…

…this link for a short step-by-step video.

You can also click this link or the picture below for the Gotta’ Eat Thanksgiving Help page that I’ve been updating with additional recipes to give you more freedom of choice.

November 21st, 2021 Blog, Dessert, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner Comments Off on Thanksgiving Apple, Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie Picture Book Recipes

Thanksgiving Apple, Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie Picture Book Recipes

The best of Thanksgiving pie flavors – and freedom of choice

As I’ve mentioned here before – and you probably know yourself – pie is the most popular Thanksgiving dessert. But, you might ask, what kind of pie should I make for my Thanksgiving dinner?

Freedom of choice is key. Here are 3 fully flavorful pies that work great as traditional Thanksgiving desserts: Quick & Easy Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie.

Apple, Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie

Fresh & Easy Apple Pie: Fresh, crisp apples, the fruit flavor of fall, are the key to this recipe that’s fully flavorful and easy to make. Just click this link or the picture below for a complete picture book recipe.

Fresh & Easy Apple Pie Ingredients

Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin: Yes, the fresh pumpkin adds flavor and texture to the finished pie, but you can always substitute canned pumpkin for fresh pumpkin if you’re short on time or for “please get me out of the kitchen NOW!” convenience sake. Click this link or the picture below for a complete picture book recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin (that can be substituted with canned pumpkin)

Apple-Pumpkin Pie: This recipe, which you can get by clicking this link or the picture below, makes for a full-on fall flavor powerhouse that combines the rich flavors of apple and pumpkin pie and is just as easy to make as either of those pies on their own.

Apple Pumpkin Pie is an explosion of flavor that combines everything you love in both apple and pumpkin pie on their own

November 19th, 2021 Blog, Dessert, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner Comments Off on Picture Book Recipes For Flavor Packed Homemade Pie Crust Variations

Picture Book Recipes For Flavor Packed Homemade Pie Crust Variations

These two recipes are designed to inspire your imagination to meet your taste

There’s a line you might’ve heard: “You can improvise with cooking, but you have to stick to the recipe with baking”. I’m not a fan of sticking to the letter of recipes and very quickly learned that you can improvise with baking, at least somewhat, especially when it comes to making pie crust.

Last post showed how to make a quick and easy pie crust from scratch, which tastes way better than any pre-made store bought pie shell. This post provides two recipes that are intended to inspire your imagination. Sure, both recipes work fine as is, but the best thing about preparing anything to eat is making it just the way you want to suit your personal taste.

The first recipe for Banana Nut Pie Crust, which you can get by clicking this link or the picture directly below, uses banana both to add flavor and replace the need for oil or butter in the pie crust dough.

The second recipe, Fully Flavorful Nut, Quinoa and Flaxseed Pie Crust, which you can get by clicking this link or the picture below, shows how to use a variety of optional ingredients to pump up flavor across the board.

Next post: picture book recipes showing how to make Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Apple-Pumpkin Pie

November 15th, 2021 Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Cooking Technique, Poultry, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner, Vegetables Comments Off on Thanksgiving Dinner Help: Stress-Free and All in Pictures

Thanksgiving Dinner Help: Stress-Free and All in Pictures

Just 10 days out to Thanksgiving, by far my favorite holiday because all that’s expected is a fully-flavorful meal and being together with family and friends.

At the same time, I know from my own experience that laying down a Thanksgiving dinner for those same family and friends, especially if it’s your first time around, can be stressful. The goal here is to provide straight-forward stress-relief, which you can access by:

  • clicking this link or the tab above labeled Thanksgiving Help for a Thanksgiving dinner planning and timing guide and uniquely easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipes that show how to make roast turkey, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, apple pie, and fresh whipped cream and more.
  • getting your own first-of-a-kind Stress-Free, Quick & Easy Thanksgiving Dinner video/picture ebook for $2.99 (it’s extraordinarily affordably priced, especially these days, to make it as widely accessible as possible). Click this link to a short video trailer about the ebook. The ebook itself is available at:

November 8th, 2021 Blog, Breakfast, Dessert, Special Recipes Comments Off on Fresh Whipped Cream Picture Book Recipe

Fresh Whipped Cream Picture Book Recipe



Fresh Whipped Cream

What doesn’t go great with fresh whipped cream? I often have the vat-sized measuring cup you see below in the fridge good to go whenever I need it: in coffee, on pancakes, French toast or with fresh fruit – and it’s incredibly easy to make!

The secret to whipping cream as quickly as possible is using cold ingredients: fresh heavy whipped cream straight from the refrigerator and, if you have time, even using a freezer-chilled mixing bowl or measuring cup, as shown below.

Here are the only 3 ingredients and pieces of kitchen equipment you need.

Click this link or any picture on this page for a complete step-by-step picture book recipe.

July 21st, 2019 Blog, Special Recipes Comments Off on Summer Favorites: Tour de France and Fresh Basil Pesto

Summer Favorites: Tour de France and Fresh Basil Pesto

The Tour de France: my signature summer sports spectator event. Fresh pesto: my signature summer fantastically flavorful and versatile food favorite that I call “summer butter”. I have pesto in my fridge, in the freezer, and always ready to use with pasta and grains, as a sandwich spread, with chicken or fish, on freshly cooked or uncooked vegetables (absolute killer on freshly cooked corn on the cob) – just about anything. Great stuff!

Here are the ingredients and…

Basil Pesto Ingredients

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April 8th, 2019 Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Anti-inflammatory Recipes, Beans, Blog, Snacks, Special Recipes Comments Off on Cilantro Pesto-Hummus Picture Book Recipe

Cilantro Pesto-Hummus Picture Book Recipe
I’m a big fan of rich basil-flavored pesto and cilantro infused hummus. The “pummus” (pesto + hummus) recipe you see here combines those flavors by substituting fresh cilantro for fresh basil and then really pumping up the herb flavor of bean-based hummus.

Here’s what you need to make pummus, which goes great with vegetables, on pasta, with rice, on bread – your imagination is your only limit.

Click any picture on this page for an easy-to-follow picture book recipe.

May 28th, 2018 Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Anti-inflammatory Recipes, Breakfast, Fitness Food, Special Recipes Comments Off on Almond Butter with Dried Cranberries, Flaxseed and Toasted Coconut Picture Recipe

Almond Butter with Dried Cranberries, Flaxseed and Toasted Coconut Picture Recipe

Flavor rules – always!

Cool thing about making almond – or any nut – butter on your own is that you can add anything you want to it to make it all yours.

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