SkyMall Monday: Top ten things to stuff in the Turkey Cake Pan

by Mike Barish on

It’s Thanksgiving time once again in the good ol’ US of A. That wonderful time of year when we slow down, take a break and acknowledge the people and things for which we are most thankful. Most people focus on the thanks. I like to focus on the ful(l). Here at SkyMall Monday headquarters, we love to stuff our faces on Thanksgiving. From stuffing to green bean casserole to, of course, turkey, Thanksgiving is a gut-bustingly wonderful holiday. Inspired by the impending feast, I searched for “turkey” on the SkyMall website. After wading through the various Turkish wraps, I found the delightful Turkey Cake Pan that you see demonstrated on the right. It’s breathtaking. It allows you to bake turkey-shaped cakes. But why stop there? What else could you stuff into that Turkey Cake Pan? Imagine molding your favorite foods to look like wild game. Are you imagining it? Well, let me help you. This week, we’re listing the top ten things to stuff in the Turkey Cake Pan.

10. Clay

Kids get bored at family get-togethers. The meals last too long, the strange relatives make bad jokes and all of their good toys are left at home. This year, let your kids paint a decorative clay turkey. Pop the mold into the oven on the self-cleaning cycle (it gets up to 900˚ in there) and the clay should set. Let the kids paint their turkeys and use them as centerpieces. What could go wrong?

9. Jell-O

Why have cranberry sauce when your side dish could be jiggling? Bonus points if you have giblet-shaped fruit floating inside the mold.

8. Stuffing

Let’s get one thing straight: Stuffing is far and away the best part of the Thanksgiving meal. It’s a scene-stealing side dish. Turkey gets all the attention though. Give stuffing the starring role it deserves by making it look like the headliner.

7. Ice cream

I mean, it’s ice cream. Do I really need to make the case for ice cream?

6. Butter

People are going to want butter for their mashed potatoes. People are going to want butter for their dinner rolls. People are going to want a giant butter turkey.

5. Fudge

Really pack it in.

4. Ice

Why should fancy gala events be the only places you see ice sculptures? Blow your guests’ minds with a turkey-shaped block of frozen holiday cheer on each and every table.

3. Chicken & Duck Cake Pans

Have you ever had turducken? Well, it’s amazing. Now imagine turkey-shaped cake stuffed with duck-shaped cake stuffed with chicken-shaped cake. Don’t forget to have mutliple flavors of icing in between each layer.

2. Whiskey

Ladle out some heaping servings of SkyMall Monday’s favorite medicine. It will make your family seem a whole lot more tolerable during those extended dinners.

1. Turkey

Let’s get meta. Stuff some ground turkey in there and make a turkey-shaped meatloaf. Throw some turkey meat in a blender and liquify it. Pour that protein shake in the Turkey Cake Pan and bake it until it reconstitutes into solid turkey. Even that sounds better than Tofurkey.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving. Here at SkyMall Monday headquarters, we’re thankful for all of you great readers with a sense of humor, our fantastic colleagues and editors at Gadling and, of course, SkyMall.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Turkey with presidential pardon not going to Disneyland

by Leigh Caldwell on

Each year just before Thanksgiving, the president pardons a turkey in a ceremony at the White House, saving that turkey from its likely fate atop a dining table. But this year, that turkey is not going to Disneyland.

Disney started flying the pardoned turkeys to California in 2005, when Disneyland was celebrating its 50th anniversary. The turkey has served as grand marshal of the the Disneyland Thanksgiving Day Parade (“The Happiest Turkey on Earth”) each year since, except for 2007, when the bird went to Walt Disney World instead.

Disney officials told the Orange County Register that this year, the lucky bird just doesn’t fit into its theme parks’ new promotion, “Let the Memories Begin.”

So the turkey that President Obama pardons this Wednesday will live out its life at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, rather than Mickey Mouse’s house.

Three previously pardoned turkeys still live in a coop at Disneyland’s Big Thunder Ranch petting zoo.

[Image credit: Flickr user Myrna Litt]

Hotel chefs offer their best Thanksgiving recipes

by Melanie Nayer on

Thanksgiving is in less than week and if you’re like me, you’ve thought about how great the dinner will be but haven’t actually put any thought into building your menu. And who can blame you (us)? From deadlines to due dates to the mental preparation one needs in order to host Thanksgiving dinner, it’s no wonder you (we) haven’t had a moment to plan the menu.

Good news procrastinators: I put in a call to a few of my favorite chefs at hotels from coast and coast and asked for their best Thanksgiving Day recipes. The results are, simply, delicious. Even better, each one of these recipes is easy to make!

A special thanks to the chefs at Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, XV Beacon, Hotel Viking, Charles Hotel and The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove Miami for their recipes.

Enjoy!
Slow Roasted Free Range Turkey, Victor R. Casanova II, Culina, Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

Ingredients

Turkey:
1/3 cup coarse kosher salt
3 tablespoons, grated orange zest 4 oranges, quartered
12 fresh rosemary sprigs
20-to 22-pound free-range turkey, rinsed cleaned and dried
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups water

Gravy:

4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups orange juice
½ c pomegranate molasses

Instructions:

Turkey:
1. Rub salt and zest together in small bowl.
2. Season turkey.
3. Place turkey in large roasting pan.
4. Reserve 2 teaspoons orange salt for roasting.
5. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate turkey overnight.
6. Rinse turkey thoroughly inside and out; pat dry.
7. Rinse large roasting pan.
8. Leave turkey at room temperature 1 hour.
9. Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 350°F. T
10. Truss turkey.
11. Cut 4 oranges into quarters.
12. Stuff quartered oranges, rosemary and onions into cavity.
13. Spread butter all over turkey.
14. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon pepper and reserved 2 teaspoons orange salt.
15. Pour 3 cups water into pan.
16. Roast turkey 45 minutes; baste with pan juices.
17. Reduce oven temperature to 325F.
18. Roast turkey until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, basting occasionally with pan juices, adding more water and covering loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 4 hours.
19. Transfer turkey to platter; tent with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes.

Gravy:
1. Pour juices from turkey and skim fat.
2. Render pancetta in clean roasting pan.
3. Deglaze with orange juice.
4. Reduce by half then add pomegranate molasses.
5. Add turkey jus.
6. Adjust to desired consistency then season to taste.

*************

Rib Roast, Chef Kevin Thiele, Hotel Viking

Ingredients:

6-Bone Rib Eye Roast
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup Course Sea Salt
Bunch Rosemary
Bunch Thyme
Bunch Parsley
Bunch Chervil

Instructions:
1. Ask local butcher to truss (tie) the roast for you. This will ensure an even roasting process for best results.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Rub the Roast with olive oil and liberally sprinkle all sides with sea salt.
4. Place on a roasting rack and insert into the oven.
5. Meanwhile, pick and chop the herbs, mix and set aside.
6. The high temperature will sear the meat quickly and trap juices inside. After 30 minutes, reduce heat down to 350 degrees and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees about 1 hour and 20 min.
7. Rest the meat for 20 minutes more and the internal temp will rise to about 128- 130 degrees, which is a perfect medium rare.
8. Coat the rib roast with the herb mix, cut in between each bone and serve.

*************

Squash Brulee, Executive Chef David Hutton, Mooo, XV Beacon Hotel

Ingredients:

1lb Georgia roaster candy squash
1lb butternut squash
4 Tablespoon softened butter
Salt, pepper to taste
4 Tablespoon brown sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon brulee sugar

Instructions:

1. Halve squash lengthwise and remove seeds and strings.
2. Rub the inside with 2 tablespoon softened butter; season with salt and pepper.
3. Place on a roasting pan, skin side up.
4. Bake in a preheat 350 degree oven for 30 0r 40 minutes or until fork tender.
5. Remove from the oven, scoop out the flesh and place it in food processor, add the brown sugar and the remaining butter, puree until smooth, add pinch of salt and the cinnamon, pulse a few times to incorporate.
6. Put the squash puree on a serving dish spring the sugar on top use a torch to caramelize the sugar.

*************

Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Henrietta’s Table, Charles Hotel
Chef Peter Davis’ cookbook “Fresh & Honest – Food From the Farms of New England and the Kitchen of Henrietta’s Table”, which was released in November 2009

Ingredients:

1lb Fresh Pumpkin or Heirloom Pumpkin, cooked
4 ounces white onion, julienne
1/2 ounce butter
1 quart water
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 ounce brown sugar
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash cayenne
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Split the pumpkins in half and de-seed
2. Place the pumpkins on a rack on a sheet pan and roast skin side up for 45-60 min. at 350 degrees or until pumpkin is soft
3. Remove the skins and discard.
4. Roughly chop the pumpkin.
5. Sauté the onion in the butter until transparent
6. Add the remaining ingredients and the pumpkin and cook for 1 hour on a low simmer.
7. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth.

*************

Pear Walnut Pie, Chef Michael Finizia, The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami

Ingredients:

5 poached pears in a syrup
8 oz almond flour
2 oz pastry flour
3 eggs
8 oz sugar
8 oz butter
4 oz walnut pieces

Instructions:

1. Cream the butter and the sugar
2. Add the eggs, then dry ingredients
3. Add the Amaretto liquor
4. Spread the bottom of the pie with above
5. Add the pear, thinly sliced on the top then finish with another layer of walnut cream
6. Bake in the oven at 350′ for 25 minutes

Five sleepy driving stats to scare you for Thanksgiving

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Are you heading over the river and through the woods for Thanksgiving this year? Well, you better stop for coffee along the way! A new study by AAA finds there’s a pretty big number of sleepy drivers out there. Think about every 10 cars around you: there’s a good chance at least one of those driver’s has dozed off behind the wheel. So, how bad is the problem? Let’s take a look at five sleepy driving statistics that will make you open your eyes wide.

1. Recent risk: 10 percent of drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year

2. Long-term confessions: 41 percent of respondents admit that they’ve done so at least some point in their lives

3. We’re all hypocrites: a whopping 85 percent of drivers find it “completely unacceptable, writes Insurance Networking News, “to drive if someone is so tired that they struggle to keep their eyes open”

4. Crashes are common: according to a new analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, 12.5 percent of crashes leading to hospitalization were caused by fatigued drivers

5. Death is a serious possibility: 16.5 percent of deadly crashes involve drivers too drowsy to belong behind the wheel, also from the analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data

All of this is utterly preventable. Be smart, and know your limits.

[photo by marcn via Flickr]

Seven ways to escape the Black Friday shopping experience

by Scott Carmichael on

Ahhh, Black Friday. Those that love it are die-hard shoppers, those that hate it would rather stick their arm in a blender than experience being crushed while trying to grab a discounted laptop out of the hands of killer bargain hunters.

Me? I’m firmly in the group that loves the idea of staying up all night to grab discounts that really make it barely worth the hassles. Still, there is something oddly comforting about waiting in line for two hours to save three Dollars off a board game. Black Friday is when the Holiday season officially kicks off – and is when 140 million Americans grab their credit cards and spend whatever they can on whatever they don’t really need.

Here are seven ways you can escape (parts of) the Black Friday experience.Escape the cold

If you live in a cold state and want to shop in the warmth on Black Friday, then you’ll either need to dress warmly or fly somewhere warmer. Standing in line in the freezing cold starts off quite nicely when everyone is in a good mood, but once things dip into the 20’s, people get cranky really fast. Hot cocoa only goes so far when the wind is brutally cold.

Alternatively, find the largest indoor mall in the area, park your car outside while you watch the crowds shiver in the arctic temperatures. Then, when the mall opens its doors, wait for everyone to walk inside and slowly join the end of the line. Chances are most of the deals will still be around, and you’ll stay toasty warm and comfortable.

Escape sales tax

Planning to do a lot of shopping for big ticket items? Consider making the trek to one of the five remaining states in the country with no sales tax. Those states are:

  • Alaska
  • Delaware
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • Oregon

Of course, this plan doesn’t really work if you live in Indiana and plan to drive to Delaware to buy that new 65″ LCD TV – but if you are shopping for smaller items and are within driving distance of a sales-tax-free state, the savings could be quite considerable.

Escape being sane

Lets make a checklist for this one – one lawn chair per person, one portable toilet, soft drinks, snacks, phone backup charger cord, music, spare batteries and a total lack of respect for yourself.

This is of course the checklist for the 5AM shopper. And no – not 5AM on Friday – 5AM on Thursday. You’ll be the person I see waiting outside Best Buy when I’m driving to relatives for Thanksgiving Dinner. To you, saving money on a new laptop or TV is more important than turkey and stuffing. And to be honest, given how some family dinners can be, who’s to blame you.

Doorbuster deals can indeed really be worth it. The only thing that can spoil a 19 hour wait in line is snow, rain and people who try and jump the line when the store doors open. Before Black Friday, always ask the store in question what their line policy is, when staff will be present to control lines, and whether they hand out tickets hours before opening. Also be sure to check store inventory, because showing up as number 150 at a store with just 40 laptop is a colossal waste of time.

Escape jail time

There are many ways you can get in trouble on Black Friday – spending too much and maxing out your credit card is just one of them. If you really want to avoid finding yourself facing some real trouble, don’t jump the lines, don’t push store staff members and don’t yell at checkout clerks.

Remember, if you think Black Friday is a hassle for you, consider what a hell it is for people that have to work this time of year. My motto is that Black Friday needs to be fun – yes, waiting in line can be a bit of a bore, and once store doors open, everyone is fighting for themselves, but that doesn’t mean you need to behave like a jerk.

Introduce yourself to your fellow shoppers in line, chat about what they think the good deals are, and make sure you have a good time. Because quite frankly, if it turns nasty – the fun is gone, and I’m going to head home for some sleep.

Escape the crowds

You really think there is anywhere with no crowds? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even the smallest places in the nation with one Wal-Mart for the entire community will have its fair share of crowds.

The best kept secret about Black Friday deals is that most of the same deals will pop up again between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Granted, the real doorbusters may not be as cheap – but if you are like me, you probably don’t mind spending $25 more if it means saving a trip to the hospital, or watching someone get crushed by an angry mob.

Escape it all

If you are one of the members of the “I hate Black Friday” crowd, then you can stay inside all day and watch TV news reports of injured shoppers, or you can get away from it all and check into a hotel. While everyone is busy finding Zhu Zhu pets (or whatever is in this year), you can enjoy the hotel pool, order room service and get yourself pampered.

If your budget is a bit more flexible, picture yourself on a Hawaiian beach on Black Friday, or sipping cocktails on a cruise ship.

Escape the heat

I can’t really see anyone actually in a warm climate wanting to do their Black Friday shopping in the cold, but if you want to get in the Holiday spirit with a nice case of the flu, then you can leave your warm climate and head to one of these fine cold climate malls:

Gurnee Mills, Gurnee, IL

This massive mall is located about 30 minutes up the highway from O’Hare international airport. The mall is surrounded by several cheap hotels, and is home to over 200 stores. The mail itself is indoors, so warm climate visitors won’t feel too chilly. The doors open at 5AM on Black Friday and stay open till 10PM. About 20 minutes from Gurnee Mills are the Pleasant Prairie Prime Outlets – stores here open at midnight on Black Friday!

The Mall of America, Bloomington, MN

This is the king of all megamalls – with over 500 stores and a huge amount of food outlets, a theme park, a theater, an aquarium and more – this is where you can shop, and those deal haters you’ve dragged along can entertain themselves on their own. Stores here open at 6AM on Black Friday, but be prepared to encounter an absolute zoo when it comes to parking.

Tysons Corner Mall, McLean, VA

Tysons Corner mall may ring a bell if you are an Apple fan – this is where the first Apple Store in the world opened its doors. If you are not a fan of gadgets, you’ll be happy to know that the mall is also home to your usual lineup of luxury department stores. Doors open at midnight and stores stay open till 10PM.

[Photos from: Getty Images, Mall of America photo: Flickr/puroticorico]