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County Faretasty fresh Comfort foods evoke fond memories By Susan M. Selasky Detroit Free Press (MCT) With Thanksgiving just days away, it's time to talk turkey. Traditionally the show- piece of the holiday meal, turkey tends to intimidate. Each year, cooks across the country fret about how to cook it. And they should- n't. & Gobble-worthy turkey is a tasty centerpiece ing butter under skin. Repeat with another 4 table- spoons for the other side of the breast. Now press on top of skin to spread the butter all over, as much as you can, underneath. Step 4: Evenly rub the remaining 2 tablespoons all over the outside of the turkey. FLAVOR TWISTS By Shelia M. Poole The Atlanta Journal-Consti- tution (MCT) ATLANTA — D. BryAnn Chen makes sure her daughter, Veronica, is in the kitchen when she makes Chinese beef noodle soup. At 6 months old, Veroni- fort. ca won't be cooking any- time soon, but Chen wants to start building her food memories now. Whenever she cooks some of her favorite family recipes, Chen, an Atlanta stay-at-home mom and social activist, said it brings back memories of her father sneaking nibbles from the pot to steal a taste. "It's food that at some point you have to eat with your hands," she said. "At some point you have to pick up the bone and start dig- ging out the marrow and eating that. "Food is a big thing in They taste good and they turn on the reward system — or the feel good system — in the brain, he said. Comfort foods also bring up memories of the family that were particularly fun. "Those memories will per- sist in our brain and make us feel good." "The Chew" and author of a new cookbook, "Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You" compares eating comfort food to get- ting a culinary hug. "Whatever that thing is Carla Hall, co-host of For some, it has been a year since they last tackled a whole turkey, and they've forgotten how to roast it. Others simply crave new flavor twists. And, yes, we know, some even dread the whole fowl process. We can see why. my family," said Chen, who said her mom's cooking would make the house smell great for hours and hours. "It was a social thing. We ate all our meals together." Whether it's Chen's beef noodle soup — a recipe handed down by her Tai- wan-born mother — maca- roni and cheese or brown stew chicken, there are cer- tain foods that bring us warm feelings of comfort and being around loved ones. Comfort foods make you feel cozy all over. Families have come together, fallen out and made peace around dinner tables. fast approaching, comfort foods are on the minds of many. And with the holidays definitions of comfort food, the feelings that the smells and memories evoke are universal, said Alex Hitz, who co-owned The Patio by the River restaurant in Atlanta and has written "My Beverly Hills Kitchen: Clas- sic Southern Cooking with a French Twist," a collection of personal stories and 175 revamped recipes of com- fort foods. Though there are many that takes you back to the place where you felt every- thing was perfect," is com- fort food, said Hall. A native of Nashville, Hall said she often finds herself cooking the dishes she grew up with like hot water corn bread or collard greens when "I'm lonely or missing my family. It just reminds me of a time like my grandmother's Sunday suppers when the family was together." Although he stays on the go as president of Usher's New Look Foundation, Shawn H. Wilson takes time to cook for his family most weekends and holidays. "Food takes you back to that place of comfort," said Wilson, who has also added a spaghetti sauce from his chef-brother to his comfort food repertoire. "We have good family times and we're doing something together." He's now sharing that same experience with his children. "We talk and laugh. It reminds me of my Big Mama and my dad, who taught me to cook a lot. We used to have deep talks in the kitchen." giving as the cook, go for the sure-fire method of brin- ing. We picked up on the brining trend years ago and have never looked back. Naysayers think it's a chore because it requires you to soak the turkey overnight. But brining creates a juicy, moist and flavorful bird. If you're feeling more November food magazine covers and inside pages are loaded with Norman Rock- well-like turkeys — perfect- ly golden brown birds. Such high expectations put cooks on the spot. Now, however, is not the time to reinvent turkey, but rather a time to enhance it. Today we're offering some simple tried-and-true flavor options for roast turkey with brining, herb butter and seasoning blends. If it's your first Thanks- THE BIRD simple way to add flavor to your holiday turkey. You can make them with a vari- ety of flavor combinations such as fresh herbs, spices, seasonings and aromatics. Softened butter is mixed with the flavorings and then smeared under and on top of the skin. Try using parsley, marjoram, thyme or rose- mary, adjusting the amounts to taste. Also include salt and fresh cracked black pepper or your favorite all- purpose seasoning. Aromatics like chives and garlic do particularly well. Citrus zest will give it a bright flavor, while spices such as a mix of chili pow- ders, cumin, smoked papri- ka and coriander will punch up the flavor. Compound butters are a adventurous, brine the bird and then rub it with an herb butter inside and out (see the steps at right ). And if you're up for something different, go all out with a favorite rub or seasoning mixture. It's the lure of different Mix together 1 1⁄4 sticks (10 tablespoons ) softened 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA flavor combinations, such as the Smoky Seasoning or Mustard Glaze options (see box on Page 2D ), that can put a new twist on your hol- iday bird. Don't want to roast a whole turkey? Roast it in parts — legs, thighs and breasts. Many grocery and specialty stores sell turkey pieces. Roasting them sepa- rately, many sources say, means everything cooks evenly. HOW TO BUTTER TEHAMA COUNTY HISTORY $7500 each + $1000 S+H (per book) Please make checks payable to TCGHS, "What I have found that comfort food can, yes, be something fairly heavy that makes you feel warm inside," he said. "That's probably the most recog- nized definition. But to me, comfort foods provoke memories for me one way or another. That's what's comforting to me." Michael Kuhar, a researcher and professor at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University, said there are physical and emotional rea- sons that comfort foods pro- vide so much, well, com- Former Holiday Market ALL FRESH WREATHS, ARRANGEMENTS & MORE CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE 616 CEDAR ST. RED BLUFF Red Bluff Garden Club SCHOLARSHIP Thursday-Friday-Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Dec. 6, 7 & 8 Call 527-4578 or 526-4578 Proceeds go to For Custom Wreaths & Designs High School Scholarships P,O, Box 415, Red Bluff. CA 96080. Check or money order only! $129 The Copy Center, 16 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff, CA Have a computer? You can also order online at www.tcghsoc.org or pick one up at lb. Stove Top 99¢ Kraft 99¢ Stuffing 6 oz boxes each Cool Whip 8 oz tubs each Ecaporated Milk 12 oz cans Carnations Del Monte Canned Vegetables Tehama County residents to donate gifts for under privledged children at Christmas. The Red Bluff Elks Lodge in conjunction with the Red Bluff Salvation Army urge The Red Bluff Elks Lodge would also like to invite local businesses to allow us to place a gift barrel in your lobby fot gift drop off. New, unwrapped gifts can be brought to the Red Bluff Elks Lodge at 355 Gilmore Road or the Salvation Army office at 940 Walnut St, Red Bluff. All businesses are encouraged to participate and can receive a gift barrel by calling the Elks Lodge at 527-3421 during normal business hours. 11-15 1/4 oz. cans 99¢ 99¢ each Kraft Philadelphia Creme Cheese 8 oz boxes 99¢ each Soft Drinks 2 liters Pepsi 4 for Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/nuwaymarket $500 +crv 18 pack $1199 each NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF WE FEATURE Frozen Norbest Turkeys Gusto, Spiral Sliced Half Hams We appreciate your business - and we show it! HOURS: 7AM - 9 PM DAILY Prices good Nov. 14-27, 2012 "Your Family Supermarket" Meat Specials Standing Rib Roasts, Bone-In Boneless, Pork Loin Roasts THANKSGIVING DAY OPEN 8AM-3PM Victor Platter Bacon butter, 2 cloves crushed gar- lic, 1 teaspoon freshly grat- ed lemon zest, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1⁄2 tea- spoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt, 1 1⁄2 tablespoons freshly chopped mixed herbs. Follow these steps to is dry. Slightly loosen the skin under the breast at the larger cavity opening. Slide a thin plastic spatula between the skin and the meat. Push it gently to loosen the skin from all over the breast, and some of the legs and thighs. Step 1: In a small bowl, mix together all the herb butter ingredients. Step 2: Make sure turkey butter the bird: Here is a basic recipe for a 15-pound turkey: Step 3: Using the same spatula, take about 4 table- spoons of the butter mixture and place it under the skin on one side of the breast. Slide the spatula out, leav- FOR YOUR TURKEY Smoky Seasoning: Mix together 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter; 1 table- spoon of canola oil; 2 table- spoons of your favorite chili powder, such as Ancho; 1⁄2 teaspoon of gar- lic powder; 1⁄2 teaspoon of cumin; 1⁄2 teaspoon of onion powder; 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika; 1⁄2 tea- spoon of salt and 1 table- spoon of brown sugar. Adjust seasoning as need- ed. If you want it smokier, add more paprika. If you want it with a little kick, add a hot chili powder. Rub about 3⁄4 of the mixture under the skin on the breasts, legs and thighs. Rub the remaining over the outside of the turkey. Mustard Glaze: In a small saucepan, mix 3⁄4 cup of pure maple syrup, 1⁄2 cup of dry white wine, 1/3 cup of Dijon-style mustard and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Bring to a simmer. Divide the mixture in half. During the last hour of roasting, brush some of the glaze over the turkey. Brush again after 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve remaining glaze on the side. 384-1563 AT NO EXTRA CHARGE CUSTOM CUT MEATS STAMPS ACCEPT FOOD WE We Accept EBT Cooked Shrimp Meat Wednesday, November 21, 2012 – Daily News 5A $129 lb. Fresh Green Beans $199 lb. Red Yams lb. 59¢ or Sweet Potatoes 89¢ lb. $599 lb. Produce Specials Fresh Cranberries 12 oz package Crisp Celery $249 Fresh lb. $399 lb. Satsuma Mandarins $499 lb. Pineapple Sweet Whole $179 lb. 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