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Original Spinach Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Original Spinach Salad! Presenting a superfood that practically gives you super powers. Remember the comic book character, Popeye the Sailor Man? (Okay, I’m dating myself.) Flashback: Popeye would eat spinach through his pipe to tackle insurmountable situations.  It seems parents everywhere took advantage of this children’s cartoon character to encourage kids to “eat your spinach”. Did it work, you wonder? Not even close. Spinach is one of those veggies I didn’t learn to like until I became an adult. Go figure. 

ORIGINAL SPINACH SALAD

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2” pieces

12 ounces baby spinach leaves

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

5 tablespoons bacon fat

1/2 cup olive oil

5 tablespoons garlic wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Instructions:

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large nonstick pan. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat portion for the dressing. Place the baby spinach, chopped eggs, chopped tomatoes, and half the bacon into a large salad bowl. Gently toss; set aside. For the dressing, use the same pan. Warm the reserve bacon fat and olive oil. Add the garlic wine vinegar, raw honey, and Dijon mustard. Whisk together. Warm through. Dress the salad with the bacon dressing. Gently toss. Sprinkle remaining bacon bits on top. Serve immediately. 

No-Fuss Turkey Gravy

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Start Smart: No-Fuss Turkey Gravy! So today’s post is one that will either have you running out to the store or shopping online. I’m honestly asking myself why I waited so long. My son introduced me to the secret of having incredibly lump-free gravy. He gifted me with a fat separator which takes all the effort out of skimming the fat from the top of the pan drippings. Just in time for the upcoming holidays, too. This gadget is amazing. It looks like a regular measuring cup with the exception of a spout stopper and strainer. Here’s how it works: make sure the rubber stopper is in the spout. Pour the pan drippings into the cup through the strainer. Allow the drippings to “rest” and separate. The stopper actually prevents fat from flowing into the spout. Remove the stopper and slowly pour the clear broth into a pan. Then discard the fat. You may have to repeat the process if you are making gravy for a crowd. It works like magic.

NO-FUSS TURKEY GRAVY

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

3-4 cups turkey broth, separated

Parsley flakes

Instructions:

Transfer meat drippings from the roaster pan to a sauté pan on the stove over medium heat. Dissolve the cornstarch in water to create a slurry. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan, blending with a wire whisk. Continue to stir as the gravy begins to thicken. At this time, gradually add the strained turkey broth. Alternate stirring and adding liquid until you get the consistency you want. While the gravy is simmering, it will begin to evaporate, making it thicker. If need be, you can add water to thin it down. (My mother taught me to use the potato water I used to boil the mashed potatoes. It adds flavor.) Before serving, sprinkle parsley over top.