Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and our talented LifeSpice chefs are getting into the spirit of the season by sharing some of their personal favorite Turkey Day recipes.

Chef Rebecca Miller and Chef Rebekah Ziesmer help round out the meal with a delectable dessert and the star of the show – the turkey! Check out these recipes below to bring some new, festive flavors to your table this year.

Recipe: Rebecca Miller

For the Brine

Whole Turkey—Estimate about a lb per person

1 T Salt per 3lb of Turkey

1 1/2 tsp Sugar per 3lb of Turkey

1 clove of Garlic per 3lb of Turkey

1 (1/2”) slice of Fresh Ginger per 3lb of Turkey

1 sprig each Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage per 3lb of Turkey

½ tsp Whole Peppercorns per 3lb of Turkey

¾ c Water per 3lb of Turkey

For the Compound Butter

1 lb Butter

¼ c Honey

1 T coarsely ground Black Pepper

For Cooking

2 Carrots, roughly chopped

2 ribs Celery, roughly chopped

1 lg Onion, roughly chopped

½ Lemon, cut in half

¼ an Orange

1 sprig each Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage

1 qt Chicken or Turkey Stock

1. Place everything for the brine, but the turkey, in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature
3. For the inject method, strain the brine to remove the herbs and spices
4. Next, using a meat injector, suck up the brine into your syringe
5. Inject the turkey with the brine all over, but give a little extra focus to the breasts as they have a tendency to dry out. It’s best to inject the turkey in a large bowl so you can catch any excess brine the turkey releases
6. Transfer the injected turkey to a large brine bag and pour in any additional brine that may have collected in the bowl. Close the bag and place in the refrigerator overnight
7. If you are not injecting, simply pour the brine over your turkey in a brine bag. Don’t be afraid that the bird isn’t completely covered
8. Place the bag in the refrigerator, and flip the bird twice a day for three days—This method takes longer, but the flavor is just as good as the injected bird
9. The day before you plan to cook the bird, take it out of the brine. Pat it dry with paper towels and let sit overnight in refrigerator
10. The next day, loosen the skin on the breast of the bird to create a pocket
11. Combine all the ingredients for the compound butter and place half of it underneath the skin of your turkey. Spread the remaining half on the outside of the bird
12. Stuff the turkey with the carrots, celery, onion, lemon, orange, and herbs
13. Tie the turkey’s legs closed with kitchen twine and tuck the wings behind it’s back
14. Place the turkey on a roasting rack** lined baking dish and pour the broth on the bottom of the pan
15. Bake at 325° F for 15 minutes per pound
16. If the turkey browns too quickly, cover the breast with foil
17. Allow the bird to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving

**If you don’t have a roasting rack, try laying your aromatics on the baking dish instead of stuffing inside of the bird. Lay your turkey on top of your vegetables, lemon, orange, and herbs to help raise it out of it’s juices.

This can be made months ahead of time and frozen!

Recipe: Rebecca Miller

1 large Onion, roughly chopped

2 Carrots, roughly chopped

2 ribs Celery, roughly chopped

1 T Vegetable Oil

2 Turkey Wings

1 Turkey Neck

12 c Water

1 sprig each Thyme, Rosemary, Sage

2 cloves Garlic

2 T Tomato Paste

2 T Water

½ c Dry White Wine

1 stick Butter

½ c All Purpose Flour

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1. Preheat oven to 400° F
2. Combine carrots, onion, celery, and garlic cloves in a large roasting pan and toss with oil
3. Place turkey wings and neck on top of vegetables
4. Roast in oven until turkey is golden brown and veggies are slightly charred (about 45 minutes-1 hour)
5. Combine tomato paste and 2 T water. Using a pastry brush, paint the tomato paste mixture onto the turkey wings and neck
6. Pour white wine over vegetables
7. Roast for an additional 10 minutes
8. Transfer turkey and vegetables to a large stock pot, scraping any browned bits from the pan (Adding the white wine to the pan should have helped loosen these bits up)
9. Cover the turkey and vegetables with the 12 c water. Add the herbs to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil
10. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 3-4 hours
11. Skim any turkey fat from the surface throughout the cooking process
12. Strain the turkey Stock
13. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook, whisking constantly for 2-3 minutes
14. Slowly pour in 6 cups of your turkey stock, whisking constantly
15. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil
16. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes
17. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Recipe: Rebekah Ziesmer

Crust

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (50g) brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour

Filling

1 can (15-oz) 100% pumpkin

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (50g) brown sugar

1 egg

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon LifeSpice’s ‘Magic Mambasa’ seasoning blend (or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Topping

¼ cup (50g) brown sugar

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

½ cup corn syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons bourbon or vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup (125g) pecans, chopped

1 cup (125g) pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a food processor or with an electric hand mixer, beat butter, sugars, vanilla, and salt together until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour and continue to mix until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer to a 10-inch tart pan and press evenly on bottom and up sides. Prick bottom a few times with a fork and place in freezer for 10 minutes before baking for 15 minutes. Let cool.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
4. In a medium bowl combine filling ingredients and beat together with hand mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared crust and spread evenly.
5. Add topping ingredients except pecans to a bowl and whisk together until thoroughly mixed. Stir in pecans. Carefully pour pecan mixture evenly over pumpkin layer, arranging pecan halves decoratively, if desired.
6. Bake until center is set, about 80 to 90 minutes. Let cool before removing from tart pan.