I know, 2nd blog today...what can I say, other than "sorry'?  But I had to share my gravy experience with you! As I said earlier today, I had my turkey wings in roasting in preparation for Thursday's gravy.  So, they roasted for awhile, but then, this wild side of me came out and  I did not follow my own directions!
The original  recipe calls for removing the wings from the roasting pan and putting them in a stock pot. That is the way I've done  it in the past....but ALAS! Not today. Instead, I left everything in the roasting pan and added the chicken broth and thyme to the whole thing. I covered it with foil and cooked at 300 degrees for 2 hours.
Foodies, let me tell you, I had the deepest, richest broth ever....probably in the history of cooking! And it was from a small list of ingredients! Of course, I couldn't stand having it in the house without making a small pan of gravy, after all,  I had to do a quality check, right? Naturally, gravy requires mashed potatoes, so I, of course, made some.  Mighty fine dinner I am having!
So, since I changed my procedure, and rudely told you to look in the archives  if you wanted my gravy recipe, I am thinking I  need to type it out, right here, right now. Here you go.

Totally Fool Proof, Excellent, Never Fail Gravy
4 turkey wings (about 3lb.)

2 med. onions, peeled and quartered
1 c. water, or if you are me,  Somerset Ridge white wine, either Chardonel, Reisling or Oktoberfest
8 c. chicken broth
3/4 c. chopped carrot
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
and for your roux:
1 cup butter
1 cup flour

Heat oven to 400. Have ready a large roasting pan. Arrange wings in a single layer in pan; scatter onions over top. Roast 1 and 1/4 hrs. until wings are browned. Put wings, onions and carrots in a 5 to 6 quart pot.  No, DON'T! Leave themin the roasting pan! Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Add water (or white wine) to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom.  Add all 8 cups broth and the thyme. Cover with foil and return to the oven and continue roasting for 2 hours.  Remove wings and when cool pull off meat. (can save meat for other use, I made some turkey salad for my Mom) Strain broth into a 3 qt. saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables; skim fat off broth and discard. (By the way, I had very little fat)
In a small skillet, melt the butter and when foaming stops, add the flour, whisking as you add. Over low heat,let roux cook for several minutes. Meanwhile, bring broth in pot to a gentle boil. Whisk in the roux and simmer for 3-4 min. Taste and correct seasoning, for you have not added any salt, as of yet. Serve, or pour into containers and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 mos.
See, simple as, well , buying a pie. Certainly a whole lot easier than baking a pie!
So, what have we learned today?  Gravy is nothing to panic over, and that I am very flexible!

The holiday cooking has begun! Grocery stores are packed, with both food and shoppers. Big fat turkeys are flying out of there! Fortunately, I did my shopping several days ago, and today, the turkey wings are roasting in the oven in preparation for making the gravy. My house smells heavenly and so far it is just the wings and onions, and the carrots and broth that are cooking. Don’t you just love the aromas of Thanksgiving?

I remember as a small child loving every moment of the day. My parents would prepare dinner for everyone in the family. It was an art! They both had 8 to 5 jobs, yet, they were so prepared, and usually calm. And, the food was always divine!
Mom wasn’t stuck in the kitchen, all alone. No, my Dad loved to cook and was so good at it. Together, they treated the entire family to a heavenly Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, there was the Thanksgiving Day that Dadwoke at  4 AM to put the bird in the oven, only to realize they had forgotten to pick up the turkey! Grocery stores were closed for the holiday, besides, large chain groceries didn’t sit on every corner. This was in the early 60s. The original Hen House, which is now a major chain here in Kansas City, was located about 83rd and Wornall. We lived in Kansas City, Kansas….quite a distance away. My dad jumped in the car at 4 in the morning and when he arrived at the store, one lonely custodian was holding down the fort, mop in hand. He opened the door for Dad and after much negotiating (Dad was a car dealer!) Dad was on his way home with the one, the absolutely ONLY turkey left in the store! Dinner was slightly delayed, but not by much. Thankfully, that one lonely turkey was not frozen!

Povitica, a holiday must in Kansas City!

It was a day to be thankful, to be joyful, to be hungry! Mr. Tom Turkey was accompanied by Minnie Florence Ogg’s Cornbread Dressing, Mom’s Green Beans that had been cooked for hours in her big thick, heavy pot we called “the green bean pan” with lots of country ham and onions, and the creamiest mashed potatoes on the face of the earth! Mom always made individual frozen Cranberry Salads, as well as her Fruit Salad with pineapple, grapes, bananas and apples with a few marshmallows to thrill the kids. Sometimes she made her Red Hot Applesauce Jello that always hit the spot. As for the rolls, they were usually good old brown and serve, out of the package and into the oven. Pumpkin Pie was the dessert,  but we also had slices of Povitica, a Northern European holiday nut bread, very common in Kansas City, Kansas. Early settlers came from Poland, Croatia, Germany and Russia to work in the meat packing plants. Today, many of their ancestors and recipes are alive and well on Strawberry Hill overlooking the Kansas River. In fact, there is a Strawberry Hill Povitica Company that you can order from on line.

Go to www.povitica.com and check it out. Start a new tradition for your family this Thanksgiving.
The photo above is from a webpage called http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com  There, you will also find their recipe that has chocolate included!  I think I will be trying it soon!
I just checked on the turkey wings and they are browning beautifully. It is just about time to start turning that wonderful brown stuff on the bottom of the pain into the perfect gravy!
Next, I will go to Somerset Ridge to pick up the perfect wine for our dinner. They are releasing their new Norton today! The winery is on many lists of things to do today….we need the perfect bottle to go with our perfect meal!


Did you see Doug Frost’s article on local wineries? Go to http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/18/3274044/be-thankful-for-midwest-wines

For my gravy recipe, and the recipe for my grandmother’s cornbread dressing, go to my archives. They are there! For the challenge of making your own Povitica, go to
http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/2011/10/baking-povitica-croatian-sweet-walnut-chocolate-bread-for-daring-bakers-better-late-than-never.html


Next week is going to be a busy one, so may I take this opportunity to wish you a perfect Thanksgiving. Please, be safe, and remember, you may not remember what you had for lunch today, but you will always remember the perfect holiday meal...aromas and all!
Happy Thanksgiving!