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Holiday

Christmas Wreath

November 23, 2020 by Tamara Giebel Leave a Comment

Make your own Christmas Wreath using fresh boughs of cedar, festive Christmas ribbon and a few other craft items like berries and pinecones.

Several years ago, I traded Black Friday for Wreath Making Friday and my world got a little greener. Leave the stress behind and gather around the outdoor table with your apple cider and a wheel barrow full of cedar boughs.

If you don’t have cedar trees near you, use another type of evergreen tree or visit your local tree farm and ask for some cuttings. There are different types of evergreen trees available depending where you live. Anything from Cedar, Fir, Pine, Mesquite or Juniper would look lovely.

What You Need:

  • Wire Wreath – Most types will do – I used an old bicycle wheel, removed the spokes and spray painted green OR you can find them on Amazon:
URATOT 5 Pack 8 Inch and 12 Inch Holiday Wreath Frames Round Shaped Wire Wreath Frame Christmas Floral Wreath for New Year Decorations
  • Galvanized Steel Wire – I like 20 gauge wire because it’s firm enough to hold, but still bendable. Available at Amazon:
The Hillman Group 123106 Steel, 20 gauge Galvanized Hobby Wire, 20 x 175′
  • Wire Cutters – Honestly I use my tree pruners, but craft wire cutters make it a lot easier and they have them on Amazon:
BOENFU Wire Cutter – Precision Side Cutter 6 Inch Cutting Pliers
  • Decorative Ribbon – Try to get the wired ribbon – it really helps when forming the bow. I like this vintage wired ribbon on Amazon:
Christmas Ribbon Wired, Vintage Red Truck with Christmas Tree for Gift Wrapping – 2.5″ x 10 Yards
  • Berries, Pine Cones & Other Decorations – Use your creative vibe here. Anything goes like pine cones, berries, stars, antlers. Find around the house or shop on Amazon and have them delivered to your door:
OLYPHAN Artificial Berries Red Pip Berry Stems Spray for DIY Crafts – Wreath, Garland, Christmas Ornaments Decoration – Decorative Winter Floral Picks for Craft Decorations/Home Holiday Decor

How to Make a Christmas Wreath

  • Pre-cut wire into 4 inch pieces and set into a pile on your table. It’s absolutely necessary to have these ready ahead of time (trust me).
  • Using your wire cutters or tree pruners, cut the cedar greens at the base of the branch, making a pile of that is easily accessible.
  • Gather a few of the cut cedar greens into a bundle with one hand and twist a piece of cut wire around to secure. Make a few bundles before moving on to the next step.
  • Start attaching the bundles to the metal wreath, working around the circle, using more pre-cut wire to attach.
  • Once you have the entire metal wreath covered, start filling in exposed areas with any remaining cedar greens. At this point, you should be able to just tuck them into what’s already wired on. If you have any greens that stick outside of the circle or are going haywire, just cut them off.
  • Now it’s time to get creative and decorate your Christmas wreath. If you are using lights, you will want to weave them on first. Then, start attaching ribbon, berries, pinecones – whatever you feel looks good. I had a small animal skull I used and some antlers from Hobby Lobby.
  • Cedar boughs make a long lasting Christmas wreath
  • Take your wheel barrow along to gather cedar boughs
  • Use extra cedar boughs to make a garland for your porch

Food to Keep You Warm:

  • Classic Cottage Pie
  • Caldo Verde
  • Cola Shredded Pork Sliders
  • Classic Cottage Pie is made with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas. Topped with creamy potato cheese mixture and carrot tops.
  • Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde, delivers soul warming goodness with simple ingredients of potato, spicy sausage and kale.  This broth based soup is perfect for the first crisp days of fall.
  • Sweet crusted cola shredded pork sliders topped with crunchy kale apple slaw and pickled jalapenos

Filed Under: Wreath Making Tagged With: Christmas Crafts, Wreath Making

Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey

November 3, 2020 by Tamara Giebel Leave a Comment

A blend of red chiles, spices and orange juice produce a flavorful skin on this Out West inspired Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey.

Guajillo, New Mexico and Chile de Arbol combines with earthy cumin, cinnamon and notes of agave and orange juice, making this Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey a delicious Out West favorite for Thanksgiving.

The best thing about smoked turkey is that it’s already cooked, which means you have more oven time for other dishes to cook. This 10 pound smoked turkey takes less than two hours to warm in the oven and comes out juicy enough to make gravy out of the drippings.

Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey drippings have so much flavor from chiles and oranges and create a beautifully colored gravy. While the turkey is resting, melt two tablespoons butter in a sauce pan, then stir in two tablespoon’s flour and cook over medium heat until combined. Slowly add drippings from turkey until thickened. For an extra touch, add a pinch of cumin and smoked paprika and stir to combine.

Ingredients

  • Smoked Turkey – Pre-cooked smoked whole turkey can be purchased at your local meat shop or frozen at the grocery store. Silvana Meats is our local place to get farm fresh smoked turkey. Make sure to plan ahead if you purchase a frozen smoked turkey – it will take a few days to defrost.
  • Chiles – Dried Guajillo, New Mexico and Chile de Arbol can be found in the Mexican section of your grocery. Usually in a clear plastic bag.
  • Cinnamon – Either grated from a cinnamon stick or pre-ground. For a more intense flavor use roasted cinnamon.
  • Cumin – Ground cumin adds an earthy flavor.
  • Orange Juice – Fresh orange juice to cut through the spices.
  • Agave Syrup – Usually in the baking aisle, adds a natural sweetness.

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Dry toast chiles in pan over medium high heat.
  3. Blend toasted chiles, chicken broth, garlic, cinnamon, cumin and orange juice until smooth.
  4. Rub chile mixture over smoked turkey, followed by agave syrup.
  5. Tuck sliced oranges and sage in around turkey.
  6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes per pound.

Related Recipes

  • Chanterelle Sage Stuffing
  • Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
  • Roasted Spiced Carrots with Agave and Pepitas
  • Pumpkin Cream Bars
  • This Thanksgiving head Out West with this Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing packed full of sliced apple, pecan and celery with rustic bread cubes.
  • Earthy chanterelle mushrooms, sage and leeks come together with toasted bread cubes in this rustic Out West Chanterelle Sage Stuffing.
  • An easy side dish full of flavor, Roasted Spiced Carrots with Agave and Pepitas bring rustic elegance to your table.
  • Pumpkin Cream Bars with Chili Lime Pepitas combines the flavors of traditional pumpkin pie with lime zested whipped cream topping and chili lime pepitas in a graham cracker crust.
A blend of red chiles, spices and orange juice produce a flavorful skin on this Out West inspired Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey

Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey

A blend of red chiles, spices and orange juice produce a flavorful skin on this Out West inspired Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Thanksgiving
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 1 10-11 pound smoked turkey thawed
  • 2 Guajillo chiles
  • 2 New Mexico Chiles
  • 2 Chile de Arbol
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tbsp. agave syrup
  • 1 orange sliced
  • 1 bunch sage

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place a small pan over medium high heat. Add Guajillo, New Mexico and Chile de Arbol to hot pan and dry toast while moving around in the pan, for about 2-3 minutes. They will soften and aroma will fill your kitchen. Be careful not to burn.
  • Remove chiles from pan and place in blender with chicken broth, garlic cloves, cinnamon, cumin and orange juice. Let cool for a minutes or so, then blend until smooth.
  • Place smoked turkey in a large roasting pan. Rub chile mixture all over smoked turkey, followed by agave syrup. Tuck sliced oranges and sage in cavity and around outside of smoked turkey. Cover with foil and cook for about 2 hours or until 140 – 145 degree internal temperature is reached. It's about 10 minutes per pound.
Keyword Pacific Northwest Thanksgiving, Spice Rubbed Turkey

Filed Under: Holiday, Turkey Tagged With: Smoked Turkey, Thanksgiving Turkey

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OUT WEST:  Food & Lifestyle celebrates life in the west, from the freshest coastal seafood to local grown vegetables and small farmed meats. We focus on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal recipes to inspire you to cook at home.   It’s important to know where your food comes from, bridging the gap between farm to table, and creating a small carbon footprint.

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OUT WEST: FOODS IN SEASON

Classic Cottage Pie is made with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas. Topped with creamy potato cheese mixture and carrot tops.

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Grapefruit / Orange

Vegetables:

Brussel Sprout / Kale / Cabbage

Broccolli / Cauliflower / Potato

Herbs:

Sage / Rosemary/ Curry Leaf

Thyme / Oregano/ Horseradish

Seafood:

King Crab / Herring

Pacific Cod / Dungeness Crab

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