• Marinades, brines, and wet rubs are good to retain moisture and add flavor. This is especially helpful for thin cuts.

• For searing, or adding crust to a chop, use a marinade with sugar in it such as apple juice or balsamic vinegar. Also, use a little Wondra flour (as in many restaurants) on the chops since it has rye flour in it which browns nicely and gives a wonderful aroma.

• Allow pasture raised meats to come to room temperature before cooking.

• Make sure the pan is hot as well as the oil before adding the meat. This helps keep the pan temperature from dropping, which may mean your pork won’t brown before over-cooking.

• When cooking raw sausages, start them in cold water and bring them to a gentle boil. Once they boil, drain and rinse, then return them to the oiled/buttered pan and brown evenly. This method allows the sausages to be cooked all the way through without having to burn the outside or split the sausage to fully cook the interior.

• Use lower temperatures than you would with grocery store pork. Medium, or medium-high at most for searing. When braising, try temperatures in the 250°F range. Allow for extra time to cook. This avoids shrinkage and toughening, and yields better flavor.

• For thicker chops and steaks, consider pan searing or grilling first, then finishing in a lower temperature oven or a cooler part of the grill.

• Trichinosis is the reason pork was always cooked to 160°F, but it dies at 138°. The government has just recently changed the standard “safe” temperature to 145°. In restaurants, there is something referred to as “carry over” — when you remove a roast from the oven at 140°, carry over will bring the internal temp up to 145° before it begins cooling. So, when the roast hits 140°, pull it. If you wish, check it after a few minutes to be sure it hits 145°F.

• Let it rest! When your pork is done, give it a little time to “rest”. Keep it somewhere warm or tent some foil over it, and tilt the pan a little and keep the meat out of the juices that may accumulate. This keeps the meat from losing its crust to the liquid in the pan bottom, and the resting time allows the juices in the meat to re-distribute evenly throughout the meat as the tissue fibers relax. It also means that when you cut the pork, you will not lose a lot of the juices and the meat will be tender.

• Think ahead! Since pastured pork cooks quickly and can go from done to over-done in a flash, get out all your stuff first, before you start. And, if you are using a marinade, try to get the pork into it the night before (at least). Heavy-duty zipper kitchen bags are great for this. Toss in the marinade and meat, and every time you go in the refrigerator give the bag a turn.

Pomegranates are high in antioxidants and pack a strong, tangy flavor, but how in the world do you open them without making a mess? Learn how to open pomegranates, and also how to make juice from the ruby-red seeds inside.

Here's a great video about how to seed a pomegranate: http://video.about.com/gourmetfood/Pomegranate.htm

Open and Score the Pomegranate
First cut off the top of the pomegranate. With a spoon or ice cream scoop, gently take out some of the center core. Be careful not to disturb the seeds. Next, use your knife to score the outer rind around the fruit. Put your thumbs in the center and gently pull apart the sections. Peel away some of the white skin. You may be able to remove pieces from the rind.

Separate Seeds in Water
To easily remove the seeds, place the pieces of pomegranate into a large bowl of cold water. Now when you go to remove the seeds, they'll come right out. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl. With the sieve, remove the skin floating on top. When the skin is gone, take out the seeds.

Juice the Pomegranate Seeds
You can eat the seeds just as they are. If you want to make pomegranate juice, you can throw the seeds in a blender. Or for a quick and fun way, you can also place them into a plastic freezer bag. Remove most of the air, seal the zipper, and use a rolling pin to break the seeds. You can see that there s quite a bit of juice for just some of the seeds. Cut a very small corner off of the bag and squeeze the juice into a glass for a very fresh drink.

SOURCE: Article and video courtesy of food.about.com

Place the bird on a rack in a roasting pan, and into a preheated 350°F oven. Use the following chart to estimate the time required for baking.

Bake until the skin is a light golden color, and then cover loosely with a foil tent. During the last 45 minutes of baking, remove the foil tent to brown the skin. Basting is not necessary, but will promote even browning.

The best test for doneness is the temperature of the meat, not the color of the skin. The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 180°F, and when the breast meat reaches an internal temperature of 170°F.

If your turkey is stuffed, it is important to check the temperature of the dressing. The stuffing should be 165°F. When the turkey is done, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

Most families have favorite stuffing or dressing recipes that have been passed down for several generations. If you weren’t privy to the early Thanksgiving morning kitchen activities as a kid, there’s a chance you may have missed watching Mom or Grandma making their signature stuffing.

There are many stuffing recipe and variations from region to region, and from family to family. There is not “one way” for making stuffing. But, the most traditional stuffing, with its origins in New England, is bread stuffing. The thrifty New Englanders used day old bread as a base. Herbs, sautéed vegetables and seasonings were added, as well as a liquid to bind the ingredients, which might have included stock and eggs. Today, stuffing may include more exotic ingredients such as dried fruits and nuts, or specialty mushrooms.

When it comes to holiday cooking, Martha is the undisputed doyenne of All Things Holidays. After scouring the Internet for an instructional cooking video, Martha Stewart’s step-by-step slideshow about how to make stuffing was the best, hands down. If this is your first time making the dressing for Thanksgiving, take the time to learn the basics.

Another great resource for Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing recipes is Saveur's website.

Here's our favorite recipe for dressing.

Sausage and Cranberry Bread Stuffing for Turkey

INGREDIENTS:

12 cups, cut into 1/2-inch bread cubes, plus 2 cups finely ground fresh bread crumbs (use a food processor) from a couple loaves of dense, crusty Italian or French bread
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (ground)
1 tablespoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 pounds bulk Italian sausage or quality pork sausage with sage
6 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons
2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup brandy
3 medium celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup pecans, broken into large pieces
3 large eggs
1 quart chicken or turkey stock (or part milk and stock)
Optional: a few tablespoons of additional melted butter

METHOD:

Prepare bread cubes and bread crumbs and place in very large mixing bowl. Set aside.

To bread cube mixtures, add Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, orange zest and fresh parsley. Toss to combine well.  Set aside.

In large sauté pan, crumble and cook sausage until no longer pink. Add to bread cube mixture.

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in large sauté pan. Add chopped onions and cook until onions begin to caramelize. When the onions are golden brown, add brandy. Stir and continue cooking until brandy is reduced to a syrup consistency. Add to bread cube mixture.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in sauté pan. Add chopped celery and cook for five minutes, or until slightly softened. Add to bread cube mixture.

Toss cranberries and pecans in bread cube mixture. Using your hands or large spoon, combine the dressing ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and stock (or part milk and stock). Pour 1/3 of mixture over dressing mixture. Mix lightly. Add the last of the egg-stock mixture to the dressing and mix to combine.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Spray a large casserole dish or baking pan with vegetable non-stick spray. Spoon the dressing into the prepared dish. (Drizzle an additional 3-4 tablespoons of butter on top of the dressing, if desired, for a crustier finish.) Cover with foil, with one small slit cut in the middle.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Continue baking an additional 25-30 minutes, or until dressing is golden brown and crusty.

VARIATIONS:

• Replace cranberries with chopped prunes, apricots or chopped tart apples

• Replace pecans with chopped chestnuts