You can have your Thanksgiving turkey while still adding a little flair to your menu with this Cajun inspired blackened roast turkey.

To complete my Cajun-inspired Thanksgiving menu this year I give you the main event – blackened turkey! This is actually last years turkey because I made it on actual Thanksgiving Day, but since no one wants Turkey recipes post-Thanksgiving I saved it all this time until now. Good thing pictures don’t spoil.

Ever since I started planning and cooking Thanksgiving dinner myself, I’ve learned the struggles of such an adventure. Despite all the planning and prep you still spend the entire day in the kitchen! And don’t get me started on the whole thawing of the turkey process. It always takes longer than I anticipate. And then you have to go about brining a turkey. Please tell me your secrets if cooking this meal doesn’t stress you out.

Despite the stress however, I love coming up with a Thanksgiving menu! It’s not often that I get to come up with an entire themed menu and I think this one came together quite well. But this year I am taking a break and won’t be hosting. Instead all I have to do is bring dessert!

If you are hosting, this turkey was an excellent variation on the traditional bird so live a little and try it out! I also suggest pairing it with chorizo cornbread stuffing, kale and collard green gratin, cranberry apple cider sangria, and coconut-pumpkin pie for dessert! Feel free to start your grocery list now.

One year ago: Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Stuffed with Pear Hash

Two years ago: Caramel Apple Pecan Cheesecake

Three years ago: Penne with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Goat Cheese

Five years ago: Baked Apple Cider Doughnut Minis

Six years ago: Asian BBQ Chicken

BLACKENED ROAST TURKEY

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

BRINE

2 gallons cold water

3/4 cup salt

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup smoked paprika

2 Tbsp chile powder

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp onion powder

1/2 Tbsp oregano

1/2 Tbsp thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

TURKEY

12 lb. turkey, giblets removed

1 bulb garlic, halved

1 small onion, quartered

1 lemon, halved

RUB

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp adobo sauce (from can of chipotle chiles)

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 Tbsp chili powder

1-1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bucket, add the water, salt, and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add in remaining brine spices and turkey, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
2. When ready, preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
3. Rinse turkey well under cold water, and pat dry inside and out. Season the inside of the bird with salt and pepper. Stuff with garlic, onion, and lemon. Tuck wings under the turkey and truss.
4. In a medium bowl, blend together the rub ingredients, forming a paste. Carefully loosen the skin from the meat by sliding your hand under the skin. Rub 2/3 of the rub under the skin around breast and leg meat. Rub remaining 1/3 on the outside.
5. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 degrees F and cover the turkey with foil. Continue to roast for another 1.5-2 hours, removing the foil for the last 30 minutes, or until the turkey reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from oven and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Source: Adapted from Food Network (Bobby Flay) and The Suburban Soapbox.

Change up your usual toppings and opt for and avocado-corn salsa, chipotle cream, and cotija cheese to make these Mexican hot dogs.

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When grocery shopping I always bring reusable shopping bags and have never run into a cashier that seemed confused by them. However, half the time I bring them into other stores such as Target, Marshalls, etc. the cashier starts looking for a bar code tag even though the first thing I said to them upon approaching was “Hi, I am using my own bag today”.

Reusable bags are common enough these days to not have it be so odd to bring one into a regular department store. Besides, I’m not going to avoid plastic bags at the grocery store just to acquire them elsewhere. I do use them for my small bathroom trash can and really should work on an alternative, but I don’t need very many to meet that call to duty.

Which brings me to a cool thing happening on the west coast (other than my brother, sister-in-law and nephew moving there in a month) – bans on plastic bags! It started in San Francisco in 2007 and has slowly spread to other major cities over the years such as Los Angeles and Sacramento. Chicago, Portland and Dallas look like they might be next in 2013. So start busting out those reusable bags if you haven’t already!

And as I update this post 10 years later (2023), certain stores in Columbus, OH where I live now have started banning them. Evidently this trend did not spread quite as quickly as anticipated haha.

Oh and food? Yes you are here for food not my ramblings and I am here to tell you to make these Mexican hot dogs. They are regular turkey hot dogs topped with Mexican inspired deliciousness – which I actually recently learned usually involves bacon because in Mexico they think American put bacon on everything. Instead, these Mexican hot dogs are topped with a salsa made from corn, jalapeno, avocado and some seasonings.

But it doesn’t stop there. Next some chipotle peppers come out to play mixed with Greek yogurt for a perfect chipotle cream topping. Perfect served with a glass of a Mexican mango mocktail, street corn, and/or some spicy sweet potato fries, which are delicious dipped in any leftover cream (which totally happens when you forget to top your hot dog with it until halfway through your meal, hence the one photo below that actually has the sauce – ha!).

MEXICAN HOT DOGS WITH CORN SALSA AND CHIPOTLE CREAM

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Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CORN SALSA

• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 2 Tbsp diced red onion
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• Pinch of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 avocado, seeded, peeled and diced

CHIPOTLE CREAM

• 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt (I used 2% plain Chobani)
• 1/2 tsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or more to taste

HOT DOGS

• 4 of your favorite hot dogs
• 4 hot dog buns
• Cotija cheese, for garnish

Directions

1. For the salsa: In a large bowl, add the corn, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, and salt, stirring until evenly distributed. Carefully fold in the avocado; set aside.
2. For the cream: In a small bowl whisk together Greek yogurt and adobo sauce; set aside.
3. For the hot dogs: Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Add hot dogs to the grill and cook until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes a side.
4. To assemble the hot dogs, add hot dogs into each hot dog bun, top with corn salsa, a drizzle of chipotle cream, and crumbled cotija cheese.

Source: Adapted slightly from Damn Delicious.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Post updated 7/18/2023, photo above is the original.

Bacon, Jalapeno, and Chipotle – oh my! These bacon jalapeno burgers are perfect for your next cookout for those that can handle a little heat.

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Don’t you just love when you’ve come home from a long day, and dinner is hot and ready upon your arrival? If that phenomenon occurs in your world on a regular basis, then I envy you because it is a rarity for me. They occur as frequently as today’s date (hooray leap year!). Living alone certainly has it’s plus sides but you definitely cannot rely on anyone else other than yourself to put food in front of you at the table (or standing at the counter, or reading blogs at your computer). That is until you have friends come to visit and you put them to work!

Bob came to visit two weekends ago and since he is just about as food-obsessed as I am, we turned my kitchen upside-down. (I also put him to work as my lab slave when I went to lab to count cell colonies forming on agarose plates – this is science folks). But one night after I was at work all day, I had the luxury of not lifting a single finger in order to have this meal appear. And of course such a momentous occasion had to be shared so Maggie came over to enjoy it as well (and to escape from the meatloaf dinner alternative). She and I devoured the bacon that should’ve been reserved for the leftover fourth burger, but we deserved it after spin class.

Other than the obviously delicious bacon, the burgers as a whole were fantastic. The chipotle sauce was the perfect addition and the pretzel bun (bretzel) is my favorite carb with which to surround a burger (although when I remade this for better photos I used regular burger buns). Moral of the story? I need to leave visitors alone at my home more often so that magical food appears. Especially thick crispy bacon. Also feel free to serve these bacon jalapeno burgers with a side of cilantro lime pasta salad.

(Of course I did have a role in planning this meal since we had gone to the grocery store a couple days prior to get the ingredients, and it was my idea to substitute the mayo for Greek yogurt in the sauce, but I’m not trying to take all the credit :-P)

Post updated 9/15/2025, photo above is the original.

BACON JALAPENO BURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE SAUCE

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Yield: 4 Servings Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 14 Minutes 14 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CHIPOTLE SAUCE

• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt*
• 1-2 chipotle peppers
• 2 tsp adobo sauce**

BURGERS

• 1-1/3 pounds ground beef
• Sprinkle of salt, pepper, garlic powder
• 4 rounds of red onion
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 slices crispy cooked bacon
• 16-20 pickled jalapeno slices
• 4 pretzel rolls (or preferred rolls)
• Lettuce

Directions

1. For the Chipotle Sauce: In a small food processor, pulse together ingredients until combined. Set aside.
2. For the Burgers: Divide the ground beef into four 1/3 pound burgers. Patty them out and set them on a large plate. Season with a simple sprinkling of salt, pepper, and garlic powder (make sure you season both sides). Set aside until ready to grill (or pan sear if it's cold where you are).
3. Heat grill (or pan) to medium to medium-high heat and grill for a 4-7 minutes on each side until desired doneness. During last minute of cooking - add a slice of cheese to each burger and close cover until cheese begins to melt. While the burgers are cooking, add the onion sliced and allow them to char a bit on each side and begin to soften. Remove burger and onions from grill and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.
4. Place a burger on each bun and top with 2 slices of bacon and 4-5 jalapeno slices. Slather some of the chipotle sauce on the top bun and place a grilled onion round on top. Add a little lettuce if you so desire and place to halves of the bun together. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Or mayo. **You can find cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Ethnic aisle at your grocery store. I pull out a pepper or 2 & dice them up, and then use the adobo sauce straight from the can. Store the leftovers in a little airtight container in the fridge for future use.

Source: Adapted slightly from My Life as a Mrs (website no longer exists).