CookingWithGeorgeAndFriends.com

Week 39 Recipe

VEGGIE TURKEY CENTERPIECE

Making this turkey centerpiece is a tradition I started with my granddaughter about 5 years ago. When she started out, she did not do the cutting, of course. Now she can almost assemble one totally by herself! Happy Thanskgiving!

TOOLS   INGREDIENTS • 1 fresh pineapple • 6 to 8 Red cabbage leaves • 1 small bag of baby carrots • 1 small bag of cherry tomatoes • 2 cucumbers • 1 jar stuffed green olives • 1 can pitted black olives • 8 oz Swiss cheese, block • 8 oz Cheddar or Colby cheese, block • 1 small bag of radishes • 1 bag or bundle of green onions • 1 small head of broccoli • 1 tangerine • 1 box of round toothpicks

PREPARATION: Start by cutting the cheeses into bite size squares. Insert a toothpick into each square about halfway through it. Set aside in a bowl. Insert toothpicks halfway into the olives and set aside in a bowl. Wash the carrots and radishes and tomatoes and insert toothpicks into them leaving about half the toothpick showing. (It is easier to get the toothpicks into the radishes and carrots without breaking them if you hold the toothpick closer to the end you are pushing in). Run a fork down the sides of the cucumbers to make ridges. Slice the cucumber in about ¼” slices. Insert toothpicks leaving half the toothpick showing. Cut off the leafy end of the pineapple and discard. You are now ready to design your turkey. Start at the large end of the pineapple with the largest veggies first. i.e. the cucumbers, carrots, cheese, tomatoes, until the pineapple is covered. At the small end of the pineapple, cut the cluster of broccoli on a 45 degree angle to make it fit against the pineapple for the wattle. Use toothpicks to fix the tangerine for the head. Use green onion for the eyes and pieces of black olives for the pupils. Lay red cabbage leaves on a tray for the turkey to lay on. The feet are made from a chunk of cheese with three carrots pointing outwards. Add green onions for the tail feathers to make the turkey complete. Keep turkey in the fridg until your guests are ready to gobble it up!