It's all about the food...
I don't know about you all, but my stomach is having a heck of a time trying to get back into its original shape. Or at least the shape that it has been the last few months. Why is it that the holidays/colder seasons always make you feel fat? It's like the age-old question: which came first - the bulky sweater or the gut beneath it? Either you wore the sweater and didn't realize how quickly your belly was expanding, or you got the belly, so had to wear a bulky sweater to hide everything. Ugh. At least it was all worth it. And with the countdown to Christmas underway, I'm sure the next little bit will be worth it, too.
Yesterday I made my First Turkey - capital 'F', capital 'T' for freakin' tasty! Yee-haw! I know it is a bit late in the game for this year, but in case you didn't know and want to start thinking about next year's turkey, there's one trick to making a juicy bird: brine it. 3lbs salt (yes, that is pounds, but it does get rinsed off), 3 gallons water, a ton of herbs, 1 turkey and 4-8 hours is all it takes. You can find recipes and tips for bringing just about anywhere. We started brining a few years ago (turkeys in general, that is; the turkey we ate last night had not been brining for the past few years. Although, with that much salt, who's to say it wouldn't have lasted.) and have found it the best way to get the most moist and flavorful bird.
The rest of the menu was also quite good, I must say. I do love being a Betty (Crocker). There were yams with brown sugar and pecans, the traditional green bean casserole, homemade rolls, and Dad and my famous cornbread and sausage stuffing. That's one family secret I can't share. Well, ok, maybe if you beg. After the meal we let our stomachs unwind and our lazy sides take over for a bit with a game of Flux, a card game by the Mensa folks. Made even more of a challenge in that our minds didn't really want to concentrate, but just take a nap.
Then it was time for dessert.
First: Peanut's favorite - pecan pie. I made it from scratch and for whatever reason, it took a ridiculously long time to cook. Like three hours. And I started it at midnight the night before Thanksgiving. Poor Peanut had to stay up to take it out of the oven because I just absolutely conked at 1:30. Still well worth it. The other dessert was my favorite - Toffee Apple Cheesecake. I'm still drooling. Even made toffee bits to sprinkle on top and white chocolate acorns to adorn. It was a day to be thankful of good food!
Now I'm just hoping that next week I'll be thankful for the people who show up for the sale.
Yesterday I made my First Turkey - capital 'F', capital 'T' for freakin' tasty! Yee-haw! I know it is a bit late in the game for this year, but in case you didn't know and want to start thinking about next year's turkey, there's one trick to making a juicy bird: brine it. 3lbs salt (yes, that is pounds, but it does get rinsed off), 3 gallons water, a ton of herbs, 1 turkey and 4-8 hours is all it takes. You can find recipes and tips for bringing just about anywhere. We started brining a few years ago (turkeys in general, that is; the turkey we ate last night had not been brining for the past few years. Although, with that much salt, who's to say it wouldn't have lasted.) and have found it the best way to get the most moist and flavorful bird.
The rest of the menu was also quite good, I must say. I do love being a Betty (Crocker). There were yams with brown sugar and pecans, the traditional green bean casserole, homemade rolls, and Dad and my famous cornbread and sausage stuffing. That's one family secret I can't share. Well, ok, maybe if you beg. After the meal we let our stomachs unwind and our lazy sides take over for a bit with a game of Flux, a card game by the Mensa folks. Made even more of a challenge in that our minds didn't really want to concentrate, but just take a nap.
Then it was time for dessert.
First: Peanut's favorite - pecan pie. I made it from scratch and for whatever reason, it took a ridiculously long time to cook. Like three hours. And I started it at midnight the night before Thanksgiving. Poor Peanut had to stay up to take it out of the oven because I just absolutely conked at 1:30. Still well worth it. The other dessert was my favorite - Toffee Apple Cheesecake. I'm still drooling. Even made toffee bits to sprinkle on top and white chocolate acorns to adorn. It was a day to be thankful of good food!
Now I'm just hoping that next week I'll be thankful for the people who show up for the sale.
posted by Kathy at 5:38 PM
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