Long Overdue Turkey Post

I haven't blogged in a while. After Thanksgiving, I really wanted to do a post on my first (rather successful) Thanksgiving Turkey. I never really got around to it. Despite the fact that it's (almost) February, I've decided....better late than never!

So here's my saga:

We normally celebrate Thanksgiving day at the Broswick's in Lee's Summit. Then we head over to Salina the following Saturday for Thanksgiving Part 2 with my family. This year, my parents and aunt and uncle decided to spend Thanksgiving in Arizona. So the whole Salina thing was out. I invited my siblings to join us at our place to celebrate. Along with getting the house cleaned and ready for guests, I got the experience of making my first turkey.

I had a lot of anxiety going into this. Cooking a turkey just sounded....hard. But I was bound and determined to make the best damn turkey anyone ever tasted. So I started researching. I have a subscription to both Food & Wine magazine and The Food Network magazine. Between the two, I was able to figure out anything I wanted to know.

I did an orange-bourbon brine on the turkey the night before and may I just say...my house smelled AMAZING. This whole "prep time" was quite humorous as it included me being elbow-deep in a bird's ass and googling "Where are the giblets!?!" In the end, I got it all figured out.

The next morning, I got up early. I rinsed the turkey and basted it with a honey mustard butter and stuffed it with a bunch of random crap. I popped that baby in the oven and a couple hours later....deliciousness. I will say, the skin ended up browning a lot faster than I would have liked. So it wasn't like...beautiful or anything. But it WAS juicy and moist and delicious. And quite frankly, that's what matters, right?

And now, some photos for your entertainment:

The good thing about using a bourbon brine, is you can drink the bourbon.

A cavity search was necessary.


If you're thinking, "Is she using a flashlight to help locate the giblets?" then you're correct.

I must say, it was a fun experience.

Goals for 2011

• Lose the 5 lbs I gained over the holidays...and keep it off.
• Get on a regular work out schedule. I say this every year. The first half of 2010, I did a great job of this! In April I logged 1,000 minutes of exercise. The second half of the year...I worked out like 5 times. Not good.
• Participate in the Brew-to-Brew run (and hopefully some other 5K, 10K, or marathon relay runs).
• Make at least 3 recipes from my "Top Chef" cookbook.
• Continue to cross off items on my 101 in 1,001 list...in particular the "Buy a House" one.

What are your goals for the new year?

Recently tried recipes

Here are the links to some recipes I have tried this past week.

Oreo Truffles (made with white chocolate, of course!)

Mint Chip Cookies (I used Andes mint chunks instead of mint chips)

Braided Burrito (made with ground turkey)

French Toast Casserole (Next time I think I may do a light layer of cream cheese and strawberries on top)

Sausage and Egg Casserole (I gave the crescent rolls a 7 minute head start before adding the rest of the ingredients)

Panera's Broccoli Cheese Soup (less carrots next time)

Christmas Deliciousness

As it always is, Christmas this year was full of yummy deliciousness. The food festivities started with our Annual Secret Santa Christmas party that I do with my girl friends. Our spread included cheesy death corn casserole, chicken empanadas, stuffed mushrooms, caprese bites, tomato zucchini salad, some yummy dips, cookies, a Kentucky Derby pie, and lots of wine.

The next food extravaganza took place at our friend Nate's house. He had us over the eve of Christmas Eve. I brought over a bunch of the Christmas cookies I had spent all day baking and he had tons of homemade Christmas candy and cookies. It was total sweetness overload!

Christmas Eve James and I headed to McPherson to do Christmas with my family. That night we kept things simple and did chili, cornbread, and cinnamon rolls. I spent that afternoon prepping a couple casseroles which I threw into the oven Christmas morning for breakfast. I took my chances and made two things I'd never made before: a sausage and egg casserole and french toast casserole. They both turned out great if I do say so myself (note my adorable new apron).



Then for Christmas dinner my mom made a Christmas ham, prime rib, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, and strawberry pretzel dessert. And Nicole brought a strawberry rhubarb pie. We definitely weren't short of food AT ALL!

This morning we did Christmas with Rory and Jen. Rory made us biscuits and gravy for brunch.

I feel like this past week I've done nothing but EAT EAT EAT! Everything has been so delicious but I think it's time for me to get my butt in gear and start working out again. Why wait until the new year?

Random Act of Kindness

Last weekend I was making stuffed mushrooms for a Christmas party with friends. I was running late and had just gotten back from the store and realized that I needed an egg. I didn't have time to go back to the store so I did what they did in the olden days...

I went over to my neighbor's and asked if I could borrow an egg. This was kind of a big deal for me. I don't know my neighbor's name and we've never really talked aside from saying "Hello" in the parking lot. Her son plays outside a lot and really likes our dog though...so I wouldn't say we're COMPLETE strangers.

Anyway, she happily let me have an egg and thus saved my stuffed mushrooms.

So today I spent all day in the kitchen baking cookies. I made:

• Chocolate Andes Mint Chip Cookies - made with chocolate cake mix and chunks of Andes mints
• Peanut Butter Caramel Surprises - peanut butter cookie with a hidden Rolo in the middle, topped with roasted marshmallows
• Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chip Cookies - peanut butter cookie with both chocolate and peanut butter chips
• White Chocolate Covered Oreo Truffles - crushed oreos mixed with cream cheese and covered in white chocolate (one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten in my life)

So my cookies have now cooled and I made a cookie plate with a Christmas card for my neighbor. It's my way of saying "thank you" for the egg.

Things I'm thankful for - Days 13 & 14

Day #13 - I'm thankful for "girl time". I love my husband and consider him my best friend...but sometimes you just need someone to giggle and shop with. This weekend I went to Osage Beach at Lake of the Ozarks with my friend Diane and her boyfriend's mom. We went and watched the K-state game at a lakeside bar and then shopped til we dropped. We had a blast! I'm so thankful for weekends like these.

Day #14 - I'm thankful that I finally got over my "fear" of cooking. Years ago my cooking skills were limited to eggs and macaroni and cheese. Now cooking has become something I love to do and I think I might have inherited my mother's cookbook addiction. Last night I made creamy smothered chicken burritos in my crockpot. Later this week? Potato soup. Yum!

Currently Eating: The Perfect Sandwich

Whole wheat bread with fat-free cream cheese, dill, turkey, pepperjack cheese, goat cheese, spinach, and guacamole. Mmmm!!!

Cooking

It's so hard for me to believe that I have become a person who enjoys cooking (and is good at it). Eight years ago, I was the girl who could make mac & cheese and ramen...and that was about it. I had a phobia of raw meat and wouldn't go near it. Over the years, I've come a very long way. Now, not only can I follow a recipe...I've become someone who can create. This pleases me.

This morning, I made Russian Crepes for James and myself. A couple years ago, before I got married, my students threw me a recipe shower. I got this recipe from one of my kids...a super sweet Russian boy. I'm not exactly sure how this recipe differs from just regular French crepes, but I do know this....they're delicious!

Here's the recipe, if you want to give it a try. They're really easy!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups milk
1 cup flour
2-3 tbsp. olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a whisk. Batter will be runny.
2. Cook in a skillet or griddle in the same manner as you would pancakes. They will cook considerably faster than a regular pancake, since they're so thin.
3. Serve with your choice of topping. The recipe from my student recommends sour cream, honey, maple syrup, or jam. James and I like to put cream cheese and blueberry syrup in ours. I think they would also be really good with fresh fruit.

I also add vanilla extract and cinnamon to my batter. Hope you enjoy these as much as we have!

Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna (easy and delicious)

Okay, so here's the recipe for the lasagna I made yesterday. It was delicious! All the measurements are estimated, since I kind of just made it up on the spot.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
8 oz. part-skim ricotta
8 oz. fat free cream cheese (softened)
2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
2 eggs
6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts (chopped)
1 jar Bertolli's roasted garlic alfredo sauce
1/2 jar Bertolli's sun-dried tomato sauce
1 package Barilla's no-boil lasagna noodles (saves a ton of time)
Your choice of spices (see below for the ones I use)

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
2. Cook chicken on stove top. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, and oregano. I go pretty light on the salt and pepper, a little heavier on the garlic, basil, and oregano. Cut into small pieces (or shred) and set aside.
3. Mix ricotta, cream cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan (save remaining shredded cheese for layering), and eggs in a medium sized bowl. Add in a generous amount of parsley and the chopped artichoke hearts.
4. Mix the two sauces together.
5. Layer ingredients into a 9X13 baking dish. I believe I did mine in this order: sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, chicken, shredded cheese (repeat until ingredients run out). I think I did 3 or 4 layers, the top layer being noodles with shredded cheese on top.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Take foil off for the last 5 minutes.

Ideas for the future...possibly add in spinach? I'd also like to try making my own white sauce, but I wasn't feeling quite that adventurous this time around.

Trying something new

I've decided I'm going to make a white chicken lasagna today. And...I'm just going to make the recipe up as I go. This is the first time that I've done this. Usually I'll find a recipe and then kind of make it my own by adding or taking certain things out. This time, I'm simply going off what I think will sound good. How hard can it be? I'm kind of nervous, but really excited too. I'll let you know how it turns out!