Wordless Wednesday

Something New

Yesterday included an attempt at something new. I found a recipe on the internet explaining how to make a turkey without thawing it out first, and let me tell you, that was exciting! I have these frozen turkeys in my freezer that I bought on sale some time ago, and even though I've had good intentions of pulling them out and roasting them, it just doesn't happen. Probably because I never think far enough in advance to thaw them, and so they sit in the freezer. Anyway, I even found an article from the Mayo Clinic stating that making turkeys this way is safe, so I decided to give it a try. All you do is take off the plastic wrapping, place the turkey breast down in the pan in a pre-heated oven of 325 degrees, and start roasting. After about 2-3 hours, you take the turkey out and you should be able to remove the giblets and gravy pack from inside the cavity. Turn the turkey over breast side up, rub on some oil if you want, and season with salt and pepper. Put it back in the oven until total cooking time is about 5-6 hours, at the end checking with a thermometer to see if it's cooked through. The recipe was for a 12-13 pound turkey and it said it should be done in about five hours. Mine was a 15 pound one, so I kept it in about six. It was a beautiful turkey and it was extra moist. The family loved it, and I was so impressed that I think it's going to be my new way of roasting turkeys. Look at the picture for proof! I then popped the carcass in my crockpot to start making soup for tonight's supper.

Middle of the Week Company

My cousin, Dan, flew in from Colorado on a business trip this week and the family decided to meet here for supper. I've also decided that I like entertaining... thinking about what foods I'm going to prepare and making the house cozy and welcoming. A few years back, I started trying to keep the first floor picked up and neat most of the time so that if people happened to drop in on us, I wouldn't die of embarrassment. I'm glad I've made the effort, because getting ready for company hasn't been as overwhelming. The area I need to work on, though, is not getting too ambitious with the menu. Sometimes I get in over my head and then I'm in the kitchen all night and not able to sit down and enjoy the company! So, I decided to make a casserole and overnight salad this time. I changed my mind several times, thinking it wouldn't be good enough to serve but in the end, stuck with the plan. After people finished eating, I heard my brother say, Oh, I haven't had Chicken and Rice in such a long time ... and I think he had a somewhat dreamy look on his face when he said it, so I'm taking that as a compliment. I especially liked that I had plenty of time to pay attention to my guests. Now I'm wondering if I could get away with making a casserole on Christmas Eve?

Wordless Wednesday

Cold But Cozy Get Away

Bruce and I decided at the last minute to drive up north to the cabin for the night. In the span of driving up there, the temps dropped from 41 degrees to 12 degrees below zero, and the winds picked up. It was too cold to go out again after we got there, so I dug around in the freezer and found a box of frozen Chicken Florentine to heat up in the oven. I also found a can of white chicken chili and a bottle of wine, so that was supper. We hung some pictures and coat racks on the wall and then watched a Lifetime movie and Saturday Night Live. It was quality time for just the two of us! Jessie went with and spent most of her time napping.

Hash and Eggs

Hmmm, I'm writing about food again, which means I must be feeling good. Or maybe it's because it's January and it's freezing cold outside and it just feels nice to nest inside a warm house and eat cozy food. Tonight I made a breakfast for supper, hash & eggs, and toast. I used the new skillet Bruce gave me for Christmas, one of those green, ceramic ones that food never sticks to. I also noticed that the inside of the egg carton had a Bible verse written in it. I'll try to write about something other than food next time, but I'm not making any promises. 

Creative Cooking

I hate to waste leftovers and so I froze a couple gallon sized bags of sweet and sour meatballs from Christmas Eve for future suppers. Tonight I pulled out a bag, warmed it up in the oven, and served it over pasta. It tasted pretty good, actually. We recently defrosted the upright freezer in the basement, and I was able to get a good look at everything in there, the plan being to eat up most of what we have before going out and just randomly buying more. I think there are a few turkeys in there, too, just waiting to be pulled out and roasted. What a blessing to have so much food!

Quiet House

Well, Kates has gone back to college and Tristin and Sheldon went with. Sheldon is not the noisy one, being a gecko, but I've decided that Tristin is a special needs kind of cat. In fact, if there were psychiatric diagnosis that could be given to cats, I'm pretty sure that he would have a couple. I don't think he has an evil bone in his body, but he is a hunter, and it was a sad month in which both of Kate's pet chinchillas were victims. Horrible is not a strong enough word to describe how traumatic it was to find them. Anyway, what's done is done, and I think it's pretty safe to say there won't be any more rodent type pets in the future as long as Tristin is in the mix. (Heavy sigh.) So, the house is pretty quiet again. We ended up pulling out a new puzzle to put together and this one only took three of us and one evening to complete. I think it looks pretty, so I think we'll leave it out on the coffee table for awhile.

Wordless Wednesday

Cup Of Tea

I've been enjoying a cup of Chamomile tea with milk and Splenda lately. In fact, I was drinking a cup while we were watching the Vikings-Packers game on Saturday and I couldn't help but notice all the commercials for beer. I'd rather have my tea any day.

Sunday

Corn chowder in the crockpot and homemade bread in the bread maker is the plan for today. It's smelling yummy in the kitchen and I'm starting to think that I might be able to declutter a cabinet to make room for the things I use on a regular basis. Funny how stuff grows in the cabinets, and then all of a sudden, it's really tricky trying to extract the things you need. I think we shall also have some pie for dessert as there is a cherry pie sitting in the porch, just waiting to be eaten.

New Year

It's a New Year, and for that I am glad. We're not ones to celebrate big, but we did have a glass of sparkling rose wine last evening to toast the new year coming in. Katie had friends over for snacks and games and there was lots of laughter to be heard. I'm pretty sure they enjoyed themselves. The boys were out and about with friends. Bruce and I were actually in bed and asleep before midnight, but it feels good to start out the new morning and new year rested up. I wish you all a Peaceful New Year, or least moments of peace when you can have them.