It's true.
When I bought the ingredients for my brine, I waited to buy oranges. When I bought oranges, I really bought grapefruit.
Who does that?
I made the brine using the grapefruit peel anyway. Hopefully it doesn't really matter.
But really, who buys grapefruit instead of oranges? How the heck didn't I notice that what I was buying was PINK and not ORANGE? Holy cow!
Turkey goes in the brine tonight. Wish me luck!
In other news, I am grateful that I live in a time where I can drive to the store and buy groceries. Anything I want is pretty much accessible. I don't have to trade with neighbors, or plant things myself. How spoiled are we?
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
More Thank Yous
Hi!
I put our turkey in the fridge on Friday morning and it's still really frozen. I'm starting to get nervous..... However, I am thankful for refrigerators.
I bought a brining bag, because they are humongous and can fit a 22lb turkey, plus two gallons if liquid in them. Best creation ever! I'm thankful for brining bags.
I took my marketing research test on Saturday. I hope I passed. I'm thankful my company gave me the opportunity to continue my education.
Lance is home sick today. Part of me is secretly hoping he did the dishes. But when I was home sick last week, did I do the dishes? Alas, I did not. So I won't be sad if the house is as messy as I left it this morning.
Did you know that I will be seeing my long lost family in 9 days? I'm so excited. (I'm thankful for airplanes.)
I have this desire to publicly brag about my awesome brother-in-law, Jeff Morrey. However, I can't say why. It's a secret, for now. But let's just say that he is so awesome and he made me 100 times more excited for Christmas!
Does that catch me up on thank-yous?
I put our turkey in the fridge on Friday morning and it's still really frozen. I'm starting to get nervous..... However, I am thankful for refrigerators.
I bought a brining bag, because they are humongous and can fit a 22lb turkey, plus two gallons if liquid in them. Best creation ever! I'm thankful for brining bags.
I took my marketing research test on Saturday. I hope I passed. I'm thankful my company gave me the opportunity to continue my education.
Lance is home sick today. Part of me is secretly hoping he did the dishes. But when I was home sick last week, did I do the dishes? Alas, I did not. So I won't be sad if the house is as messy as I left it this morning.
Did you know that I will be seeing my long lost family in 9 days? I'm so excited. (I'm thankful for airplanes.)
I have this desire to publicly brag about my awesome brother-in-law, Jeff Morrey. However, I can't say why. It's a secret, for now. But let's just say that he is so awesome and he made me 100 times more excited for Christmas!
Does that catch me up on thank-yous?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Mo Tab
I am thankful for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
I have a Christmas Pandora station I've been listening to lately, and it has some popular songs by popular artists as well as instrumental and Mo Tab songs on there...
The Mo Tab songs are the best. For one, the songs they sing represent the true meaning of Christmas, rather than getting presents, or missing someone they love, etc. It's nice to not hear about Santa in a song once in a while.
Santa Baby = the most annoying Christmas song. Ever.
Another reason I like Mo Tab Christmas songs the best is because of the spirit they bring when you listen to them. I like the Mo Tab version of O Holy Night better than Celine Dion's version, or Josh Groban's version, or any other version. I've wondered why this is for a while, and I think I've figured it out today.
Each member in Mo Tab has a testimony of each song they are singing, and you can feel it through the way they sing. It's as if they are perfect vessels for the spirit to send its message through. They are not just trying to sound good. They are not singing for money. They are singing because they love the Lord, they love music, and they love to share the gospel with others. Most importantly, what they are singing is true.
And I love them. I'm thankful there are some Christmas songs out there that aren't focusing on presents, Santa, and kissing under the mistletoe.
I have a Christmas Pandora station I've been listening to lately, and it has some popular songs by popular artists as well as instrumental and Mo Tab songs on there...
The Mo Tab songs are the best. For one, the songs they sing represent the true meaning of Christmas, rather than getting presents, or missing someone they love, etc. It's nice to not hear about Santa in a song once in a while.
Santa Baby = the most annoying Christmas song. Ever.
Another reason I like Mo Tab Christmas songs the best is because of the spirit they bring when you listen to them. I like the Mo Tab version of O Holy Night better than Celine Dion's version, or Josh Groban's version, or any other version. I've wondered why this is for a while, and I think I've figured it out today.
Each member in Mo Tab has a testimony of each song they are singing, and you can feel it through the way they sing. It's as if they are perfect vessels for the spirit to send its message through. They are not just trying to sound good. They are not singing for money. They are singing because they love the Lord, they love music, and they love to share the gospel with others. Most importantly, what they are singing is true.
And I love them. I'm thankful there are some Christmas songs out there that aren't focusing on presents, Santa, and kissing under the mistletoe.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Relief Society
Finding something each day to be thankful for is not difficult.
Blogging every day is difficult. I don't spend much time on the computer at home, except to look up recipes.
Anyway, yesterday was a good day. Work was pretty slow, so I got to study for this big test I need to take for my marketing course. I'm not quite done with my reading assignment, but I started taking practice quizzes anyway. I was getting solid 80%-90% scores, so I feel pretty good about taking the test this week.
After work, I dropped Lance off at his second job and then I went straight to relief society.
Relief society? Yep! This is the second time I have gone since I've been in the ward... My ward does a great job about notifying me about activities and making me feel welcome, I'm just so dang shy! I'm in Primary, so I don't know very many of the sisters, so I don't go to the activities. This week I realized I'm not going to know any of the sisters unless I start going to activities. So I'm going to try to do better about that.
Last night I sat a table between two sisters who I recognized, but I don't really know. One sister's daughter, Kyla, was in my Primary class last year. (I just love that name, Kyla. As a side note, I wanted Lily's name to be Kyla Lily, (like a play on the name of the calla lily flowers) but Lance didn't agree with it....) My visiting teacher, Amy, was at the same table, just a couple sisters away, so I didn't feel totally like a fish out of water. The food was good, and I talked a little bit to some ladies. I made a little craft and then went home.
I feel really good about going to this activity. There are always new sisters in the ward, so I'm sure there are plenty of sisters who don't know each other, and we're all sort of in the same boat. We just have to take the initiative to get to know each other. I'm thankful for the relief society.
After relief society I went home to get my girls. I had thawed out my frozen cinnamon rolls in the fridge, so I put them on the counter to raise for a bit. They didn't really raise. Ok, they didn't raise at all. So freezing this particular cinnamon roll dough was not a good idea. However, after baking them and drenching them in a cream cheese-butter-milk-vanilla-powdered sugar mixture, they were excellent.
Later that night, after watching Dancing with the Stars, I loaded the girls into the car and went to Walmart. The dogs stayed in the car. I bought all of my Thanksgiving items. Well, almost all. I still need a stock pot that can hold over 2 gallons of liquid (my lovely sister in law will be letting me borrow hers), 4 oranges (I thought they'd go bad if I bought them this early), and a turkey bag. Walmart was out of turkey bags, however they were stocking the shelves, so maybe if I go back tonight they will have some.
Thanks to two of my awesome cousins and their success stories, I have found the confidence to just brine a regular ol' turkey from Walmart! I bought a 22lb Butterball. It was heavy. Not sure I should have lifted it... I will be brining it, however, I will be decreasing the amount of salt in the brine recipe I'll be using, just to be careful. I'm borrowing the stock pot to cook the brine in, and the turkey bag is to soak the turkey in the brine. I'm super excited! I want to start cooking the turkey now. Maybe I'll go buy an 8lb turkey and practice! :-)
After Walmart it was almost 11pm, and I drove to the mall to pick up Lance. He was tired. I was tired. Before now I've made sure I got 8 hours of sleep each night. But getting home at 11:30pm, and having to get up at 7am means that is not possible. Remarkably, I feel fine! Practice for when I'm getting 2 hours of sleep each night, no?
Blogging every day is difficult. I don't spend much time on the computer at home, except to look up recipes.
Anyway, yesterday was a good day. Work was pretty slow, so I got to study for this big test I need to take for my marketing course. I'm not quite done with my reading assignment, but I started taking practice quizzes anyway. I was getting solid 80%-90% scores, so I feel pretty good about taking the test this week.
After work, I dropped Lance off at his second job and then I went straight to relief society.
Relief society? Yep! This is the second time I have gone since I've been in the ward... My ward does a great job about notifying me about activities and making me feel welcome, I'm just so dang shy! I'm in Primary, so I don't know very many of the sisters, so I don't go to the activities. This week I realized I'm not going to know any of the sisters unless I start going to activities. So I'm going to try to do better about that.
Last night I sat a table between two sisters who I recognized, but I don't really know. One sister's daughter, Kyla, was in my Primary class last year. (I just love that name, Kyla. As a side note, I wanted Lily's name to be Kyla Lily, (like a play on the name of the calla lily flowers) but Lance didn't agree with it....) My visiting teacher, Amy, was at the same table, just a couple sisters away, so I didn't feel totally like a fish out of water. The food was good, and I talked a little bit to some ladies. I made a little craft and then went home.
I feel really good about going to this activity. There are always new sisters in the ward, so I'm sure there are plenty of sisters who don't know each other, and we're all sort of in the same boat. We just have to take the initiative to get to know each other. I'm thankful for the relief society.
After relief society I went home to get my girls. I had thawed out my frozen cinnamon rolls in the fridge, so I put them on the counter to raise for a bit. They didn't really raise. Ok, they didn't raise at all. So freezing this particular cinnamon roll dough was not a good idea. However, after baking them and drenching them in a cream cheese-butter-milk-vanilla-powdered sugar mixture, they were excellent.
Later that night, after watching Dancing with the Stars, I loaded the girls into the car and went to Walmart. The dogs stayed in the car. I bought all of my Thanksgiving items. Well, almost all. I still need a stock pot that can hold over 2 gallons of liquid (my lovely sister in law will be letting me borrow hers), 4 oranges (I thought they'd go bad if I bought them this early), and a turkey bag. Walmart was out of turkey bags, however they were stocking the shelves, so maybe if I go back tonight they will have some.
Thanks to two of my awesome cousins and their success stories, I have found the confidence to just brine a regular ol' turkey from Walmart! I bought a 22lb Butterball. It was heavy. Not sure I should have lifted it... I will be brining it, however, I will be decreasing the amount of salt in the brine recipe I'll be using, just to be careful. I'm borrowing the stock pot to cook the brine in, and the turkey bag is to soak the turkey in the brine. I'm super excited! I want to start cooking the turkey now. Maybe I'll go buy an 8lb turkey and practice! :-)
After Walmart it was almost 11pm, and I drove to the mall to pick up Lance. He was tired. I was tired. Before now I've made sure I got 8 hours of sleep each night. But getting home at 11:30pm, and having to get up at 7am means that is not possible. Remarkably, I feel fine! Practice for when I'm getting 2 hours of sleep each night, no?
Monday, November 14, 2011
Friends
I've been having a bit of stress trying to figure out how to cook a turkey.
The inner chef in me wants to go all Food Network and brine a turkey and roast it all fancy-like. I've been doing research on turkeys, and you really shouldn't brine a regular ol' turkey from the grocery store because they are injected with a solution that already includes salt.
Brining is where you soak your meat in a salty solution (that also includes other flavorings, and usually sugar) to break up the connective tissues (or something like that) in your meat, allowing it to be juicier and have more flavor once it is cooked. This isn't just a theory. I brine chicken and pork ANY TIME I cook it and the difference is obvious.
Anyhow, soaking an already salted turkey in a salt solution will result in what? An incredibly salty turkey.
So I toyed with the idea of taking a plain ol' frozen turkey from the grocery store, and thawing it, then brining it, but decreasing the salt in my brine by half. But that still makes me nervous because it is entirely experimental, and I don't want to serve a nasty salt lick to 15 people.
Another idea I had was to take a plain ol' frozen turkey from the grocery store, and thaw it in the sink, in water, hoping that osmosis would remove some of the salty solution from the plain ol' turkey. Using this method, I thought I might re-fill the sink with fresh water every 6 hours or so, to get as much salt out of the turkey as possible. And then brine it, but still decreasing my salt by half.
I'm still uncomfortable with the idea.
With the help of some friends, I have discovered where I can purchase a turkey that has not been injected with junk. However, for the turkey I want it is $85. I would pay that in a heart beat, if I could guarantee that I wouldn't mess up the turkey. Either way, Lance is uncomfortable paying that much.
So here I am, back at square one, wanting a super moist, super flavorful, gourmet turkey, but not a decision on what turkey to buy or how to cook it.
I've gotten some great tips from Tearsa, a co-worker of mine, that I might end up using if I can't find a cheaper non-injected turkey.
Some other friends on Facebook have given me good ideas of where to purchase turkeys, but I am still looking into price on those.
I found a great turkey at Whole Foods for around $50, but the closest location is in Cottonwood Heights.
I think Lance is getting frustrated and doesn't understand why I just won't cook a plain ol' turkey from the grocery store. I'm not sure I understand why I don't want to either. It's not that I'm too good. It's not that they aren't good enough. I guess I just want to try something different. I like experimenting with techniques and flavors with food and I want Thanksgiving to be a wonderfully amazing dinner. Maybe no one else that I am eating with really cares.
Either way, I'm thankful for all the friends who have been patient with my questions and who have given me tips and advice. And if you're reading this, and have more tips and advice, please do share!
Other things I am making for Thanksgiving are:
The inner chef in me wants to go all Food Network and brine a turkey and roast it all fancy-like. I've been doing research on turkeys, and you really shouldn't brine a regular ol' turkey from the grocery store because they are injected with a solution that already includes salt.
Brining is where you soak your meat in a salty solution (that also includes other flavorings, and usually sugar) to break up the connective tissues (or something like that) in your meat, allowing it to be juicier and have more flavor once it is cooked. This isn't just a theory. I brine chicken and pork ANY TIME I cook it and the difference is obvious.
Anyhow, soaking an already salted turkey in a salt solution will result in what? An incredibly salty turkey.
So I toyed with the idea of taking a plain ol' frozen turkey from the grocery store, and thawing it, then brining it, but decreasing the salt in my brine by half. But that still makes me nervous because it is entirely experimental, and I don't want to serve a nasty salt lick to 15 people.
Another idea I had was to take a plain ol' frozen turkey from the grocery store, and thaw it in the sink, in water, hoping that osmosis would remove some of the salty solution from the plain ol' turkey. Using this method, I thought I might re-fill the sink with fresh water every 6 hours or so, to get as much salt out of the turkey as possible. And then brine it, but still decreasing my salt by half.
I'm still uncomfortable with the idea.
With the help of some friends, I have discovered where I can purchase a turkey that has not been injected with junk. However, for the turkey I want it is $85. I would pay that in a heart beat, if I could guarantee that I wouldn't mess up the turkey. Either way, Lance is uncomfortable paying that much.
So here I am, back at square one, wanting a super moist, super flavorful, gourmet turkey, but not a decision on what turkey to buy or how to cook it.
I've gotten some great tips from Tearsa, a co-worker of mine, that I might end up using if I can't find a cheaper non-injected turkey.
Some other friends on Facebook have given me good ideas of where to purchase turkeys, but I am still looking into price on those.
I found a great turkey at Whole Foods for around $50, but the closest location is in Cottonwood Heights.
I think Lance is getting frustrated and doesn't understand why I just won't cook a plain ol' turkey from the grocery store. I'm not sure I understand why I don't want to either. It's not that I'm too good. It's not that they aren't good enough. I guess I just want to try something different. I like experimenting with techniques and flavors with food and I want Thanksgiving to be a wonderfully amazing dinner. Maybe no one else that I am eating with really cares.
Either way, I'm thankful for all the friends who have been patient with my questions and who have given me tips and advice. And if you're reading this, and have more tips and advice, please do share!
Other things I am making for Thanksgiving are:
- Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce
- Candied Yams (I don't have a recipe... basically yams or sweet potatoes, lots of butter, lots of brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted marshmallows on top)
- Butterbeer
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