Posts Tagged ‘Cooking’

Turkey Encounters of the Third Kind

November 25th, 2009

So I think I mentioned this is my first Thanksgiving that I’m cooking. Which means my first attempt at Turkey. Now I’ve seen my family deal with Turkey each year, but it’s totally different when you have to deal with it on your own.

And I’m not one to do things half-heartedly when it comes to food, so I decided I should brine the turkey which NO ONE in my family has done before. We prefer the dried out version of Thanksgiving Turkey.

So tonight I unpacked my Turkey with Dylan’s help. There may have been some goofing around.

I don’t think there is much anyone can tell me that would convince me from serving Turkey neck in some fashion as opposed to feeding it to the dog. I really think it will make her Holiday (and celebrate her 1 year of life in our hands successfully)

Dylan preferred to be in charge of the brine and not touch raw turkey.

Hmmm, we really need to have a talk with him about the creepy mustache…

*Also, that is not enough brine to cover a 14lb turkey. I had to make a quick second batch. Lets keep our fingers crossed on this one.

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How to Make Applesauce in a Crockpot

October 22nd, 2009

So you really don’t need a post to explain how to make applesauce in a crockpot, but I feel like my cooking adventure last night reveals a lot about my cooking abilities in general.

1. I’m not a particularly good cook. I am an excellent recipe reader.

2. With all of Oregon’s fall goodness I’ve been completely apple obsessed. Last weekend I bought a bunch of apples with the intention of making applesauce, and finally got around to it last night.

So here is how it goes. And I didn’t take any pictures because it’s really that unimpressive.

  • Cut up about 6-7 apples. Don’t need to peel them, just slice thinly.
  • Throw them in a crockpot with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, some lemon juice and some cinnamon.
  • Cook on high for about 3 1/2 hours.

Now, that was all I read in any other recipe I found online. And if you follow those directions you will come back 3 1/2 hours later and have a crockpot with what looks like cooked sliced apples and something that does not look like applesauce. In my mind, it would all just magically form in the crockpot.

And at 10:00 at night I’m staring at my crockpot saying, how the hell could I have possibly messed this up!!

And then I grabbed a spoon and mixed it up all up, and realized that then I had applesauce!

Crisis averted. And there are few things better than  a warm bowl of applesauce on a foggy fall morning.

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On The Menu: NE Portland Cookout

August 17th, 2009

On Saturday I invited my mom, her husband, my aunt and her husband over for dinner. In the spring, we had my uncle build us a great picnic table, and it was finally going to be warm enough to have everyone over for a good old fashioned BBQ. Except that it really wasn’t, but that didn’t stop us.

So, because I was entertaining, I pulled out all the stops for the family.

Appetizers: Goat cheese filled figs with honey

Main Course: Pepper Steaks, Broccoli slaw, homemade focaccia bread and Scalloped Potatoes*

Dessert: What ever my wonderful Aunt Leslie brought

*I didn’t make the potatoes either.

So, here is the scoop, I’m sure you’re dying to know.

The figs are super easy and delicious. I was scared of them at first, and Dylan thinks they are gross (but he also has the taste buds of a 10 yr. old boy)

I used Turkish figs which can be found at your local New Seasons. Slice them into quarters, without slicing all the way through the fig. Fill with as much goat cheese as your little heart desires. Then pop those suckers onto a cookie sheet and into the over at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or so. They will come out all warm and gooey. Top off with a drizzle of honey and you have yourself a delicious snack. I would even eat these as dessert as they are fairly sweet and the goat cheese is divine.

Don’t you love my countertops in all their 50’s glory? It really wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t have 60 years of wear and tear. This was a kitchen that has seen a lot of love.Figs up close and personal.

Dylan was also kind enough to snap a few photos while I was kneading bread. The recipe is from one of my favorite Cookbooks, the Newlywed’s Cookbook. Reminds me of the housewives of Mad Men with all these classic recipes that I feel like I should only prepare in an a-line dress and apron.

As you will see, that is not what I wear when I cook.

And here is the bread after several session of rising and kneading and poking. Right before you pop it into the oven.

Maybe some day I’ll get better at taking more pictures – particularly when I’m done making things. In the case of the figs I was too busy burning my hand taking them out of the oven.

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