Dry - brined turkey

2 Posts in one day.!
I wanted to share a picture of our small Thanksgiving turkey. It was just 12 pounds.
I again did the dry-brined turkey.
This is what I did.
A little less than 1/4 cup Kosher salt
Pat salt all over the outside of the thawed turkey.
Put in a sealed plastic bag for 4 days. Start with breast side down.
Rotate each day. Juices will be drawn out then reabsorbed.
Stuff cavity with celery,onions and carrots.
Bake breast side down,on a v rack, for 30 min at 400 degrees
add 1 cup water to roasting pan. Roast another 30 mins. add another cup of water.
Turn the turkey over using wads of paper towels or as we do use the gloves from the rotisserie.Tent with aluminum foil if bird is to brown.
add another 2 cups of water,cook until breast temp is 170 degrees.
The juices run when it is cut.Meat is moist, even when cold.

Here is where I got the recipe. I did not use as much salt this year. You need to go below the google adds.
http://blog.how-to-cook-gourmet.com/how-to-cook-a-turkey-and-gravy.html

Best turkeys I have ever done.j

decorating and snack for the holidays

Today is the start of all that is holiday for me. It really makes no difference if anyone else sees the decorations. I love this season and decorate and tweak right up until the day. I love the reason for the season. The music and making presents and so much more.
I brought one of the trees down, from the closet, this a.m. It is in need of new lights.The old lights have lasted for many years on this tree. It is decorated with things I have made in the past. Hand dipped candles, painted pine cones, corn husk and fabric angels. I will take everything off while watching the Duggers on TV this evening. Put on the new gold and white lights and decorate it again. It is worse for the wear from last year.
Some one put it away a little rough.

Snacken Good Snack Mix

The recipe was given to me in 2007 by my friend Judy F.
It is a bit pricey to buy everything but it is soooooooo worth it.
I burned the first batch in 2007. I learned pay attention to the temp of the oven. When it says 250 degrees that is what it means.

6 cups bugles
5 cups nacho bugles
4 cups cheese its
3 cups mini pretzels
2 cups crispix cearel
2 cups cashews or mixed nuts
1 small bag gold fish crackers
2 pkgs. ranch dressing
3/4 cup popcorn oil(I like Orville Redenbacher.)

I put all in a large enamel roaster sprinkle the dry dressing over. Stir
Pour the oil over all, stir.
Cover-- bake 40 -45 min@250 --stirring every 10 min.
store in covered container.

You can adapt.We do not like pretzels so I add more of something else. It makes a popular gift.
Happy Holidays
j

Friends feast/room redo finish getting closer

Yesterday we drove 2 1/2 hours to spend an *hour* with Cam.Then we drove the 2 1/2 hours back home. Don't get me wrong I love to visit and make those memories with the grands but I really hate riding in a car for more than an hour.
Cam's class had a program about thanksgiving. They made applesauce and pumpkin bars to share with us. We learned the pilgrums do not all wear black and white.That was for Sunday.They wore clothes that were dyed with things that gave red and brown colors too. There were only 4 women at the feast the rest had died. There were no Indian women they were not allowed at the feast.
The day was a beautiful. He is the one in a black shirt with no hat.Thanks Cam.We had a great time.










This past week I finally got the bottom of the new shelves painted. Things are looking better.
There are Fall decorations still there.As much as I want to put up Christmas things I will wait until after turkey day.
On to the curtains.
We will be celebrating on Sat.
I hope you all have a very happy thanksgiving.j

Festival of tables continued

The tables are lovely this year.Always so different and unique. I missed a couple and will take pictures when I visit today. I will take my time and enjoy each one.j

2010 festival of tables,red white and blue

Time for the festival of tables. This is one of the fund raisers we have for the Alden library.
I have done different tables through the years using antique dishes, Christmas dishes, thanksgiving dishes so this year I went with Americana. The linens and charges are new. The red pieces are vintage depression ruby glass. There are Syracuse butter pat dishes.The flate ware is bakelite circa 1930-1940. Nordic Blue dishes marked Japan. The blue glasses were my mother in laws.
It is always a fun time doing the tables.
My friend Pat has a table this year too
Her theme is strawberries. Her table is lovely.Have a good weekend.j
I am linking to Tabletop Tues.a bit late.
http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/2010/11/39th-table-top-tuesday.html

I am also linking to Show and tell Friday
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2010/11/show-and-tell-friday_18.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20MyRomanticHome%20%28My%20Romantic%20Home%29

200 year old pine trees/Quilt retreat 2010

What a great time I had at the 3rd and 4th day of the retreat.
While we were there the volunteers came to work on the trees damaged by the hail storm in 2009.
It was devastating. The 200 year old pine trees did not make it and they are all being cut down.The trees around the lodge had to come down because of the danger they posed to the buildings. There are many other trees to come down.They cut 5 or 6 that weekend.
There are over 360 trees on pine lake park
property that are dead or dying. Pine lake state park will no longer have pine trees. Very sad to see these giant trees come down. The 3rd picture is looking back at the lodge up on the hill behind the stand of 200 year old pines that are on the park proper.


I went on Friday the 5th but because of a bad headache went home on Saturday.
I had paid for another day so set up to go back on Thursday the 11th and 12th.Here are several of the projects others were working






on.Aren't they beautiful! There were many more.
I'll be sharing the things I did in another post.j

Our special day Anniversary no. 46

Mr. T has never missed bringing me roses for our anniversary. Even through the years when I had a flower shop I got my roses. On the 40th ann. I got 40 yellow roses. That was a really big surprise.
This year it is 6 beautiful red roses.

A nice prime rib dinner and the movie RED with good friends. It was a great way to celebrate.

The movie was funny. A no brainer movie just good entertainment.
From the movie's review "Frank, Joe, Marvin and Victoria used to be the CIA's top agents, but the secrets they know just made them the Agency's top targets. Now framed for assassination, they must use all of their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers and more »stay alive. To stop the operation, the team embarks on an impossible, cross-country mission to break into the top-secret CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history."

Our special day November 14, 1964.
It was that day I married my high school sweetheart. Don't we look young.Well we were. 18 and 19----- just kids.

Today is nothing like the day we married 46 years ago.
Today it is 32 degrees windy and cold.
46 years ago the day was perfect. The weather was perfect. Over 70 degrees the 14th day of November in 1964.

We could not afford a photographer. I am sharing the only pictures I have from that day.
I would say to anyone getting married,go less on something else but get good pictures.

The man I married has taken care of me, and I him, for 46 years.They have not always been wonderful years,there were some very hard times, but we were in it for the long haul.
There were times I was ready to give up on us but never did. I am glad of that.
Our God joined us. God gave us wonderful kids and grand kids.
We have been blessed with good family and friends through our years.
We have our health.
We are blessed and thankful every day.

I will be posting a couple of long blogs about the quilt retreat. Check back.
Have a great week.j

Quilt retreat 2010

I am home from the retreat.I came home a day early. Had headache that was a dozy. Went to bed yesterday as soon as I got home.
It was great and I will go back on Thursday to get in my 3rd day.
I hated to have to leave but I was fearful of a cluster migraine.I was having the sparkles in the left eye again.
Mr.T bless him did not complain about missing out on the last, free from work, day.
I did get the major thing done I went for and will share a picture soon.
The weather was beautiful. The lake was beautiful.There is no better place for a retreat than the lodge at Pine lake Iowa.
much damage was done by the hail storm in 2009.They were removing very big pine trees the first day we were there.
Pine lake has lost most of its very old pine trees.

Shelves up

Again I came up with an idea Mr. T. had to help with. Poor man hates it when I say "I have this idea".
Remember from the post about the first shelf?--- well the idea was to use up some of the wainscoting we took out of the rectory.
Of course it became more of a chore than I thought and it took longer than it should have but they are both done and they are perfect. They went from a stack of boards like this to finished shelves like this.
The wall looks green but is brown.Funny how the light changes things.












Now I have to decide if I want to paint and glaze them to match the entertainment center. I am leading towards painting. I will not do anything until we get back from the quilt retreat weekend. Did you notice I got 2 new side lamps? It is coming together but not quite done. Still need curtains. The brackets are up but are to low so they all have to be moved up.

I look at Martha's blog everyday and saw her new things.Corbels.Love them!

The shelves are where I wanted to use the Martha Stewart corbels. Her new line is at Home Depot. Cupboards and all that goes with them. I stopped at the HD in Waterloo.They did not have the corbels in stock. I asked the price so they looked them up.
Are you sitting down??? $344.00 each.

I know they would have looked better than my hobby lobby metal brackets but I really didn't think $1376.00(for 4) plus tax was in my budget. I may find other corbels in my price range and can always change them later. I wrote to Martha,on her blog, but did not hear back. Did I really think I would. Well yes------------ well no not really. If someone wrote to me and said that my product line was not affordable for everyday people I guess I would not respond either. Have a great weekend. See you next week. j

Vote today

It is your right and privilege.
God bless America.
j