Happy Thanksgiving Crofton

A little over a year ago I was watching one of the Food Network shows, as I often do on lazy weekend afternoons. Food Network is my version of a spectator sport.  Last year just before Thanksgiving I watched as chef, Sunny Anderson talked about brining a turkey before cooking it.  Her mention of brined turkey on the show inspired me to learn about and try this technique. 

the truth is I don’t cook much from scratch.  On the occasions when I have been inspired enough to attempt preparing meals from scratch I’d say I produce something rave worthy maybe half of the time.   Last Thanksgiving’s brined turkey was one of those successful, rave worthy times.  My kids, who typically cringe at the sight of turkey loved it and asked for seconds.  That’s saying something.

This year I am trying it again. Here is a recipe I pulled together and adapted from a few recipes I found researching on allrecipes.com last year.

Ingredients:

64 oz vegetable broth

1 cup sea salt

4 tablespoons poultry seasoning

1 gallon ice water

Directions:

1. In large stock pot combine the vegetable broth¸ sea salt, and poultry seasoning.  Dissolve the salt by bringing the mixture to a boil, stirring often.  The result will likely remind you of something a witch might brew up in a pot.  it's not exactly pretty. Upon boiling remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool all the way.  You are going to be soaking the turkey in this liquid prior to cooking it.  You do not want to start the cooking process prematurely by soaking your turkey in warm liquid.

2. Prepare your turkey for the brine.  If your turkey is frozen it should be thawed ahead.  Remove the wrapping, the turkey neck and the gizzards bag from the turkey cavity.  Set aside if you use them in dressing or gravy, or discard.  Wash and pat they turkey dry.

3.  I use a large sized Ziploc Big Bag set to stand up in a 9 x 13 glass pan to hold the turkey.  My turkeys are usually between 14 – 16 lbs.  If you serve a larger turkey you may need to use your imagination to come up with a different container.  Just make sure it is food safe and clean.

4. Place the turkey in the Ziploc bag, then pour the cooled mixture into the bag, followed by enough ice water to cover the turkey.  You may need a second set of hands to keep the bag upright during this step.  Seal the bag, check the seal.  Since I really don’t want to clean this stuff up off the shelf in my refrigerator, I check the seal again.

5. Clear a large enough section in your refrigerator and place the pan/bag on a shelf overnight.

6.  Before cooking, remove the turkey from the bag drain off the brine and discard.  Make sure to also tip the turkey to make sure the brine drains from the cavities.  Pat the turkey dry.

7.  Cook the turkey using your traditional method.  I personally roast my turkey until temperature indicates it is done in a tent of butter coated foil.  The foil is something I learned from my mother, other than that I pretty much stick to the Stuffed and Roasted Bird method described in Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I leave it alone and let it roast, I skip the basting.  The simple approach works for me.

Well this year’s turkey is sitting, soaking in the fridge.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.  Have a great holiday!

Acorn Season in Crofton, Watch Out Below!

I just love the mature oak trees found throughout my Crofton, Maryland neighborhood.  In fact one of the things that sold me on our home a few years back was the view up through a glass roofed sunroom to the waving branches of the oaks against the blue sky.  Those beautiful tall trees I fell in love with hid another less desirable side which wasn’t revealed to me until shortly after we moved into our home in the fall of 2007.  That less wonderful side can be summed up in one word, ACORNS. 

Of course I knew that acorns came from oak trees but until I moved into my current home I never realized how many acorns an oak tree can produce in a single season.  Each October the trees seem to decide in unison that it is time to start the great acorn drop.  Acorns, I have discovered can fall with tremendous force; they can dent vehicles, they clutter sidewalks with thousands of little tripping hazards and they can make our leaf raking more of a challenge than it already is.  With each autumn breeze comes a barrage of pellets shooting down from above.  Shhhhooooo, boom, crack! The sound of acorns pelting a roof can be quite alarming to the uninitiated.  I’ve watched guests to our home literally jump in their seats surprised at the sound of a single acorn hitting the sunroom at the back of our house. 

And watch out below to all who venture outdoors on windy days during this time of year.  I have been whacked on the shoulder by these falling seeds and I can tell you from experience that when they hit their mark they hurt.  My family and I have learned to be a little more aware during this season as we leave the house.  Avoiding the barrage of acorns has become second nature.  Bike helmets do double duty for the kids as they ride up and back on the sidewalk in front of our home.  They say to everything there is a season and fortunately this one is usually only a few weeks long.





  As I write this in early November the acorns have finally finished falling.  My husband has raked up the ones the squirrels left behind and set them out by the curb.  We can now walk outside without constantly looking up after each breeze.  The sound of pelting acorns has been replaced by the less jarring buzz of leaf blowers and the scrape-scrape of rakes.  On to the task of cleaning up the colorful autumn leaves.  I am almost back to loving Crofton’s beautiful tall trees.


 

Walking Crofton Parkway, A Simple Joy

I have lived in Crofton twice.  The thing I missed the most about Crofton when I left and some part of what drew me back to settle in the Crofton triangle was the walk around Crofton Parkway.

          The Parkway is an approximately 3.8 mile circle through the neighborhood around the Crofton Country Club golf course.  On any given day from just before sunup to after sundown you will find people outside walking, jogging, running or biking around the parkway.  A trip on foot around the parkway is a wonderful way to get some fresh air and exercise.  A wide sidewalk winds its way around the entire inner loop of the parkway and around most of the outer loop.  Unlike the side street walks, the width of the Parkway sidewalk is just right for walking next to another person.  I credit the existence of the wide sidewalks on the Parkway with many genuinely productive conversations between my husband and I. 

Whether you walk alone or with others, the people and pets you meet along the way are generally quite friendly and offer a smile or greeting as they pass.  I am particularly impressed by the runners who seem able to keep up their pace and still tilt their head and utter a quick acknowledgement as they zip past a slower me.  I often chuckle to myself when I make it half way around and start seeing the some of the same faces walking or running towards me for a second time. 

I myself can usually complete a walk around the parkway in just under an hour, when I push myself to walk faster I can cut it closer to 50 minutes.  Due to the steady demands of life and work I haven’t been able to find as much time as I used to for making the full walk and I do miss it.  I am not a jogger or runner at this point although I have considered trying to build up better endurance in the future.  Perhaps one day…  In the meantime I will enjoy the times I am able to steal enough time away from my family to turn on my mp3 player and make it all the way around.