Conceited Independence: November 2004

Yeti Games

My brother-in-law introduced me to these super-addicting games. They are fun, but I could really waste a lot of time playing them!

Turkey For You, Turkey For Me...

Here is the recipe I used for my turkey. It was super fantastic!

Rinse your turkey and place it in a roasting pan. Brush on some melted butter coating the entire bird. Slice 2 oranges and squeeze the juice all over the bird. Largely cut 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and 1/2 an onion. Put the veggies and the oranges into the cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Put the bird into the oven at 450 degrees (yes that says 450) for 30 minutes uncovered. Then, turn the oven down to 350-375 degrees, baste the turkey with Basting Liquid, cover with foil, and put the bird back into the oven. Cook until the temperature of the bird reaches 160 degrees, basting every 1/2 hour. Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes. (I let mine rest 40 minutes today) The internal temperature of the bird should reach 165 degrees (ideal) while it is resting.

Basting Liquid:
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1cup apple cider
1 orange sliced into large chunks
Heat the ingredients of the Basting Liquid on low heat until it reaches a simmer and take it off of the stove. Baste the turkey every 1/2 hour.

Pleasantly Uncomfortable

Well, the feast is over. All of the hard work and preparation yielded quite a meal IMHO. I was in charge of the turkey this year, and it really turned out great! I just happened to see an episode of Emeril the other day, and he had a recipe for turkey that looked simple yet very delicious. I like things super simple. My Mom and both of my sisters were here to help me out. We made garlic mashed potatoes & gravy, 2 kinds of sweet potatoes, steamed green beans with lemon, homeade rolls, dressing, layered jello salad with a sour cream center, and 4 kinds of pie. I absolutely ache inside I am so full.

I am having a great time with my family. My husband told me that he's having fun with them here even though our apartment is full to bursting. My daughter has been beyond bliss with the aunts and uncles to play with her. I am especially enjoying my little nephew, Nicholas. He will be a year old in March.

I work in the Nursery at church. It is a fun calling that few would volunteer for, although it is one of the best kept secrets. All the snacks, play-time, singing, and fun in 2 hours that 2 adults and 8 children could ask for. Today we ate Goldfish crackers, played with Play-doh, sang "Slippery Fish," and made turkey pictures by tracing the childrens' hands. (fingers are feathers and the thumb is the head) The funniest things happen with that many kids in one room. My husband comes in and leads the Singing Time each Sunday, so we compare notes after church. Today there was one little boy who was putting the moves on all of the ladies. He took one little girl's hand and led her over to the mats for Singing Time. I saw him kiss her on the cheek. Then, not 2 minutes later, Zach saw him move on to another little girl. He grabbed her hand sweetly and proceeded to kiss her on the cheek and nose. We have decided his nickname should be "Romeo." (although perhaps Casanova would be more appropriate)

Thanksgiving

My whole family is coming for Thanksgiving this year. It started with my sister, her husband, and my nephew. They decided to come up because the rest of the family had plans, and they knew we wouldn't be able to leave Portland. This triggered a domino effect. Soon my other sister and her husband thought Portland sounded like a fun place to have Thanksgiving so they re-arranged their plans. Then my parents and younger brother decided they could make some new plans so that they could join in the fun too. We are going to have a "house" full. (Well, actually a tiny apartment full) Although we will be fairly cramped, I am really excited to host the family Thanksgiving.

I have been trying to come up with a good menu. So far I have a pretty good one going on, but I still need some kind of vegetable. I want to make something fairly healthy since just about everything else is full of fat, carbs, and free radicals. So if you have a great recipe for a super scrumptious veggie dish that is healthy, please feel free to share it in the comments.

Moot Court Friday

My husband and I participated in Moot Court this last Friday evening as Jurors. It was very fun, and I really enjoyed watching the whole process. I especially enjoyed watching our friend, BW, show off her skills as a very competent Defense Attorney. We, as a jury, even deliberated out in the hallway. I was truly amazed that so many people who had witnessed the same trial could have such different opinions and picked up on very different pieces of the puzzle. It is a good thing the participants' scores aren't decided by the jury's verdict.

My Everything-in-the-Pot Minestrone

This post is for Shelley...

Reeta's Chicken Minestrone Soup

1 whole fryer (or you can use chicken breasts)
1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, diced
2 to 3 celery stalks, diced
4 to 5 fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 very large cans (49.5 oz.) chicken broth (or if you're really ambitious use stock)
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried basil
2 1lb. bags frozen veggies (or equivalent amount of fresh) - I really like to use an Asparagus Stir-Fry or anything with broccoli
2 cans diced tomatoes, with the liquid
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, with the liquid
1 can cannellini beans (small white beans), with liquid
1 to 2 cups fresh cabage, chopped into large pieces
1 1/2 cups salad pasta (looks like short straight macaroni)

In a very large stock pot heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute until all sides are browned. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the onions start to become translucent. Add the chicken broth. Add water until the chicken is completely covered. Put a lid on the pot and cook until it boils. Turn down the heat to medium low and cook for 30 to 40 minutes - until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and add the frozen veggies, tomatoes, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and cannellini beans. Bring the soup back up to a simmer. De-bone the chicken and add it back to the soup. Add the cabage and pasta. The soup is ready when the pasta is firm, but not hard. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed. (sometimes it needs just a little more basil)

This makes a huge amount of soup. I like to make it because my family will eat it for a week. It is really great a day or 2 after you make it, because the flavors really meld together. It is also a great soup to serve to a crowd. This recipe is easy to alter to your own tastes - vegetarian, no onions, the veggies you like, etc. The amounts can also be adjusted.

A Waste of Time

My husband and I manage an apartment complex. Our apartment is also the office, so our own home phone is actually the apartment phone as well. This becomes difficult, especially when expecting a call. Luckily we have Caller ID, but that only works for about half of the calls. I keep telling my husband to just resist the urge to answer the phone when he is home and let the voice-mail pick it up. Today I haven't been very good at taking my own advice, and I have spoken to several telemarketers. Consequently I have wasted some perfectly good time I could have spent doing anything else. This reminds me of a quote from a Simpson's episode, "You wasted 15 minutes of my life and I want it back...Oh, I would have just wasted it anyway."

So, here I go....

I have a serious case of writer's block - actually it could be characterized better by calling it "Nothing better to say." I have been feeling like I really have to deeply think about something before sharing so that my posts will be worth reading. This is the biggest reason that I haven't started a blog of my own until now. Zach said to me last night that he sometimes has moments like that. He also told me to just start typing away at several posts until I feel comfortable posting one. That Zach, he always knows what to say so that I feel better. So, here I go.....