Chuckles gets to wrestle the turkey this time. I'm the Mashed Potato Bitch.
Showing posts with label turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label turkey. Show all posts
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
They Come In Wee...Not So Wee...and FRIGGIN' HUGE!
*Scottish accent*
It's a behemoth!
('Behemoth' is only fun to say with a Scottish accent)
Ok, it's only a 20lb turkey, but it's the biggest one I've ever had to cook.
I've cooked a 14lb turkey and had leftovers for a week. Chuck will be like Bubba from 'Forrest Gump'...
"Kyna made turkey sandwiches...turkey soup...turkey pot pie...turkey salad...turkey burgers...turkey casserole..."
I would have bought a smaller one, except I think I scored the only whole frozen turkey in the entire county, and there were definitely no fresh ones. They're not quite in killin' season yet in the U.S.
I hope the turkey isn't too dodgy...some dude sold it to me in an alley out of his trench coat.
Anyway, this is the first Thanksgiving that I've ever had to make the whole meal by myself. Chuck is working today (with other Americans that don't realize that the REAL Thanksgiving is in October) and I'm on my own.
My friends have told me that my first time will hurt a little, but once I get into it, I'll enjoy it.
Right. That's what they all say....
Gobble gobble, Eh!
Time to get my turkey on.
It's a behemoth!
('Behemoth' is only fun to say with a Scottish accent)
Ok, it's only a 20lb turkey, but it's the biggest one I've ever had to cook.
I've cooked a 14lb turkey and had leftovers for a week. Chuck will be like Bubba from 'Forrest Gump'...
"Kyna made turkey sandwiches...turkey soup...turkey pot pie...turkey salad...turkey burgers...turkey casserole..."
I would have bought a smaller one, except I think I scored the only whole frozen turkey in the entire county, and there were definitely no fresh ones. They're not quite in killin' season yet in the U.S.
I hope the turkey isn't too dodgy...some dude sold it to me in an alley out of his trench coat.
Anyway, this is the first Thanksgiving that I've ever had to make the whole meal by myself. Chuck is working today (with other Americans that don't realize that the REAL Thanksgiving is in October) and I'm on my own.
My friends have told me that my first time will hurt a little, but once I get into it, I'll enjoy it.
Right. That's what they all say....
Gobble gobble, Eh!
Time to get my turkey on.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Is It Possible to Gain 15 Pounds In 4 Hours?
Canadian Thanksgiving was a roaring success. I am significantly fatter. That is, of course, the measurement by which I judge the success level of a holiday.
The football (see IG, I said FOOTBALL) match I was supposed to play in on Sunday afternoon did get cancelled. I was highly bummed. But hopefully the one planned for next Sunday will stay on. And it was probably for the best anyway, because we had a lot more preparation to do for dinner than I thought we would!
In our house, Chuck and I team up on cooking big dinners. Chuck's favourite dishes had to be started the earliest. Here his is chopping a pukeabaga, I mean, a rutebaga...
We actually had a small argument about the difference between a turnip and a rutabaga. Luckily it did not come to fisticuffs.
I made sure the table was set, and the beer was stocked!
Yes yes, the orange stuff was for the one teetotaler that we invited. We're not all sots you know! Just most of us.
We cooked a ham and a bone-in turkey breast, and when we went to open the turkey breast, we found that there were no giblets in the cavity!
Chuckles was highly disappointed. His specialty at thanksgiving is making his famous giblet gravy.
When I first met Chuck, I went down to Florida with him for American Thanksgiving in November. His sister had made some giblet gravy, and I was slightly horrified.
"Turkey HEARTS? IN MY GRAVY??? And what the hell is a gizzard??"
I must have turned green.
I've always been a picky eater, but I decided to suck it up and try it.
And it was delicious!
To this day I can't actually touch giblets without being grossed out. But I sure do love the word 'giblet'. Giblet giblet giblet. If I had a son, I'd name him Giblet. Gib for short. It would be cute! (This is why it's a good thing I'm not a mother.)
Anyway, with no giblets in the cavity, I ran off to the grocery store for the express purpose of seeing if they sold giblets seperately. And they do! Score!
They look way more delicious when they're chopped up, I promise.
My friends came over after 5. They came bearing ramekins of pumpkin mousse, and a nice bottle of Shiraz. And more beer!
I forced my friend Sean to carve the turkey while we were getting the last of the dishes ready to serve. He insisted on using the electric knife for obscene purposes.
Hell, all three men attending are Irishmen. I should expect shenanigans.
How many Irishmen does it take to carve a turkey? Two.
I don't even have a punchline. It just takes two, huddled quietly in the corner.
That's Sean's girlfriend Andie on the left, and my friend Kristyn from work on the right. Her boyfriend Dave was probably outside smoking.
Here's me showing off the present my Mum sent me. Perfect for Canadian Thanksgiving!
My stepdaughter was also in attendance. Here she is in her natural habitat...in front of the computer, watching YouTube.
Dinner was absolutely delicious. We decimated the meal. After we were finished eating (actually we were kind of grazing like cows until late night), we all fell into a tryptophan coma. A couple of us had the meat sweats.
Andie had the same reaction to the gravy that I first had when I heard about it. Although she didn't find out until after she had eaten it...which was probably a good thing.
"You mean giblets are organs? There are organs in this? I just ate organs??'
Luckily it was delicious, so she forgave us.
And now that thanksgiving's over....I'm gearing up for thanksgiving!
In 4 short weeks, we'll be ready for round two!
If you need me, I'm going to be jogging. A lot. Because if I put on another 15 pounds, someone might accidentally shoot me with a tranquilizer dart and tag my ear.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Autumn Garden Tour Extravaganza 2010
I had to make my podunk garden sound more impressive. Did that do the trick?
Decided to take a walk through my yard and take some garden pictures this morning, just before sunrise.
Because the name at the top says 'Crystal Coast Gardener' not 'Crystal Coast Liar Who Rambles About Other Shit When She Promised You Gardening'. Right?
I hauled myself out of bed and headed straight out there before I could procrastinate. Usually when I get the notion to take garden pictures, it's midday, and the sun is blazing, and the pictures look like crap.
This time, the pictures still look like crap, but at least there isn't all that annoying glare.
It's five days away from the official start of fall. Time for turkey. Time for pumpkins!
No, not those Pumpkins! Sillies.
These ones!
That's better. :)
My gardens look nice for about 2 seconds in the spring. They look horrible for 4 months in the sweltering summer heat. And then they look good again towards the beginning of fall, and stay that way till Christmas usually.
These are from my back garden.
All of the vincas you see? I didn't plant them. Those things reseed like mofos, they're all offspring from last year's planting. Because I was cheap this year, and they LOVE the heat of the west side of my house, I let a lot of them just grow.
This is the first year I planted purple gomphrena. Those bright globes have been delighting me constantly since springtime. I'll be planting them again next year. Ditto on the salvia.
Osteospermum IS something I plant every year. They fill in the garden nicely. Usually I plant the 'spoon' variety. This year I opted for the white with a purple center.
Moving on through the backyard...
The other thing that has perked up with the cooler temps and the sun not being so high in the sky is my okame cherry tree.
It stayed bald or burnt most of the summer. I planted it in full sun, hoping that it wouldn't be too much for the tree in NC, but it was hard on it. And hard on my water bill. But it's looking better right now. Especially with that beautiful autumn-coloured tree across the cotton-field as a backdrop.
I'm hoping that it will build up some tolerance to the sun as the years pass, if I just water it enough lol. Like my 'Ann' magnolia did.
This is the best year 'Ann' has had, despite the nasty hot temps. I also planted it in too much sun. It got crispy and bald three years in a row.
This year I've barely watered it and it stayed nice throughout the summer. No leaf loss, and it stayed completely green until the last couple of weeks. Had a lot of flowers on it this spring.
You're also looking at my project for next spring.
Here's another view.
I really want to find something that will hide the A/C unit and the gas can. Some sort of latticed screening maybe. That crap is on the south side of my house, and very visible to the road. Bleah.
Also on the south side...
My clematis has squeezed out a second flush of blooms. If you can call two blooms a 'flush'. :)
And my butterfly bush is looking the best it has looked all summer. That thing's kind of been a bitch to take care of. It looks all mangy at the bottom if you let it go.
Finally, the front of my house, which faces east. The only place I have shady enough to plant anything that needs part shade.
My 'DD Blanchard' magnolia is doing well. This is the first year I had to actively water it since I planted it, it was nearly leafless by the end of June. It's bounced back and is now a healthy 9 feet tall. When we planted it four years ago, it was 4 foot 2. We planted it on our first wedding anniversary, so I have a very soft spot in my heart for this tree.
It only had one flower on it at the end of May (when it is supposed to bloom), but I got 5 more last month as a surprise second blooming.
This is my front garden.
My rosebush is all blackspotty, but this is the most leaves and blooms it's had in the fall since I first planted it. Usually it's bald and yellow by now. I'd dig it out, but it's my baby. And it looks so nice in May...
Next to that are my toad lilies. They're just starting to bloom.
Nothing much else is in that garden besides my azalea. I'm planning on planting some stuff in there in the next couple of weeks...some petunias or pansies or something that will last through Christmas.
There is some colour in my front porch garden, although things are starting to look kinda ratty. Which is awesome since it faces the street :P
These pics don't look too bad.
My elephant ears look terrible. Oh well.
My potted coleus looks a little less sexy than it did a couple of months ago, but with a little makeup it would look fine.
The geranium needs a shock to the heart. It's been growing for two years though, maybe it's a little tired.
And I recently bought my first Japanese maple!!
My cheap ass found one on clearance at Lowe's garden center a few weeks ago. I paid a whopping $12 for it. They always leave these things in too much sun (pot calling the kettle black), and they look like crap by the end of August. I gave it some shade and it's popping out a couple of leaves. it's still on my porch because I can't figure out where I'm going to plant it. :(
For some reason the camera wouldn't focus properly on the new leaves unless my feet were in the picture. Sorry.
The 'Red Beauty' holly is sporting some shiny red berries! I highly recommend these.
They have such a nice upright, compact habit. And they were bred to withstand our southeast coastal conditions.
One of my neighbours must have a holly, because this is the only one I have and it still gets berries.
I'm starting to move in the autumn plants as well.
Orange mums.
Gaillardia. They look kinda sad though.
Being a gardener, you would think that spring would be my favourite season.
Not so! I love fall. I love the leaves turning. The cooler temps are refreshing after the heat of the summer. I love eating all the delicious food.
And in MY house, we get two thanksgivings. One in October for the Canadian, and one in November for the American.
This song makes me feel fall-y.
Decided to take a walk through my yard and take some garden pictures this morning, just before sunrise.
Because the name at the top says 'Crystal Coast Gardener' not 'Crystal Coast Liar Who Rambles About Other Shit When She Promised You Gardening'. Right?
I hauled myself out of bed and headed straight out there before I could procrastinate. Usually when I get the notion to take garden pictures, it's midday, and the sun is blazing, and the pictures look like crap.
This time, the pictures still look like crap, but at least there isn't all that annoying glare.
It's five days away from the official start of fall. Time for turkey. Time for pumpkins!
No, not those Pumpkins! Sillies.
These ones!
That's better. :)
My gardens look nice for about 2 seconds in the spring. They look horrible for 4 months in the sweltering summer heat. And then they look good again towards the beginning of fall, and stay that way till Christmas usually.
These are from my back garden.
All of the vincas you see? I didn't plant them. Those things reseed like mofos, they're all offspring from last year's planting. Because I was cheap this year, and they LOVE the heat of the west side of my house, I let a lot of them just grow.
This is the first year I planted purple gomphrena. Those bright globes have been delighting me constantly since springtime. I'll be planting them again next year. Ditto on the salvia.
Osteospermum IS something I plant every year. They fill in the garden nicely. Usually I plant the 'spoon' variety. This year I opted for the white with a purple center.
Moving on through the backyard...
The other thing that has perked up with the cooler temps and the sun not being so high in the sky is my okame cherry tree.
It stayed bald or burnt most of the summer. I planted it in full sun, hoping that it wouldn't be too much for the tree in NC, but it was hard on it. And hard on my water bill. But it's looking better right now. Especially with that beautiful autumn-coloured tree across the cotton-field as a backdrop.
I'm hoping that it will build up some tolerance to the sun as the years pass, if I just water it enough lol. Like my 'Ann' magnolia did.
This is the best year 'Ann' has had, despite the nasty hot temps. I also planted it in too much sun. It got crispy and bald three years in a row.
This year I've barely watered it and it stayed nice throughout the summer. No leaf loss, and it stayed completely green until the last couple of weeks. Had a lot of flowers on it this spring.
You're also looking at my project for next spring.
Here's another view.
I really want to find something that will hide the A/C unit and the gas can. Some sort of latticed screening maybe. That crap is on the south side of my house, and very visible to the road. Bleah.
Also on the south side...
My clematis has squeezed out a second flush of blooms. If you can call two blooms a 'flush'. :)
And my butterfly bush is looking the best it has looked all summer. That thing's kind of been a bitch to take care of. It looks all mangy at the bottom if you let it go.
Finally, the front of my house, which faces east. The only place I have shady enough to plant anything that needs part shade.
My 'DD Blanchard' magnolia is doing well. This is the first year I had to actively water it since I planted it, it was nearly leafless by the end of June. It's bounced back and is now a healthy 9 feet tall. When we planted it four years ago, it was 4 foot 2. We planted it on our first wedding anniversary, so I have a very soft spot in my heart for this tree.
It only had one flower on it at the end of May (when it is supposed to bloom), but I got 5 more last month as a surprise second blooming.
This is my front garden.
My rosebush is all blackspotty, but this is the most leaves and blooms it's had in the fall since I first planted it. Usually it's bald and yellow by now. I'd dig it out, but it's my baby. And it looks so nice in May...
Next to that are my toad lilies. They're just starting to bloom.
Nothing much else is in that garden besides my azalea. I'm planning on planting some stuff in there in the next couple of weeks...some petunias or pansies or something that will last through Christmas.
There is some colour in my front porch garden, although things are starting to look kinda ratty. Which is awesome since it faces the street :P
These pics don't look too bad.
My elephant ears look terrible. Oh well.
My potted coleus looks a little less sexy than it did a couple of months ago, but with a little makeup it would look fine.
The geranium needs a shock to the heart. It's been growing for two years though, maybe it's a little tired.
And I recently bought my first Japanese maple!!
My cheap ass found one on clearance at Lowe's garden center a few weeks ago. I paid a whopping $12 for it. They always leave these things in too much sun (pot calling the kettle black), and they look like crap by the end of August. I gave it some shade and it's popping out a couple of leaves. it's still on my porch because I can't figure out where I'm going to plant it. :(
For some reason the camera wouldn't focus properly on the new leaves unless my feet were in the picture. Sorry.
The 'Red Beauty' holly is sporting some shiny red berries! I highly recommend these.
They have such a nice upright, compact habit. And they were bred to withstand our southeast coastal conditions.
One of my neighbours must have a holly, because this is the only one I have and it still gets berries.
I'm starting to move in the autumn plants as well.
Orange mums.
Gaillardia. They look kinda sad though.
Being a gardener, you would think that spring would be my favourite season.
Not so! I love fall. I love the leaves turning. The cooler temps are refreshing after the heat of the summer. I love eating all the delicious food.
And in MY house, we get two thanksgivings. One in October for the Canadian, and one in November for the American.
This song makes me feel fall-y.
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