and Other Things
And why did we not choose a different time to go out? Well, we've been waiting for extended family to figure out whether or not they would be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner. There were many moving parts to consider before deciding that we won't have any extra guests for that day. So as soon as we knew how many we'll be feeding (4) and what our menu was, we headed out to shop before the shelves were empty.
Our menu started out featuring smoked ribs, but that got changed when Theo was given a big turkey at work. We are going to try a new-to-us cooking method for it. Basically, you heat the turkey for an hour at 500 degrees and then turn the oven off and let it sit in the warm oven for the next 5 or 6 hours. There is almost a cult following on the internet for this method. We'll see if we're able to produce the browned skin, meat falling off the bones everyone is raving about. I think the hardest part will be not opening the oven or lifting the lid on the turkey to see how it's doing.
Back on the homefront, we have had a few surprises in the yard. Our camellia tree is blooming! We planted it last spring and it is a variety that is supposed to bloom in the fall. However, we didn't expect it to bloom the first year, so when it hadn't shown any signs that way, we weren't surprised. But we were surprised when after several frosts, we saw our first bloom.
There are a couple of other things that are braving the cold weather and still flowering. What a treat for this time of year.
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| Camellia |
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| Spirea |
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| Cosmos |
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| Dianthus |
Until next time...
I chuckled at your description of losing all common sense and shopping Saturday. I am always somewhat baffled at the numbers of people shopping right before a holiday and the amount of food they are buying. I tend to spread out my spending so that I don't end up with a huge grocery bill all at once and I guess I'm a rare bird for doing that. Speaking of rare birds, you'll have to let us know how your turkey turns out (I'm sure it won't be "rare" but I couldn't resist teasing you a little).
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that it's a good thing we decided to delay going to Illinois. The covid cases are going crazy in our area right now. My son will be joining us, but no one else will be here. We plan on getting a lot of the meal done beforehand so the turkey, potatoes and stuffing should be all that we have left to cook on Thursday.
Wow, so many flowers blooming still!
I like to be more planned ahead than this, but when you are interacting with others, that luxury is not always available.
DeleteNumbers are up here, so the mask mandate is back on. However, we have a pretty high vaccination rate, so they're not soaring. We'll see if that's true after the holidays. We have voted to have mac and cheese instead of potatoes. That's already made and I'll make a pie tomorrow and start the stuffing. Since it's just our immediate family, it should be easy.
In full disclosure, my husband does the bulk of our holiday cooking. I'll make bread, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie and he will cook the turkey, stuffing, potatoes and whatever veggie we end up with. We keep the menu pretty simple compared to many families, I think. Cleaning up the turkey carcass is, to my mind, the hardest part of the meal.
DeleteI cook quite a lot of things that way, including chicken. Works so well, because I can leave, after the initial heating.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to hear that it works well for you and you do it a lot. This is definitely a method to explore. I guess it is the oven version of a slow cooker.
DeleteNow you both have me intrigued! I may try this with a chicken sometime. I love the convenience of crockpot cooking but I don't always like the way that meat turns out in the crockpot so this could give me the best of both worlds ...
DeleteYay for braving the crowds and getting your shopping done! I'm sorry the extended family can't join you for Thanksgiving, but, perhaps, under the present conditions, it is all for the best. One of my cousins is hosting a family meal, but, I have made my excuses not to attend; my daughter hasn't had her booster dose yet and I am not taking any chances!
ReplyDeleteYour camellia tree is doing so well considering it is the first year since being planted! Plus all the other flowers, too! How lovely!
I read about that way of preparing the turkey, but, I haven't tried it! You will have to tell us how it turned out! Have a blessed Thanksgiving, June.
Without extended family, Thanksgiving will be a lot calmer and easier. Both good things.
DeleteI am very excited about the camellia. I really didn't know what it was going to look like. We had an evergreen planned first for that spot, but changed our mind to something that would produce color when others were fading. It seems to be doing its job.
Happy Thanksgiving, Bless, to you and your daughter.