Category: MISC

COMMON COURTESY

Earlier this week a family member was “hurt” because her grandfather had not acknowledged her high school graduation.  She just graduated about 2 weeks ago, quite late and at an unusual time.  She did not send out announcements, but made an “announcement” on facebook that most family members never even saw.  A niece mentioned to her that it was her responsibility to contact grandpa and that facebook was NOT the place to make that statement and expect recognition from everyone and that she should have sent out announcements or that the very least made personal phone calls.  The grand daughter disagreed. 
I openly admit that I’m old school.  I do expect an announcement and/or invitation to arrive in my mail box for things like high school graduations, weddings, showers and such.  I also expect a thank you card for the gifts sent for these events.  After all, it is common courtesy and also a good way to stay in touch with family and friends.   
EVERYONE loves getting snail mail – especially happy news snail mail!  

Ironically, I received a Dear Abby email a few days later that addresses this very subject and is perfect timing for the upcoming holiday season. 

DEAR ABBY: At Christmas, “Santa” always fills my children’s stockings with a mix of fun, edible and practical items. A few years ago, when my oldest child was beginning to write, my husband and I started the tradition of tucking packets of thank-you cards into their stockings.

We explained that Santa must have given them the cards so they would have stationery to write thank-you notes to family and friends for the gifts they had received. The cards are a wonderful reminder to my children that they need to express their gratitude to those who have spent time and money to buy and send them a gift. Usually there are cards left over to cover thank-you notes at birthday time as well.

Unfortunately, these days, not enough people — even adults — take the time to write a note of appreciation for presents they are given. I believe parents should encourage children to do this as soon as they are able to understand the concept. I hope my husband and I are instilling a lifelong habit in our children. Abby, can you help get the point across? — THANKFUL MOM IN BRUNSWICK, MAINE

DEAR THANKFUL MOM: Gladly. You are teaching your children an important lesson. It’s a formality that started being ignored decades ago. Then, as years passed, it was a custom that was not just ignored, but many people forgot it existed. The result was that parents who hadn’t been taught the social niceties did not teach them to their children.

When I publish letters about thank-you notes, I invariably receive an avalanche of letters and e-mails from readers complaining that they are hurt and offended because they don’t receive thank-you notes. Some individuals use texts and e-mails to acknowledge gifts. However, for most people a handwritten note is much more memorable. Thanking someone for a gift, an invitation to a party or a kind deed in writing is important.
While composing a letter may always be a chore to some people, there are occasions when the written message is the only proper means of communication. It shows effort, and can become a keepsake. For those people who have difficulty expressing their thoughts, my booklet “How to Write Letters for All Occasions” covers a few basic rules for acknowledging gifts, expressing sympathy and accepting or declining an invitation. It can be ordered by sending your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $6 (U.S. funds), to Dear Abby — Letters Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price. Not everyone can write letters that are literary masterpieces, but for anyone who wonders how to put in writing a brief, charming thank-you note, a letter expressing congratulations, a love letter — or one that announces a broken engagement — my booklet will serve as a guide to those who have put off writing because they didn’t know what to say, how to say it, or even how to begin.

Because the season for exchanging gifts is nearly here, “Thankful Mom,” your letter is an important and timely one.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

©2009 Universal Press Syndicate

Giving Thanks ~ Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing

Hi everyone, Tamy here filling in for Chris today.  My recipe is not from the grill, but I thought it was appropriate for so near Thanksgiving.

Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing
1 loaf sourdough French bread, cut into bite size chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped fine
1 small bunch celery (leaves and all), chopped fine
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped fine
1 box mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Chicken base
2 tablespoons Buttery Herb & Garlic Mix (I believe McCormick makes it)
4 cloves garlic, minced

  • Cut bread into bite sized chunks and spread out in a thin layer over cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours until pieces are actually hard.
  • Chop all the vegetables.
  • In a large cast iron pan melt 1/4 cup of the butter.
  • Add the onions and saute until translucent. The add the celery and carrots and continue sauteing until crisp tender. Add the garlic last as it will burn first.
  • Whisk together the water, better than bouillon chicken base and all of the seasonings.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • In a large pan toss the bread slices together.
  • Add the sauteed vegetables and toss again.
  • Add the liquid mixture and toss again until well absorbed.
  • Fold entire mixture into at least a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered 1 hour.
  • At this point I use a small portion for our dinner that night and freeze the rest.
  • When it’s time to cook it again, I defrost it, put it back in the same baking dish and bake it again, but this time covered with foil until the last 15 minutes so it doesn’t dry out. We like it crisp on top so I remove the foil the last 15 minutes.
You can find me at my home blogs 3 Sides of Crazy. Always Eat On The Good China, on Saturdays at THE Motivation Station on Sundays here at OUR KrAzY kitchen. 

    HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

    CRANBERRY SAUCE
    1/2 cup orange juice with pulp*
    1/2 cup pineapple juice*
    1 bag cranberries
    2 cups sugar
    ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon orange peel
    • Wash cranberries and drain in colander. 
    • Mix orange juice and sugar in saucepan until dissolved. 
    • Add cinnamon and orange peel. Stir well.
    • Add the cranberries and simmer over medium high heat until bubbling, stirring often. 
    • When the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat. 
    • Cook uncovered or until all cranberries have ’popped’. 
    • Sauce will thicken as it cools. 
    • Can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for future holidays.

    Yields: 2 cups
    *You can use ALL orange juice if you prefer

    ***I like to make a double batch at Thanksgiving and freeze half for Christmas.

    PORK in ORANGE SAUCE

    My wonderful SIL recently returned from a cruise to Panama – lucky her! – she had a great time, but lucky me – she sent me a new cookbook of Mexican recipes.  I have tried 3 recipes so far this week and we loved all 3!!!!!!!!!  But, hubby all but licked his plate on this one tonight. And this recipe was soooooooooo simple!  I did tweak the original recipe to suit us, but the basics are all still there.

    2 pound pork tenderloin, cut into pieces
    1/3 cup diced dried apricots
    1 cup white wine vinegar
    1 teaspoon cumin
    3 cloves garlic, finely minced
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon red pepper
    4 tablespoons butter
    1 cup fresh orange juice
    1/3 cup lemon juice
    sliced oranges for garnish
    mashed potatoes (original recipe called for mashed sweet potatoes but hubby doesn’t care for them)

    • In a large bowl combine vinegar, cumin, garlic, red pepper and salt.
    • Drop in pork cubes and make sure they are completely coated.
    • Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or more.
    • Remove pork pieces from marindae, but reserve the marinade.
    • Pat the meat dry.*
    • In a heavy skillet, melt the butter.
    • Brown the pork cubes until golden.
    • Add the reserved marinade and bring to a boil.
    • Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until pork is tender (30 minutes or so).
    • Stir in orange and lemon juices last 15 minutes.

    *Next time I will brown the pork first and then marinade so there is a bit of a crusty edge.

    NOTE:  Any time you marinade in vinegar, meat will take longer to brown.

    SALTED CHOCOLATE

    SALTED CHOCOLATE
    16 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
    Sea Salt
    1/2 cup crushed walnuts
    PURE

    • Spray a jelly roll pan with an even coat of PURE.
    • Microwave chocolate in 20 second intervals until melted.
    • Spread chocolate out evenly.
    • Sprinkle sea salt across the entire layer of chocolate.
    • Sprinkle top with crushed walnuts.
    • Gently press nuts into the chocolate.
    • Cool in refrigerator uncovered for 30 minutes until hardened.
    • Break up into pieces and store in cool dark dry place.

    3 secrets you should do for the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

      First thing… I made my first video… what do you think????

    And now, on to Thanksgiving…

    A body of work is an interesting thing.

    Last year I posted about making a… Beer Butt Turkey.

    Also, I made a… Fried Turkey.

    And of course I made a… Smoked Turkey.

    If you haven’t decided how you want to cook your bird, take a look at those links for tips.  BUT, no matter how you make your bird this year, there are three simple steps you can use to make sure your bird is tender, juicy and most important, NOT dried out.

    First is the easiest, pull that pop-up thermometer thingy out of your turkey and invest in a meat prop thermometer.  Internal temperature of a fully cooked turkey is only 170 degrees.  Those pop up thingies pop up when the bird is 185 degrees.  And 185 degrees on the outer layer of the bird.  Guaranteed to be too dry on the inside.

    170 degrees is safe, cooked and moist and delicious.  Be sure to measure the temp at several points of the bird (including the thickest part of the thigh).  If all are 170 degrees, your bird is done!

    Second is to cook your stuffing as dressing.  DO NOT STUFF YOUR TURKEY.  There are two reasons, first, if you densely stuff the cavity, it is possible that the turkey juices will not reach a high enough temperature to kill bacteria.  Food poisoning your guests will make for a memorable holiday, but it is not as much fun to watch football.

    But also, it makes the bird thicker, harder to reach that consistent 170 degree temperature throughout.  If the cavity is empty, the hot air circulates inside as well as around the outside of the bird.  Bird cooks faster and more even.  That 170 degree mark is reached sooner and the bird is juicy throughout.

    Finally… BRINE YOUR TURKEY!

    Here’s how…

    A honey brine. the night before the cook, I assembled my brining liquid…

    3 gallons of water 
    1 1/2 cups kosher salt
    5 cups vegetable broth
    1 1/2 cups honey
    5 cups ice

    Heat 1 gallon water and the salt. Stir til all the salt is dissolved. Add the honey, again, stir til dissolved. Dump into a clean cooler, mix together everything else and add the bird. This also works well in one of those BIG freezer bags. Don’t add the ice, but put the bagged bird into a cooler and than add ice and some water to surround the bagged bird and keep it from getting to room temps.

    Let sit for 12 to 24 hours.

    I was sharing space with my neighbors bird, who was also frying his bird.

    Making a brine is simple, and is a wonderful way to add moisture to your finished product. My sainted mother would use that hideous pop-up built in thermometer as her way of telling when the turkey is done. IN FACT, those thermometers are set to go off at about 180 degrees, guaranteeing your bird will be dry and tough prior to serving. Ideal internal temperature is only 165 degrees. Every degree above that only dries out your bird. But I digress…

    Brining adds moisture to your bird, and allows the bird to cook more evenly. Smarter people than I have done the science research. Click HERE to go to The Kitchen Project‘s page on brining. He goes through the science of what a brine does, recipes, history and techniques.



    Happy Holidays, enjoy your day and have a moist, tender, golden brown and delicious bird!

    Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

     … I CAN COOK THAT! 

    And so can you!
    …

    Healthy Meals ~ Winter Soup ~ VEGETABLE BEEF

    We’ve had several cold-snaps here in Texas already. It’s what I call “soup weather.” Makes you feel all warm inside. And I have a great, low fat recipe for vegetable beef soup that is super-simple! It uses ready-to-drink tomato juice as a base.

    Ingredients
    14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes
    14..5 ounce can green beans
    8.5 oz can green peas
    11 ounce can corn
    14.5 ounce can carrots
    1 pound lean ground beef (93/7)
    46 ounce can of tomato juice
    Italian seasoning (to taste. I just pour it in. I never measure. I’d guess 2 teaspoons minimum)

    Preparation
    Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain the grease. Pour all ingredients into a stock pot and heat to boiling. Serve and enjoy! It’s a hearty, filling, tasty, low fat soup.
    This will serve at least 8 people and has approximately 240 calories per serving and approximately 8 grams of fat per serving (less if you buy lower fat ground beef). I hope you like it!

    SPICY CHICKEN STEW

    2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces
    3 tablespoons butter
    2 large onions, chopped
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    1 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
    1 cup chicken stock or broth
    1 cup white wine
    2 teaspoon turmeric
    1 teaspoon red chili flakes
    1 teaspoon paprika
    1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
    sea salt and white pepper to taste
    Two generous cups of fresh herbs (a combination of cilantro, tarragon, basil AND parsley)

    • Bring the butter to a sizzle in a large skillet/saute’ pan.
    • Add chicken and fry on medium-hi heat until slightly browned all over. About 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Keep warm.
    • Add the onions to the pan, stir for a 3-4 minutes.
    • Add the garlic and saute, until onion has softened a little, another 1-2 minutes.
    • Add the chilli flakes and coriander, stir for a few seconds to release the aromas. 
    • Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and wine. 
    • Season with salt an pepper.
    • Bring to a simmer, cover the saucepan and cook for 45 minutes or so, occasionally stirring, until the sauce is reduced to a thick glossy sauce. I found it took about 1 hour and a half  to reduce the sauce. Alternatively, add a little cornstarch or flour mixed with water and stir into the pot as necessary.
    • Shred chicken and return to pan. 
    • Add the fresh herbs. Stir and cover for 10 minutes, so the flavors can infuse. Season again, if necessary.
    • Serve over rice or potatoes and garnish with lemon slices.

    Save Room for Dessert…Sweet Potato Pie

    You can’t walk into any Louisiana market without seeing a display of sweet potatoes – they are everywhere, and I am ecstatic!  I love sweet potatoes, and the first recipe I thought of when I saw them in their glory was my sweet potato pie.  Since Thanksgiving is literally just around the corner, I thought I’d share my recipe with you, just in case you were looking for something familiar, yet slightly different, to serve at your own feast.

    Sweet Potato Pie
    3 lbs sweet potatoes, baked and pureed
    2 large eggs
    2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup orange juice
    1/4 cup heavy cream
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/8 teaspoon cardamom
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 9″ unbaked pie crust (I made my own, but frozen will work just fine)

    • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
    • Combine all ingredients and mix together until smooth and creamy.
    • Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust.
    • Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes; lower temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in middle of pie comes out clean.
    • If pie crust begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of foil.
    • Allow to cool to room temp before serving; store leftovers in refrigerator.

    Printable recipe

    Spices Inc Giveaway Contest
    at Louanne’s Kitchen

    ARE YOU READY FOR SOME MORE FOOTBALL??

    We’re HUGE football fans!  Well, it’s that time of year again! Football season is already way too many weeks old (where does the time go?) and that means it’s time for tailgating againt, serious football food and game day buffets.  Bring over your best appetizers and your biggest appetite and oh don’t forget the Brewskis to go with it all.  I like mine really cold please with a side of lime!
    Tailgating Time will be posted every Sunday at noon and open all week for you to add your football favorites. We’ll play each and every week until Superbowl Sunday. I can’t wait to see what you’ll be bringing!
    It’s Tailgating Time!
    HOSTED BY: 
    Tamy at 3 sides of Crazy 
    Lyndsey at Tiny Skillet 
    Martha at Seaside Simplicity Martha will be back with us next week.

    Would you like to be a host of Tailgating Time too? 
    Leave me a comment here with your email or with Martha over at Seaside Simplicity so we can send you the code and add you to the host list – more exposure, more links, more football food!

    WEEKLY MENU

    Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

    		 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
    Monday 11/15 CEREAL SANDWICHES CHICKEN IN GREEN SAUCE with PARMESAN RICE and SALAD
    Tuesday 11/16 TOAST LEFTOVERS CHICKEN with ORANGE SAUCE, BUTTERED NOODLES and BROCCOLI
    Wednesday 11/17 YOGURT SOUP CREAMED PORK CHOPS with AU GRATIN POTATOES and SALAD
    Thursday 11/18 FRUIT CHEESE & FRUIT HAM STEAK with BALSAMIC CARROTS and WILD RICE PILAF
    Friday 11/19 OATMEAL C.O.R.N.
    PORK in ORANGE SAUCE with BROWN RICE and CARROTS
    Saturday 11/20 OUT leftovers FIRE ROASTED TUNA MACARONI and CHEESE CASSEROLE
    Sunday 11/21 SCRAMBLED EGGS & BACON TAILGATING FOOD CHICKEN WITH RICE, SLICED TOMATOES, KIWIS and AVOCADOS