A Flub

It is a chilly gray winter day here in Albuquerque.  One of the reasons I moved here was the weather - Albuquerque is sunny.  The sunniest place I've ever been, with an annual rainfall of about 8 inches.  We don't know gray - and all of my family starts complaining and heading to our beds when the clouds come in.  Today seemed perfect for a cup of tea, and a muffin (paleo of course.)
  I got out my Everyday Paleo cookbook (by Sarah Fragoso) and started to make Apple Muffins, and that is where the trouble began.  This is a great cookbook, my favorite cookbook even.  I am sure her recipe is excellent - when followed.  First off, can't find the muffin tin.  Oh yeah, I think I gave it away a year ago.  After all, I don't bake anymore. A cake pan will work.  I added all the wet ingredients, then reached for the almond flour.  No almond flour.  Huh?  I have had adequate almond flour for 2 years, and now I don't?  Are you crazy?  Well, I guess I'll add in 2 Tbsp almond butter and a cup of coconut flour.  Oh wait - it's cement.  Add some more water to thin it out.  And more, and more.
Final resul - not postworthy.  I'm just going to go to bed.

Thanksgiving leftover Zuppa Tuscana

I know,  I know.  Tired of turkey, still have a fridge full of food.  No -  There will be no turkey soup.  Instead, Zuppa Toscana is on the menu.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb ground sausage (take out of casings)
2 pc bacon, chopped
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
stock (I used the rest of the gravy, stock and water)
2 sliced potatoes (I used the rest of the mashed potatoes)
1 c coconut milk
1/2 bunch kale
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Fry sausage, bacon, onion, and garlic until onion is soft.  Add stock, kale, and potatoes and bring to a low boil.  When kale and potato are soft (approx 15 min) add coconut milk, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.  Enjoy.

Now, what can I do with cranberry sauce?

What to do with the Rest of the Turkey?!? Or the best broth ever.

20 lb bird cooked and served.  Mission accomplished, go take a nap.  After you are done napping, hobble back into the kitchen.   Label your freezer baggies with your sharpie.  Then attack that bird.  Cut, pull or shred all the muscles in the bird, marvelling the whole time at the amazing design of your turkey.  Portion up the bird into multiple ziplocs, give each baggie a generous dollop of gravy (or soup stock.)  This will ensure moist meat when it is defrosted.  Refrigerate until cold, then place in the freezer.  Refrigerating first increases the likelihood your turkey will not get freezer burn.

   Next step - turkey bone broth.  Find your crockpot in the fridge, remove the last serving of kahlua pork and wash the crockpot.  Hmm, maybe I should go eat that pork right now.  Mmm.  Love me some kahlua pork.  Okay - must dispatch the turkey bones.  Place all the turkey bones, cartilage, organs etc in a plastic bag.  I use a walmart bag then triple bag it.  Go find your hammer, go outside to the driveway and beat it until it feels like you've mashed all the big bones, or your bag is ripping too much.  Pull it out of the bag fill your crockpot half full then add water.  You can add garlic, onions, carrots - whatever.  I usually don't bother.  Put the rest in a ziploc and freeze until you want to make more broth.  Cook on low 24-36 hrs, adding water if necessary. 

 When done, strain, cool stock and place in baggies.  Freeze for your next soup.  It is so worth the effort.

  I like to keep all my bones in a plastic bag in the freezer until I am ready to make stock.  This works well w/ chicken, pork and beef bones.

Sweet Potatoes

My fav dish this year was...  the gravy.  But #2 was definitely the sweet potatoes.  They were delish, and paleo.  I guess I better learn how to take better photos!

Baked Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 or 3 quartered sweet potatoes
1/4 c canned coconut milk
2 eggs
cinnamon, salt, cardamon to taste

Cook the sweet potatoes however you want - microwave whole, boil quarters, bake etc.  Mash potatoes, mix with coconut milk.  Beat eggs well - at least a minute or 2 then mix w/ potatoes.  Add spices.  Cardamon is completely optional, but I have been on a cardamon kick recently, so it is in everything I make right now.  You can also add pecans on top.
Bake in a 350 oven until top is slightly browned.  (Took me an hour.)

Nom Nom Nom.  I love coconut milk, but it doesn't work for me in mashed potatoes, sweet or otherwise.  The eggs cut the coconutty taste, and give it more of a buttery flavor.  Plus, there is nothing wrong w/ adding a little protein to your carbs. 

Thanksgiving and Gotcha Day

   A holiday all about gratitude!  I am thankful for my amazing son, Penguin.  Today is his Gotcha Day.  Gotcha Day is the holiday we celebrate his adoption on.  He became our son the day before Thanksgiving, 2005. It has been an amazing time - full of wonderful ups, and heartbreaking downs (there are always downs with a kid with Reactive Attachment Disorder or RAD) but I wouldn't want my life any other way.  And, did I mention he is absolutely gorgeous, smart, funny, compassionate, athletic?  Love my young man!

  I am  grateful for my beautiful daughter Tiger Lily, who just moved in again last night.  It's been several years since we lived together, and we all will have some learning to do!  I, for instance, have never lived with an 18 year old, but we are already having fun!  And  Penguin and Tiger Lily have an amazing bond - partners in crime.  They are already terrorizing each other and the rest of the house.

   Thawing a turkey now.  Planning the cranberry sauce.  I think I need potatoes - that's it.
   My Thanksgiving turkey recipe is borrowed from Flylady.  You can see the original at   Flylady.net    My version is:

Turkey Roast

A big ol' bird
1 carrot quartered
1 onion quartered
1 celery stalk quartered
1 apple quartered
Salt, pepper, sage and thyme.

Preheat the oven to 500.  Oh yeah, I'm wild like that.  Remove all the innards from the bird (keep for the gravy or to make soup.)  Rinse the turkey, inside and out.  Pat outside dry, stuff with veggies and a little of the spices.  Place in pan, liberally rain down the spices.  Roast at 500 for 30 minutes.  Turn down the oven to 325.  If the skin starts getting too brown at anytime, cover it with foil.  Cook for approx 15 - 20 min per pound (total time in  oven at both temperatures), or follow the table on flylady's post.  Small birds are closer to 20 min/ lb, big ones are closer to 15 min/lb.

Turkey Gravy

When you put the turkey in the oven, place giblets, 5 C water and 1/2 bottle red or white wine in a sauce pan.  Cook at a low simmer until turkey is finished cooking, you may need to add water.  Add the turkey fat and any crispy brown pieces to the stock.  Stir, serve.  You can also add thickeners like arrowroot powder, which I may try tomorrow.


 Makes a fabulous, juicy turkey with to die for skin.  And as Penguin and I always fight over crispy turkey or chicken skin, that's very important at our house.  Obviously, ignore the stuffing information.  And I have never put butter on my birds, and they come out beautiful.
   I will be cooking a 20 lb bird in the morning.  Yes, for 4 people.  I got plenty of ziplocs ready to stuff and freeze with turkey meat, and that will take care of our turkey needs for a while.  Most years I buy 5-8 turkeys when they are on sale.  I typically roast 1 a month during the winter. This year's sales were pathetic.  I am hoping to find a good sale around Christmas to stock the freezer with.  If I don't find a good sale, I may buy several anyway.  Free range turkey is still a lot less expensive than free range chicken.

11/25/11 Update
I made the gravy with white wine this time (I usually use red) and it was excellent.  Also, the arrowroot worked well as a thickener.  I used 6 Tbsp to a big pot o' gravy.  Could have used more.  So good!




What, your cavekids don't beat each other with their turkey legs?

 

Fresh Start

I am a long-time (disorganized) freezer-cooker who loves paleo/primal eating.  I am a sugar addict, and a convenience addict, so I have found my biggest temptations are dessert (of course) and anything that is easier than cooking!  Freezer cooking is a great way around that.  As long as there is variety and deliciousness just a few minutes away, I do much better.