Breakdown of the Throwdown - Part 1

4:42am: Jen awakens to the pleasant sounds of a grinding garbage disposal and Wrigley whining to go outside.

4:43am: Jen thinks to herself:

"Why am I hearing the garbage disposal at the butt-crack of dawn - surely this is just a bad dream?"

4:45am: *sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs* Jen is officially AWAKE - much to her dismay!


4:46am: Greg is serenading Jen with...are you ready for this?

"Do You Know the Muffin Man"

[this is WRONG...on SO many levels!]

4:46am: Jen puts pillow over her head and tries to pretend that this is NOT happening. NOT Muffin Man...before 5am - SERIOUSLY!?

4:47am: Greg is lecturing Jen...and it went something like this:

"You know...somebody's turkey is going to be RAW & nasty...if they don't get their butt outta bed...blah, blah, blah..."

4:48am: Jen concedes & commences the roasting ceremony.

"HAPPY THANKSGIVING, TO ME?"

{Important note: The kiddos stayed the night at a fancy hotel, about 55 minutes away, with Poppa & Nanny.)



HUGE Bonus! Thank you, Poppa & Nanny!

OK now - where the heck was I? Oh, yes...turkey prep...

Not having ANY experience with roasting a 20 pound bird, I was a bit unclear on the exact (or even ballpark figure) amount of time that it would take for my turkey to reach the proper temperature & be declared "done". During my research, I did learn that a brined turkey cooks at a faster speed than one that is not brined.

*Oh, and by the way - I did decide to BRINE my turkey!*

Before we begin cooking, I would like to introduce you to
Big T & Lil' T - say hello!

4:57am: Jen brushes teeth (and curses the Muffin Man)

5:02am: *Jen waiting ever-so-patiently for Greg to remove himself (and all of his turkey aftermath) from the kitchen*

5:12am: Jen dons herself with a bottle of Lysol Anti-bacterial Kitchen Cleaner and hot-pink designer infrared salmonella detecting goggles (which make her look super hot)...and then uses over half of the bottle, saturating every spot that Greg may have even considered coming into contact with. 2 semesters of Infection Control & Advanced Infection Control in college, well...it just does that to a person.

5:15am: Jen removes Tom from the 2 gallons of brine liquid, washes him, and pats him dry with love. Uses other half of the Lysol bottle.

5:21am: Jen consumes a large amount of Diet Coke (which is her coffee in the mornings).

5:25am: Greg's hen is on the grill - the smoking (or should I say "smirking"?) begins.

6:11am: Jen's ginormous, brined for 24 hours, buttery, & incorrectly trussed turkey goes into the oven...thermometer in place...herbs & secret ingredients in place...tightly wrapped in a double layer of heavy-duty foil...life is good!

*oops...I just realized that I forgot to tuck in the wings - CRAP!*

To be continued...

Yes, yes...I know!

OK - yes...I KNOW, already! I've had requests to please give an update in reference to the Turkey Throwdown - I'm SORRY...I'm SLOW! I haven't downloaded any pics yet, but it's on my Top 10 list.

I've been a little preoccupied this week with other tasks & I still don't have my Christmas tree up, but be assured, I will most certainly post something about the event within the next few days because I would hate to keep you all in limbo!

Seriously...

I PROMISE!

Stay tuned for: "Breakdown of a Throwdown!"

Love to All ~ Be good to yourselves!

To Brine, Or Not to Brine?

In all of my 34.97 years...I have had the privilege of enjoying my Thanksgiving Meal at my Mom's house. Year after year, the meal is ALWAYS so absolutely delicious & perfect! My mom is such a fabulous cook & I have always learned so many wonderful recipes & cooking tips from her...she just knows how to take a meal to the next level.

So - where am I going with this, you ask? Well - in all of those years - Jen has never had to prepare a TURKEY! No, I am NOT joking. I have NEVER prepared an entire turkey in all of my life. Are you shocked? I am! I DO know, that in all of those years, I never remember my mom "brining" her turkey before roasting it.

OK - so...guess what? I am having the Thanksgiving Meal at MY house this year & guess who will be attending? My parents! Yay! *holy guacamole - what am I thinking* Obviously, I am NOT an experienced bird baker - and that is where Pioneer Woman and YOU come in to play. I was reading Pioneer Womans blog yesterday & I clicked on her Holiday Recipe section. She goes into great detail (with awesome photos) of how to prepare, brine, & roast a turkey. I am in awe of Pioneer Woman!
CLICK HERE to check her out!



My question to all of you, my friends, is this:
"To Brine, or NOT to Brine?"

Do you brine your turkey before roasting it? If so, what ingredients do you prefer to use for brining? Please, if you can spare the time...share some Turkey Tips with me so that I can "1-up" the "Smoked Turkey" that my husband has vowed to kick my butt with this year! Yes - there is a healthy competition going on here - and the stakes are high! Greg has been so bold as to make statements insinuating that his turkey will reign far superior over mine - hmmmm - we shall see! My dad, who promises to remain impartial, will be the judge of who's turkey takes all - I am relying on all of you to help me prepare the MOST Fantabulous Turkey EVER!

Let's talk turkey, shall we?

As Seen on TV

Ok - so it's 3:06am...and I'm at work...7 hours 46 minutes down/4 hours 24 minutes to go - Yipee! TV is SO bad right now that I nearly phoned in to order "Pedi-Paws", after viewing the very lengthy infomercial for the 6th time. Hey, if I order within the next 10 minutes then I will receive the bonus shed ender absolutely FREE - yes, FREE! I mean...I'm SO tired that I even, for one brief second, considered just completing ALL of my Christmas shopping at that very moment - it's final - everyone shall receive a Pedi-Paws for Christmas! Who cares if you have a pet...try it on yourself for goodness sake...it's a gift!

Good grief...I need sleep.

But, seriously - the Pedi-Paws thing sounds REALLY cool & I'm sitting here wondering...Has anyone out there purchased & tried to clip their pets nails with it? If so, PLEASE, do share your review of this product with me. My basset hound, Wrigley, has the THICKEST and longest toenails ever know to dog - I kid you not! I would buy this product in a heartbeat, if I could be sure that it actually works - SO - I'm looking for some feedback here...let me know if you own one! Look - don't think I'm insane...it says right there on the telly...it's REVOLUTIONARY!!!!



Good Gravy! Why don't they warn people who work midnights in advance?? DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take a debit/credit card to work with you on a graveyard shift...it's just not safe.

[sidebar] I take my dog to the groomer every 2 weeks & they clip her nails...WHY in the name of canines am I in need of a pet nail trimmer?

Well - I must go for now...I feel myself getting sucked into the Bowflex TreadClimber thing - only 6 million payments of $5/month - I'm looking for my credit card right now...

and then I'm going to finish my Vanilla Frosty from Wendy's. ;]

Love to all! Have a happy Monday!

Some recent pics...

Note to Reader

Note to readers & friends: I used to be a frequent blogger on MySpace (Myspace Blog) ...however, due to technical difficulties, & a complete re-arrangement of my priorities - a much needed break occurred!

I plan to be back in effect before too long & I look forward to adding many of my old friends to this blog! Thanks to my friends, Jennifer W. & Julie...I have decided that this will be the spot that I shall settle in to!

Have a beautiful & meaningful day ~:o]