Thanksgiving Thoughts on Good Friday

Happy Good Friday to you--the gateway to a precious Easter weekend. Many people will start their celebrations today, and we are no exception. That is, except, ours is just a big dinner, not really a celebration :-) Back at Christmas, one of Adam's customers was kind enough to give us a 18 lb turkey. Well, that really isn't something I can whip up any night of the week, so it's been sitting in my parents chest freezer since. I decided w/ Alex being off school all day, it was a good time to stay home and roast this bird along w/ all the trimmings for a yummy "Thanksgiving" type meal. Roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes/gravy and cranberry sauce...You're hungry, aren't you??!! So this really isn't a recipe, but more a method. I've only cooked one other turkey in my life, and that was 4 years ago, so it is a refresher course for me too. But this is the exact reference I used back then, and I must say our turkey was delectiable. This comes from allrecipes.com and I hope it's useful to someone else out there!

How To Roast A Turkey


To prepare the turkey for roasting, first remove the giblets (and save for gravy or stuffing). Next, rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.

•If you are stuffing the bird, stuff it loosely, allowing about ½ to ¾ cup stuffing per pound of turkey.

•Brush the skin with melted butter or oil. Tie drumsticks together with string (for stuffed birds only).

•Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The thermometer should point towards the body, and should not touch the bone.

•Place the bird on a rack in a roasting pan, and into a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven. Use the following chart to estimate the time required for baking.

•Bake until the skin is a light golden color, and then cover loosely with a foil tent. During the last 45 minutes of baking, remove the foil tent to brown the skin. Basting is not necessary, but helps promote even browning.


Weight of Bird           Roasting time (Unstuffed)           Roasting Time (Stuffed)
10-18 lbs                   3-3.5 hours                               3.75-4.5 hours

18-22 lbs                   3.5-4 hours                               4.5-5 hours

22-24 lbs                   4-4.5 hours                               5-5.5 hours

24-29 lbs                   4.5-5 hours                               5.5-6.25 hours

The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) at the thigh

*NOTE* I baste my turkey w/ melted butter, once every hour.

Shared on Everyday Sisters Nov. 13, 2011

Exciting News

Friday I found out that this blog is a babble.com Reader's Choice Mom Food Blogger 2011!!! I was so excited and still can't belive it. For those who nominated/voted for me, thank you so much! In fact, although the list has been complied, you can still "like" or "vote" on babble.com and move Everyday Mom's Meals up the list, but I'm just excited to have been chosen as a reader's choice. Check out the badge on the left side of the home page....for the whole world to see!!!

Vegetable With a Kick

So I'm walking through the produce aisle at the store last week and I'm thinking "we need something different". Green beans, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, these are all things we eat on a pretty regular basis. But I was in the mood for something new, something we'd never tried before. I spotted the yellow squash and zucchini and thought, "mmmm, maybe something w/ those". Well, I've done each steamed w/ butter, salt and pepper a thousand times, and we just had zucchini in our butter bean soup last week, so yellow squash it was. I bought 2 and decided I would turn to my trusty friend the Internet and fellow foodie bloggers to come up w/ something. ComposeWell, it didn't take long b/c as luck would have it over at For The Love of Cooking there was a simple, and very "new" way to prepare these 2 yellow squash that were sitting in my crisper drawer destined to be cooked, or forgotten about depending on what I found. I was already planning a pasta dish tonight, so I'm thinking what better side than an "Italian" vegetable. And w/ Alex, if I put marinara and cheese on anything, heck it could be a shoe tongue, he will think it's the greatest thing ever!

Stuffed Yellow Squash

Olive oil or cooking spray
2 yellow squash
1/2 c. marinara sauce
2 TBS Parmesan cheese, grated
2 TBS Italian seasoned Panko bread crumbs (I'm using Italian seasoned "regular" bread crumbs b/c I have them)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking dish w/ a bit of olive oil or cooking spray. Cut the yellow squash in half lengthwise & slightly scoop out the filling down the center. Season squash w/ salt and pepper. Spoon the marinara down the center of each, equally. Sprinkle Parmesan on top of marinara and top w/ bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Shared on Everyday Sisters Sept. 4, 2011

Sea Salt Hand Scrub Take 2

Back in the fall, I shared a recipe I found (not eatable, take it) for a hand scrub made w/ sea salt to help my mother in law recreate one she had used on vacation. (September 20, 2010). Well, I believe her when she said it was amazing, but let's face it, until you try something yourself, you never really know for sure. The restaurant she had originally used it at happened to be the same one my sister in law's wedding reception was held- The Grille at the Riverview in New Smryna Beach, Fl. Let me tell you, and I'm not ashamed to admit this, I was in the bathroom off an on ALL NIGHT just so I could use their sea salt scrub!!! My hands have never been that smooth in my life. Plus, I hate sticky hands from left over residue from soap, lotion, hand sanitizer, etc; and this scrub cleaned them and made them feel fresh again w/ nothing left over. So I asked her if she had used that recipe I shared back in the fall and she in fact had, and loved it. She used coconut oil, since that is the scent they offered, and let's face it, when you're on the beach in sunny Fl, anything coconut scented is even better. Last night I decided I was going to try my hand at it too (ha! no pun inteded). But here is my confession: I'm cheap! I went to buy coconut oil and it is VERY expensive (she had warned me) and I just wasn't willing to spend the money. So I came up w/ the genius idea to use lemon extract instead. I love lemon scent, especially in soap, so why not! I wanted to store it in a crock, just like I do my cooking salt next to the stove. I ventured to Le Gourmet Chef  and it was my lucky night! I found the exact same crock on the clearance table, w/ an extra 50% off. Plus a small spoon, which I knew I needed, also on sale, for $1.18. I got both for the whopping total of $3.92!!! Then I got a huge box of kosher salt (I like Kosher better than sea b/c the granules are a little bigger) and a bottle of lemon extract on the baking aisle of Walmart for around $5. I told you, I'm cheap! I made my first batch last night and OMGosh....it's exactly like the one in Fl, and the lemon scent is perfect. I've been using it all day and my hands already feel amazing. This will definitely be something I continue to make for myself long into the future. Pampered Mommy smiling :)

Sea Salt Hand Scrub

1 c. Kosher salt
1/2 c. olive oil
2-3 tsp lemon or coconut extract (This is a guess. I just poured it in until it smelled good to me)

Mix all together until well incorporated. Store in a ceramic/glass dish w/ a small spoon for scooping. Stir once in a while. Use on hands w/ warm water.

Shared on Celebrating Family July 26, 2011
Shared on Home Savvy Aug. 15, 2011

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Meal Plan April 17-22

*New Recipe
(Where to find)

Sunday
Steak
Potato Wedges
Pan Roasted Brusells Sprouts (June 27, 2010)

Monday
Angel Hair Pasta w/ Herb/Cream Sauce
Stuffed Yellow Squash*

Tuesday
Cheddar Potato Soup (January 21, 2011)
Pumpernickel Bread

Wednesday
Pork Chops
Sweet Potato Casserole (January 19, 2011)
Applesauce

Thursday
Pizza Joes (July 8, 2010)
Sliced Pickled Beets
Sliced Cucumbers
Mac n Cheese

Friday (Good Friday)
Roast Turkey
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Mashed Potatoes/Gravy (February 2, 2011)