Tip for Turkey Day

Finally the day before Thanksgiving (aka Thanksgiving eve) and we have saved the funnest turkey for last. What do you call a turkey with 6 legs? Give up? A Turducken! Yes that strange sounding, strange looking feast for those who cannot decide what to make on Thursday. So enjoy the final installment of Turkey day Tips.

Turducken

Ingredients:
1 Large Turkey
1 Duckling
1 Roasting Chicken
Dried Sage
salt and pepper

Method of Preparation:
Take out all of the birds and rinse them. Start with the chicken, you need to debone it and leave it pretty much whole without the bones. Then the duck, debone it as well and finally the turkey with the exception of the legs. (Your butcher may be able to do this for you or if necessary you can call the experts (i.e. us)) Next salt and pepper the inside and out of all of the birds and rub them with sage. Take the chicken and stuff it neck end first into the back of the duck (if the duck is smaller than the chicken the put the duck in the chicken). Then take these two and stuff them into the Turkey. Tie them up so that they are as tight as possible. Put them into a roasting pan and cover and then put it all into an oven heated 325. Cook until there is an internal temperature of 165. Take out of the oven and take out of the pan and let it rest until it is time to eat. Take the roasting pan and the juices in it and simmer and thicken to make your gravy. Serve with whatever accoutrements you like. Enjoy

Tip for Turkey Day

It is day 4 and yet another turkey creation awaits. Have you ever tried anything brined? You know you have, think of pickles, and saurekraut, beets, eggs, and so on. Well you can brine turkeys too. It turns out very moist and tasty too.

Brined Turkey

Ingredients:
1 Turkey
1/2 lb. Sugar
1 c. Salt
2c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. whole pepper corns
1 red onion, sliced
8 bay leaves
1 gallon water

Method of Preparation:
In a large pot combine all of the ingredients except the turkey and bring to a simmer. Let it cool and then put it in the refridgerator. Once this is cooled in the fride, take the turkey out and rinse and dry. Put the turkey in the brine and let it sit for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the turkey out of the brine and discard the brine. Dry the turkey and put into a roasting pan and cover. Put into the oven and roast until the bird has an internal temperature of 160. Serve with whatever accoutrements you like. Enjoy

Tip for Turkey Day

Well day three is here and another turkey creation to share. We know that deep fried food may not be the best for you but hey, it's Thanksgiving and there is nothing like having a deep fried Turkey to enjoy.

Deep Fried Turkey

Ingredients:
1 Turkey
4-6 gallons vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1 turkey frying kit

Method of preparation
Set up turkey frying kit, light fire and fill pot with oil (be very careful, hot oil can burn you worse than boiling water and does not evaporate so it keeps burning you if it gets on you so use extraordinary caution when cooking you turkey). Once oil is at 375 degrees you are ready. Take turkey out and rinse and dry it extremely well (water in hot oil spatters badly and can burn you). Put turkey on the stand and with the hook, lower into the oil. It takes about 4 minutes per pound so you will need to watch it carefully. When turkey is done, take out of the oil (be very careful because the bird will be dripping and this is very hot and can burn you badly). Right when the bird comes out, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let stand for about 10 minutes so that the bird can drain and so that it can cool enough to move. Serve with whatever accoutrements you like. Enjoy

Tip for Turkey Day

Here is day 2 in our series of turkey creations for your thanksgiving. For those of you who like to do the tried and true (lame and boring) turkey we will humor your desires and describe our version.

Traditional Turkey

Ingredients:
1 Turkey
1 onion
1 head of celery
2 carrots
2 lb. stale bread
dried sage
2 eggs
2 c. chicken broth
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper

Method of Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Take all of the vegetable and dice them up and mince the garlic (For those who are short on time, toss into the food processor and pulse it a few times.) Crumble the bread into a bowl, add vegetables, broth, eggs, sage, salt and pepper and mix up with your hands until well blended. Take turkey out and remove the giblets and rinse the bird inside and out and then dry. Take the bread mixture and stuff the main cavity of the bird loosely until full. Place bird in a roasting pan and cover and put into oven and cook to an internal temperature of 160 and the stuffing is 170. When the bird's temp is 120 remove the lid. While the bird is cooking, take some broth and the giblets and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes and then remove the giblets. Use this to baste the turkey. When turkey is done take out of the pan and remove the stuffing into a bowl to serve and let bird rest until dinner. Take the juices in the pan and simmer on the stove and thicken for your gravy. Serve with whatever accoutrements you like. Enjoy

Tip For Turkey Day

How many ways can you cook a turkey? There are some who think that there is only one way to do it and we will discuss that later, but for now we are going to give you 5 different ways over the next few day on how you can cook that big fat bird. gobble gobble (hehehe)

Booze Basted Turkey

Ingredients:
1 case of your favorite booze (preferably Bourbon)
1 Rocks Glass
Several Bags of Ice
Steady supply of water
1 Turkey
2 Large Onion
1/2 lb. Brown Sugar
Dried Sage
Salt and Pepper

Method of Preparation

Get up in the morning and turn on the Macy's Parade
Open case of Bourbon
Check freshness of bourbon by pouring a glass on the rocks with a splash
repeat as necessary
Preheat oven to 375
Check bourbon again
Take turkey out and rinse with water and then dry.
check bourbon again
cut onions into quarters and put in bird
salt and pepper and sage inside and outside of bird
check brubon agian
Open second bottle
Mix together 3 cups of Bourbon and Brown Sugar
Put turkey into roasting pan (do not cover) and put into oven
Roast for 30 minutes and then turn oven down to 325
Baste Turkey with bourbon mixture every 30 minutes starting when you turn oven down
Check bourbon again
Cook until turkey has an internal temperature of 160
Take turkey out of oven and out of the roasting pan and let rest until you serve
Take juices that are in the roasting pan, skim off the fat, and simmer on the stove
Thicken as you desire
check bourbon again
Serve with whatever accoutrements you like and continue checking the bourbon

(you may substitute sherry for bourbon if that is your fancy)

Did you KNOW

My dictionary defines food as "any NOURISHING substance that is eaten or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth etc. Did you Know? Most of the ingredients in convenience foods don'tb meet this definition. maybe the general public has forgotten this( or maybe don't have a clue), as convenience foods, which people buy in large amounts, list mostly non food ingredients. The ingredients in most convenience foods are usually not any recognizable whole foods. Even though I am a culinary school grad college, I still don’t understand the ingredients. Its kinda scary. I am convinced a college degree with a major in chemistry is required to understand label ingredients.

In a day and age when organic foods are rapidly becoming a big chunk of the food market, most convenience foods offer the lowest quality ingredients which consumers purchase without a thought. Baked goods/sweets are the biggest and worst offenders. Instead of butter of cream, the fats I found listed in convenience foods are polysorbate 60, 65 or 80, partially hydrogenated coconut, palm, soybean, cottonseed, rapeseed and corn oil. You would be better off eating a stick of butter...yum! Have you ever tried to buy partially hydrogenated oils? These are cheap low quality oils that grocery stores don’t stock because ( except for margarine) of lack of demand. Why does the consumer who wouldn't buy these items at a grocery store, purchase and consume these non food ingredients in commercially prepared food for the sake of a simple quick bite to eat.

Besides cheap oils, ingredients list the use of sucrose (sugar is a non food since it is not a nourishing substance) white flour (too processed to have any nutrition) a variety of FD&C yellows, blues and reds to color the food, ethyl glycol ( did you know thats antifreeze) propylene glycol, all kinds of gums such as gum arabic, xanthin gum (extracted from toxic organic solvents, totally gross), locust bean gum, guar gum and cellulose gum, agar, glyceryl lacto-esters, carrageenan, carnuba wax, titanium dioxide (added to paints and vinyl products to prevent fading), monosodium glutamate, sodium phosphates, sodium propionate, sodium benzoate, sodium casenate, sodium stearoyl, sodium bisulfite, sodium nitrate, disodium phosphate, sodium citrate, calcium sulfate, calcium caseinate, calcium peroxide, calcium propionate, potassium sorbate, mono and diglycerides, corn syrup solids and high fructose corn syrup. (All that stuff above..I have no idea what it really is for the most part?) Only god and the company chemist knows what artificial flavorings mean( Key word artififical remember that means fake). And yes, it is chemists who formulate (not bake or cook) these convenience items. Their mission is to make foods cheaply that have a long shelf life. Home cooked food has a very short storage period before spoiling.

These are just a few things that came to my mind. Since i began my quest for better health, I think about many food issues. The more I learn the more I can't believe how ignorant we are when it comes to eating...

This is scary?Companies that use non food ingredients, are required to provide HAZMAT (hazardous material) training for their employees by either the Department of Transportation for the storage or transportation of these ingredients or by the Environmental Protection Agency for manufacturers. ( We eat this stuff?) Think about this for a moment. Why would you eat ingredients that if spilled on a highway would require a fully suited HAZMAT Team to clean up?

This makes me think. I guess that why they say ignorance is bliss?

Eating should provide the body with nourishment, not poison it. You should be able to recognize and understand the ingredients in food items without an advanced chemistry degree. The sensible thing to do if buying prepared foods is buy only foods that list ingredients you recognize, understand or that provide good nutrition Today’s acceptable additives and ingredients may become a problem of our future.

Just think about it before you grab food off the shelf. Food labels can be very handy if we take the time to use them.

Tuesday's Tip of the Week (On Thursday)

Well I know that it is not tuesday but I felt that I owed my fans their Tip. Now there are many things that I can tell you and I do like to incorporate a little humor into the tips, so this is serious but you may still chuckle a little!

Do you not like taking a handful of supplements every morning for your folate and iron? Then you need to eat the wonder food! Yes one food that will give you the RDA of both folate and iron, not to mention all of the other B vitamins plus magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, and other trace nutrients. I will give you five dollars if you can guess it. Give up? It's liver!!! Yes, that family favorite of years past is back and can give you so many nutrients that you'll need a basket to carry them home.

p.s. I gave it away so sorry about the five bucks.

Disgusting Food ListThis was originally the result of one of those sleep-deprivation psychoses. You know when you stay up way to late and you start thinking about really stupid stuff. Or when you get bored at work.
This a game we sometimes play at work to gross out staff out side of the culinary department.
The idea here is that you put foods -- that people would otherwise eat -- in nauseating combinations. So ingredients like vomit, toenails, and condensed farts, while indeed disgusting, don't count. I thought about making an exception for haggis, because even though some people like it, most of those people are Scottish.
For example, "deep fried clams with a chocolate hoseradish tartar sauce and a side of eel in a wild cherry aspic smothered in a vanilla chipolte chutney". This would not count. Any five things are probably nasty in combination. The trick is to find two great tastes that taste awful together.
One of these days I'll honor a few foods that are disgusting unto themselves: haggis, vegemite, marmite (Thanks Vipey), and melkfleisch.
· Jello sushi –
· Strawberry popsicle with ranch dressing
· Corn-dog covered with chocolate
· Lime jello with bacon bits
· Sausage milkshake -- Fudge bars with little bits of corn inside, topped with carrot shavings
· Chocolate-covered shrimp –
· Magic-Shell-covered shrimp
· Cornflakes with catsup Omlette with marshmallow creme inside –
· Taco with cherries in the meat sauce
· Chili with Junior Mints --
· Carmel-coated lima beans –
· Smores made with hamburger patties
· Vegemite – we will discuss this one later.. for all thoughts who don’t know this one
· Banana split with baked beans
· Pickles and milk – ( My Dad may disagree..he like pickles a lot)
· Tang and Quik –(Choc/ orange.. this may actually be ok..NOT)
· Graham, cheese & saurkraut S'Mores -- Jason
· Clam chowdah with Oreos -- Jane
· Steak and Skittles -- Laura
· Brussel sprout tapioca pudding -- Bob
· Tuna milkshake
· Peanut-butter and mayonnaise sandwich
·
· Donut and squid casserole -- Suzy
· Liver merangue pie
· Marshmallow creme in Ministrone soup
· A sandwich of mayonaisse and Cheetos between two thin-mint Girl Scout cookies
· Peach marmalade with anchovies
·
· Disgusting things to do with food· Gargle with mayonaise
· Ketchup lip balm
· Potato-skin toilet paper –
· Caesar salad dressing shampoo --
Disgusting Food Games
I love my audience.
Which, of course, leads to: "I would like a turkey jerky strudel with powdered sugar and wheat germ, marinated in a melted-chocolate-frozen-yogurt sauce with hash browns and relish on the side. And who can blame me?"
This is a little quip about one of the cool kitchen chicks that I work with quite often:
She used to have sleepovers when she was younger. she would have four or five of our friends over and they would take a big Mason jar half full of milk and set it in the middle of the table. First person would roll a dice. Whoever got the lowest number would have to add anything--anything *at all*--to the jar. The one with the highest roll had to take at least a swallow of it. This would continue until a terribly disgusting concoction came in to being and nobody would drink it or somebody threw up, which ever came first. They once ended up with a milk, pickle juice, relish, cat food, coffee ground, and a-bunch-of-other-stuff cocktail.

So at work we tend to be a little childish. Not that there's anything wrong with that..we i must be going i hear my bed calling my name i know it's not the Mr. K-C because it doesn't sound like snoring...
Until till next time.

OK now for what we really think

Well today has been boring, you know where you are trying to figure out which is faster, grass growing or paint drying? Really it was just a long day where nothing of any real consequence happened and you sit around just contemplating your existence and whether you bought that milk yesterday or last week? So that is why i wrote the poem, (Whacky isn't it, Laura said she wanted no credit for it but she made me put in monkey, I did everything else). But it is getting late so we are going to go to bed now and sleep. What you thought I was going say something else? Where is your mind?

Press following the release of the previous poem

Well as you can imagine there was a large turn out for the first public reading of Mr. KC's latest poem "Ode to my favorite chair," and he did not disappoint. The rhyme scheme is absolutely exsqusite and the rhythym is tantalizing. It has been a great many years since His last release ifyou all remember "Where is my Ball?" Which brought Mr. KC into the limelight of modern dumb poetry. We are definitely looking forward to his next release which should be somewhere around 2023. back to you Bob.

Ode to the chair I love


What can be said of the chair
The chair that I love
With the butt imprint here
and the beer stain there

You smell kind of funky
Like a skunk or a monkey
You are not much to look at
You have a big trunk"y"

You have become soft
Like a worn pair of jeans
We are lucky noone can clone you
No stealing your genes (haha)

Oh how you have grown on us
Both physically and metaphysically
you are so deep
Like the Grand Canyon or a gulley

We don't want to lose you
You are very wanted
Besides, you are hard to move
Like a donkey that's pampered

We like you a lot
If you could not tell
So please don't go
Or we'll cry like hell

Chocolate Talk

Today was a lovely day..number one reason...I did not have to go to work. I had to work the last eight days straight. so i selt in today. Biked my ten miles and did absolutely nothing. can i say it was wonderful! Hopefully my batteries got a little bit of a chance to recharge...Oh and the number two reason today was great, I had a chocolate cupcake for dessert. Yum!!!!

Speaking of dessert...that reminds me that the holidays are just around the corner..so of you may now the stuff below..some may not..so hopefully the tips are helpful!

Old and New Tips and Hints for baking
When making cookies, don't substitute margarine or "light" products for butter. Use the real thing here. Low fat products contain water and will cause cookies to spread out and not bake in cookie shapes.

What is the difference between dark-colored and light-colored bakeware?

Dark pans will make recipes which contain sugars and eggs burn on the outside before the inside is done. Recipes which are quick baking such as cookies will scorch or burn. Dark pans are good to help brown the sides and bottom of breads and it helps breads cook faster. This is because dark baking pans, etc., absorbs more heat. If your intent is to have light colors in your products, such as cookies, you are better off with light-colored bakeware. Light-colored bakeware cooks slower and is, therefore better suited to a product you want kept lighter in color.

Use what ever you have..don't forget to use timers and to always trust your nose it never lies.

This a little poem..i hope you like it...

No blocks Please
A kitchen is like a wheel
The smoother it runs
The better the eye appeal

No last minute chores
No sauce stains on the floor
You can see quality from the door

The fewer the Guests
The better the jests
Of the chef-patrons best

When a kitchen runs like a wheel

_______________________
In recent food news

Chewing gum tax in the pipeline to clean up the world's streets
03 Nov 2003
Source: Patrick McGuigan

Article Summary:
The Irish government’s proposal to slap a ten-cent tax on chewing gum to pay for street cleaning is not just bad news for manufacturers in Ireland. If successful, the initiative might encourage governments around the world to adopt similar schemes.

Very interesting...i wish people would swallow it and dispose of it naturally...

Here's a jumbled thought about food!!

Buffalo meat is getting more popular. I suppose soon we can expect cold cuts made from it -- possibly called "buffaloney."

Tuesday's Tip for Nutrition


It really has been a week since my last tip and I almost forgot about this week. Now I hope that last week's tip helped you and I know that this week's will help you as well.

Today's Tip: Are you getting your vegetables? the average american consumes less than the RDA for vegetables in fact more than 75% eat less than half of the reccomended amount in favor of higher fat choices. So it is important to get your vegetables everyday this will help you in many ways. It increases your fiber intake as well as you B vitamins and vitamin C as well as many essential minerals as well. By eating your vegetables you will help your body function better and make you feel better so like last week. Lettuce Eat.

Thought for the Day

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and over again, but expecting a different result.
---Albert Einstein

A Day in The Life of ME!

Do youu ever wonder what a typical day in my life is like? Or my typical morning.NO, sure youu do. Well to bad i"m going to tell you any way. Well it goes something like this. It first starts out with a noise that is very unfriendly...yep, thats right the alarm goes off. it's kinda like that movie Ground hogs Day with Bill Murry. The CD in the clock is the same one everyday. i hop right out of bed as fast as i can, to do crunches... I don't think so...And then i hit the snooze button. usually several times Most people say they can't go back to sleep cause they have go. you know what i mean. Nope not me! I end getting up because i can't bear the thought of hearing the alarm one more time. After i turn the alarm off..I fight with my self. One side of me says get your lazy butt out of bed and the other side says just call in sick. Ahhh..so many hard choices. Work or sleep? hmmm? I usually regret snoozing , because i become more grogy ( if that is even possiable?) the more i snooze. Oh well...what can i say i don't do mornings very well. It's not my fault. i was born in the afternoon. And i had nothing to do with that. So this whole thing started many moons ago. My husband will tell you I'm a little nasty and a little grumpy. i disagree. Okay maybe just a bit. After finally pulling my aching budy from the warmth of my comfy bed i wandeer around the apartment for a few minuates. You may ask what i'm doing. i couldn't tell you..i call it zombie mode or auto pilot. Then it's off to my stationary bike( before the zombie mode subsides,i may change my mind)..I hang out there until I ride 8-10 miles or reality sets in. Or until my legs feel like there going fall off. Or my butt has gone completely numb. Soon I have to take a shower and get ready for work. Yuck. And i recite my favorite saying. I don't want to go to work. then i hop in my car and wiz right off to work..That's my mornig. Not very exciting. but the next installment about me will be coming soon from a blog near you. Part 2 is full of silliness and more humor. i really don't know, i haven't written it yet..
until next time..cheerio

WAKE UP!!!!!

that's right we are going to talk about one of my favorite beverages..
that's right coffee...So folks if you find yourself in the list below you may want to get some help.
YOU KNOW YOU'VE HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE WHEN...

*Juan Valdez names his donkey after you.

* You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.
* You prefer to grind coffee beans in your mouth...it's an excellent alternative to gum
* You sleep with your eyes open.
* You lick your coffeepot clean...be careful not to burn your tongue
* Your eyes stay open when you sneeze...be very careful your eyes could pop out
* The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse...or when the doctor listens to your heart beat a thinks he/she is listening some crazy rap song
* You can type sixty words a minute with your feet...that would be pretty cool
* You can jump-start your car without cables.
* You don't sweat, you percolate.
* You've worn out the handle on your favorite coffee mug...or you drink it straight from the pot
* You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
* The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you...Wouldn't that be touching
* Your life's goal is to "amount to a hill of beans."
* Instant coffee takes too long...But like beans you can pour some into your mouth and chew
* Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
* Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.

There's nothing to be ashamed of. Go ahead and admit it...The list above is you to the tee...Or very close. Remember coffee is your friend and mine. So raise your cup up high..And feel free to Toast to it's wonderful taste, smell. And last but most important, Caffeine.

Do You Walk on Stilts

There is this commercial on TV up here where everyone is walking on stilts for fear of fire ants. If you sit down and actually watch it you see how unbelievably dumb that it is. But because we are in hick town aka Jax they show it nearly 20 times and day or so. So what could you do twenty times a day just to avoid this commercial.

There are parallels out there and even other commercials. Like the whole Jared thing and the Where's the beef campaign in the 80's. And hopefully like the lady who couldn't get up or find the beef and whatever else the senility made her lose this too will end and soon, for our sanity's sake.

Do you ever watch the commercials for foods? For McDonald's and Burger King and even for the grocery stores they seem to get more wierd weekly and now the new products that they are coming out with are driving them nuts and in turn drive us nuts with their ads. How many times have you wished that you could fast forward live TV to avoid the tempting eye candy these companies produce to entice the already hefty individual out of the chair and into the drive-thru for another round of artery clogging processed beef product.

Best choice only eat lettuce!
Posted by Greg

Slurppee, anyone?

I don't know how this popped into my head..but I'm really not sure how most things get there either. One thing I don't like about living in Jax Florida... yep you guessed it or maybe you didn't. The 7-11.. yes the holy church of the almighty slurpee. we don't have them here. We have Lil champ and Jiffy corner stores. Some have frosty drink machines but they just are not up to the slurpee standard...So if it's been awhile sinceyou've had one I'll have to remind you of the following:


The Sacred List of Slurpee Commandments :
DO fill the Slurpee up as much as you can so the bubble is completely full and you have to lick a little off of the top
DON'T hold the lever even after the bubble is full. Some kind of weird air-pressure thing occurs and you end up with the Slurpee all over you because it explodes out the top of the bubble
DO go for "Slurpee Runs" whenever possible
DON'T wuss out and not drink it all
DO drink your Slurpee as fast as possible in order to get the rush that
comes with every brain freeze
DON'T spend more than 15 minutes testing otherwise the clerk starts to bug you
DON'T wear a white shirt while drinking a slurpee, invariably you will spill it and ruin your outfit
DON'T try to carry six Slurpee cups at the same time without a quality cup-holder. Especially don't carry all 6 of them at once after you've paid
DO Be nice and get to know your 7-11 clerks, especially the graveyard workers. They are sacrificing sleep so YOU can enjoy slurpee freedom

Just a few things to remember when the urge takes you over...never ignore it..or you run a risk of becoming psychotic.. you think I'm kidding..Well, if I were you I wouldn't chance it...

NEW FEATURE ON TUESDAYS!
We have decided to add a new feature to our blog on tuesdays. it is going to be called Tuesdays' tips. This will consist of tips dealing with nutrition issues and will be as current as possible and as reliable as possible. Now these tips will not apply to all people but we are trying to keep all that read this site in mind when writing it. The tips will be coming from Greg who, as most of you know, is in school to become a dietician and he has a lot to say to help make everyone as healthy as possible.

Today's Tip "are you eating enough or too much? many americans are not aware of how much they need to eat to maintain a healthy body some eat too little and many eat too much. here is a simple way to tell if you are eating the right amounts. your meat portion needs to be about the size of a deck of cards and you should have about three a day. your starch should be about the size of the palm of your hand and you should have between 6 and 10 a day. eat as many vegetables as you would like as these are 'free' foods. If you follow this tip you will get the nutrition you need everyday and you should not feel hungry"

you can expect the next installment in a week and another tip will be revealed

Has this happened to you???

I was in a local sub shop the other day, and they apparently had hired several new employees who were trying *very* hard to do a good job under the watchful eyes of their trainer...

The fellow who was making my sandwich actually asked me, "And what kind of meat would you like on that roast beef sandwich?"

All i have to say is duh!!! What part of roast beef don't you understand. And politicians don't think that education needs more funding. Aren't these young folks supposed to be our future...scary thought!!

Its as if i was in peanuts cartoon and i was the teacher. wah..Wah.wah..you folks get the picture..Things that make you go Hmmmm???