Adventures of a tribal dancer...: holidays

Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts

I've said it before and I will say it again:
Alton Brown's Brined Turkey?
Best. Turkey. Ever.

You can debate all you want about whether brining helps or not. I have tried many other recipes--dry brines, wet brines, unbrined, grilled, smoked, even sous vide--and every time we come back to this recipe as the absolutely best combination of flavor and juiciness. Period.

My only adaptation is I always spatchcock my birds now. Don't be afraid of spatchcocking, it is SO EASY. If worried, test it on a whole chicken before you try the turkey. I highly recommend getting poultry shears for turkey, as the thicker bird is harder to do with just knives or kitchen shears.

Quick Brine Tip:
Alton suggests putting your bird directly into a cooler. We did that, and it was a mess. It worked, but no thanks. We also did a food safe 5 gallon bucket, but without insulation (and not being willing to put it outdoors and trust a lid with a brick on it to keep it safe from critters), we struggled to keep it cool enough all night. We now get the largest roasting bag available--food safe!--make the brine and MAKE SURE IT IS COOLED BEFORE YOU IMMERSE YOUR BIRD IN IT. Do not put hot brine in with your cold turkey, that could put your poultry in the danger zone. Then drop the turkey into the bag and fill with the brine solution. Then we tie it off tight and place that into a cooler with ice, rotating it and adding ice as needed a few times throughout the 12-18 hours before cooking, for good measure. So much easier to keep at a safe cold temp, and simpler clean up.

I do use Alton's suggested "molded breastplate" foil tent over the top of the bird (outlined here) as it gives us the most consistent cooking results, but I personally remove it in the last 30-45 minutes of cooking to crisp up the skin a bit. I MUST have crispy skin, and his recipes just don't take that into account. I have not found that this dries out the breast in any significant way, and I get crispier skin. Don't like that chance of dry white meat? In the last 5 minutes of the 15 minute resting period, peel off the skin and saute it in a pan with a little butter. Then fist fight your sister over who gets to eat it all. Oh...just us, then?

Shay's Stuffing Tweak Directions:

Line roasting pan with heavy duty foil (for easier cleanup later). Spray with cooking spray or oil a little with olive oil.
Make a little foil boat for the aromatics, set it in the middle of the roasting pan.
Put a ring of stuffing around the outside edges of the pan, reserving any you want to keep vegetarian.
Place spatchcocked turkey on top of bed of stuffing (or you can put a rack on them and the bird on top of that for easier removal later for the rest period) and cook for recommended time.

This makes stuffing with the turkey drippings dripping on them throughout the cooking process--making the stuffing taste like "stuffed stuffing" without the salmonella risk or turkey meat drying out--while allowing you to have an aromatics component that would have been unseated by a pile of stuffing.

You can also have part stuffing, part cubed potatoes under the turkey if you wish. They also absorb the drippings and become soft and flavorful. If you want crispier potatoes, at the end of the cooking time, you can remove the stuffing and turkey to rest, then put the potatoes under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp them up a bit. Turn them one for more even browning. (pro tip: keep a close eye on these potatoes, as all the fats and oils they have absorbed means they will crisp quickly and burn without supervision).

You can sub the russet potatoes for sweet potatoes; a mix of russets and sweet potatoes; make it a root veggie mix with carrots, turnips, potatoes, etc. Whatever you like.

One pan cooking makes it easier on you and less coordination. Results are the best in the 25+ years I have been cooking turkeys.

ONLY DOWNSIDE: If you make your gravy from pan drippings, with this method your drippings will mostly or entirely be absorbed by the starches beneath. BUT, my momma makes a fabulous gravy from pan browning the neck and giblets, and then making a base broth from them. It is essentially this recipe, but browning the neck and giblets first to get that caramelized, maillard-reaction flavor in the gravy that you would miss from the drippings. It whips up pretty darn quick, and is something you can do while the turkey is finishing cooking. Don't want the additional steps? Try a delicious make-ahead gravy to really impress.

Next year, I may try Alton's Turketta!

baking holidays leftovers recipes

Individual Turkey Pot Pies

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Thursday, December 26, 2019

You could easily make these with frozen veg, but I had the mirepoix ingredients on hand from cooking for Thanksgiving dinner, so it made sense to use fresh ingredients. I find the veg stays a little toothier with fresh, and imparts more hearty flavor and texture.

INGREDIENTS

1 large carrot, small dice (about 1/2 cup)
1 stalk celery, small dice (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 onion, small dice onion (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup white wine (sauv blanc)
3/4-1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups-2 cups cubed cooked turkey meat
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
2 packages store bought pie crust (3 of the 4 rounds of Pillsbury pie crust)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a pan; cook carrot, celery, and onion until softened a bit. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Sprinkle in flour, toss to coat veg, then stream in white wine and reduce down until absorbed and alcohol smell has cooked off.
Add cream and reduce until bubbly and thick. Start with 3/4 then add more if you feel it can absorb more without being too soupy. You want it to be thick and saucy.
Fold in herbs, peas and turkey, turning off heat and letting flavors blend. Salt and pepper to taste, then let cool and hold until ready to fill shells.
Roll out rounds a bit thinner. Note you will only need 3 crusts out of the four that come in two packages, so save the 4th for another time. Cut six each of round 4” tops and 6” bottom shells.
Spray a jumbo muffin tin with oil. Press larger circles into the bottom, fill with filling (should be to the top, or at least 3/4 up), then top with the smaller round and press edges together. Cut a slit in the top. Brush with some cream or butter if you wish.
Place muffin tin on a baking sheet to protect from potential overflow. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until tops are lightly brown.
Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes to allow crust to set. Remove pies to a wide bowl, serve with a side of leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, or salad.

You can make these and then freeze them for reheating later.

Christmas holidays music

My Take on the "Date Rape Song" - Baby, It's Cold Outside

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Saturday, December 27, 2014

Seems every holiday I get into a discussion about this song, and every one of them is enlightening. I re-iterate my take on it, and each year add more info and research to my personal brainings. Thought I would put my current thoughts down this year for later reference.

To start, here is one of the breakdowns of the song I really enjoyed reading:

http://persephonemagazine.com/2010/12/listening-while-feminist-in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/

In short, some of the lines we think of today as suspiciously rapey are actually common colloquialisms (read the part about the drink in particular), not literal; and ultimately this is a song about a woman who wants to stay, but the status quo is against it. She is on a date with a guy helping her come up with excuses to actually do what she wants to do rather than what society expects her to do (and incidentally something he wants, too ;).

This whole angle is, for me, supported by the fact it was written by a husband and wife music team who, as a matter of tradition in their home, every Christmas party would sing a song to perform as a duet for their friends. This was one of those songs (their first, by some accounts), originally performed in their very own living room. And while misogyny was rampant throughout the ages, I had a hard time imagining a husband and wife writing a song about coercive sex/rape for a light Christmas gathering...but...

While I love that breakdown, on a friend's discussion thread about this song, it is pointed out that the song does not have a "male" and "female" part on the original sheet music. They are characters called the "wolf" and the "mouse"--in short, a clear case of unequal power between a predator and prey, right? But while this fact might keep me off-balance on how to feel about whether this is a song about male dominance over a weakling woman, I discovered that the first time this song was used in a movie, it was performed twice in the film: once with a man playing the lion and a woman playing the mouse, and the other was a woman in the lion role and a man as the mouse.

Which lead ME to conclude that this is about one lover (or hopeful lover) simply trying every angle to get their intended to stick around longer because they desire them. And I conclude for myself that pretty much everyone I know has tried at least a few lines on at least one occasion to try and convince a paramour to stay a little longer by offering any available excuse. I wasn't being "rapey" when I tried to get my husband-then-boyfriend to stay the night when he had to work the next day by telling him it was icy out and warm in here, or I could give him a ride in the morning, or many other ways I tried to knock down his potential excuses so he would stay (which he and I both knew he wanted to do, despite his protestations of trying to be "responsible" 　 )

So while I think there is one lingering manipulation I do not condone ("What's the sense in hurting my pride?" crosses the line for me into pretty overtly-dickish), after all the research and soul-searching I am in the "not rapey" camp on this one and enjoy the song immensely.

TL;DR Not rapey to me. Do your own research and let me know what you think.

As a reward, here is the ORIGINAL original. Well, nearly. It is Frank and Lynn Loesser, the two who first wrote and sang this song; with the original lyrics, which are a little different than we may be familiar with today, plus with a little banter!

And I love this Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton version, full of improv and mirth.

holidays musings

Valentine's Day - Why all the hatin'?

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Monday, February 14, 2011

A re-blog from my Livejournal, circa 2007

Valentine's Day...

I have never understood the amount of negativity people have toward a holiday that is devoted to love. This is not directed at anyone particular, but instead feelings that have long germinated in me over this topic.

"But it's so COMMERCIALIZED..."
You don't have to buy a THING from Hallmark or anyone else to give a gift to someone you love. Draw or paint something for your Mom. Sew up something fun for your best girlfriend. Make a "coupon book" for your boyfriend. Wash your car and go for a day road-trip with your honey, pack a picnic dinner...so many little things you can do for fun.

"I hate feeling like I am OBLIGATED to do something..."
Obligated? How about OPPORTUNITY?! A chance to celebrate the idea of love, in all its forms, with the rest of the country (or world, depending on other countries that celebrate it :). A chance to smile, look someone in the eye, and say "Happy Valentine's Day!" and better yet, follow it up with "I love you!" And from there, it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. No obligation. Just a chance to do something a little special and different from last Tuesday...

"Why just ONE day? I mean, we should be loving to each other EVERY day."
Right, and every day should be your birthday, because you are valuable and special every day? And it should be Christmas every day because we should celebrate good will toward men every day. And it should be Independence Day every day because we should be grateful for all the freedoms our country allows us, and the honor the men and women who fight for those rights and priviledges. And am I only required to not be racist during black history month?

Setting aside one day to especially recognize something important doesn't mean it isn't something that should be valued and practiced the rest of the year. But having one day to really focus on it and share that moment with many other people who are also celebrating and honoring it...it's magical. Give yourself permission to share in it, too!

If you don't want to celebrate it, fine. But the excuses make no sense to me. This holiday, in whatever different form, was around long before commercialism took hold of it. We don't have to be bound by what they say it is. It is what WE make it--a chance to give friends an extra-special gift or write them a note to acknowledgment their value in our lives; a chance to pat ourselves on the back and focus on the love we have for ourselves and maybe treat ourselves to a little indulgence we might not ordinarily; a chance to go out of your way to tell your family how much they mean to you and add a smile to their day; and for some it is just plain permission to say "I love you" to people who on any other day might feel it was overly emotional or out of context--not everyone has open, loving relationships in their lives where they get to say it and hear it every other day of the year. If you are one who does, then you are blessed. If you are not, then don't disparage a holiday and businesses which support the practice so at least one day a year, a woman (or man) gets flowers, candy, and a back rub. :)

blog holidays personal work

Busy Busy Season!

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Thursday, January 06, 2011

holidays recipes

Tourtiere - a family tradition for Christmas

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Monday, January 04, 2010

friends holidays movies

Emmet the Otter

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Saturday, December 12, 2009

gifts holidays

It's November 1st, so we can talk Christmas...

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Sunday, November 01, 2009

For some reason, this quoted section below made me think of a lot of people I know in the dance community. I seem to run into a lot of what I would term "overly generous" souls in the dance community. That sounds wrong, doesn't it? How can one be overly generous? I define it as when people are not firm about their boundaries and limits, and as such their lives are partially or largely made up of people who use them up emotionally, financially, and spiritually. I think this is a common trait among artists. A big chunk of us are givers and nurturers! We like to communicate and share on so many levels, and to hold back feels counter to our soul's urgings.

So when I was over on Ravelry today perusing some back issues of the staff blogs and columns, and came across this brief article below, I felt it was worth posting for my chickadees over here. It was written with regard to knitters and crocheters specifically who have family and "friends" who make demands on them at the holidays for creating gifts that take much more time and money than the requesters may realize. After a brief paragraph about that phenomenon, and the importance of learning many ways of saying "no", she launches into what she terms her "yearly rant". May it be a reminder to all of us of how holiday gift giving should and should NOT be:

Whatever the reasons for engaging in the exchange of gifts over the winter solstice may have been, they are now long long lost. This is only sadness to me. It’s become a social construct, a tool, a weapon, a threat, a device, a reward. No longer are gifts given freely and without reservation...
On one side we have receivers who request specific items, who argue the validity of their gifts, who compare the values of each gift and rank the givers. On the other side we have the givers that punish the giftees for perceived infractions over the previous year, or who knock themselves out trying to buy the perfect gift for someone who will not appreciate it. People receive gifts that they do not want givers wrap gifts they cannot afford.

And in any given group on any forum on any website you can find gift related arguments and flame wars raging.

This has got to end. Really! This is pure insanity. It starts with you!

Gifts that are given under any duress are not gifts. Gifts that are given with expectations of valued return on investment are not gifts. Gifts given with reservation or hesitation are not gifts. Gifts are by definition not obligations.

Gifts that are opened and judged, weighed, valued or compared are not gifts deserved.

What was once a small tradition meant to bring light and celebration into the darkest part of winter, a way to share meager holdings among the community so that all might benefit has become a race to the bottom.

As the holidays approach I implore each of you, my little chicken butts, to find a way to change your thinking even a little bit on the subject. For each gift you give, make it a give that has meaning and heart behind it. For each gift you receive, be truly grateful, do not compare or judge the gift, only accept and love the gift.

http://www.ravelry.com/twir/61/Ask-Auntie-BubboPants-30

holidays livejournal musings

Why all the hatin?

by Shay Moore The TribalDancer Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Valentine's Day...
I have never understood the amount of negativity people have toward a holiday that is devoted to love. This is not directed at anyone particular, but instead feelings that have long germinated in me over this topic.

"But it's so COMMERCIALIZED..."
You don't have to buy a THING from Hallmark or anyone else to give a gift to someone you love. Draw or paint something for your Mom. Sew up something fun for your best girlfriend. Make a "coupon book" for your boyfriend. Wash your car and go for a day road-trip with your honey, pack a picnic dinner...so many little things you can do for fun.

"I hate feeling like I am OBLIGATED to do something..."
Obligated? How about OPPORTUNITY?! A chance to celebrate the idea of love, in all its forms, with the rest of the country (or world, depending on other countries that celebrate it :). A chance to smile, look someone in the eye, and say "Happy Valentine's Day!" and better yet, follow it up with "I love you!" And from there, it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. No obligation. Just a chance to do something a little special and different from last Tuesday...

"Why just ONE day? I mean, we should be loving to each other EVERY day."
Right, and every day should be your birthday, because you are valuable and special every day? And it should be Christmas every day because we should celebrate good will toward men every day. And it should be Independence Day every day because we should be grateful for all the freedoms our country allows us, and the honor the men and women who fight for those rights and priviledges. And am I only required to not be racist during black history month?

Setting aside one day to especially recognize something important doesn't mean it isn't something that should be valued and practiced the rest of the year. But having one day to really focus on it and share that moment with many other people who are also celebrating and honoring it...it's magical. Give yourself permission to share in it, too!

If you don't want to celebrate it, fine. But the excuses make no sense to me. This holiday, in whatever different form, was around long before commercialism took hold of it. We don't have to be bound by what they say it is. It is what WE make it--a chance to give friends an extra-special gift or write them a note to acknowledgment their value in our lives; a chance to pat ourselves on the back and focus on the love we have for ourselves and maybe treat ourselves to a little indulgence we might not ordinarily; a chance to go out of your way to tell your family how much they mean to you and add a smile to their day; and for some it is just plain permission to say "I love you" to people who on any other day might feel it was overly emotional or out of context--not everyone has open, loving relationships in their lives where they get to say it and hear it every other day of the year. If you are one who does, then you are blessed. If you are not, then don't disparage a holiday and businesses which support the practice so at least one day a year, a woman (or man) gets flowers, candy, and a back rub. :)