Happy Thanksgiving!
The first time I cooked a turkey it was less than tasty. The breast meat was dry, the gravy was flavorless, and the little white pop-up thingy failed to work. Needless to say, I had to find a way to make it work and brining has served my turkeys well for the past ten years. I am a convert. The only thing I change is what goes in to the brining solution. This year, instead of making my own, I bought a lovely jar filled with herbs and aromatics and I added salt and sugar to the brining solution. And…I couldn’t do it without my trusty thermometer. Remember: thigh meat should reach 170F.
Sour Cream Yeast Rolls
My nephew, Eric, requests these rolls. They’re ridiculously easy to make and there is rarely any leftovers. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving…I’m sharing the recipe with you. I also call these “Naked Lady” rolls because men seem to love them. I’m just sayin’. I found this recipe in a cook book called Treasured Recipes: Food Editors’ Favorites. It was contributed by Betty Straughan of The News Review, Roseburg, OR.)
1 package (2.5 tsp) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups sour cream
2 Tbl granulated sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
5.5 cups Bisquick
1 Tbl fresh dill (minced
1/2 cups parmesan cheese (shredded)
Soften the yeast in water. Let stand while combining sour cream, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add 2 cups Bisquick, then yeast mixture. Mix well. Stir in 3 more cups Bisquick. Turn dough onto board dusted with 1/2 cup Bisquick. Knead to form a smooth ball.
Shape dough in to small rounds the size of a walnut. Place close together in a buttered 9×13x2-inch pan. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and dill.
Preheat oven to 375F. Bake rolls 15 minutes, or until done.
Note: Rolls can be made ahead of time and frozen. When ready to serve, thaw rolls and reheat in oven at 200F.
Just Go Make Some
So…I love to cook. No surprise. My roommate, Caressa, thinks I’m a magician as well as a chef. Last night, I stretched out on the couch and said, “I wish we had some ice cream.” She looked at me and said, “Why don’t you just go make some?”
Tonight, her daughter, didn’t want the dinner I made. Instead, she looked at me and said, “Judy, I want pizza.” I said, “Oh honey, we don’t have any pizza.” If Kaitlin looked up at you with those big brown eyes, you’d find a way to make pizza.
So I asked myself, “what would Sandra Lee do?” She’s the faux cook on FoodTv that has a show called Semi-Homemade. With the help of some string cheese, pepperoni, ketchup, and hotdog buns, I made pizza.
I’m not real proud of myself. Meanwhile, I’ve already made plans to stock up on pizza making stuff so the next time Kaitlin asks for pizza…I can make something edible. As for the ice cream, we’ll just tuck a few cartons away in the freezer and forget they’re there.
Oprah’s Taking Heat Over Palin
I’ll admit it. I’ve been watching Oprah for many years. I’ve laughed and cried over the shows, and occasionally yelled at the TV in response to some knucklehead. A few years ago, my staff bought me the anniversary CD set and as I watched the shows…I laughed and cried all over again. In the dark ages, I recorded the shows on video tape (VHS not Beta) while I was at work. With DVRs, it’s so much easier to delete the programs with topics that don’t interest me.
Back in 2004, I made the mistake of watching the “Vote” show. It was blatantly political and biased towards John Kerry. If I remember correctly, the guests were: Cameron Diaz, Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, and P.Diddy. The lowest point of the show came when Cameron Diaz got emotional (I’d like to think she was acting but I’m not convinced she knows how) and said:
“We have a voice now, and we’re not using it, and women have so much to lose. I mean, we could lose the right to our bodies. We could lo–if you think that rape should be legal, then don’t vote. But if you think that you have a right to your body, and you have a right to say what happens to you and fight off that danger of losing that, then you should vote, and those are the…It’s your voice. It’s your voice, that’s your right.”
In her little mind, a vote for George Bush meant rape would be legalized. Of all the shows I’ve EVER watched on Oprah, that one got me so steamed I actually posted a comment on the community board asking her to refrain from letting celebrities make idiots of themselves…or something like that. I heard Oprah say that the “Vote” show got more comments than any other show she’d done. Thousands of people, from both sides of the aisle, took the time to comment about the show.
“If you think rape should be legal,
then don’t vote.”
Cameron Diaz
(Oprah, 2004)
Now it’s no secret that Oprah is giddy over Obama. She’s had him on the show twice…and both times she was practically worshipping him. It was a bit much. Feeling nauseated, I hit the delete button a few minutes in to the show. But, I have to give her credit for sticking by her candidate. She believes he’s the man for the job and she’s still worshiping faithfully at his feet.
Drudgereport ran a controversial story about Oprah’s fans asking for a Sarah Palin interview. I went to Oprah’s website and found Oprah’s statement regarding the issue:
“The item in today’s Drudge Report is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At the beginning of this presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over.” – Oprah Winfrey, September 5, 2008
Let’s face it. It’s Oprah’s show. And more than likely, she chose not to use her show as a platform for candidates because of the backlash after the “Vote” show. But now fans are frothing and demanding she interview Governor Palin. She’s a woman. Oprah’s a woman. Blah! Gimme a break.
I may not agree with everything Oprah does and says, but I respect her ambition, her sticktoitiveness, and her passion. After all is said and done, I’ve watched more good shows than bad, I’ve seen her do some great things for people, and, well, I just like her. I’m choosing to give her the benefit of the doubt on this one and I’ll pray that she can withstand the storm.
A Basket of Blessings
All around the house there are reminders of God’s goodness. Toys arrived from everywhere and now spill out of cupboards, get stuffed between the cushions of the couch, hide out in the valleys of kitchen bowls, and get arranged neatly in the remote control basket.
“Is that a baby cow?” she asks. Then in a slightly worried voice, “Where’s the mommy cow?” I pull the mommy cow out from under a cushion. Big smile. “Oh! There’s the mommy.” All is right with the world.
In another corner of the house, a little fellow with chubby cheeks drools on his bib and looks for his next bottle of milk. He smiles easily and rarely cries – unless of course you take too long fixing his milk or changing his diaper. There are three of us tall enough to reach the counter. He doesn’t wait long.
We’re a happy bunch. Finding joy in the small things. A basket of blessings. Giving thanks.
Baby Graaff
My nephew Nathan and his beautiful wife Heather are having a baby. Well, not right this minute…in December. Here’s a picture of the handsome, little man. Look! He’s waving at his Aunt Lucy. Yes, he is.
