2009 November — A Southern Fairytale

Mouthwatering Monday The Recipe-less Edition

12:22 PM ByRachelFiled UnderMouthwatering Monday

potato and green bean salad 2

This is my Potato and Green Bean Salad. It’s my #Tastemaker 2K10 Challenge number 2 recipe. My recipe for Nutrition on a budget, it’s under $10! Yes is is. However, with holidays, birthdays, girl scouts, soccer world cups, soccer parties, soccer ending, school programs and travel… my video is not yet finished. They gave us some ways to earn bonus votes this time, too. Sadly, I’m going to have to rely on y’all to love me enough to make up those votes for me.
I should have my video up by tomorrow afternoon and then I will share my zingy, zippy, delicious chilled potato and green bean salad recipe.
For now… I want y’all to be able to share your recipe goodness with each other (and me!)

I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was full of things to be Thankful for, wonderful memories and delicious food!

I’d love to hear about it! I have some stories to tell

Y’all know the Tonguegasmic Linky Rules: Play Nice, Comment, Link Back and Visit

10 Comments

It’s All About The Memories

10:23 AM ByRachelFiled UnderFamily

My family came to visit this weekend for Princess’ birthday party and like always I worried about how clean my house wa wanting it to look it’s best for them, as if a clean house would prove that I’m a good mom, that I have it all under control. I remember as a child watching my mom scramble and sweat while she scrubbed and vacuumed and folded and dusted and windexed in anticipation of my grandparent’s visits. I remember the stress and exhaustion that always preceded and followed each visit while the moments in between were wonderful. I remember thinking it was silly, that they were family, they loved us and were there to see us.. not to inspect how clean the house was.

Now, I’m the mom.. the one to whose house the grandparents are coming and I find myself doing the same thing.. not quite to the level that my mom did but, the same vacuuming and pleading with the kids to PLEASE not mess up their rooms, pick up those shoes, put that toy back in it’s box…

So the family came, and it was fun. Princess stayed at the hotel each night with my parents, and my mom read Monkey his bedtime books and I caught wonderful moments on camera like Monkey and Grandpa playing piano together playing piano with grandpa

We cooked and ate and played and my dad provided the soundtrack for our weekend as he sat on the couch playing his banjo with Monkey looking on with awe and Princess drawing pictures and writing stories.

My parents went into Princess’ room and helped clean it, my dad even crawled under the bed to pull things out.. as I was walking past the room I overheard him say this to Nathan: “You know, my Dad always told me that there would come a time where he could spend the whole day mowing the yard and cleaning house. But that time is not when your children are young. Spend the time with now because there will be a day where they aren’t young anymore. ”

It stopped me. I know that, I do. I’ve told people that over and over again and yet, I find myself stressing when their rooms are messy and there are days I drive myself to distraction trying to keep the house clean and fussing at them for not putting things where they belong.

But not anymore. I am going to try to do better.

I’m going to smile at the broken crayons and tattered pieces of paper covered with scribbles because those are my children’s dreams and imaginations… those pictures are more priceless than any art that has ever graced the walls of the Louvre. The trail of cheerios going down my hall… those are the monster catching snacks and I’m going to leave them there while they play.

I’m going to concentrate more on the memories, more on the silly times and more on their laughter. I’m going to spend more time messing up, building forts and chasing lions and spend less time worrying about how my house looks to others.

My house may not always be clean but my children’s hearts will always be full. After all, in 15 years they won’t remember if the kitchen floor was mopped every day, or if the bathroom mirror was streak free. But, they will remember that their mom played with them, laughed with them and encouraged their imaginations.

12 Comments

Soy Brined Turkey

9:46 PM ByRachelFiled UnderMain Dishes, Mouthwatering Monday, Reviews

kikkoman brined turkey I love Turkey.

Honestly, at Thanksgiving there are never enough leftovers for me, so when I got an e-mail from Kikkoman offering me a gift card to buy a Turkey and some Kikkoman products (YUM) for a pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Brining experiment… I was in for two reasons. 1) I’ve never Brined a Turkey before and 2.) if I’m going to brine my first turkey, it might as well be on someone else’s dime.. (oh wait… same reason…oops )

So the GIANT GALLON of soy sauce and a couple of other delicious sounding flavored sauces arrived in the mail PLUS soy milk (did not know Kikkoman made that) and um… Burgh.. what do I do with that and some Panko… I love me some Panko and an apron.

I read the directions and realized that I don’t own ANYTHING large enough to Brine a Turkey (13.5 lbs) until I went in our garage and unearthed our MASSIVE cast iron pot. It weighs 13 pounds on it’s own, even with that I had to turn the turkey halfway through the process to ensure that the breasts got proper coverage. Seriously, y’all should see this thing. The handle alone is, no kidding a foot and a half long and pure cast iron. (If you’ve brined and you have secrets, tips or INEXPENSIVE places you brine.. please share)

The Breakdown: The Turkey was amazingly moist and flavorful and delicious. This is (brace yourself) the first Turkey that I have ever cooked solo so, I can’t say that the brining was the definitive reason for it but, I kept having to smack Nathan’s hand while he was carving it because he was eating more than was making it to the plate… it was THAT good. The brining itself was easy other than the turning it halfway because half the brine spilled out, my wrist got caught between the fridge and the cast iron pot and I got soaked in brine. (once again.. there has to be an easier way … I do have a side by side fridge.. SO large items are not that easily worked into it)

If you want to try brining…. I highly recommend this recipe:

2 gallons COLD water
10 oz Kikkoman Soy Sauce ( I used Low Sodium)
1/2 C kosher salt
1/2/ C sugar
2 Tbsp dried sage
2 Tbs dried celery seed
1 Tbsp dried Thyme

rachel’s note.. I wanted to dive into the brine.. it smelled SOOOOOOOO good

The night before (or at least 8 hours prior to cooking) remove the giblets and neck from the turkey cavity; rinse turkey thoroughly inside and out.
in a LARGE stockpot or 5 gallon bucket (homer bucket from home depot maybe?) mix water, soy sauce and seasonings, blend well until salt is dissolved.
Add Turkey
cover with a lid and refrigerate at LEAST 8 hours ( I refrigerated about 17)
Remove from brine, rinse well and follow your regular cooking regimen.

As a Thank You from Kikkoman I have a gift for one reader. You will receive a special Kikkoman recipe book and TWO full size bottles of sauce from Kikkoman’s special sauce line.

To be entered to win this yumminess from Kikkoman please leave me a comment about your favorite Thanksgiving recipe or your favorite way to use Kikkoman.
Bonus entry: What’s your biggest fear about Thanksgiving cooking, or your biggest Thanksgiving disaster.
2nd Bonus entry: Tweet this and leave the tweet url in the comment

*each entry must be left in it’s own separate comment

Contest ends at 11:59 PM CST on Tuesday, Nov 24th

CONGRATULATIONS! COMMENTER 13!! AMY FROM MILKBREATH AND MARGARITAS

If you’re linking up your Mouthwatering Monday recipe, please make sure that you put your recipe post url in the linky (not your generic blog URL!) Please link back here and visit the other Mouthwatering Monday Tonguegasmic linky participants! Thank y’all! Have a delicious Monday!

TaggedChristmas, holiday recipes, Thanksgiving, Turkey 24 Comments