Friday, November 10, 2006

Know any good turkey recipes?

Yesterday was the big "before baby" shopping trip to the grocery store. It took 3 hours. Not 3 hours just in the store (thank god), but 3 hours to waddle in, waddle around and waddle out. A good portion of that was also unloading the car and putting everything away.

Then I took a 2 hour nap.

It's frustrating that things that used to be simple have become major endeavors. I suppose it's a primer for what is to come...they say to add an hour to every task when you have baby with you. At least then I'll have baby in a little carrier on the front of the cart instead of grinding his head into my cervix as I walk.

One of my goals with the shopping trip was to get a turkey! I've been collecting "Turkey Points" from our grocery receipts, but I didn't have enough for the trip yesterday. I decided I better get a turkey anyway, since I wasn't sure the next time I would be able to get to the store. And because I want to get that sucker cooked, carved and in the freezer before my water breaks. Well, of course my grocery bill was absurdly high with all the frozen and canned foods and low stress meals, and as a result I earned a ton of turkey points. Doing the math in my head I knew I was close, when added with my points at home, to get a free turkey. I toyed with the idea of returning the turkey I got and trying to redeem points another day. But then you have to account for the reduced grocery bill and perhaps the docking of points...and I started to get a head ache. I didn't want to deal, so I bought my Butterball. Well, I got home and we do indeed have enough points for a free turkey. So now we can have two turkeys! The one I already have isn't real big, and if baby comes before Thanksgiving, there's a good chance of alot of people being around, so another turkey isn't really a bad thing...

Then J came home last night and when poking around the fridge I hear "So you got a turkey?"

"Yeah, funny story."

"Well, I got an email at work...everyone gets a free turkey and a pie...so I guess we'll have a lot of turkey."

Um, you think?

I don't have enough room in our fridge for 3 turkeys! Especially when you take into account the stockpile of Lean Cuisine and Amy's Lasagna. I'm assuming there is a charity somewhere in town that will take one...otherwise, it's turkey until Valentines Day in our house.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

When we talk about turkey recipies we can't forget the southern tradition that dominates all southern cooking. Deep frying, yep, gallons of hot oil in a 35 quart pot over propane burner. The result is a moist golden brown turkey cooked in a fraction of the time. And, this cooking sensation is gradually making it's way north, probably even to Vermont.

Now frying a turkey is not as simple as it seems. People have a tendency to light up this huge bunsen burner inside garages, on decks, or under porch overhangs. Hot oil, fire and wood do not blend well together and there have been a significant number of house fires attributed to this endeavor.

You have a number of oil choices but we of the southern persuasion prefer peanut oil, because, well, we grow lots of peanuts down here. Ask your mom about how good boiled peanuts are.

So, I highly encourage you to try this southern delicacy with one of your multiple turkeys, You may want J to take care of the burner because I understand you loose track of parts of your body and can get burned.

Ken

Anonymous said...

Hi Ken!!

ha! Yes, turkey frying has been well adopted. I actually had a conversation with one of J's coworkers who claims it to be a long-standing family tradition...she's from Pennsylvannia. Not exactly south of the Mason Dixon, but definitely further from Canada.

I would venture to guess that a larger portion of the insurance claims come from up here since the weather makes frying in shelter a more appealing idea. Since we live in the city, and therefore have no yard, I don't think we'll try it. I have a healthy fear of fire...I'm even afraid to push the red ignite button on the gas grill.

Have a good one and keep a fire extinguisher handy!

Linda said...

I hope your turkey day went well. I didn't go to my moms but will before Christmas. Check out my newest tattoo on my site. Hope you're doing ok.