Is Spring REALLY just around the corner? I know ya'll that have suffered through the ice storms and just a few too many inches of snow lately are sure hoping so! In Texas, we have had a fairly mild winter, but a dry one......so raise your glass to Phil, and let's toast to a joy-filled spring.....whenever it comes! Cheers!!!
NOW to tame the big chunky necklaces that get all gnarly when they are stuffed in the drawer...I give you some organization...which is a BIG bonus at my house!! Repurposed and looking great! It doesn't stay in my kitchen, however! It does live in my bedroom on the dresser, as it should be! ;)
Russell and our daughter in law, Heather
It has been a faithful friend, and one I will not get rid of.......but she's now going to be able to divide her crockery responsibilities with a new one. She will be glad for the semi-retirement stage. She'll have a few days off now!
Oh, isn't it white???? I started to go with stainless, but not for another $15, thanks. White is good in my kitchen. So all this is to say, that my turkey breast cookery in the crockpot just moved up a notch. Since this one is more appropriately sized for a turkey breast, the lid will actually close fully now, rendering an EVEN MORE moist turkey breast than before. It's going to be GREAT! Yes, the other crock pot worked overtime to cook a turkey breast because it was a little bit crowded......and the lid wouldn't close all the way. We are in business NOW!
So these lovely ladies will be working together now.......sharing the crock pot responsibilities at the SI Casa....both are quite happy with this new arrangement!
If you, too, would like to add a new crock pot, or a first one, check out this week's Target flier......a black or a white one for only $24.95. The stainless one will set you back $39.95. Both are a steal really for the job that they do! Nothing like coming home from church with dinner smells wafting through the house, and a hot meal "table- ready"! Wahoo!
So to make my turkey breast in the crock pot, you take a turkey breast, defrosted or nearly completely defrosted, and sit her carefully into the crockpot. Slather her skin with olive oil.....a great moisturing treatment! Then sprinkle her with seasoning of your choice. I use a lot! I use salt, pepper, Tony Chachere's (that's CAJUN spices!) some garlic powder, and whatever else spills out of the spice cabinet. Oh, and I also put a piece of onion, or maybe a whole one in the turkey cavity. Be sure and remove that gravy packet if there is one.....not good in the crock pot! Ok, so she's moisturized with olive oil, sprinkled with herbs and spices, and then I turn the crock pot on for a few hours. Now what I have to say here, is that from this point, it is experimental. In my old crock pot, I would cook it for a few hours on a medium setting, about 350 degrees. In my new one, I'm thinking maybe six hours on low or four on high, but I'll have to report back on that to see if it's accurate. I've cooked it long enough that it was falling off the breast bone, so you don't have to cook it that long....but it was NEVER dried out. It is the moistest way to cook a turkey breast. And I do not add water or broth to the bottom, but if it makes you nervous to do so, go ahead and add a quarter cup or so in the bottom. It will make it's own juice, trust me. So feel free to ask any questions in the comments if I've left out any pertinent details......
oh, and I really DIDN'T start using my crock pot at the tender age of nine...that part IS JUST a bunch of crock!!! ;)
We have a neighborhood Bunko group that I attend, once a month. We have supper together, which the host fixes, and drink wine to go with it. It is the one night a month I see some of these neighbors and catch up with what's going on with them. It has changed over time as people may have moved out of our neighborhood, but many of them continue to make the trek back for Bunco night, just to stay in touch. It is lots of fun. But clearly, the Bunco game is not what drives us back together. It's the fun of keeping up with one another. Just last week, it was my night to host, which comes around once a year. We had a neighbor who is finally retiring back to Canada. She won't be able to come back to neighborhood Bunco, at least as a regular! We will miss you, Marg. Anyway, we had a fun time together. We had a sampling of wines, and I made the BEST Sangria....it was good! I cooked Turkey Breast (in the crock pot--the BEST way to cook it!), some Sunshine carrots, green beans and Caesar Salad. Cardini's is the BEST Caesar salad dressing in a bottle, by the way! And Sister Schubert rolls, which are the best in the South. Since my oven wasn't working, it was a little challenging, but at the eleventh hour my knight in shining armor came riding in to save the day. Thanks, dear hubby, but I really thought I was about to get a new oven, a double one at that! It was all planned out in my head....sigh. Gotta love a hubby who can fix everything.....anyway, back to Bunko. You can google Bunko and find the rules, but it takes very little strategy or wit to play...that 's a good thing because there are a couple of girls who play, whose husbands lovingly refer to our night as Drunko rather than Bunko......hmmm. Oh, and there are prizes for the games, like Most Wins, Most Losses, Most Buncos, etc. That in itself makes it worth the playing. I, of course, am the neighborhood Bunko player that has Southern Living at HOME items for my prizes. Not surprising, right? So we said goodbye to our friend, and we gave her a gift of a lovely afhgan woven with sites of our town into it, so she will long remember us and our town. And she will really "use" it in Canada....to stay warm. Here it is really a more ornamental gift.......it just doesn't stay cold for very long. So we bid farewell to our friend and enjoyed a fun girl's night out
Notice you cannot see the front of the fridge...it's a little cluttered right now, and needs a little help. So what do you think, does the Luminary need something inside it, or should I leave it as is? I am thinking the big bowl needs something in it, like red apples or green apples, what do you think????
Now my canisters and my platter are very happy, don't you think????
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Ok, the giveaway.... starts..... now!!!! And go on over to Jen's and show her some bloggy love!! We all love comments, don't we?
