Thanksgiving Week Menu Plan!

Can you believe that it's already Thanksgiving? While this is my absolute favorite holiday, there is something that I love more than turkey day.

SNOW!!



This will make butchering our Thanksgiving turkey more challenging, but snow is always welcome here.

Always.

Because it's not raining. And I have an excuse to drink hot chocolate. And it's not raining.

Did I already mention that? 

Last week, I was down with a pinched nerve in my back, so that meant the family ate whatever they prepared. 

It was almost a vacation. 

Except for the whole pain thing.

While preparing this week's meal plan, I realized that I haven't shared with you one of our favorite recipes! Cincinnati Chili is one of those comfort foods that tastes good in any season, but is especially wonderful when there is snow on the ground. And with over 300 blog posts under my belt, the fact that I haven't shared this is appalling.

I'll have to remedy that.

Here's what's cookin' this week...

~Monday~

Soaked Oatmeal

Chili Nachos

Spicy Hoppin' John (still new!), cornbread

~Tuesday~

Scrambled eggs & sausage

 Leftover Spicy Hoppin' John

Corn & Bacon Chowder (I'll post the recipe on Wednesday!)

~Wednesday~

Cornmeal Pancakes w/Lumberjack Prune Syrup (still new!)

Leftover Chowder

Cincinnati Chili (new), spinach salad

~Thursday~

Soaked Oatmeal

Thanksgiving Feast (see below)

~Friday~

Apple Coffeecake (still new!)

Leftover Cincinnati Chili

Leftovers

~Saturday~

Eggs & Sausage

Gobbler sandwiches on sourdough bread (turkey, Raw Cranberry Relish, cream cheese)

Turkey Pot Pie (new)

~Sunday~

Granola

Venison Stew, Buttermilk biscuits

Most of my Thanksgiving recipes come from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.

I think she may love Thanksgiving almost as much as I do.

~Thanksgiving Day Feast~

Fresh, brined, roasted turkey

Cornbread Dressing with Sausage & Apples

Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Streusel

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

Roasted brussel sprouts

Mashed Potatoes w/ homemade turkey gravy

Pumpkin Cream Pie

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Dreamy Apple Pie w/ Hard Sauce

Check out http://orgjunkie.com/2010/11/menu-plan-monday-nov-22nd.html.

Thanksgiving~A Meal of Love

If you're a friend of mine on Facebook, you probably know that I've been out of commission this week. Due to a pinched nerve in my lower back, I've been spending a lot of time, well, on my back.

The couch is NOT my favorite place to be.

Sometimes though, something big has to happen for God to get my attention.

While I would prefer Him to whisper in my ear, the reality is that, on many days, I'm too busy to stop and listen.  

There is a song that describes life in the 21st. century by the country group, Alabama. "I'm in a hurry to get things done. I rush and rush 'til life's no fun. All I really gotta do is, live and die. Even I'm in a hurry and don't know why."

This is the song I sing as we're driving, in rush hour, through Portland.

As of late, it's also the song that best describes my life. While watching a morning news/talk show, I realize that it's not just my mantra. It's the chosen lifestyle of many. Why? What are we hurrying towards? There was a segment on this show about Thanksgiving dinner. Specifically, how we busy Americans, who are always looking for a short-cut in our "I want it now" lives, can serve a Thanksgiving feast with just a few clicks of the mouse.

I'm not talking about the creepy little 4-legged ones either.

It seems, that entire turkey dinners can be ordered online and delivered right to our doors, leaving more time for us to do more stuff.

Because we can never have enough stuff.

Whatever happened to teaching our sons and daughters to be stewards of the earth? What about teaching our sons to be providers and leaders of the family, or our daughters to be keepers of the home? Are we so busy that all we can pass down to our children are more ways to cut corners, meet deadlines, or have someone else do our jobs?

Have you ever gone to a super Walmart and seen someone pay for their food with government assistance, but then pay cash for a big-screen t.v.? I have. We're raising a generation of lazy people. People who think that they have earned the right to be catered to. At someone else's expense.

We're not born that way. It is a learned behaviour.

Has the value of family life dropped in recent years? Is our personal time worth more than time spent serving our families? Why is it easier for some to donate to a favorite charity, but more difficult to model charity in their own homes?

The hostess of this morning show stated that, "...it takes 4 hours to prepare the meal, 1 hour to eat it, and another 4 for the clean-up. Happy Thanksgiving." [implied: "to me".]

If you're rushed for time during this holiday season, step back and take a good look at your life. What are you choosing? Is it a life of joy or one of duty? Are you preparing a meal out of love or is it just something that needs to be done?

The first Thanksgiving wasn't one of convenience. It was a meal, prepared by many, using the things that they had on hand, or were able to obtain with a shotgun. I am sure that there were no guest lists, caterers, or Black Friday sales to worry about. Just a simple meal, prepared by simple people, who came together for one simple reason.

To give thanks. 

This Thanksgiving, I am not only thankful for my family and friends, but am also thankful for my time  spent on the couch.

What race are you running? 

Homemade Beef Broth

Making nourishing bone broth is easier than one might think. I can't tell you the number of blogs that I've read that teach this valuable skill, but somehow, it always seems harder than it is.

Not the fault of the bloggers.

I am more of a hand's on kind of learner, so reading about making broth is never as easy as it is to just do it. I've been taking the Surf & Turf classes, taught by Ann Marie at the Cheeseslave for the last several weeks. She had a video showing me how to make broth.

I had an aha moment.

I will still use the occasional organic, store-bought beef broth for vacations and emergencies, but for everyday cooking, homemade wins.

Every time.

Homemade Beef Broth

2-3 lbs. miscellaneous, grass-fed beef (shanks, neck, oxtails, marrow bones, leftover roast bones, etc.)

filtered water

peppercorns (10-12)

1 onion, quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 carrots, quartered

2 stalks celery, quartered

2 Tb. apple cider vinegar

crockpot

Place beef, onion, garlic, peppercorns, carrots, celery and vinegar in the crockpot. Add enough water to fill the crockpot, staying about an inch below top of pot.

Put lid on and let sit for 1/2 hour.

Plug in and turn heat to high, bringing to a boil.

Turn down heat to simmer.

Let simmer for 48 hours.

After 48 hours, turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.

Now it's time to strain. This can be done in several different ways. A fine mesh colander will work, but if you like your broth really clean, line the colander with cheesecloth. Or, just cut a nice square of cheesecloth and attach it to the top of a jar with a rubber-band.

Straining the broth



Using a ladle or glass measuring cup, carefully scoop out the broth and pour through your strainer. Repeat until all of the broth has been strained.

Your cheesecloth will look like this...

Yuck.



Not very appetizing, I know.

Cover with a tight fitting lid or saran wrap with a rubber band and place in the fridge. Even if your refrigerator is the cleanest in town, the broth will pick up any lingering odors and change the flavor.

Broth is finicky that way.

Leave it in the fridge overnight. When ready, skim the fat from top and give to your dogs or cat. They love it. Some people run it through more cheesecloth, but I don't think that's necessary.

The broth, if done correctly, will have thickened. Sometimes mine comes out very gelatinous. Sometimes it doesn't. Here, the broth is somewhere in-between.


Broth freezes very well. I like to freeze some of it in ice cube trays. 1 cube is the equivalent of 1 ounce broth. So, if a recipe calls for 4 ounces, use 4 cubes. After they are solid, I pop them out and store in a freezer bag.

You may notice that I didn't add salt to the recipe. Some do. I would rather add it to whatever recipe I'm using, when I need it. But that's entirely up to you. Just give this a try before buying a can of beef flavored broth.

Flavored means MSG.

Just in case you were wonderin'.

Steel Cut Nutty Oats

While going through the dry goods of the pantry, I discovered something new about myself.

I am an impulse shopper.

At least in the grocery store.

I found several bags of steel-cut oats and to my knowledge, I've never actually tried steel-cut oats. How could I know if I, or anyone in my family, would like steel-cut oats?

I didn't. Hence, the impulse shopping label.

And since I'm also frugal to a fault, those oats needed to be used.

Is it still name-calling if the names are directed to myself, from myself? Hmmm...

I found this recipe in a cookbook called, Romancing the West.

Aptly titled, since my entire family is smitten with this recipe!

(You know I had to go there.)

Steel-Cut Nutty Oats

3 cups water

1/2 t. sea salt

1 cup steel-cut oats

1 cup pecans, chopped

Optional: fresh/frozen/canned fruit, sweetener of choice, cinnamon, cream, butter

In a preheated 400F. oven, toast the oats and pecans for approximately 5 minutes. Watch closely or the nuts will burn. Bring water and salt to boil. Add oats and pecans. Reduce heat to simmer, place a lid on saucepan and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

We added bananas, cinnamon, pure maple syrup and raw cream.

Contented moaning is optional.

Enjoy!

Chickens: Not for the Faint of Heart

Sometimes farm living isn't fun. There are chores that need to be done that make a person question their decision to live in the country.

Town people romanticize farm living.

But those living on the farm know better.

There is nothing romantic about cleaning goat pens and chicken coops. Nothing dreamy about pulling a calf out of its momma's unmentionables and there's nothing idyllic about processing chickens.

Sometimes, farm chores make town living seem down-right romantic.

Fabio meet Old MacDonald.

On the other hand, there is something quite wonderful about seeing a freezer full of fruits, veggies and meat that were grown and harvested on the farm. Even if some of it doesn't technically come from your own farm, come winter, it still counts.



Trout, salmon, chicken, elk, deer, and bone broths in freezer #1



Home-grown beef and veggie overflow in freezer #2



Fruits, vegetables and extra bread in freezer #3

As I'm writing this, I see my 2 younger boys outside, in the rain, chasing turkeys that have managed to "fly the coop". Which brings me to the least desirable chore on the farm.

Butchering day.

We've butchered before, but this time, we researched the proper way to butcher a chicken. Apparently, we were doing it wrong.

Figures.

There are all kinds of implements to use in the butchering process, but all of that costs money. Lots of money. My Mister decided that he could do it for less.

Killing cones cost about $47/ per medium cone. Ours were free.



Plastic flower pots, with a hole cut out of the bottom make frugal killing cones.

I'll spare you the details, but this set-up worked pretty well. 

Other gadgets that are used are scalders and chicken pluckers.

Scalding the chicken for a few seconds, helps to release the feathers to make plucking easier. (Leaving the heads attached until after this step helps too.) Water bath canners are perfect for this and will save you $200 or more dollars. To save another $800.00, put on some vinyl gloves and pull the feathers yourself.

Vinyl gloves make pulling feathers easier.



A rinse mid-way lets you see what's been missed!

After the feathers have been plucked, the chickens need to "rest" in a tub of ice water for a couple of hours. They need to be thoroughly cooled down before packing. 

At age 18, I got my first job. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Back in those days, the chickens came whole and we had to cut them up into appropriate pieces before frying.

Finally, a skill I can use!



All packaged and ready for the freezer!

We bagged the meat into categories; legs & thighs, breasts, wings, and broth bones. In the latter, we put bony backs, necks and feet. Yes, feet.

There is a satisfaction that comes with growing your own food. It's not easy, but if one wants the romantic dreams of the country, they have to be willing to endure a few nightmares on occasion.

For me, that would be butchering day.









MPM 11/15/10



Can you believe that the next meal plan will have a Thanksgiving menu on it?

Good gravy, where did the time go?

Speaking of gravy, this week, I'll be making broths. (How was that for a segue?) Currently, I have a beef bone broth in the crockpot, which will be followed with a chicken broth.

And, speaking of chicken, we now have some in the freezer. Complete with feet. Yes. I said feet. As gross as that sounds, they're supposed to make a very rich, gelatinous broth. Of course, I can't add them until the coast is clear of nosy family members. They may have issues with feet in the soup.

Who am I kidding? I may have issues with feet in my soup.

Our week of soups went over well. In fact, there were some definite highlights to the week. Specifically, the Corn & Bacon Chowder. Oh yum. I had to "tweak" the recipe some, but it has found itself on our favorites list. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, so in order to share the recipe, I am going to have to make it again.

It's a sacrifice, but I'm willing to make it.

It's time to add to my recipe box, so this week I'll be trying a lot of new dishes. Most of the ingredients for these I already had laying around. Should be fun! 

Here's what else is cooking this week...

~Monday~

Steel Cut Nutty Oats (new)

Leftover Black Bean & Sausage Soup

Meatloaf, Buttermilk biscuits, Coleslaw

~Tuesday~

Apple Cinnamon Biscuits (new)

Corn & Bacon Chowder

Venison Stroganoff w/ brown rice noodles (new), Broccoli salad

~Wednesday~

Cornmeal Pancakes w/ Lumberjack Prune Syrup (new)

Leftover Chowder

Chili, Kim's Cornbread

~Thursday~

Scrambled eggs w/ venison sausage

Meatloaf sandwiches on Sourdough, apples

Chili Relleno Casserole (new), Banana Bread Muffins (new) w/ yogurt cheese

~Friday~

Apple Coffeecake (new)

Chili Nachos on homemade corn tortilla chips

Baked Spaghetti w/ brown rice pasta, steamed broccoli

~Saturday~

Daddy's choice ALL DAY!!
Momma is going to a ladies only craft day at church!

~Sunday~
Granola
Spicy Hoppin' John (new), cornbread

Have a blessed week!

For more meal planning ideas, visithttp://orgjunkie.com/2010/11/menu-plan-monday-nov-15th-giveaway.html.

What the....?

Most days, our diet is one of whole foods.

And it feels good.

Our bodies respond accordingly to being fed and nourished with foods that take time to prepare.

Even if we complain about how much time it takes to prepare them.

Then there are those days. The ones that, no matter how hard we try, are unavoidable.



You know those days~they're the days where your child works really hard to achieve a goal and ends up winning the prize.

In this case, Matthew wore the most of one color. He wore blue, in 96 ways.

And for his efforts, he won a 3-foot long candybar.

It was the "best day of his whole life."

On those days, there's only 1 thing I can do.

Beg.

My body will act accordingly tomorrow.