"Project Turkey Part III"

So I'm beginning to think I cannot finish this project.  I just attempted to cut out the giblets and neck, and I nearly screamed the entire way through.  Thank goodness no one else is home right now, because I would have embarrassed myself drastically.  I wonder why this bird is freaking me out so much, when I see crazy things everyday in the PICU.  Hmm.  Maybe I'm not cut out for this after all.  I will try again tomorrow, hoping I can at least get the necessary parts out and have everything seasoned. ... and maybe tomorrow I won't put on two pairs of medical non-latex gloves for "protection" from the insides.  Really, Carrie, get real.  Let's finish what we've started and suck it up.  Enough for now.  Time for a Golden Monkey.

"Project Turkey Part II"

So apparently I have my work cut out for me.  Let me just begin by saying this: Mom/Grandma/Nana and all other women of the world: I salute you for the accomplishment of an intimidating feat that you master every single year during these holiday months.  I never appreciated how much time and energy it takes to create such an edible Holiday centerpiece.  While everyone agrees that the best turkeys taste both tender and divine, I think most take for granted what we, the chefs, see as an unmatchable success.  So for all the years that I only nibbled at a few bites of pulled turkey drenched within a thicket of gravy, I now say THANK YOU!

A turkey roaster currently on loan from my grandmother's kitchen storage pantry.

Back in the kitchen today... instead of the flimsy foil pan that I purchased at the supermarket for 0.99 (which only yesterday I honestly thought would hold the turkey... dumb, I know)  it was suggested to me to use a real large (and I'm not exaggerating when I say large) turkey roaster.  Upon attempting to put it in my oven earlier this evening, I quickly realized I will not be able to use the lid while it bakes... because it is simply too big for our basic oven.  I have decided that I will just let it cook open to air until it turns a nice golden-brown color and throw tin-foil on top while the middle continues to roast.

As long it does not come out looking like this I will be happy!

"Project Turkey (AKA Here's to Hoping for Bountiful Goodness)" Part I

The Thanksgiving season has arrived.  The time of year when mildly warm days and chilly nights create a mood unlike any other throughout the year.  Perhaps it's just me, but I feel as if I have noticed these Autumn days more so than I ever have before, and I seem to appreciate them all the more.  So, in case you have not yet stepped outside for a moment of quiet reflection on the gorgeous a-la-naturale that Mother Nature has so graciously granted us this year, I suggest taking a walk within the next few days before the last of the colored leaves bid farewell.

"The Flannel Ordeal"

The Backdrop:

It is now the middle of October, and while the gusty winds continue to roll in with transitional colors of the crunchy leaves slowly making their way to the ground, the temperatures have not proven to display the arrival of Autumn in the mid-Atlantic region of Virginia.  I know two months from now, as I'm sitting bundled up on the couch, mug in hand and a fleece blanket wrapped ever-so-tightly around my frozen body, I will wish the dog days of Summer would be present once more.  However, because it is October and because I, personally, feel it a faux pas to walk around in flip flops and tank tops without some sort of Fall accessory in hand, I am happy to report that the flannel has only made one appearance, thus far, in my household.  While I know it is an essential textile to keep warm on those chilly nights, I'm not so sure just how appealing it is on the bodies of men other than cowboy-riding, rodeo-rough-housin' male entities.  

"What's in a Name?"

As the great William Shakespeare once wrote, "What's in a name?  That which we call a rose;  By any other name would smell as sweet?," I dedicate the following post as my own interpretation of the well-known phrase, blog style, of course:

I am well certain that good ol' Shakespeare never intended for his simple and elegant poetry to ever contribute to the Carrie Bradshaw-influenced-and-over-eccentric world of style; but let's be honest, if the pun fits I'm using it, and as much as I'm seeing initialized, name-imprinted jewelry in today's trendy happenings, I can say I'm accurate when "borrowing" beautiful literature to describe a true foundational entity of Fashion.  To this day, I continue to stand firm in my belief that no matter how one wears or displays their sense of style, one's own name and initials will always surface to tell a story about that person, their heritage, their familial pride, and a natural identity.