Thanksgiving Turkey Success!

Who made an awesome Turkey for Thanksgiving?  This girl.  

That's right.  Although I have never cooked a turkey before in my life I was able to pull this one off with a little help from the folks over at butterball.com.

Here are my keys to success:

1)  Thaw the turkey properly.  

For Christmas, we usually get a smoked turkey from Greenburg's in Tyler, Texas.  This is a fully cooked turkey so all you have to do is let it thaw.  Its in a paper bag and a box, so my dad usually sets it outside in the garage for a day if its cold outside.  It took a lot of convincing to get my dad to understand you could not do this with a raw turkey.  When I explained it needed to go in the refrigerator or cold water he would respond "but I just put the Greenburg in the garage."  Somehow the difference between a raw and a cooked turkey did not register with him.  I finally managed to convince him to put it in cold water for a while. 


2)  Brine


I went back and forth with a friend of mine on the brine issue.  He suggested I get an injector kit just in case.  I did NOT get an injector kit.  Instead the turkey was put in the following brine:

• 2 gallons cold water
• 10 ounces Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried sage
• 2 tablespoons dried celery seed
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

3)  Cooking

I put my turkey in a 350 degree oven for about 3 hours.  I tried to cook the turkey on the green egg but that wasn't working.  After trying for a half hour to get the temperature hot enough I just said forget it and threw it in the oven.  I thought it was going to take longer than three hours but the butterball people say to pull it out when the thigh meat reaches 180 degrees.  I checked it at 3 hours and it was higher than 180 so I pulled it out immediately.  

4)  Basting  

I came up with this on my own.  I was just going to put a little butter to brown the outside of it when I saw a leftover Shiner Bock in the fridge.  Doesn't beer make everything better?  I mixed the Shiner with some butter and basted my turkey every hour. 

The result?

The meat was juicy and tender.  The only problem was that the breast meat wasn't dry enough to make very good slices of meat. (My brother said it would have helped if I had an electric slicer.  I didn't really think ahead to the actual carving part of this scenario.)  Huge Success.  Everyone loved it.  Plus I had my family at my house and got to spend some much needed time with them.  I can't think of anything better than that.

Here's hoping everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Solution to a freezing office.

My office is like ice.  I'm not sure why the A/C is running when its 60 degrees outside but its almost unbearably cold.  Thankfully I have a little heater under my desk to help keep me warm but now I have a PERFECT solution:

FOREVER LAZY!!!!!!!

That's Right!  Forget the Snuggie - This thing is the SERIOUS answer to anyone who is cold and also lazy.  Its like a hoodie with legs - and a drop seat.  That's right, I said a drop seat.  So you don't even have to take it off to go to the bathroom.  Wow.

 These people really back up the name Forever Lazy by calling their colors "Workday Blues" and, my personal favorite, "Asleep on the Job Gray."  


Seriously?  Who actually owns one of these???  I'm sure they've sold tons.  I've got to get to work on the next big idea for a reverse blanket/hoodie/longjohn something or other.  Only problem is, now that the name Forever Lazy is taken, whatever will I call it?

EXCITED!!!

My best friend since the age of 3 is coming to town for the weekend.  I am unbelievably ___________ (insert excited, elated, thrilled - whichever sounds best).  In case you're a reader (I know there is at least one) she is the same person I wrote about in this post.

Why so excited you may ask?  Because this lovely person I've known since childhood, who is the closest thing to a sister I have or will ever have, is PREGNANT!!!!!  And although I seem to have no internal ticking time bomb fertility clock of my own, I am SO _________ (again - excited, elated, thrilled) for her and this new person coming into our lives!  I cannot wait to meet him or her!

I'm going to spend this weekend carting my friend around to Babies R Us and any other sort of baby store I can find, undoubtedly sending her back to College Station with a car full of onesies (sp?) and various other baby items.  

I've also figured out the nice thing about other people having children is that you can play with them and love on them without actually being required to turn them into a productive member of society.  I think this is why grandparents have so much fun.  Spoil them, then send them back to their parents for the hard work.  I love it! 

Mission Impossible: Best Burger in DFW

There are some things I'm on a never ending quest to find - the perfect pair of jeans, the best mascara (although I think I've come close with Lash Blast), my absolute favorite bottle of wine (liking them all is problematic).  Add to the list, Best Burger in DFW. 

I don't eat a lot of burgers in general.  So when I want one, I want it to be REALLY GOOD.  I have yet to find THE ONE that stands out above all others to the point where I will forgo other burger places.  Sidedish had an article a few days ago about Elevation Burger.  I have to say, I'm a fan of the grass fed beef so I'll be checking this one out soon.  The Sidedish article also mentions a place called Restaurant Ava which is supposed to have an excellent burger as well.  I love the name Ava so I wouldn't mind checking into this place also; however, its all the way out in Rockwall and I'm not sure I'm counting that as DFW at this time.  Plus, I'm lazy.  A drive to Rockwall for a burger seems like a long way.  Maple & Motor is another Dallas joint on the list of places to visit soon.  Here's what I've tried so far:

Twisted Root - Good but not great. My burger was a little over cooked.

Love Shack - Another decent burger.  The quail egg on top was a cool touch but it didn't knock my socks off.

The Grape - Voted Best Burger 2009 by Texas Monthly, this was, by far, my favorite of all I've tried.  Its a 10 oz. homemade patty with pepper bacon, Vermont white cheddar, horseradish pickles and dijonaise.  Yum.  Still when I think of having a burger I don't think, "OMGee I HAVE to have the burger from The Grape."  

Burger Girl on McKinney - This joint is now closed.  I guess that pretty much sums up their burger.

Yourway Burgers & Wings - I actually bothered to write a Yelp review about this place.  What's cool is that they will infuse your burger with various ingredients.  You can read the full review HERE.  I have been back a couple of times.  Its close to my house which makes it a favorite. 

In-N-Out - This place is all hype.  I just don't get it.  Its not that good and the fries taste weird.

Hopefully I'll come across my favorite soon so I can end my quest to find the best burger.  I cook a pretty good burger myself.  I guess I could always work on my own to make it the best, then when I open my restaurant, people will know where to find the best burger in DFW.  Just sayin.

And I haven't forgotten that I owe you all the secret to the perfect and best grilled cheese.  If you've been on a quest to find the perfect grilled cheese, don't fret!  Its forthcoming...