Mitten Livin': January 2014

2014 has greeted us with a long cold winter that started in 2013. Although it has only been three months, is has felt like a year.

Some of my goals this year, learn more Spanish, practice my Chinese characters, be more fit. I think should add to the list learn how to love winter.

Lake Michigan is pretty, year round. If I can't love winter here, there might not be any hope for me.

2013 Reflections

I made my first turkey.

Raw meat grosses me out. I do eat meat and cook with a fair amount. However I like it in small chunks, or ground up. When the decision was made that I would cook the turkey, I had reservations. Just the thought ofpulling out the insides and handling that much raw meat made me queasy. I also stereotyped turkey makers as the elders of the the family, I am one of the kids! Being responsible for it made me feel old. Thanks to the Internet, Pioneer Woman and Alton Brown I felt I had the resources to guide me through the process.

Brining the turkey seemed to be my only option after scouring the Internet and reading reviews. Orange peels, apple cider, spices etc.. Nathan commented that if the turkey tasted as good as the brine smelled it would be a hit.

My thoughtful husband pulled the insides out and helped me transport it, as a result I had little physical contact with the turkey itself.

2013 was the year that an event would happen only once in a lot of lifetimes, when Hanukkah and Thanksgiving crossed paths. Although we are not Jewish, I really wanted to participate in this special event. I decided I would make Latkes. I think my cooking of these needs perfecting but we ended up eating them all at breakfast time and they never made it to the Thanksgiving meal.

The Bird.. I am no food photographer I was in a hurry to get a picture before the carving.
I felt it was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I spent too much time worrying. It would have been a lot harder without Nathan helping me carry and move it from one place to another. I was thankful for a cold Thanksgiving because there was no way it was going to fit in my fridge and I could keep it in the garage.
Verdict: juicy breast meat, but Nathan felt it was maybe a little too juicy. If I make it again I will dry it out a little bit before baking. I probably ate more turkey this year than any other, but overall I still prefer ham..

SKI

The Double Cola Co. In Chattanooga Tenn. makes this delicious soda. I might like it more than coke. It has high fructose corn syrup,and lots of caffeine, so unfortunately I have no good reason to start drinking it regularly. The flavor is great and they do claim it is made with real fruit juices. Take the sweetness of Mountain Dew and add a nice refreshing citrus taste and you come close to SKI. I can even water it down with club soda, add lime and it still taste great. I won't be trying that with Coke anytime soon. Nathan discovered it while in Evansville, Indiana for work. He might not be going back there again so his last trip we stocked up.

Camera obscura/ pin hole camera
Nathan set up a pin hole camera in Jane's room. Supposedly this technique was used by artist in the past to paint buildings, landscapes etc.
It was neat to see the houses across the field from Jane's window so clearly defined on the wall. Nathan drove around the neighborhood and we could see the van move along the road.