3 Quarters Today

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Holidays

Serve a Bacon Basted Turkey for Thanksgiving

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Butter and Bacon Wrapped Turkey Recipe

How to make a bacon basted turkey for thanksgiving

Given the time I love to cook, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to break out traditional recipes like my Bacon wrapped turkey recipe.

I roasted my turkey with bacon way before bacon was cool. I watched my Dad obsess over his turkey when I was little and this started a family tradition.

You can have your fried turkeys, slow cooker turkeys, and your precooked turkeys. I like my Thanksgiving turkey oven roasted and the whole process becomes an event.

I’ve even baked my Thanksgiving bird in a roasting bag a few times just to try it, but it’s not near as good. Thanksgiving was my Dad’s Favorite Holiday

You have to know that my Dad didn’t really cook much, but Thanksgiving was his holiday and he loved fixing and carving the turkey. I only bought a Butterball pre-basted turkey once, and that was enough, it wasn’t near as moist.

The Best Turkey Baste is a Combination of Butter and Bacon

The secret to a juicy turkey is lots of juice, basting frequently, and not letting the bird sit in the oven and get dried out. Eat it less than an hour after it comes out of the oven.

Butter Basted turkey
Place frozen pats of butter under the skin

So grab your Thanksgiving apron, your turkey, butter and bacon, and let’s get to work.

Best Roast Turkey Recipe Ever

Seriously, even people who don’t like turkey will love this, it is indeed the best roast turkey recipe ever!

  • Large Turkey
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 1 lb frozen butter (1-2 sticks under skin, 1-2 sticks for stuffing)
  • Powdered Sage
  • Poultry Seasoning
  • Seasoning Salt
  • Prepared stuffing (I always stuff my turkey and have the best turkey stuffing ever)
Bacon wrapped turkey
Lay Strips of Bacon on buttered and stuffed turkey

Turkey Roasting Instructions

  1. Preset oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Rinse and remove the packaged giblets from inside the bird (neck & leg opening)
  3. Place turkey in large roasting pan
  4. Slide frozen pats of butter under the skin as far as you can reach on both sides (an inch apart)
  5. Spoon stuffing into body cavity and under the neck flap (pack it in)
  6. Season turkey with sage, poultry seasoning, and seasoning salt
  7. Cover turkey with strips of uncooked bacon
  8. Cover roasting pan with lid, or tinfoil
  9. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes per pound of turkey

How Long to Cook a Turkey

There are a lot of rules of thumb on how long to cook a turkey, but like my Dad taught me, 12 minutes per lb at 350F.

Many cooking experts recommend 10-13 minutes per pound, but remember, I open the oven door a LOT for basting. So my 24 lb turkey will take about five hours.

Basting Instructions

Bacon wrapped turkey
Serve and eat!

Basting is very important to get a juicy and moist turkey.

When the turkey is about halfway done, or as the liquid starts to accumulate at the bottom of the roaster start basting. The bacon fat and butter will melt, soak into the turkey and collect at the bottom of the pan. What a waste.

Pull back the tin foil, and use a large turkey baster to suck up the juice and squirt it on top of the turkey.

Yeah, just suck up all the yummy buttery bacony (is that a word) goodness and pour it over the skin of the turkey, making sure to cover the breast, legs, and even the wings.

BASTE EVERY 30 MINUTES

This is important. Set the timer. You have to babysit the bird. This is when my Mom would start saying “The turkey is never going to cook if you keep opening the oven door!”

Well, the turkey cooks. You might have to add another 20 minutes to the time, but when the turkey is a nice brown, golden color and the bacon crisp and crunchy it’s done.

If you really want to know when your turkey is done you can use a cooking thermometer and when it reaches 160F it’s done.

My Mom’s way of telling is to “shake the leg”, if it shakes back it’s done, or if it falls off, it’s done. When the legs start to sag away from the bird it’s also done.

Homemade turkey stuffing recipe
Homemade stuffing with a twist

Doesn’t it look delicious!!

There is nothing better than a bacon basted turkey at Thanksgiving. Remember the cook gets to pick the bacon and turkey before it’s served.  

Many turkeys have pop-up thermometers and you can use them as a guideline to when your turkey is done, but if it looks like the photo above, it’s done.

Remove it from the oven and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. The meat will continue to cook and you when your biscuits or crescent rolls are done it’s time to eat. At my house we don’t eat at a certain time, we eat “around 1:00 pm” or whenever the bird is done. After opening the door several times for baking the aroma starts to draw people to the kitchen and dining room.

RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel Turkey Lifter, Set of 2Great Gatherings 21 inch X-Large Oval Serving Platter for Turkey, Ham, Prime Rib with Embossed Friut aroung edge

You can then assign volunteers to set the table, place the mashed potatoes in bowls, and pour the drinks. Enjoy your Bacon Basted Turkey and if you have any Thanksgiving traditions I would love to hear them!

Where to Buy Your Turkey

I normally purchase my turkey from the grocery store, I get a plain turkey, not the Butterball variety or their copycats.

Occasionally I have purchased a local farm-raised turkey, but those actually tend to be too big for my oven. One year we had a 28 lb turkey!! Leftovers for months.

Whole Organic Turkey 18-20lbsBranigan’s Woodland California Thanksgiving Free Range Turkey 20 to 22 Pounds with Brining Kit

You can, unbelievably buy an organic farm-raised turkey for Thanksgiving online and have it delivered right to your door.

For those who live in the city and don’t have a car, I think this would be ideal. I can’t imagine my son lugging a 20 lb turkey on the Chicago CTA train.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Each family has its own Thanksgiving traditions, often representative of their cultural and/or ethnic background.

Americans are proud of the fact that we can all celebrate the same holiday, albeit in different ways. What is your Thanksgiving tradition?

 

Patriotic Video: America, I Love You

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This patriotic video might just make you forget the recent government scandals so prevalent right now. Although it seems patriotism and confidence in the United States is waning or lacking. I don’t think it’s true. Yes, if you listen to talk radio, or watch CNN or other news channels you might be depressed and discouraged. But I tell you, there are good people all across this country doing good things, helping out neighbors, serving in the military because they love where they live.

Keep Us Safe because Freedome is Not Free
Korean War Memorial: Washington DC on Memorial Day

When American citizens are left alone, without government intervention we help each other out and stand side by side during tragedies such as the recent Oklahoma tornadoes.

In this week leading up to Memorial Day, I want to remind people the greatness of the American people outside the Washington Beltway. Memorial Day is not only a day to remember our veterans and those who died serving our country but to gather together as families worship and celebrate life, and remember those who have died and left an impact on our lives.

America I love YouMarine Corps Graduation, San Diego CA I’ve wanted to create a patriotic video that includes the many photographs I’ve taken over the years that have a military theme, or veterans theme, but didn’t have the appropriate music. This song “America, I Love You” was written by my friend Steve Raybine, a jazz musician in Omaha, Nebraska. I first heard it last fall and fell in love with it and he graciously allowed me to use it for the video.

Veterans of all our wars deserve our thanks for making the sacrifice and serving their country. This includes not only the modern wars in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom, Desert Shield, and Storm but the often forgotten Vietnam and Korean Veterans, along with those veterans from WWII and WWI.

It is the men and women of the Marine Corps, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and our National Guard that spend days away from family and friends, whether abroad or stationed in the United States, that serve to protect our freedom. We owe them our thanks for volunteering for a job many would never consider.The Flag Still Stands For Freedom

As you participate in Memorial Day celebrations, parades and picnics, stop by a cemetery and read the inscriptions on the War Memorials of soldiers from the French Indian War and even the Civil War. If you are lucky enough to live in New England search out the Revolutionary War cemeteries. Those soldiers truly fought for our freedom and Independence. They are the reason we celebrate the 4th of July.

If you recognize some of the photos it’s because they are some of my favorites from my Washington DC trip when my kids marched in the Memorial Day Parade and include the World War II Memorial, United States Marine Corps Memorial, Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial and other images of freedom and sacrifice.

I was really quite surprised I had so many photographs of the American Flag and color guards taken at various parades. It never fails to give me a chill when the American Legion leads a parade with the flags and people stand to applaud, salute or put their hand over their heart.
My goal is to create a national sensation with this song. Patriotic pride needs to once again resonate through the land. So reblog this post, tweet it, post it to your Facebook page and PIN it on PINTEREST, let’s see how far this video and song can spread.

So post this for Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July, Veterans Day and all other patriotic holidays.

Thank you and God Bless.

Christmas Family Games on the 9th Day of Christmas

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Playing Christmas Family Games Brings Back my Childhood

Talk about getting excited? While having our second Christmas at my in-laws I spotted a favorite childhood game in the cabinet. Mattels “Tip It!“!

Tip it board game
Matell Tip It, Vintage Game with circus man

Oh, how I remember this game and how this wobbly little circus man on top made me laugh. Everyone in the room thought I was slightly crazy, and I thank them for not laughing at me. They even indulged me with a game!

While I remember playing the game, I couldn’t remember how to set it up or the rules. So, for those who have forgotten. The short stick goes under the yellow base, place the yellow coins on the pegs and then the long stick in the middle hole.

Vintage Mattel Tip It GameVintage Mattel Tip It Game

Don’t forget the little black gravity ring that slides onto the stick. This is VERY important! If you leave it off the result is a very difficult game with a very wobbly man on top.  Slide the doughnut closer to the base and it’s a little easier. Note where our gravity doughnut is placed? Last, balance the nose of the little man on the top of the stick.

Now comes the playing. After selecting who goes first  (person who spins red first) spin the spinner and remove the appropriate coin from the peg without the little man falling off the top. One by one each person is eliminated as the circus man tips off his perch. Seems there is always one color which doesn’t get selected and the tower becomes heavy on one side. Then players start praying “Noooo not blue!” because you just know you’re going to TIP IT!

Vintage family game

You can still buy Mattels Tip It from Amazon and although it more modernized, and harder with more pegs.  The little man has been replaced, which is disappointing, but I’m sure it will result in the same feeling of silly laughter.

I read the directions online and they have changed a little, but feel free to make up your own “house rules”, kinda like UNO, which we also played.

Who won? My son David who was home on leave from the Marine Corp. He also won three games of UNO, and two out of three games of the card game speed.

Humanity Hates the Holidays (80 White Cards, 30 Black Cards) - The Adult Card Game For Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, KwanzaHumanity Hates the Holidays (80 White Cards, 30 Black Cards) – The Adult Card Game For Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, KwanzaChristmas TriviaChristmas TriviaChristmas Charades Board GameChristmas Charades Board GamePass The Ugly Sweater Card GamePass The Ugly Sweater Card Game

7th Day of Christmas: Old Fashioned Christmas Ribbon Candy

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Old Fashioned Christmas Ribbon Candy
Old Fashion Christmas Ribbon Candy

Old Fashioned Ribbon Candy reminds me of my Dad. He loved the little pieces of Christmas candy and would carefully and meticulously pick through the bowl to find his favorite.

I was reminded of my Father when I visited my in-laws for Christmas and my Mother in Law set out a tray that included old-fashioned ribbon candy. I was a kid again!