Another busy weekend

Mama and I had a busy weekend. We spent most of the day Saturday cooking. I went bus calling with the Pastor in the morning but when I got back home we started in on the two turkeys Mama and I needed to get done for the dinner with the National Guard unit it Wichita Falls Sunday morning. Mama had already made two crockpots of chili for the gospel concert and chili dinner Saturday evening and both of those were simmering on the counter. I had left the turkeys out overnight so they would be completely thawed because I wanted to do one in the rotisserie. I put that one on as soon as I got home and set the timer for three hours. It did not take that long – only about two hours and fifteen minutes – but it came out very well. Mama and I are going to repeat the process at Christmas. The rotisserie does not heat up the kitchen as much as the ovens do and it keeps the meat tender and moist. I do not know why we have not been using it more.

We did the other turkey in the oven – the more conventional way. It was a sixteen pounder that I had been given at work. I put it in the oven just before we left for the concert at church. The Marksmen were there and they put on a really good concert for us. Everyone ate chili afterwards. I think there were fourteen crockpots of chili there. Some of the chili looked hot enough to scald you just by toughing it – but that was the chili that had the least left at the end of the night. Mama got a little of that one and I took one bite - that was far more than enough for me. Of the two crockpots we took there was very little eaten but I did not feel badly. There was so much there and most people put the chili over corn chips or Fritos to lessen the bite. We gave one crockpot to a missionary couple to take home and I packaged the other to put in the freezer.

The turkey we had left in the over was not quite done when we got home. I had hoped for that because I did not want to get it overdone. I was able to get it out of the oven just minutes after the little probe inserted into the breast indicated it to be at the properly cooked temperature. It was the juiciest turkey Mama and I have ever done in the oven. When I carved both of the birds Sunday morning they filled the roaster pan we were taking with us to the dinner. I was pleased with that because we did not want to run out of food. As it turned out, we did not need to worry. There were two roasters full of carved turkey in addition to ours and a couple of the unit members were cooking a turkey in an oil-less fryer. Mama and I ended up taking home about half a turkey – mostly dark meat, which was great for me but not so much for Mama. That too will go into the freezer for me to make soup out of in the near future; even though Mama told me that she does not like dark meat even when it is in soup. I guess most of the other diners at the Guard felt like she does.

Cori, Nate and the kids will be here Thursday evening so some meals in the freezer will not be a bad thing.

The picture is of a little warrior Princess who was at the dinner with her family. In case you cannot make it out, she has a sword tucked down the back of her dress.