Christmas Meal Prep!

Yeah! Christmas is almost here! But that means we have a ton of stuff to do. From wrapping last minute gifts to making food it's really going to be a mess.

Okay, so we have a lot of Christmas events to go to. Tomorrow is Mister's parents. It is the only time we could all meet up and spend time with it as just us. For that I am in charge of making the turkey and fudge for sure. That will mean that I need to start brine-ing the turkey so it is extra delicious and tender. I'll post my brine recipe down below so you have something to go on too! As for the fudge, I am going to attempt to use my Mom's recipe. I am not quite sure where she got this from, so I cannot say if it is affiliated with anyone else. I may post that later today once I make it. The Mister and I may also be in charge of making buns and a cheese tray. It all depends on if other people can bring it or not. If we end up bringing them, I will just use my homemade bread recipe and call that good.

On the 23rd, we don't have any plans that I am aware of. On the 24th we are going to his step-father's folks house. We will have another big meal there as well as attend church and open gifts. The gifts are going to be mainly focused on the little kids of the family so not really planning on getting anyone anything. The Mister works all week until Christmas, so yeah money, but it has been hard to plan all these events. On the 24th, we supposedly have another event we were invited to, but it's 2 hours away and the two events overlap so that isn't going to happen.

As for Christmas day, we are going to spend the morning together and then we are headed over to my parent's house. We have gifts over there, as well as gifts to give, so my little car is going to need to be cleaned out. Boo. Over there we will have a yummy meal prepared by my mama, open presents and socialize. My mom isn't sure who is actually coming over that day, so I may get to see my extended family. It has been awhile since they were over. There will be two (technically three) people missing from this one though. My older brother and his pregnant girlfriend are going overseas for a vacation. It will be good for the two of them before my nephew shows up. He is going to be the only one getting a gift out of those three. I'm going to be knitting him a little ensemble that I will post the pattern to once I have it done.

So as you can see, we have a very busy Christmas season to get through. How about any of you? What are your holiday plans? Are you hosting or visiting? Let me know down below.

Amazing Turkey Brine!

By: Brieann Ziehme

This will brine a 9-12 lb turkey pretty happily in a large stock pot or a small cooler

4 gallons water

2 gallons chicken stock

3 cups real maple syrup

3 cups sugar

6 cups kosher salt or 3 cups table salt

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 onions

Stock Pot/Cooler

Directions

1)Combine 1 gallon water/chicken stock, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and half an onion in a pot.

2)Boil for 5 minutes ensuring all solids are dissolved. Allow to cool

3)Repeat steps 1 and 2 five more times

4)Prep your turkey. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed, and remove any inside parts. Rinse with water and pat dry the outside. Place turkey in brine-ing container.

5) Pour over turkey making sure that the turkey is completely submerged. Use bags of ice to help hold the turkey down. These preform double duty in making sure the turkey stays under the solution and it also keeps the solution cold enough.

6)Allow the turkey to brine for 1 hour plus 1 hour for each pound of bird. So if you are using a 9 pound bird, it would be 10 hours brine time. I am using an 11 pound one so my brine time will be 12 hours.

7) Pull the turkey out of the brine and cook it any way you would like to. Many people roast theirs in the oven, but you can also grill it or smoke it!

Lots of news!!!

So life gets crazy and hectic and obnoxious. It's kinda why I haven't been able to post in forever... So let's get started on all the new details

First off, I moved. Twice. I know that is kinda crazy, but it happened. I was living on my own for a while and decided that wasn't right for me. So I talked with my mister right, and we decided to rent a beautiful place together! It's nothing huge, and we are waiting for furniture to show up so it feels more home like, but it works for us. We also got a fake tree (I hate them so much), and a fake fireplace to make the home into what we wanted. It really is a beautiful place. There is one downfall though. It's the upstairs of a duplex in the middle of town and I have no yard to garden in. We do have a small porch off of our bedroom though so I will be able to grow things there. 

As for other big news, I have switched jobs a few times. I did learn quite a bit about myself by doing so. For a while I was working at a local grocery store chain. They switched me to overnights, and I loved it. However, the location I was at changed store hours so they eliminated my position. They tried moving me onto days in the deli, and I decided I didn't enjoy working with all of those people anymore. So I left the company that I had spent all of my working life at and switched to telemarketing. Let me tell you folks, it is not something for the faint of heart. I was in a sales campaign and the number of people that screamed at me was unbelievable. I can't imagine working in collections or something along those lines. I lasted there for about two months and have been free pretty much since then :-) I have been doing some light temp work though a company in town to keep myself entertained some days, but otherwise it is just me and the dust bunnies!

Also, moving in with the Mister has lead me to do a ton more cooking! Yeah!!! As for recipes, there are going to be a ton here before Christmas being posted, so be on the look out for them.

Speaking of Christmas, this year has kinda been a little crazy. With both of us officially being moved out, we are buying lots of gifts for both families on top of some annoying bills that all want to be payed. I have fallen behind on knitting, boo. However, I am thinking I am going to be picking it back up in an effort to make some money from it. I figure if I start knitting hats, mittens, and other warm gear just after New Years, that I will have a healthy stock pile to sell from come next winter. If anyone is looking for any gifts to be made, feel free to leave a comment and I will certainly get back to you on it!

Any way, Merry Christmas everyone and have a safe and warm New Year!

It's been forever

We have finally gotten snow up here in Northwestern Wisconsin. Everyone believed that we were going to be rocking an Indian Summer, however, that didn't happen. Currently we have around 12 inches or so of snow. It is kind of sad though, because with there being so much snow, the ice isn't freezing over on the lake. Many lakes have a few inches of ice, but there is also quite a bit of open water or only 1/4 inch thick ice. I do plan on going hand fishing though soon just for the fact that I enjoy doing it. Me and the mister will head out sometime soon with the hopes of catching some fish. I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful winter weather and I'll be back soon.