(..coming to you live from her prison cell…heeeeere’s Martha…!)

Gobble Gobble:  Thanksgiving is just two days away and I’m ready for some tuuuurkaaaay.  …turkey curry that is!  What’s up with Indians and Thanksgiving?  There’s turkey thoran, turkey mean peera, turkey sambar, and probably even turkey papadam.  All the Indians gather round—near and far—to lick the turkey grease from their elbows down to the tips of their fingers.  (You may even find a few munching on the bone eagerly trying to get to the marrow…) (Gross).  Anyway, I am so ready for some stuffing.  One can never eat too much stuffing!

Turkey Recipe:  Here’s a mouth savoring turkey to turn your taste buds inside out!

MAPLE ROAST TURKEY

Ingredients:

2 cups apple cider                                               2 cups chopped onion
1/3 cup real maple syrup                                    1 ½ cups chopped celery
2 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme           1 ½ cups chopped carrots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram        3 cups chicken broth
1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest                    ¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup butter, softened                                         1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste                                      ½ cup apple brandy
1 (12 pound) whole turkey

Directions:

1.  Combine apple cider and maple syrup in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until reduced to 1/2 cup, then remove pan from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon marjoram, and lemon zest. Stir in butter until melted, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until cold.

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place rack in lower third of oven.

3.  Place turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Reserve 1/4 cup maple butter for gravy, and rub the remaining maple butter under the skin of the breast and over the outside of turkey. Arrange onion, celery, and carrots around the turkey. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon marjoram over vegetables. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.

4.  Roast turkey for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover entire turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting for about 2 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Transfer turkey to platter, and let stand 30 minutes.

5.  Strain the pan juices into a large measuring cup, and then remove any excess fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a saucepan, and bring to boil. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup maple butter and 1/3 cup flour until smooth. Whisk flour and butter mixture into broth mixture. Stir in remaining thyme and the bay leaf. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Turkey Roasting 101:  The secret ingredient is your time and lots of it. Buying, preparing, and roasting a turkey are time-consuming. With careful preparation and attention to timing, you will be rewarded with a beautiful and tasty main course.  Check out the following link for more: http://allrecipes.com/advice/coll/all/articles/238P1.asp

Apple Votives:  A flotilla of apples bobbing in a steel tub evokes memories of childhood and headlong plunges into icy water.  But carved into holiday candleholders, these apple votives are a prize for the eyes alone, their flames a promise of warmth.  Every apple will float differently, so see how they balance in water before marking their topsides with a dot.  Place the tea light over the dot, and trace around its circumference with a utility knife, inserting the knife vertically as deep as the tea light is tall.  Set aside the light, cut the circle into sections, and scoop them out with a spoon. Squeeze lemon juice onto the cut surface to keep the apple from turning brown, and insert a tea light.

Make this special day a festive one.  After your celebrations, take a late night walk with your family under the stars, or just stay up late near a roaring fire. 

…Here’s wishing you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Time to go…bathroom duty!  (The array of sponges are endless…)

God Bless.

Interesting Word of the Day:  nuncheon  [nun chen]  (noun):  a between-meals snack.  (There is going to be plenty of these going on in the next few days;)

So this past week was pretty splendid for me.  I had the opportunity to engage in the All-American fall event — the hayride.  Now when I say hayride that includes the whole kit and kaboodle of a rustic event…the rickety wagon inundated with people, corn maze, pumpkin carving, and hotdogs and smores over a bonfire.  If any of you have an opportunity like this—take it…it’s really a breath of fresh air compared to the hectic schedules and pollution of metropolis life.  I think fall and winter have got to be my favorite times of the year.  The wool socks, brisk air, thick sweaters and fires are some things I can never get enough of. 

(“kit and kaboodle” origins: http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-who2.htm

Right at this moment my pygmy brother, 13 years in age, is talking to a telemarketer in a cowboy accent.  What a super dork.

Little Runts:

It seems like everyone is having a baby these days.  My aunt Beena (MD), and cousin, Betsy (NY), are both expecting.  (BTW, congrats goes out to Vinod and Grace for their little bundle of joy).  To sum things up, a new generation is rising up.  It’s really weird for me because at my church we started out with 8 kids.  Now, sometimes I zone out and just dazedly look over the congregation…the little rug-rats are everywhere!  There is absolutely no stopping them…these tyrants are taking over.  The civil strife among them is massive and the future results that can occur will be catastrophic.  The IPF board states that there will be no hope for the future;)  It’s funny because at times we older ones just sit back and watch these kids tear each other apart.  If any of you have seen the Disney version of Pocahontas, there’s a song that goes like this:  “Savages! Savages! Barely even human…”  This is the song that runs through my mind as I watch them slap the shaheezy off of each other.  Kids are fun.  Hopefully I’ll end up with six:)

News:

In her only interview since being indicted for her sale of ImClone stock, and before going to trial in January 2004, Stewart tells Barbara Walters, "Who wouldn't be scared? Of course I'm scared. The last place I would ever want to go is prison.  And I don't think I will be going to prison, though."  Stewart and broker Peter Bacanovic were charged in a nine-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury.  The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a civil securities fraud lawsuit against the pair, accusing them of illegal insider trading.  Poor Martha.  Although this self-made woman annoyed me immensely with her generic art of interior decoration, I feel for her.

Have a great week! Talk to you soon…

Susan

P.S.  Interesting Word of the Day:  hobbledehoy  [hob·ble·de·hoy] (noun):  a weak, awkward, gawky, feeble minded man---(now I’m sure you ladies like that one…use it incessantly!)

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