Holiday Turkey - Brining Discovered

This year, we pulled the straw to bring the turkey to Christmas dinner. I would have rather had the gathering at our place but it was decided that we'd have it at mom's instead.  So I was determined that this would be a really, really good turkey, even though we'd cook it in Brighton and drive it to Dexter.

Now, I think I do quite well with poultry in general, but I needed an 'edge'.  So I began some light web browsing and came across 'brining'. Hmm, that sounds interesting, I thought.  Brining is basically a way to marinade an entire bird, or large cut of meat. Brining is a way to tenderize and keep meat moist when cooking, and you can also impart some additional flavor to it.

After looking a various recipes I settled upon one that was pretty basic. I wasn't sure how much flavor might be transferred so I was cautious.  For our 15 lb. turkey, most sources agreed that 12-24 hrs of brining was in order.  I couldn't find any 'brining bags' and preparation was less than a day away, but luckily we had a box of the extra large (really large) zip loc storage bags - you know, the kind you use for clothing.  It looked like it would accomodate the bird.

So I began the brining solution.  I used a 2qt saucepan and added a half cup of coarse sea salt, a half cup of sugar, a quarter cup of cracked black pepper, and a few bay leaves. Boiled, then simmered, then diluted into a total of a gallon and a half of water. The turkey went into the bag. This was a two person job, by the way.

As I started pouring in the cooled brining solution, we saw a leak in the bag. The darned turkey wing had punctured it. We had one last bag and carefully slid the turkey into it, transferred the solution and then added one large navel orange, sliced very thin, a few strips of cut sweet (vidalia) onion and zipped it shut.  This was also a two person job. Don't forget to remove the giblets and make sure your bird is totally defrosted when you do this.

The solution totally covered and immersed the bird. The bagged turkey went into a large plastic bin (in case of leaks), the refrigerator shelves were moved to accomodate the turkey in its bag and in its bin, and we had 25 hours and 10 minutes for it to brine. Perfect.

Christmas morning we were up early. The bird was removed from the bag and thoroughly washed inside and out, and patted dry.  I was having trouble getting my big hands into the turkey, so my wife took a handful of sea salt and just tapped it around inside the cavity. We let it set for the 45 minutes or so that it took to prepare the stuffing.  After stuffing, young Tom Turkey went into the roaster pan (uncovered), and the convection oven was set to 325 F. I set the timer for an hour, then pulled it out and basted it with extra virgin olive oil, topping it off with a light amount of McCormick's Montreal Chicken Seasoning.  It went back in the oven covered with a protective layer of foil and was re-basted about every 90 minutes.  For the last hour the temperature was increased to 365 F and the foil removed.

The meat thermometer confirmed that it was done pretty much on schedule and it was pulled to sit on the counter while we got the car loaded with presents, cookies and other dishes for the party. It was a perfect looking turkey! I hoped that it would taste good, too.

It took about 35 minutes to get to mom's and the turkey was ready to be carved as soon as we got there. I have to tell you that it sliced beautifully. It was also very moist and tasty, although I really couldn't detect any of the favors that were in the brine solution. Perhaps that was because I was conservative with the amounts. I don't know.  But it was a very good turkey.

I'll try brining again on whole chickens and even cut up chicken parts. Of course they'll need less time, perhaps 1-3 hours instead of 24, but I will be a bit more daring on the concentration of the flavorings to see what happens. I'm very satisfied regarding the tenderness of the meat, and that was my main goal.

I will also take the time and trouble to add some seasoning to the olive oil for basting the next time, but since we were in uncharted waters I wanted to keep things fairly simple.  That's one of the things I like about cooking - find something that works, then dress it up to be even better.

You can find your own way to brine by doing a web search for 'meat brining'. There will be enough links returned to keep you reading for a while.

Voter Backlash

Well, it seems that the old ‘kick the rascals out’ sentiment has prevailed with this year’s mid-term elections. Plenty of examples nationwide. Growing influence of the Tea Party. General disdain of the ruling Democratic Party.

Here are some of my observations from local races. In Michigan, Republican candidate for Governor Rick Snyder, a businessman with no political experience, not only refused to accept any endorsements, he wouldn’t even fill out their forms! He also refused any campaign finance donations from PACs or lobbyists. And guess what? He won! Of course, he is a successful businessman and was able to fund his campaign to the tune of $6 million. But he shouldn’t have to do that. Nobody should.

We have a real problem with political campaigning in this country and it is going to have to be resolved pretty soon or we will only be seeing the anointed and appointed ones running for office, with few exceptions like Rick Snyder.

Speaking of campaigning, it seems to me that a lot of the attack ads have backfired big time this year. Michigan Supreme Court justices Bob Young and Mary Beth Kelly were savaged in attack ads. Although this is supposedly a non-partisan office, Young and Kelly were endorsed by the Republican Party. The attack ads came from where? Oh yes, backers of the Democratic party candidates, although not the Michigan Democratic Party itself. That’s what PACs are for, right?

Why the partisanship in a non-partisan race? Hmm. The party that has the most juice with a majority of the Supreme Court justices will have a larger say in congressional district makeup and that will last for the next 10 years. You’re either non-partisan or you’re partisan. You can’t have it both ways. And judges shouldn’t be influenced or beholden to any political party. The election of Young and Kelly swing the Supreme Court from a Democratic 1 vote majority to Republican. Oh my. So both parties want that judge majority to get the congressional district advantage.

Sorry, that’s as wrong to me as splitting a single subdivision into two adjacent school districts. Isn’t that why we have ‘School of Choice’?

Speaking of schools, this could be an example of an attack ad gone bad. Leadership of the Brighton Education Association sent out postcards attacking candidate for Brighton Area Schools Board of Education John Conely by linking him to 21 lawsuits. Unfortunately, they forgot to mention that many were legitimate business suits to recover debts and that others were filed by his father, also John Conely. Why the animus? Mr. Conely (the candidate, now elected) had the cheek to suggest that teacher contracts get linked to state funding. If funding goes up, teachers get a raise. If funding goes down, they get a pay reduction. The district is facing a $7 million deficit now. It may not be a perfect solution, but increasing pay while facing larger deficits doesn’t seem like a very good solution either. Maybe all of the powers that be need to get together and talk . . . .

Nothing will change until voters demand change. You don’t have to be an activist. Just pay attention to what’s going on. Maybe miss one or two sitcoms a week and read the local paper, or go to an occasional school board or township meeting. An ignorant electorate is a rascal’s best friend.

By the way, I consider myself an independent that votes for who I consider to be the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation. I will - and do - vote for 'minor' party candidates.

Switching Gears

My golf buddies and I were talking last night and we're pretty sure that there's only a few more weeks of golfing left in this season. Last year, I played my last, very chilly round on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Bundled up, wearing winter golf gloves and a wicking 'beanie' cap wasn't quite the same, but at least I was playing golf. This year, I'll start playing at the simulator earlier. It's pretty realistic, except for the putting, which I'll forego. If I'm within 10 ft of the pin I'll declare a one putt. Any further and a two putt. At $20/hr that makes sense to me.

I'm also going to play a lot more poker this year. I've been playing in the Poker Stars Poker School Online league and will be doing more multi-table tournaments (MTTs). Cheap buy-ins, long sessions and hopefully a few final tables will be in my future. That should get me through the winter!

Woo Hoo! Who?

Does anybody *really* care that much about where LeBron ends up playing? Is it worth an hour of TV time? Oops, sorry, TV also 'rents' itself out to infomercials during slow hours, causes endless fascination over who gets axed on Apprentice, American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, etc., so I guess that was a stupid rhetorical question.

Personally, I'd rather work in the garden, listen to music, visit with friends or read a book. Or even go to bed early. Not that I wish anything bad for Mr. James, but honestly, is this worth the media hype? I don't think so.

I'm also pretty tired of hearing about the pop culture flavor of the moment, who right now seems to be either a young blond actress on trial for something or other, or a actor-director-producer without verbal or mental restraint. Personally speaking, if this is 'culture' it's better suited to a petri dish.

I guess once you're 'famous' and/or have some bucks, it's OK to act like a self-absorbed idiot. Or is that being eccentric? Eccentric literally derives from 'out of' or 'off' and 'center'. Hmm, maybe we are on to something here. . . .

All right, enough ranting. Now go read a newspaper or do something to make your community a better place in which to live. Find a volunteer organization and donate a few hours of time and energy to making things better. Let the TV sit idle, the sports, sit coms, and variety shows will survive without you for a day.

Rain? Only an 80% Chance . . .

It seems that every Wednesday (my golf league night), we've had a rainy forecast. 80% chance has been seen multiple times in the last month or so. We go out with our rain gear and start play, get drizzled upon, then the clouds part, the sun comes out and we play in wonderful conditions.

Last week I went to Oscoda, to Lakewood Shores Resort, and we had the same forecast for Tuesday - our 'all day' golfing day. Our luck held out again. A little drizzle on and off for an hour or so, then a beautiful day. What luck.

I golfed 18 with a group from my league on Sunday. We're meeting for breakfast and golf, switching courses and restaurants every week. Hawk Meadows was the venue for that week.

Then I left for Oscoda Monday morning, played 29 holes (till dark), 36 more on Tuesday, and golfed the league Wednesday night. I pre-played 5 bonus holes before the league, too, for a total of 97 holes in 4 days. I think that's the most I've ever golfed in four days and I have to admit I was a bit sore afterwards. A restful Thursday and a good morning workout at the gym on Friday seemed the right thing to fix me up.

Lakewood Shores Resort was a lot of fun. The Gailes course was very tough (Scottish links style course), Blackshire was challenging with a lot of hazard all the way across numerous fairways, and the Serradella was my favorite. We had a great package deal for an overnight stay Monday evening and 36 holes on Tuesday for $139/person. Our 'extra' 18 during the day Monday was $25/person. They have a lot of great weekday and weekend packages and the four of us are talking about making this an annual trek.

Friendly staff, good food, and there was a chip and putt set of holes behind the lodging where you could practice, too. They let you take coolers out there and we saw numerous groups taking advantage of that feature. We didn't get a chance to use that particular facility, but it looked like a better way to spend your time than watching television.

If you go up to Oscoda, find the Wiltse's Brew Pub. Very good food and an interesting mix of beers. Stay away from the 'Crippler' - 10.5% ABV - or have a DD ready to step in. The Au Sable Inn is very good, too.

Summer Time!

Yes, the warm weather arrived early this year. It was in the low 70's wa-a-a-y back on St. Patrick's Day (my day of playing golf here). Since then we've been very lucky with the mostly warm weather.

The gardens are doing well, school is either out or about to be out for the districts in my area, and gasoline prices are staying reasonable or even dropping a little.

I'm fortunate to live in area with an abundance of inland lakes, and the boaters and fishermen seem to be having a good time. I can see a couple of the larger lakes in our area daily, as I drive fom here to there. And in the last two weeks, there have been multiple occasions where I was tempted to stop and take a quick dip.

In a week or so, I'm heading to Oscoda (Michigan, around the 44th parallel) for a two day, one night golf trip with a couple of budddies. We've found a great room rate, so we'll drive up and play 18 that day, stay overnight, wake up and play 36 the next day, then head home. Luckily it's only a two and a half to three hour drive, so we won't spend a lot of time on the travel part. I'm looking forward to it, and there are plenty of golfing opportunities within 45 minutes of our location.

I haven't been able to play much golf, and my game seems to have deteriorated. I'm hoping that a lot of golf in a short window of time will help shake out the rust, but then again, I am an optimist.

I hope things are going well for you, and if they're not - well, come on over to Michigan. There's plenty to see and do all over the state.

Gulf Oil Spill, Politics and Blame

OK, we're facing perhaps the largest natural disaster ever (by the time it's resolved) and everybody is looking at somebody else to blame. And there's plenty to go around.

Where to start? Me. And you. Our cars, trucks and SUV's require more and more oil. Most of us outside of a large central city don't have access to good public transportation and are 'dead in the water' (no pun intended) without a personal vehicle, and we're still using (needing, demanding) that oil. And by the way, keep the cost under $2 (or $3 or $4) a gallon, please.

Politicans. Are they too cozy with big businesses? Too afraid of losing campaign fund donations? Too busy to properly manage and oversee government departments that are supposed to be doing the regulating/overseeing?

Governments. Federal and State governments have to be held somewhat responsible, too. Allegations about corporate cost cutting, taking short cuts to get wells into production - shouldn't that have been discovered with proper oversight? How about the Minerals & Management Service of the US Dept, of the Interior? Sure, they're on the case now, but did they do everything the were supposed to do prior to this accident? Some Gulf States are also screaming up a storm about deep water drilling cuts that will adversely impact their budgets. Wow. How about another oil leak for adverse impact? You can't have it both ways.

Corporations. Yup, they exist to prevent any one person from being held responsible and to make the most possible money from their ventures. When times are good the management team gets kudos. As long as the shareholders keep collecting dividends there isn't a problem. It'll be very interesting to see what happens in this case.

Environmentalists. Did their successful lobbying to stop on-shore and drilling at shallower depths force companies to go a mile or more deeper with oil rigs? I'm not a rocket scientist, but even I can see that problems are more easily solved on land or at a few hundred feet than at 5,000 feet under water.

There is no 'cure' for this event. And I have doubts as to whether we will learn the myriad of causes. I have less confidence that we will adequately correct the causes the become known to us, too. There's too much money and political power at stake. Somebody will take the 'fall' for it, but a huge natural area will still be devastated.

I've long considered myself a political independent, trying very hard to choose the best candidate for the office regardless of political party affiliation. Political parties are entities that want to accumulate and then retain political power to further their goals. It becomes their primary purpose and you have to wonder how often the greater good is thrown out the window when it's convenient for them to do so. In that way, they are no different than what many people call 'big business'. You might even make the argument that organized political parties (at least the two primary ones) *are* big business.

Is there hope for our future? I think there is, when citizens start taking more than a passing interest in how business and government really works. I believe we have the best system and the best way of living in the world. Let's not let a group if idiots mess it up for us.