my first turkey: part one.

My emotions range from excitement to complete terror at the idea of cooking my first Thanksgiving turkey.

I know what you're thinking.
"You say you're a meat lady and have never cooked a turkey??? Just cook the damn bird already!"
This will actually only be my second Thanksgiving back on meat and last year, we were traveling. So no more excuses. This year, I'm gonna do it.
Otherwise, the weight of the 18-pound bird will forever be on my shoulders. And in my refrigerator.

I suppose it is a right of passage; cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the in-laws and expecting sister-and brother-in law.

On Saturday, in lieu of my birthday trip to Catalina to see (and hopefully eat) buffalo, the man and I did a bit of turkey homework. At first, I was discouraged because we didn't have the opportunity to plan ahead and order a special heritage bird, but we found we could get something nice and tasty. Our butcher friends at the 3rd and Fairfax Farmers' Market helped us out and we purchased an all-natural* free-range Willie Bird from Puritan Poultry.

My only real objective is that the bird not kill anyone.
But preferably, it will be perfectly seasoned, moist, have a lovely brown crispy skin, and supply us with piles of leftovers to feast on for days.

I'm not completely settled on my prep and cooking methods. All I know is that the dressing will not be stuffed into the bird. Our guests will be told that it is purely to keep the meat juicy, but my real reason will be to keep the bread and meat separate so that I can enjoy it free of wheat-worries. I'm also thinking that a brine will be happening, if I can find a suitable bucket. The brine "recipes" I've found are widely varied, so I think I'll be going with water-kosher salt-brown sugar-apple cider-and whatever herbs I have on hand, perhaps followed by a light dry rub.

We even spent the last $25 Bed Bath & Beyond gift card from our wedding on an inexpensive roasting pan.

I'm ready.

Wish me luck!

*Why not organic? Honestly, we were told that these were the best. Willie Bird does raise and sell organic birds, but not at our source. And really, it would have been pushing it price-wise.

lady (butchers) who lunch

I've been on Project: Weight Gain for a while now. It really isn't going that well, but in the last few weeks, I've been asked by my nutritionist to keep track of my eating and calories. In beginning, it was novel, but I'm getting bored with it. And possibly obsessive.

Maybe I should combine Project: Weight Gain with Project: Food Stylist!

Here's what the project would look like in regards to today's lunch:

-organic boneless skinless chicken breast (180 calories) sauteed in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (60 calories), lemon juice, basil, oregano, and one clove of garlic (20 calories)

-1/4 red bell pepper (10 calories)

-organic green leaf lettuce with onion and white wine vinegar (20 calories)

-organic brown rice cake* (70 calories)

-1/3 cup organic frozen strawberries and blackberries with fresh mint from my windowsill mint plant that I've somehow managed to keep alive (25 calories)

Total: 385 calories (I've been trying to eat every three hours, so that's about what I can handle per "meal.")

Totally boring? Probably. But maybe I can improve my food photography and my diet simultaneously?

*I am lazy and don't often have the patience to cook a pot of brown rice, so I've become quite dependant on Lundberg brown rice cakes. Excellent and super convenient for you gluten-free people out there.

koreans know their meats!

a real korean barbeque experience was something i always felt left out of during my vegetarian days. whenever we would go, my man's korean cousin had to talk the confused waitstaff into bringing me something that was meat-free. this usually was a plate of broccoli, onions, and garlic and a $40 bill. always a fun group dining event, but a huge let-down for my stomach and my wallet!

over the weekend, i was able to participate in a meat-filled barbeque at parks in koreatown. we got lots of heaping plates of good quality meat and i felt very satisfied with the experience, especially with my newfound meat knowledge.

here's our first cut of beef:


thinly sliced, nicely marbled kobe! i happily munched on this, savoring the flavor of the fattiness i have learned to enjoy.

and pork. super tasty with toasty onions and garlic!

an excellent meal for the carnivorous and those with food allergies/intolerances. they kindly switched out the grill between every cut of meat so i could feel comfortable and opt out of the marinated plates. and also, this was much better than my korean barbeque experience in seoul, perhaps a story for a different time or a different blog...

progress, in steakhouse form.

another personal story from the vaults.

last night, the man and i decided to do a proper date night; dinner and a movie.

no big deal, right? well, consider that the only restaurants i've had a full meal (not a salad or a bowl of fruit) at in the last year and a half are in 'n out and clifton's, that is a big deal. my man stumbled upon this happy secret at morton's steakhouse and we decided that the deal was too good to pass up. i have been inspired to try to eat out more and ask questions from this blog and the necessity that will occur on our upcoming trip to south america, so i promised him that if he called ahead and asked about ingredients, i would join him for meat and wine.

we ordered the mini prime cheeseburgers (seasoned with tomato juice, salt and pepper)

and the filet mignon sandwiches, medium rare and without bread. and let me tell you, it was delicious.

when the waitress came back around to ask how everything was, i replied (as i often am overly revealing with complete strangers), "great!!! i haven't eaten out in years!!!" this is an exaggeration, of course. but, i was elated when the waitress said that all of the waitstaff carry a card with a list of ingredients and potential allergens and a member of their team has a gluten intolerance. she said that they were very familiar with and accommodating towards those with food allergies and intolerances.

so we ordered another round of cheeseburgers.

thanks, morton's.

this week's cut:

lamb!

(image source: http://www.osovo.com/diagram/)

and since i'm still rather ill, i'll share my recipe for simple lamb soup.
and i'll put a disclaimer here. i don't usually post recipes for a couple of reasons-- one being that i'm not great at following them and the other that i've had to modify my eats so much because of my dietary restrictions i'm afraid my recipes will be incredibly dull and limited to others. so if you are inclined to try a recipe, please just look at it as a springboard and cater it to your own culinary needs!



1lb lamb shoulder
1/4 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, washed and halfed, peel on
1 onion, quartered
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 cup white wine
1 cup brown rice
6 cups water
handful of good, fresh tomatoes, cut into big chunks or wedges
several sprigs of fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste



make the stock-
dredge lamb in rice flour and lightly brown in olive oil. then, add white wine, lemon, onion, and garlic and simmer for a few minutes. add 6 cups of water and simmer for at least 3 hours (but it will be better the longer you wait!). add more water if needed.



then the soup-
strain your stock, discarding the onion, garlic, and lemon. keep the lamb pieces and shread them into the stock. add brown rice and oregano and cook until rice is done (about 40 minutes). toss in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.



super simple but flavorful. and gluten-and dairy-free, for anyone who cares.