The first is kind of a biggie to me. All my life, I’ve enjoyed delicious meals and baking, because I’ve been pretty fortunate to have a mom who is an excellent cook. (I blame her for my constant battle with my weight!
So, you would think I’m also an expert in the kitchen.
You would be wrong.
As wonderful a cook as my mom is, she’s passed very little of her talent down to me. It’s not like I haven’t tried. Many times, especially during my adolescent years, I’d ask her to show me how to do something – like make lasagne, or decorate a cake. The problem? Mom just can’t stand back and let me do it. The second I do something wrong, or struggle with one of the steps, she jumps in and takes over. Just easier for her to do it.
Eventually, I quit asking her to show me.
So, with this in mind, I put #5 - Cook a Turkey on my 101 List. Because I had no idea how. And it bothered me to think that one day I might want to cook a turkey, and I wouldn’t be able to do it.
Perfect opportunity to learn how: EASTER.
Now, I’m crossing it off, but again, I wasn’t able to accomplish the task without Mom trying to jump in from time to time. I would, eventually, like to do this on my own, without her hanging over my shoulder. But I think I did enough of it to cross it off the list!
Here are some of the pictures of me and my turkey-cooking skills.
Mom already had the turkey in a pot in the basement sink, defrosted and soaking. I did not know that you had to do this. I also did not know I had to "wash" it (rinse it with water). Already learning so much...
My first time fondling a turkey. Note the joy in my expression.
Okay. So we have him upstairs, in a pan, dried off, ready to season and stuff. This is so easy!!
She just can't let me to ANYTHING on my own!!
"How do you expect me to learn if you do it for me?!?!" Turkey frustration.
Hand up a turkey's ass. Yay!!
Succesfully stuffed the turkey without Mom meddling too much.
Those are not my hands pinning the turkey together (or whatever you call it). Shocking.
"MOM!!!!!!! LET ME DO IT!!!"
She informed me the giblets were to go in the pan too. I threw the bag in. She then informed me I had to take the giblets out of the bag. Ewwwwww.
Rubbing oil on the turkey: Not my favourite part.
I was so grossed out by touching the turkey that I probably washed my hands 10 times between the steps.
A little salt & peppa.
Then I had to build a tent of tinfoil over it. Note that Mother is still hovering, not even confident in my tent-building skills.
And we finally got that bird in the oven. Woo-hoo! Unfortuantely, there are no pictures to show I followed through with the basting over the afternoon. And unfortunately, there are no pictures of the finished product, because, surprise-surprise, my mom had it out of the oven and slicing it before I knew what she was up to.
But I assure you, it was delicious, and I gratefully accepted the compliments on how good it tasted all throughout dinner. (However, after successfully cooking my first turkey, I'm not sure how it is possible to mess it up, unless you forget it in the oven and burn it. Which I did not get the opportunity to do, as ol' Lizzie had it out before I knew it.)
Thanks to my sister Kara for being the photographer for this blessed event.
Moving on, from turkey to crow...I was also able to get another book done for #19 - Read 10 books in one year. By finishing Crow Lake by Mary Lawson, I’m now half-way complete this task! Woo-Hoo! I absolutely loved Crow Lake, which is a story told in the first person by Kate Morrison, who is struggling in the present to reconcile the tragic events and memories she has of her childhood.
The author smoothly transitions back and forth from Kate’s present to her past, as she tells the story of the year of her youth that forever changed her path in life – the year after her parents died in a car accident, and she and her baby sister Bo were left in the care of their two older brothers, Matt and Luke.
I gobbled this story up, and became absolutely enthralled by it. I literally could.not.put.it.down. Highly recommended, and once again, I enjoyed the discussion we had about it at Book Club.
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