Smoked Turkey

I almost always work Thanksgiving. This year is no exception. Instead of celebrating on Thursday, Nick and I host GF Thanksgiving on the next available day. Since we have this wonderful smoker, we thought we would start practicing our turkey cooking skills. For tonight's dinner, we had turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

We did not marinate the turkey overnight, as we decided this morning to fix a bird. We used the same rub as GF Thanksgiving 2008. Then we placed the turkey in the smoker and cooked it on medium-high for about 3 hours. I think we overcooked it just a bit. Next time we will cook it a bit differently. I am thinking about cooking it at a lower temperature with hourly basting, and making sure the meat thermometer is in it. (We forgot the thermometer this round.) We also did not stuff it with extra herbs or fruit. This may have helped the turkey to have more moisture in it's environment and for the drippings to be less fatty.

Making gravy GF is still a bit of a mystery. The gravy seems to turn out thicker. The rue just is not the same. I'll have to do some more research. I'd really appreciate anyone's comments. We saved some of the drippings to mess around with later on.

In the spirit of fall, I also made pumpkin bread. I guess what I really made was a loaf of pumpkin bread and 6 pumpkin break muffins. The recipe seemed a little odd to me, because of the seeds, but it is just great. My favorite part is the "crust." I needed 2 cups of flour, but only had about 1.75 of the Arrowhead Mills All-purpose baking flour. I topped off the last bit with GF Bisquick. The Bisquick might have helped the loaf to come out a bit smoother. I find that the Arrowhead Mills leaves a trace of grit or aftertaste or something. I also used 1/5 cans of Libby's pumpkin. The rest of the pumpkin will be re purposed for breakfast parfait. You should try out this easy recipe, complementary (again) of FootNetwork.com/Alton Brown. If Alton Brown happens to ever read this, I would like him to know I have a little crush on him. He's charismatic, smart, and cooks amazingly well. (Too bad it couldn't work out between us.) Oh, and for the record, this bread goes great with a cup of spiced mate tea. Mmmmm!

Pumpkin Bread
by Alton Brown

Cook Time: 1hr 15min Level: Easy Yield: 1 loaf or 1 1/2 dozen small muffins
Times: Prep: 20min Inactive Prep: --

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
• 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes.

The DR in Atlanta

My friend Amanda is back for two weeks from the Dominican Republic, where she is living and working for the Peace Corps. She brought her project partner, Gabi, for a cultural exchange. This is Gabi's first time leaving her country. In celebration of their visit, Amanda's mother thew an autumn party so that Amanda's friends and family could spend time with her and Gabi.

We had a great time. Amanda's sister, Sarah, is my best friend from high school and former roommate. Now that we are living in different places in the city, I have not been able to see her and her wonderful partner very often. Amanda and Sarah's mother just moved out of the city, so we were able to enjoy her beautiful new home. Nick was able to meet a few friends from high school, and Amanda and Sarah's grandmother and godmother. Oh! And the food. We'll get to that.

In keeping with the autumn theme, Amanda, Gabi, Sarah, and Carol all carved pumpkins. Naturally, this was Gabi's first time carving pumpkins. Sarah and Gabi did a little Googleing for inspiration. Gabi went with my favorite classic pumpkin (lots of geometrics). Carol has an awesome toothy grin with winged eyes. Sarah went with a face that looks like it is straight out of one of her sketches (second from the left). Amanda went with the Peace Corps dove and stars. Once lighted, these pumpkins were so inspirational, I think I might go carve on today.

Mama Meng made sure I was taken care of by getting some Glutino GF pretzels. Nick had no idea they were GF at first. She made a number of great dips, my favorite being the white bean dip. Gabi wanted to fix something delicious for the party, so Amanda encouraged her to make plantains. My life was complete. Plantains (no matter how they are prepared), are one of my favorite things to eat. So, for those of you out there who enjoy a good plantain, or would like to try one, I have provided Alton Brown's recipe below.

Fried Plantains Alton Brown

Cook Time: 10 minutes Level: Intermediate Yield: 4 servings as a side dish

Times:
Prep: 10 minutes Inactive prep: -- Cook: 10 minutes Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
• 2 green plantains

Directions

Combine water, garlic and salt in medium size glass bowl and set aside.

In a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat oil to 325 degrees F. Peel plantains and slice crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. (The oil should come halfway up the side of the plantain). With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the plantains from the pan and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, standing them on their ends. With the back of a wide, wooden spatula, press each piece of plantain down to half its original size. Then place the plantains in the water and let soak for 1 minute. Remove and pat dry with a tea towel to remove excess water.

Bring oil back up to 325 degrees F and return plantains to pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/fried-plantains-recipe/index.html

Breakfast Thoughts

One of my friends, Kristy, lives in a subdivision called Seven Hills. Seven Hills puts on a 5k every fall to raise money for the local schools. Last year I made their 5k my first ever. It was so cold that morning that I could see my breath. I know many many people in northern places run in colder weather than Georgia has all year long, but I am neither a natural-born runner nor a lover of the cold. Even so, I ran, I saw, I conquered.

This year I agreed to cheer on the runners and make breakfast. There is always a small group of us 5k-ers and their spouses eating a smorgasbord of things, like casseroles, eggs, biscuits, pancakes, mimosas. Usually I just eat whatever and omit the biscuits, but this time I was thinking of making some biscuits to go along with breakfast. I used to love the way glutenous canned biscuits flake into layers. I'm thinking GF biscuits won't quite do the peelable layers. I have a bag of Bob's mix, and some Bisquick. The Bob's has been lingering in my pantry, so I think I'll conquer it first.

Outside of 5k breakfast, I keep coming to the same things for pre-work breakfast and "second breakfast." Pre-work breakfast usually occurs at about 5:30am, and is something like 1/2 and english muffin with a topping or a bowl of cereal. Second breakfast occurs at work around 9:30-10:00am and usually consists of a little yogurt and cereal. I think it's time to change it up. Maybe I'll bring back the pumpkin parfait in lieu of fall. Otherwise, I need to find something low in fat and super easy. Any ideas? Let me know.

A Domestic Day

Today was a domestic day. I accomplished a laundry list of things I needed to do around the house, but had been procrastinating. Okay, I'll admit, laundry, dishes, painting, ironing, hike in the woods, organizing, grocery shopping and picking up really do not provide a lot of meat for a blog entry. If you can picture me in running shorts and a t-shirt dancing around the house to hits by everyone from Frank Sinatra (yes, you can foxtrot with a vacuum) to Britney Spears (yes, shaking your derriere on a step stool is dangerous), I guess at least I might get a smirk out of you, oh reader of mine.

I did do some fun things, outside of my am hike with the barkers. While I was homemaking, I made a darn good piece of Boston Butt for pulled pork sandwiches. I also had a few hours of bonding time with my adorable 3 month old buddy, Matty B. Matt giggled as I pulled the perfectly smoked pork out of the smoker, and got rocked to sleep as it cooled.

Southern Delight
For dinner, we ate sweet potatoes, green beans, and pulled pork sandwiches. Tossing the potatoes into the oven just before you pull out the pork butt from the smoker gives them 1 hour to cook, and you time to do whatever while your pork butt cools/gets pulled. Remember to season your sweet potatoes with butter (it makes everything better!), cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey. The cinnamon on the potatoes will complement the pork really well. Never be afraid of seasoning pork with cinnamon- they make a great combination!

Pulled Pork
Pork Butt (to be cooked in a smoker)
Fight the Fat Foodie's Awesome Rub
BBQ sauce (see a sample list of GF BBQ sauces here.)

1. Massage your pork butt with the spice rub the night before you intend to smoke the pork, making sure to cover the whole butt. Keep the pork in a sealed container (or wrapped in plastic) in the refrigerator over night.

2. Cook your pork butt for about 4 hours (1-1.5hrs per pound) in the smoker. Use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature.

3. The pork butt is done when it reaches 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches this temperature, remove the butt from the smoker and allow to rest for 45 minutes.

4. Pull the pork using 2 forks, being sure to remove any major lumps of fat from the pork. Serve, optionally with BBQ sauce.

Farmburger

The best thing about a great burger? A great GF bun. I have received quite a few messages about Yeah!Burger in Midtown and their GF buns and beers, but I still have not made it over to sample this amazing-ness. I have (x2) gone to Farmburger in Decatur to sample their incredi-burgers. Farmburger is set up similarly to Taquieria del Sol in that you stand in line, order your food, and then hustle to claim a table to be served at. Since the limited seating is a bit of a drawback. All of the burger meat, fixin's, and sides come from local farms in the area, such as Farm 255 in Athens.

Here are my two meal selections:
Eggcellent Burger
* GF burger, cooked medium
* Toppings of fried egg, tomatoes, red onion
* Side salad + sampling of the yummy seasonal pickled veggies

Goat Kick
* GF burger, cooked medium
* Toppings of goat cheese, jalapenos, red onions, tomatoes
* Side of collard greens (perfectly cooked!)

I think my next burger will involve the pecan pesto.

Professional Engineering Recognition Dinner

On Wednesday we attended a Professional Engineer (PE) Recognition Dinner at the Georgia Tech Hotel to recognize our newly appointed PE's. Here is the problem with attending catered events: one never knows what she will be fed. Nick emailed the lady in charge of the dinner, but we had no response. We assumed I'd either a) not be able to eat anything, or b) be confused with a vegan and be served grilled veggies macerated in balsamic vinegar. The best of circumstances is like that of the last wedding we attended- I am served a protein + veggies. The more mediocre outcome was that of the PE dinner- I was served a vegan meal. For those of you who are vegans, power to you. I, on the other hand, have never been satisfied with a protein-less meal (I can't eat soy), so veganism just is not going to work out for me. Plus, GF living is not vegan living. It just is not.

Since Nick never got a response about the meal selection at the PE dinner, we hit up Hotel Palomar beforehand for snacks and drinks. The decor is very classy- the booths are crescent shaped, facing the center of the restaurant's action. Our waiter really impressed me by asking first if anyone had food allergies or dietary concerns. He was helpful in answering questions I had about the menu items. Ali and I ordered 6 things off of the meat/cheese plate on the app menu. I thoroughly enjoyed all of our selections. While we snacked, I looked at the real menu. It was a bit hard to read (the menu was a piece of paper attached to a limp piece of leather ), but I did find a few selections I would like to try on our next visit.