The 16 Hour Turkey

I decided to take on the challenge of hosting Thanksgiving dinner for my family this year... Apparently I crave kitchen related chaos!

So I slapped on my favorite apron (equipped with it's own pearls) and went to work! I was absolutely obsessed with having the best and moist turkey possible!! So first came scouring the internet to mash up some of the best and brightest ideas from my favorite chefs on the internet. It didn't take long to realize this was going to be a huge project to take on- the bird's gotta sit in a sweet salty brine for a MINIMUM of 8 hours... But hey like I said whats life without whimzy...

The recipe I ended up collaborating together was as followed...

1.5L hot water
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups coarse salt
1.5L cold water
1 container (I think it was like 940ml or somethin...) vegetable broth

Find yourself the biggest container you can find! Some internet peeps were using a giant cooler to be able to soak their turkey properly... Those guys also replaced the 1.5L of cold water with ice to ensure the bird stayed food safe. Mine however was nowhere near that big and I managed to cram it into my fridge for the night

See theeere's the big guy! ... Literally the cheapest turkey money could buy.

So! To make our lovely brine- pour the hot water into your tub and dissolve the sugar and salt into the water. Add cold water (or ice) and chicken broth.
Let the turkey soak for 8-12 hours.

Originally my plan was to wake up at 5am on Thanksgiving to ensure my bird would be ready for oven time at 1pm... But as the day went by that dream slowly became very unattractive and staying up until 1am became muuuuch more realistic. So at 1am with plenty of wine and excitement in my heart I was ready to get 'er done!!
Making the brine takes about 3 minutes... So I started the process at 1am and at 1:05 I proceeded to bed.

~~ The Next Day!~~

Next day is Thanksgiving day! The moment of truth!

At 1pm it was time to make magic happen! First things first- removing the water logged bird from the brine- giving it a really good rinse and patting it nice and dry. Now preheat your oven to 500°F.. 
Yep you heard right! Make sure there's no ickies at the bottom of your oven! Cus' they will burn up!

Prep your turkey pan with a small 1/2" layer of water then place that bird in the pan.
Take some fresh thyme and sage, 1/2 an onion, 2 celery stalks and 2 carrots all roughly chopped and insert it into the turkey (Make sure not to stuff it! Stuffing it will require more cook time for the bird to be done!)

I had some random baby carrots in my freezer that were not in any state to eat... but as a flavor enhancer in my bird they worked perfectly!

Now, take some time to measure how big your turkey's breast are (This was an internet find- not my own doing) You're going to want to have a piece of tinfoil that will fit on top of the breast meat perfectly to ensure it cooks a bit slower then the dark meat. Once you have your piece of tinfoil, set it aside- you're going to need it later. Make sure shiny side is up.

Next up we are going to lather that turkey up in butter! Literally massage it right on there. Make Colonel Saunders proud!
Once the bird is lathered up it's time to start cooking. Cook your turkey uncovered at 500°  for 30 minutes to seal in all that hard work that you just did! Add another 10 minutes if it doesn't look brown enough for you.
Remove the turkey from the oven and reduce the oven's temperature to 350°. Take the piece of foil we measured earlier and grease the bottom with oil/ PAM spray- whatever you have on hand and position over breast meat. This is going to ensure your white meat cooks slower then your dark meat and makes sure it isn't over cooked.
Once the oven is ready- return the bird to the oven and cook for 2-2 1/2 hours. DO NOT open the oven!! The turkey's skin has been prepped to hold in it's moisture so opening the oven to baste will do nothing but let out heat which will increase your cook time.

Your bird is ready when it's internal temperature is 161° - it will continue to cook the remaining 4° after it's been removed from the oven. Cover the turkey with more tinfoil and let it rest for 30 minutes- otherwise the moisture will all flow out and all your efforts will be for nothing.

And there he is! This turkey was an absolute piece of art and tasted absolutely spectacular! It was received by my family very well.

Paying it Forward Campaigne

I'm participating in a "Pay it Forward" initiative: The first five people on my facebook who commented on my status with "I'm in", will receive a surprise from me at some point during 2015 - anything from a book, a ticket, a postcard, etc.
I will give no warning, and it will happen when the mood comes over me and I find something that I believe would suit you and make you happy. These five people must make the same offer on their Facebook statuses. Once my first five have commented with "I'm in," I forwarded this message to them privately, so that they can copy and paste it and put it on your status. (Don't share it.). 

Then we can form a connection of kindness. Let's do more nice and loving things in the coming year without any other reason than to make each other smile and show that we think of each other. Here's to a more enjoyable, friendly, and love-filled year!

If you want to start a "pay it forward" initiative here's the status to copy and paste!

"I'm participating in a "Pay it Forward" initiative: The first five people who comment on this status with "I'm in", will receive a surprise from me at some point during 2015 - anything from a book, a ticket, a postcard, etc. I will give no warning, and it will happen when the mood comes over me and I find something that I believe would suit you and make you happy. These five people must make the same offer on their Facebook statuses. Once my first five have commented with "I'm in," I will forward this message to you privately, so that you can copy and paste it and put it on your status. (Don't share it.). Then we can form a connection of kindness. Let's do more nice and loving things in the coming year without any other reason than to make each other smile and show that we think of each other. Here's to a more enjoyable, friendly, and love-filled year! Thank you, and don't forget to leave the "I'm in" comment."

My First Gift

These were the creepiest things when they were completed... But it's the thought that counts right?

My Second Gift

So I ended up going a little beyond just a postcard for the girls- this was a necklace that I'd worn to a work Christmas party. One of my coworkers absolutely loves elephants so it was only perfect to pass this on to her!

Third and unfortunately final gift

A crystal ornament that I'd gotten from work.

And that is it I'm afraid! I offered to pay it forward to 5 people but unfortunately only 3 people took on the challenge... But at least I put some thought into what I paid forward to everyone and everything was very well received. I don't know if any of them have paid it forward yet themselves... and we're coming close to the end of the year.. Oh well I did my part and I feel good about it! I think I got quite a few smiles out of the project and that's really what it's all about. It's so easy to get wrapped up in a busy lifestyle that you forget to step back and take it all in. I'm lucky that I'm in a place where I can go that extra mile for people right now and it makes me feel really great!

A part of me is tempted to try again in the new year- I have many new friends that might be willing to give it a try and we can continue the good vibes into 2016!

Black Chocolate Cupcakes

I decided to take on a last minute project to help a wedding party that was obviously in a bit of a jam. 24 hours before the bride was due down the aisle I was prompted to do 100 cupcakes plus a 6" deco cake for their wedding. At first I was hesitant- afterall holding down a full time job which I was due at both Friday and Saturday meant that to make these bad boys a reality I'd have to sacrifice a lot of sleep! Which anyone who knows me knows that's a bit of a big deal... I love sleep probably to an unhealthy extent... I've been known to comfortably call it a night at 8:30 before.
But what's life without a bit of thrill! Things have been pretty tame the last couple of months so it was time to shake things up!
I was prompted with the job at 9:30pm Thursday night, a pretty straight forward order- 100 chocolate cupcakes with chocolate flavored icing coloured black with gold accents along with a 6" styrofoam cake as decoration for the top.
Things started off a little rocky- Friday was a very long winded day at work; lots getting changed over so I was physically exhausted when quitting time finally rolled around- however I made the best of it! Sat down for about 2 hours after work, took a pain killer for the incredibly annoying headache that decided to sneak in past the guards then got straight to work!

About 50 cupcakes in... I ran out of flour... and eggs.... Like seriously who does that? Me apparently... People always compliment me on the fact that I've kept up my baking and decorating skills even though I'm not industry anymore and I almost always respond "it's like riding a bicycle" apparently keeping decent inventory on basic baking needs however is not.. Like riding a bicycle... Heh...
Anyways after a rush trip to the grocery store (Thank you 24 hour grocery stores) we were back in business!! I think it was 1:30-2am when I put the finishing touches on all the cupcakes and I have to say I was very satisfied with the turnout!!

I've done hundreds of cake orders in my young life however none that were this far down to the wire. I completed the project at 2am Saturday morning and had them delivered by 9am (seriously needed a nap before delivery)
As simple as the design was I really think it's among my best work, there was no disasters, no mistakes and minimal extra expense for this project. I was very very happy.

To see more of my work go to my facebook page! Caeks By Nicole