Thursday, October 27, 2016

Balconies.

Well, they started on May 7 and they have finally started erecting the walls of the balconies.


We had been hearing the noise of drilling the balcony walls and floors which seemed quite close. During the late afternoon I went down to look out of the back door and much to my surprise, they have taken down the balcony walls and floors on all but 2 of the nine tiers at the back. At that rate, they will be on our side in no time. Of course winter is setting in and I don't know how much they can achieve in the cold and snow. I understand you cannot pour concrete under a certain temperature and this morning everywhere was white with frost. I just checked, any time you have 3 days of less than 40°F (4.4° C) it is apparently too cold. Well, in winter, we have lots of days like that. We will see what happens I guess.

I thought with turkey season coming up I would post this recipe. I don't know about you, but I only cook a turkey once a year and always have to hunt for instructions. So this saves you hunting. It doesn't include stuffing of course which changes the whole deal.
how to roast a turkey
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
How to Roast a Turkey - learn easy techniques to perfectly roast a turkey. Step by step instructions from start to finish.
Author: 
Serves: 8
ingredients
  • 1 fresh turkey (10 to 12 lbs)
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch of fresh thyme
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 10 cloves garlic
instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
  2. In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and the teaspoon of thyme to the butter and stir. Set aside.
  3. Wash the turkey and make sure you remove the giblets from inside the turkey cavity. I also usually trim some of the excess fat around the neck of the turkey.
  4. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan with a roasting rack. Salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the turkey with the onion, garlic and thyme.
  5. Brush the turkey with the butter mixture all over and generously season with salt and pepper.
  6. Tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey, this will help stabilize the turkey when carving, plus it makes it easier to carve the breast. Tie the legs together with butcher twine.
  7. Cover the turkey with the lid, or if your roasting pan doesn't have a lid cover with aluminum foil.
  8. Roast the turkey for an hour, remove lid or aluminum foil. Roast for an additional 2 to 3 hours. Use a meat thermometer to know when the turkey is done. When the thermometer is inserted in the breast it should read 165 F degrees, and 180 F degrees in the thigh.
  9. Remove the turkey from the roasting pan to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
  10. Slice turkey and serve.

Have a great day

14 comments:

  1. Hi Jo - love roast turkey with all the trimmings - I am glad we're not that cold yet ... good luck with the balconies ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Me too Hilary. No, it's not that cold here yet, but getting that way.

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  2. I've got my Thanksgiving menu all planned and Turkey is right there. I, too, only cook it once a year, though I really enjoy just having a roast turkey breast. It is just not a meal for someone living alone even if they invite family. Too many leftovers.

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    1. I know what you mean Denise. Although I do love the turkey leftovers. We, traditionally, don't cook nearly as many side dishes as seem to be usual in North America though.

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  3. I always have to hunt up the cook times. I grab turkeys on sale and freeze them and eat them throughout the year. But that's just smart when you have a house full of boys!

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    1. Yes I guess it is smart Liz. Crockpot food would be useful too would think.

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  4. We do shortcuts galore on Thanksgiving. The kids have at least 2 homes to visit and eat at so everything we do comes out of a box for speed, and we put the turkey in the NuWave to cook. My stepson used to have 3 houses to go to but he broke up w/ his gf, so just 2 houses again!

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    1. I am so glad I don't have to cope with that JoJo.

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  5. Hopefully they don't decide to knock all the balconies down during winter and wait for spring to pour the concrete.

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    1. Not sure about that Alex, but there are only a few balconies left and they say they are going to be working through the winter. Our wing is the only one untouched at the moment.

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  6. Replies
    1. Today it was raining and they were definitely not working Ivy.

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    2. Raining on and off here all day, too.

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  7. The balconies do look good actually. The turkey sounds good but we ready made our fornthe year but will keep this mind for next year.

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