Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 packet fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves, or 1 tsp. ground sage
  
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
  
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• one lemon, quartered
  
• 1 cup dry white wine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

If you do not have a roasting pan, use a 9x13 casserole pan.  Make a bed of vegetables in the pas using whatever you have -onions, celery, carrots, etc.  Place the turkey breast on top of the vegetables.

Mince 1 tbls. of rosemary.  This will go in the paste for the turkey.  Save the rest.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and 2 tsp of lemon juice (from the lemon quarters) to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.  Place the lemon quarters and the rest of the rosemary in the pan.

Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. (I test in several places.) If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.

Christmas Day 2009

James and I spent Christmas Day in St. Louis this year because it was my turn to work the Christmas holiday.  I had to work for a couple of hours in the early morning, and then I was on call for the rest of the day.  I did get called back to work at 9:45 pm, but at least it didn't get in the way of our celebration.

Lily got to "open" her stocking first.

She got a hippopotamus toy for Christmas.

She also got a bag of Dentastix.  (FYI for dog owners - these really help with bad dog breath)  She likes these.  Daisy also got a bag of them.  Lily got a new collar, but I didn't put the pic of it up.

Now for Daisy

Daisy got a giraffe toy . . .

. . .and Lily ran off with it!

Lily wants to see what I got.  This was a goodie bag of Burt's Bee's products.

The main thing we got this year was a blue-ray player and surround sound system.  James spent the morning getting it hooked up while I prepared dinner.  I roasted a turkey breast and made rice and steamed green beans, and I warmed some store bought rolls to go with it.

Wild Lights

Last Sunday evening we went to the STL zoo to see their Christmas light display.  We had a good time.  The weather was nice & it wasn't too crowded.  Most of the lights were animal themed.  This is one thing the zoo does charge admission for.  It was $5 a person, which is not bad.  Admission is usually free.

These butterflies were my fav.

Swinging monkeys

Gingerbread house and gingerbread people

 

 

We got to see the real penguins too.  These were the only animals out for viewing.

Christmas Traditions in Ethiopia

I was curious about Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia.  I found the following information at World of Christmas

Ethiopian Christmas is known as Ganna. It is celebrated on 7th of January. Christmas celebrations take place both in ancient churches carved from solid volcanic rock and modern churches designed in three concentric circles. Men and boys are made to sit separately from girls and women and the choir sings from the outside circle. Candles are given to people as they enter the church. They light the candles, then walk three times around the church and stand throughout the mass, which may take as long as three hours.


Traditional Christmas dish includes Injera, a sourdough pancake like bread, which serves as both plate and fork along with Doro Wat, a spicy chicken stew served in ornamented baskets. Giving gifts is not a big deal in Ethiopia and children usually receive clothes as presents. On Christmas Eve, people remain outdoors and pray and chant all night. In the morning, a colorful procession marches to the nearby hilltop headed by three young men with whips to keep everybody in line, where a service is held. After the prayers, priests bless the bread and wine and distribute it to everybody. People dance, play games and feast for the rest of the day.

Waffles

Makes 8-10 waffles (4x4 inch)

2 1/2 cups sifter all-purpose flour
4 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

• Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
• In a bowl, beat the egg yolks.  Add the milk and then add the dry sifted ingrediants.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg whites to a thick foam and add them gently to the preparation.
• Batter is now ready, cook waffles according to instructions of your waffle iron.

This is what we had for dinner on Christmas Eve.  Yummy.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
12 ounces fresh cranberries

Bring water, orange juice, and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour sauce into a bowl, cover & cool to room temperature. Refridgerate until serving time. Make 2 1/4 cups.

My Favorite Christmas Movies

I thought it would be fun to share my favorite Christmas movies and explain why I love them.  Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Elf
This is such a funny movie. . .a grown man, who thinks he's a elf . . .searching for his long last dad in NYC.  I still laugh every time I watch him make his breakfast, spaghetti, M&M's, pop-tarts, maple syrup and cereal - all on the same plate in one pile.  All humor aside, it points to the importance of being with your loved ones at Christmas time.

2. White Christmas
I fell in love with this movie as a little girl because of the costumes at the end.  I even wanted my mom to make my Barbie doll a red dress like the girls in the movie wore.  I like it now, for better reasons.  It plays on nostalgia and patriotism, which are not a common combination for Christmas movies.  I like it because it's not about Santa!  The music and fun, and it's always made me want to have a little snow on Christmas.

3. It's a Wonderful Life
Who doesn't love this. Isn't there a George Bailey inside inside of all of us who wishes to travel the world and move on from small town America? And doesn't that George Bailey inside need to be reminded that the grass in not always greener elsewhere? George is reminded that his little life is of value.  I love the small town storyline.  Living in STL is fun, but it is fun to visit James' home town - which has a population of about 17,000, it think.  Even though I'm only there a few times a year, the gals at the local jewelry store/gift shop know who I am, where I currently live and who I'm married too.  It's nice to run into someone you know.  In the year and a half that we've been in STL, I've seen someone that I know at the grocery store exactly twice.  Santa is also not the star of this movie, which is a plus for me.


4. The Nativity Story
This movie helped me understand the political oppression that the Jews where suffering from at the time of Christ's birth. Some of the scenes from the movie where the people are having to costly taxes (sometimes one of their children is the payment) play in my head during the first Sunday of advent. . .longing for a Savior, longing for relief. The movie also made me think about what Mary's life might have been like - what consequences she might have faced in her hometown after the news of her unexpected pregnancy had reached the ears of her neighbors.

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
This one is another childhood favorite. I love Dr. Seuss. I like this because it reminds us that Christmas is not about gifts and parties and feasts. It doesn't hint at what Christmas is really about, but I still like it.