Day 125

We have had Dexter now for 125 days or just over 3 months.  Within the last 2 weeks, we have been able to give him more 'freedom' within our home.  This freedom includes his dragging and lead so we can snatch him if needed.  And of course, it is 'eyes on target' at every minute.  He is a walking nose and ready to activate mouth at all things that catch his interest....which is basically anything that he can readily snatch.

Also within the last two weeks we have graduated to his sitting on the couch with us in a respectful way.  Yes, it had taken almost 3 months to get him calmed down enough to do something so simple as sitting with us.  It still requires a 'pacifier'....something that he can chew on.  He is the most oral dog I have ever owned.  When he gets to the point where he is unmanageable (which happens fewer and fewer times), we simply put him in his puppy lair--his comfortable spot in my office.

Dexter in his puppy lair.
The metal thing behind him is to save the window sill from further chewing (which you can see to the left in the sill behind him.  He has a vinyl-wrapped steel cable that he is attached to.  Access to fresh water, and a view from the window.  My SIL asked, "Why don't you crate him?"  He was crated for about 2 months at night, and during the day for short periods.  However, it was clear that the crate was causing him stress.  I put him in the bathroom, with the idea of giving him more space--but that was not something that he cared for.  For Dexter, being physically separated is troublesome, and I really don't feel that I have to teach him that lesson when I have a reasonable alternative.

Confining him this way, he has reasonable freedom; my stuff is safe; he is comfortable; and he is not fully sequestered from his family (human and canine).  I had considered getting him a larger crate for longer-term crating (during the day), but I decided against.  This way he can stand up, get water, see his sissies in the other room, let his sissies come visit him. He has only urinated inside 2x and defecated 1x the entirety of his time with us.  His hygiene is exceptional as is his destructive capacity.  But he is a very smart dog, and he wants to please.

There is a safety issue--and it is the same one if he were crated...an inability to seek any type of safety in the event of a fire--though he may be able to slip out of his martingale collar, I doubt it.  So I'm mindful not to leave the dryer running, etc.

It is a new-found joy, then, to have our buddy sitting with us on the couch, which he can now share with one of his sissies, without engaging.  We simply ask him to get his bone--which he does by habit now--and then he visits while happily chewing on his bone.  He is so much like a toddler--it is as if his bone is a pacifier.  And just before he is ready to go to 'winkie-land', like a toddler, he has this burst of energy, and then he is down for the count.

It has been a long few months...but we are being rewarded by a really cool dog.

Thanksgiving Post Mortem

The multi-day prep for Thanksgiving is so worth the enjoyment of having family surrounding the table.  I managed to slightly nick my thumb (still unsure how, but squeezing the lemons for the oyster cocktail sauce made it very evident), burn my right hand on a cast iron skillet (through the mitt--and had I dropped it, I would have severely beaned, burned Angel, so I opted for the self-sacrifice), and to forget just one dish that I had nestled on the toaster oven (buttered shallots). There were no culinary mishaps of great magnitude.  However, there was a re-warming the ham that went a little too far. 

It was made most wonderful because my sister and her husband were in, and that my Dad's health was good.  Thank goodness our VA weather was kind to their 3 hour drive.  I'm glad they stayed over at my parents' rather than driving back.  There is no way that I could have pulled off a 2 p.m. meal.

My in-laws, no longer join us due to the fragility of my MIL's health.  So we surely miss them.  My daughter cooked for her in-laws at a time where they very much needed healing time together.

Guests came at 5 p.m and left by 9 p.m.  Dexter was ecstatic as we Angel Marie, to see so many new faces.  We had four, wondrous hours of being together with the people that we love and being reminded of the many blessings that we have.  Giving thanks for the big and small things.  So many do not have the smallest of needs that many of us take for granted.

Today was a day of relaxing in a clean house.  I was tired from the many hours of standing and non-stop activities over the last several days.  We are low key for the Christmas holidays.  We do for others carrying forward our thanks and filling in the chinks for needful things on behalf of others.

Words Matter

I've never thought to much about food terminology as I get most of my food from the grocery store.  Now that I'm trying to find cost effective sources of meat for my RAW diet for my dogs, and I'm buying food-stuff from a Restaurant Supply (because I have a business license, not because I'm in the food business), I'm bumping into terminology that I've not seen before.

Specifically, I see meat that is Halal.  I've never encountered that before.  If you want to understand what that is, you can read about it here. Also, I have encountered select and standard grades of beef that I've not encountered before either.  If you would like to understand how beef is graded, you can find a good overview here from Texas A&M.  Per the USDA

HALAL and ZABIAH HALAL:
Products prepared by federally inspected meat packing plants identified with labels bearing references to "Halal" or "Zabiah Halal" must be handled according to Islamic law and under Islamic authority.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms


(Now that I'm familiar with it, I saw some at Walmart. Walmart is not my destination for shopping, but it happens to be adjacent to the restaurant supply store.)  For my purposes, feeding my dogs, I'm quite happy with lower grades of meat.  In general, I'm opting for leaner meat as I'm adding fats.  So, standard or select is fine with me.  It is still USDA, and meats minimum standards.  Most recently I picked up some standard chuck tenders.  There was absolutely NO waste.  Ground it up with liver and will serve it with the heart that I slaved over!

 Further, I came across "mechanically separated turkey".  "Mechanically Separated Turkey"  seemed a non-noxious food label, since my brain equated that it had been separated from the bone by machine. Well, I figured that it was just that, mechanically deboned, and I didn't think a thing about it.  It sat there in a 10lb chub @ .86/lb  next to the Perdue 5lb turkey chub @  $2.00/lb.   I wasn't paying attention initially thinking that it was merely 2x the amount for less than 1/2 the cost.  Once I got home, I realized that the words were very specific on the packaging...."mechanically separated turkey" and also HRI use only.  

As it turns out, words do matter!  It is a required food label when the turkey is mechanically separated AFTER the GOOD STUFF is taken off of it. Good stuff removed; then all edible pieces scrubbed off through a high pressure process. Per the USDA
MECHANICALLY SEPARATED POULTRY
is a paste-like and batter-like poultry product produced by forcing bones with attached edible tissue through a sieve or similar device under high pressure to separate bone from the edible tissue. Mechanically separated poultry has been used in poultry products since 1969. In 1995, a final rule on mechanically separated poultry said it would be used without restrictions. However, it must be labeled as "mechanically separated chicken or mechanically separated turkey" (depending on the kind of poultry used) in the ingredients statement. The final rule became effective November 4, 1996.


 Yummy!  My package is also labeled for HRI use only: that is Hotels, Restaurants and Institutions which basically allows no nutritional labeling.  But there is a label; here it is.


Notice that calcium level at 15%.

Now let's look at the regularly processed 5lb chub.

I'm unclear how 4 oz serving size is 114g on one and 112g on the other.  If one were rounding it would be 113g.  What's a gram between friends? Also 15% fat v. 8% above).

Note the difference in the calcium level.....15% or 7.5 times more than the other meat.  And it contains 25% more iron.    Obviously this process forces bone debris into the meat and boosts the calcium level.  For those looking for  good calcium source this would be it!

Would I feed it to my family?  Under certain conditions, but I'm not living in those conditions, and if I were, I would likely not have access to this product.


Leonid Meteor Shower

Yesterday morning, I was walking my entourage around 5 a.m. and I spied not one but two meteors.  such a wonderful way to start the day.  The night sky was bright and clear, and the waning moon did not interfere. 

Some years ago, when the Leonids were particularly favorable for viewing (2001?) we trekked out with our kids and our neighbor's kids to a field behind our house (almost an over the river and through the dell).  The weather was not favorable.  I remember it being damp and cold, and the night particularly clear.  However, it was one of those.....best view of showers for the next 200 years billing (or something like that).    It was definitely memorable.

So to see two of the strays for this years event was welcome.  I'll mark my calendar so that I have a heads up for next year.

What was I thinking?

"What was I thinking?" was the question that I asked myself about 1/2 way into my processing of the 60lbs of frozen beef hearts that I bought at the restaurant supply company.  It would have been an easy thing to do if they were fresh, but they were frozen.  All glommed together, in a 60lb frozen block. They were $1.38 per lb.

They were unglommed afterter letting them unfreeze a bit to separate them from each other.  This 'key' of course was found after exhausting all other possibilities, one of which involved a Sawzall.  WEll, there is a reason why Dexter (on the series) had poly everywhere and a splatter shield. Mark decided that the Sawszall was getting to gunked up.

I even had the bright idea that perhaps the woodsplitter might be helpful.  Mark disabused me of that notion.  He had some things to do and felt bad about leaving me to the task of processing this meat.  I said, "Hey, this is my bright idea.  I'll take care of it."

We have a wide assortment of tools from house rehab 'stuff'.  My tools were a demo hammer and a brick chisel. I resorted to this when we determined that we did not have the right bit for the hammer drill.  (This will be remedied).   This fall-back worked pretty well once the deep freeze of the meat went to just 'freeze'.  The hearts separated along their contours without my bruising a knuckle.  But a demo hammer is heavy, and I was quite fatigued prior to even wielding a knife.

A beef heart weighs (according to internet sources) up to 5lbs.  I did NOT in my typical fashion weigh them.  I used the defrost setting on my microwave (thank goodness I have a large one) to get each beef heart to a less-frozen point where I could cut it.  Due to the size of these hearts, this was a progressive defrost and slice on the outer areas, that were just frozen enough to get the knife through with some reasonable effort.

I managed to do it all without unfreezing the meat. I didn't bother measuring the yield after I cut out the fat. I just didn't care at that point.  My trusty assistants, Ella and Angel.  I had to continually move Angel from being underfoot.  I could not risk a knife slipping and causing harm, which is a distinct possibility.

Would I do it again?  I don't know the answer to that. I had a very good appreciation for the anatomy of the heart, and for the profession of butchers.  Such a work out:  arms, shoulders and hands.  I am still sore two days later.  Go to the gym or process beef hearts?  I would not wish to scrap with a butcher. This heart is to be a component of my recipes to supply organ meat.  I did call the supply company to ask how I could order fresh heart.  I can, but I have to order 250lbs.  Nope!

I might do this another time if I could assure myself that the hammer drill with the right bit would separate the hearts better.  I would simply put the individual hearts in the freezer, rather than wrangling them all at the same time.  I went to bed exhausted...but a good exhausted.

I have lots of good heart, human grade, so as a cook, I would like to cook it for my family.  Here's a great blog post with how to trim heart, and the nutritional value of organ meat, particularly beef heart.  In fact, it is the complexity of the minerals in organ meat to deepen and widen the nutritional profile of RAW feeding.
---------------------------------------------
Channeling Adam Smith at the Restaurant Depot:
  •  the yield on my last 40lb box of non-jumbo chicken leg quarters was 27.5lbs after pulling off the fat and skin and weighing the retained water. That is shrinkage of about 31.3%.  Something to keep in mind when calculating final price of useable product.
  • I bought 24 lbs of frozen vegetables (in 2lb packs) for .71/lb.  I grind these up with the meat.  They keep the auger freezing cold and the meat cold. Grinding on their own causes the machine to freeze up.  I don't bother freezing the chicken before processing it.  I've never had any problems grinding chicken this way; but I attribute that to also adding the frozen veggies which keeps all of the product very cold.  Cold=safe.
  • In the frozen case, you can buy a 5lb chub of frozen turkey for $2 per lb.  OR you can buy a 10lb chub for .86 per lb.  That's an easy choice. . . now that I have a freezer.  (UPDATE:  the 5lb is not the same as the 10lb in terms of fat content.  The 10lb has 26% fat v. the 15% fat of the 5lb chub.  I would have noticed this had the sticker not been placed over the analysis on the 10lb!)
I feel that I'm finally at a point where I have optimized my recipes, sources and production and storage methods. To be sure, I'm confident that I'm making it more complicated than it needs to be, but 'to thy own self be true' is at work here.  it was important for me to do the wide scope of resource gathering for both the science, sourcing and processing of this RAW feeding.  I'll provide some costing information on my recipes to provide an honest assessment of the costs of this endeavor (and time requirements).

Regarding production/storage:  I have read where people use and reuse ziploc bags, or use trash bags or other means of storage.  Some even use vacuum bags.  Some weigh out all and store.
Here's a few points
  • Ziploc bags are 
    • hard to handle
    • get icky around where you need to seal them when you fill them
    • don't always close well
    • don't stack well
    • But they do have their place in this process at times..  (Though I did put the beef hearts in these).
  • Vacuum bags:  these have all of the problems of Ziploc bags plus they are expensive.  I don't need long-term storage.
  • Plastic storage containers (Arrow Stor-Keeper for example) which are freezer safe (some plastics get brittle in the freezer) are a great way to both package and store food.  
    • They can be washed in the dishwasher and can be used over and over for YEARS.
      •  I use the 1 qt which holds 2lbs of ground food. These can be purchased for less than $1 each and will last your lifetime. They also make a 1/2 gallon container which can be purchased for about $2 each.
    • They stand open and can be filled easily.
    • Top affixes easily
    • the 1 qt defrosts well on the counter (for less than 4 hours).  Because of its size, nothing gets warm while the rest is frozen.
    • Store easily in the freezer
    • Protects foods
  • Large Cambro or Rubbermaid containers:  Expensive (unless you find a deal at Salvage places, etc), but fill easily; holds 10lbs of food; washes in dishwasher and stores beautifully in the freezer and fridge.  With large dogs, this works.  Not for someone with cats or small dogs.
  • Silicon bakeware:  This is a great way to fill and freeze and then pop out.  Silicon bakeware is expensive; but I found some at thrift store at deep value.
    • loaf pans are great because you can slice them when partially thawed.
  • Regular bakeware:  Same thing, just line with waxed paper, parchment paper, saran etc...fill, freeze, and pop out.
  • Individually frozen:  You can take a 4 oz food service scoop and scoop out food onto a baking sheet and freeze.  Once frozen you can put in a Ziploc without it all glomming together.  I started with this method, but I found it time consuming.  It does have its merits though.
  • Chub Bags:  I am seriously considering getting a 2" stuffing horn and simply grinding into chub bags.  Would also get a bag closing machine.




Weigh In

Yesterday we did a weigh in for 3 out of 4 pups.

Daisey:  female, 11ish English Setter, active:      44.5 lbs
Ella:      Female, 10ish English Setter,inactive     49.0 lbs
Dexter:  Male,  1ish Pitbull, active young adult   57.0 lbs

Angel is too large to weigh using the pickup method.  She was 72 lbs when we got her. I'll take her to the vet to get weighed. 

Conclusions:  Dexter has gained 10lbs since we got him.  He looks terrific.  Ella is overweight.  She needs to lose at least 9 lbs.  She is so furry, it is hard to see her body condition--but I've not felt a rib yet.  Angel has a short coat, making her body condition easy to evaluate. Her past vet records had her at 89 lbs so her former owners were able to get significant weight off of her. Our goal is to maintain that.  Daisey is just right.




Weight Loss

I have two friends who are running the Richmond Marathon.  While running in an organized race has not been something I've ever aspired to, I'm proud of my friends for their commitment to train and to race.  It is inspiring.

Our bodies were born to work.  The work of living--acquiring shelter, food--has largely been ceded to others.  My work of living is using my head, eyes and hands nestled firmly in a chair for most of the day.  Dexter has been a great incentive to be more active.  He needs play and exercise.  So do I.

This year I have lost 12 lbs.  I finally dropped below a weight level that in my late twenties and post partem was a ceiling for me.  Too easily the el-bees add up over the years.  Food + wine + inactivity does not make for good weight control.  The pounds move up at a glacier's pace.

My favorite part of my body has always been my arms.  When my arms "suddenly" lacked any definition, and I could see some subtle 'rippling' underneath the skin, it was my ENOUGH! moment.  Measuring my intake of calories, and the pitifully low expending of calories from lack of exercise was an eye opener.

Making some judicious choices (eat better, not necessary less; move more), I was able to lose weight.  My body fat scale was an invaluable aid:  first by shaming me by honestly telling me what my body fat % was; and second by inspiring me by steadily moving lower as I shed pounds--fat pounds!

And with Dexter, I'm moving more both from restraining an uber-exuber 52lb dog as well as playing with him and doing some limited running with him.   While he is too young for any systematic, repetitive exercise, a long lead allows me to slog and him to dawdle, sniff, and then burst into a run.  That's good for him, and it is good for me.  He, like my body fat scale, was a good feedback indicator on how much strength I had lost.  Though to be fair, he is very strong and quick.  I used to be too...and I may never be as strong or quick as I was a decade ago, but I and can be strong-er and quick-er than I am now.  It is all relative.  I accept that.

My stress detox has always been being outside with my dogs.  When I was trail running, Lucy, Greta and I enjoyed the outdoors, not matter what the season or the weather.  We just went out and ran.  (I was never very fast, but the fact that I was running was an anomaly for me an my non-athlete status). Staying connected to nature is important to staying grounded.  Watching the spring unfold, the brightness of the greens in the newly unfurled leaves and their deepening colors; observing the narrow slices of time in which a particular tree or flower bloomed on the trail; listening to the noises of the forest:  crows warning of our coming; turkeys startled and flying like a cannonball through the woods; hawks eerily calling; squirrels chastising us; frogs plopping into pool of water on the trail; seeing turkey feathers, deer tracks, the delicate shapes of raccoon feet, scat of all kind a reminder of the life that lives with us but so often out of our sight. 

Being on the trail with my dogs was healing.  Their unbridled joy to be moving and exploring was a marvel to watch. (Though they always had the freedom to do that, but when I accompanied them, it was joyful for them).  Moving with them, my feet and breath rhythmically linked was what I called my 'running meditation'.  Finding a quiet place to sit, and have the dogs circle back to find me and lay quietly.  They nor me had no need for conversation.

Those times were a great reminder of the healing capacity of the woods. We have been so successful in escaping the rigors of having to shelter ourselves from the harshness nature and removing ourselves from its life-giving capacity that we have created artificial lives. None more so than this venue that I occupy. 

I believe that our dogs are our intermediary to Nature.  We can learn from our dogs and their successfully being firmly planted in our world without forgetting the natural world from which they never entirely leave no matter what comforts we surround them with (at least not working dogs). 

Big Chill

  My freezer has arrived!  I can now store as much as 711 lbs of food in it. I already have put 51 lbs of frozen dog food in it.  That is about 10 days worth for my crew.  I feel that I have more flexibility now with shopping for bargains for my crew.  Having the contents so easily seen and accessible eliminates one of life's almost daily annoyances (rummaging through cascaded stuff in the freezer) is a welcomed thing.

 I ordered some information on balanced raw diets from Monica Segal. Her e-publications are good to my eye.  However, after reading them, my confidence in feeding a 'balanced' raw was left lagging.  Why?  The finesses of the menus was such that it was unlikely that I could/would go through the fuss of making these menus.  Nevertheless, I did get some good ideas, and I would encourage you to visit her website if you have an interest in RAW feeding. 

I do appreciate that a variety of proteins are recommended.  However, kibble diets (and let's face it, many of us feeding kibble feed the same thing due to the admonishments of NOT changing up our dog's diets too much). So, I'm wondering, if I'm just obsessing.  I want to be solidly in the middle of the spectrum of being cavalier about what I feed my dogs and being OCD.

To find this middle ground, I do the following:
  • grind fresh chicken leg quarters.  
  • Add vegetables
  • Add heart/gizzard and liver
{CRITICAL Update:  I had some concerns about the Ca:P ratio in this grind, and please know that it is far too high in absolute Ca and the Ca:P  proportion is in the upper acceptable range.  I have purchased Steve Brown's book.  Visit his site here, See Spot Live Longer.  His recipes in his book Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet are easy to follow.  However, the only source that I have found for beef heart is 30lbs of frozen!!!!! at a restaurant supply}. 

 The above graphic shows the breakdown of the meat-only that I used starting with a base of 40lbs of chicken leg quarters.  To this I added 4lbs of "Normandy" vegetables (cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli and carrots), bringing the total product values to 49lbs.  For the 3 or so lbs of water that I lose, I simply let the dogs slurp it down. At first, I added it back to the mix, but it made it to slushy.  There is already so much moisture content, there is certainly no need to add more.  But to pour it down the sink would be a crime.

As my dogs have always loved vegetables, I find no discordant notes in offering vegetables as part of their food.  Further, I make no apologies for not feeding my dogs the entire piece of meat v. grinding it.  My dogs; my risk control.  I find that RAW feeding 'opinions' reach the same pitch as religious and political discussions.
 
 Nevertheless, I'm concerned about the reasonable  admonishment by several professional to offer a variety of proteins. However, a reasonable counter is that on an exclusively kibble diet, there really is not much of a variety in proteins.

At the very least, I would like to offer inexpensive beef in the rotation (along with liver and organ meat). I went to Restaurant Depot to see if I could find some deals on fresh beef, as well as to better equate myself with other offerings.  There were no beef deals to be had.  A deal to me is something south of $3 per lb.  My last deal was $1.79/lb, and to be clear, I'm rummaging on the mark-down shelf. 

The frozen section was studied.  I found some 30lb boxes of frozen beef hearts.  It was all just a glob together.  I'm confident that I would NOT want to tackle that job.  Ground turkey can be had in a 10lb chub for .88 per lb.  That is a deal--but it would have to be supplemented with chicken wings to get calcium:phosphorus ratios correct.  I still obsess on this ratio--and I think for good reason.

I have plenty of poultry for the moment; but as I'm developing menu options for the pups, this turkey chub could be in the rotation.They also had chicken backs as well as  duck and rabbit.  Duck and rabbit are at a much higher cost/lb than beef. Nein!  I would rather get chicken leg quarters v. the backs, and a frozen glob of chicken backs is not attractive from an Adam Smithesque way of thinking about processing food for the dogs.   Fresh leg quarters have the backs attached and have more meat on them.  Accordingly, I'll pass on this part and this packaging and stick with tried and true.

One bit of advice I see in respected circles, is to look at your dogs.  Coats are excellent; energy is bountiful. Because Dexter is young, I particularly watching him to ensure that he is getting enough calories.  His coat is better than when he came to us; he is putting on weight, he is happy and energetic.  All good.

 




Full Moon - 1

Yesterday was the full moon.  I finally got my moon phase working on my sidebar.  I also added a RAW feeding count up timer.  I really do look at these things.  I say to Mark, do you know that we have had Dexter XX days.  I'm up early, and this a.m. the moon was splendiferous!  Did you know that the full moon in November is called the Beaver Moon?  Apparently it is the time to set traps according to the Farmer's Almanac. I'm still heartbroken that our beaver colony did not make it.  I hope they were not trapped.  Sniff!  If you are going to holiday party's you can strike up conversation about December's full moon:  cold full moon.  No real romance in that.

Dexter Containment System Failures. Though the road frontage and 'wing' areas are secure, we have a permeable barrier between our property and our adjacent neighbors' properties.   Dexter made an escape to one neighbor's house.  He infiltrated their home!  Mark was called.  (It was not an issue!)  Once outside, he behaved himself, to include visiting with Lacy.  Lacy was Macy's early friend, being just one month older than Macy.  They were best friends for about a year, and then each solidified their bonds with their human families.  Dexter has a bunch of worn out dogs that will not play with him as he would like.  But Angel loves him and tolerates his jumping on her.  It was good to see how well Dexter interacted with Lacy.

I'm not confident that Dexter would do well with my neighbor's chickens. A lesson from the "Chicken Man" may be in the future.  He will be dog #3 to receive such instruction.  It is a virulent lesson, requiring only a single sitting to be learned.

One of Tim's chickens has wandered over to our house.  This has been a recurring visitation over the past week.  These visits have intrigued Dexter, and I believe it is what precipitated the boundary breaches.  Today,  I found Dexter under our deck trying to get at a chicken taking refuge in the miasma of 'stuff' underneath.  Dexter was hung up.  The chicken was safe.  Regardless, I believe in alternate universes, and in the one that I imagined clearly,  there was another outcome  that makes me shudder.

More RAW equipment support.  I broke down and bought an upright freezer.  (I am so excited as it will make life so much easier).  It will be delivered tomorrow.  I was tight on freezer space before this RAW thing started. Geez, the 100 lbs of Nahunta sausage made it impossible to store anything!  Now, with RAW underway, I have NO freezer space.  Given that I am buying in bulk--and bulk means time--I would rather leverage shopping time and cleaning time, as those times are indifferent to the amount of food that I buy.  Rather it is the processing time of the meat and the packing time in containers that is time consuming.  Having a freezer is the only way to optimize this time.

Yesterday I stopped a Shopper's World.  It was in a location that was formerly a Winn Dixie, then a Farmer's 'something or nuther'.  They advertise cost +10%.  I stopped in.  They had 10 lb leg quarters for 49 cents per lb.  With markup, it was still a deal.  I bought 40 lbs.  This is the same brand I have seen at Food Lion.

Upon opening the bags, I saw that these poor leg quarters were mangled every which way.  Not a problem as the Weston#22 would grind them to mush.  But if you had planned on serving these, they were not pretty.  The Restaurant Depot's Mountaire Leg Quarters are perfect.  In a 40 lb box, there might be one or two broken leg tips.  But they are jumbo, which means that it takes more time to break them down.  (Remember, I'm channeling Adam Smith, hence the freezer purchase). 

I'm now considering simply buying 3 or 5#chub bags and a bag sealer to make it easier to stuff and store these grinds. Geez...I feel like a manufacturer!

It's Friday.  Yeah. 


Tick Tock to Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  This year my sister and her husband will be joining us for the first time in probably a couple of decades! They live in a galaxy far, far away known as Bedford.  With a melange of animals over the years to care for, to include two horses, both of them getting away for the holiday was impossible.  It fills me with joy that they will be here.


Maple Pecan Chocolate Tart Topography
To give them a chance to get on the road at a decent hour, we will do a 2 pm-ish dinner--sometimes things don't come together as planned, and the time can move--though generally in just one direction:  later.  I did have a dinner once where I had to ask everyone to come early as the turkey cooked far faster.  People should wait for food, not the other way around.  My guests have always been forgiving.  They have always received a great bounty for my tardiness.

As my daughter and her husband will be involved in the care and feeding of his family who has experienced some tumult, they will not be joining us.  It is the first TG in her life that we've not been together.  However, her providing a central place for that family to come together will be healing for them. I'm glad my daughter and SIL are stepping up for that.  Nevertheless, we will have 10, possibly 11 at the table.  That is a good sized gathering.

Eating earlier has another advantage:  It will also give me some downtime before tumbling into bed.  I've been cooking Thanksgiving since 1987 (I might be off a year). Bringing both sides of our family together was an answer to not having to eat two TG dinners. I had one year off when my daughter hosted us a couple of years ago.  That was quite nice.  But she has limited space, and anything over 6 is a problem.  I have 25 dinners under my belt.  And each year it gets a little harder as I get older.

In the next few weeks, I'll get my dinner logistics in order. What that really means is that I must conduct my EPA cleanup (no small task in our universe) earlier in the week to focus on the dinner prep and execution as well as don my casting director hat to determine who will be in the TG dinner production.  This cast has stalwarts, called upon time and time again, supporting members who are on rotation, and those that are cast once and then cast out (sometimes with impunity).   Of course I could ask folks to bring a dish to ease the preparations, but I've resisted such temptations. I'm not willing to have walk-on appearances.  Plus, my preference is to have my stuff and have others enjoy the meal with the only obligation of showing up on time.

The centerpiece of dinner is a brined, perfectly roasted Turkey paired with ham.  If you are new to Thanksgiving, visit Alton Brown's featured prep in the 2003 Bon Appetit.  You can find it here. If you don't have a digital thermometer that snakes through the oven, get one.  It is indispensable for any meal that you are cooking, but most particularly for THIS meal.  No one wants a turkey cooked too long or not enough.  And what accompanies turkey better than ham?  We love both and fix both.  Looking for a foolproof way to fix country ham?  Go to Jack Bett's blog here.

Outside of EPA clean up, "logistics" truly must begin with the taming of my magpie eye when it comes to desserts and side dishes.  There are two factors that complicate dinner preparation:  (1) number of desserts/sides; (2) complexity of desserts and sides.  Side dishes are the true bane as few can be 'held' with good results prior to serving.  Different cooking times and temperatures can be a problem.  Desserts, can always be prepared ahead, but they can be fussy and demanding, but the end result can be sublime.

Side dishes are similar:  regulars, rotating and dismissed.  Nevertheless, it is too easy to find intriguing ways to serve autumn's bounty.  Having a side dish number budget makes much sense.  Otherwise, the prep and execution will tax the cook's energy.  Besides, too many competing tastes are just that...too many.  Further, cutting down on the number but increasing complexity is akin to shooting one's self in the foot.  Moderation in all things during this immoderate eating experience.

Bon Appetit (BA)  is a magazine that I have subscribed to for as long as I have been making Thanksgiving (TG).  The BA TG issue is one that I relish. This year the suggestion is to try one new dish each Thanksgiving.  This 'new dish' suggestion has always been my  mantra for me; most of my dishes, techniques were inspired, instructed by those issues. Over the years, the new dishes have become staples.  Those staples have become so beloved that casting them out would be like banishing a family member from the table.

Scalloped oysters is a favorite that I have been making, but sometimes I think that spending $25 on a side dish is just too much. When I don't have it, it is asked about, and its loss is mourned.  Would I substitute my homemade cranberry sauce for a chutney?  A resounding no!  But the potatoes come in different guises:  garlic mashed, potato and turnip gratins and the like.  Sweet potatoes don't make it except in a pie.  Brussels sprouts have a number of incarnations.  The most recent, a Brussels sprouts hash that is so divine and beloved, that it is a staple.  It blends wonderfully with all of the other dishes.  My cranberry sauce is a staple...you can find my recipe for that here. 

So if one is not going to vote a dish off the island, then one has to expand the population.  That is side dish creep. Okay, there may be room for just one more.  But it has to be very seductive.

I hear of folks baking pie after pie.  Why one would have pumpkin and sweet potato, I do not know.  To my tasted they are nearly indistinguishable.  In my view, too many desserts spoil the meal--and make it hard to serve. After the big meal, guests should not have to make too many hard decisions. I limit desserts to two, and they are very different to accommodate different tastes.  Lately it has been a chocolate pecan pie and a sweet potato mascarpone pie (a Frankenpie from a combination of a pumpkin and a sweet potato recipe) .   I have two desserts.  My guest typically have a bit of both.  Here's a rundown of a few desserts over these past 25 years:

  • Maple Pecan Chocolate Tart:  This is my go-to dessert staple.  Click here for recipe. Served at 75% of past TG dinners.  Plain pecan pie is too sweet for my taste.  I have had made a walnut tart as well.  I like tarts, though tart dough can be a bit finicky.
  • Cheesecakes:  Meh....despite seasonal ingredients (pumpkin, etc), it just doesn't seem to be the right dessert for my tastes after dinner.
  • Bread Puddings:  Feel like a sugared up also-ran after dressing.  Not quite the right counterpoint for ending the meal.  
  • Frozen Pumpkin Mousse:  A lovely counterpoint:  cold, light, sweet, beautiful.  I've made this a couple of times.  It is in the rotation, but has not been picked in a while.
  • Pumpkin Pie:  I'm unclear if I have ever made pumpkin pie. 
  • Sweet Potato Pie:  I co-opted a Pumpkin Pie recipe with mascarpone cream cheese, and it is divine.  Beautiful flaky crust, light, and not too sweet.  I've been making this for the last three years, and guests love it. 
  • Lemon Tart:  A lemon tart is a nice ending for a TG meal.

I'm always looking for other cast members, and this year, I am eying for this year a BA dessert:  apple gallette.  I think that I'll make some salted caramel to go with this. And, just maybe, I will also have two other desserts.  Three desserts is definitely a departure from the norm.

Regardless of the fuss that I make above, the central idea of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the large and small blessings in our lives.  Preparing and sharing a meal (simple or complicated) with the people we love and care about unifies and strengthens our ties to each other.