Crockpot Turkey

As I mentioned in my previous post, I made a turkey breast in the crockpot the other day. It was very good, but there are a few things I might do differently next time. I meant to take a picture of it and be all cool like that, but I forgot (shows how cool I really am), so I will just post the recipe.

Crock-pot Turkey Breast

1 turkey breast (6 to 6-1/2 pounds) - (honestly, I don't even know how big ours was.)
2 tsp vegetable oil - (I didn't measure this. I just used enough to coat the turkey.)
Salt and pepper, to taste - (I used a TON of pepper.)
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves - (I used 6 cloves because my husband is obsessed with garlic.)
1 stick of butter

Remove all of the packaging from the turkey breast. Mine had a gravy packet, and it was wrapped in netting. You can also remove excess skin if you want, I did. Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub the turkey all over with oil. Sprinkle the breast lightly with salt and pepper to personal preference. I basically covered mine in pepper because I enjoy cracked-pepper turkey.

Place the breast, meaty side up, into a slow cooker.

Peel the onion, cut it into quarters, and place the pieces around the edges of the pot. Peel the garlic cloves and place them around the sides of the cooker. Melt the stick of butter and pour it over the turkey. Cover the cooker and cook the breast on low for 9 hours, or until the meat thermometer registers 170 degrees. I waited the full 9 hours, and it was actually well past 170 degrees. I probably should have checked it sooner. Remove the breast from the cooker and wait at least 10 minutes before slicing. (The internal temperature will continue to rise). Discard the vegetables in the cooker. Serve the breast sliced, with or without skin.

You can use the drippings to make gravy if you want. The gravy packet that came with the turkey suggested mixing some in with that, so I tried that method. It turned out pretty well.

Note: If the turkey breast is not frozen, check for doneness (170 degrees) with a meat thermometer after 7-1/2 to 8 hours of cooking on low. Be sure to wash your hands well with soap and water immediately after handling raw poultry. Wash sink and counter surfaces the meat touches with soap and hot water.

If you do not use the entire turkey in the meal you can refrigerate, covered for 24 hours before chopping the meat and freezing. Place the meat in a freezer-weight plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Adjustments:

I saw some recipes that called for chicken broth to be poured in the slow cooker prior to putting the turkey breast in there. I had every intention of doing this but it turned out that I didn't have any. I will probably try that next time to see what it adds to the recipe. I may stick to the 4 cloves of garlic instead of the 6 next time. However, I will have to ask my garlic-obsessed husband about it first.

Overall, I thought it was very good. It may not be the slow-cooker turkey recipe that I always use, but it was quite tasty.

Wow...long time no blog.

Wow. I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore since I haven't blogged in 9 months. Sorry about that. Once again, I am going to try to be somewhat consistent with this. I am not promising to blog every day, but I will try to do it more than every 9 months.

The Christmas season just ended, and it was fabulous! I had so much fun getting together with friends and family to celebrate. After Christmas, Tanner and I went on a mini-vacation to Atlanta for a few days. We went to an NBA game, the Georgia Aquarium, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, the Chickfila Bowl, and celebrated New Year's on the MARTA. It was such a fun trip! Here are some pics of our fun taken with our new camera:

Lebron and Shaq getting ready for the tip-off.

Jump Shot!

Shaq was on the kiss-cam.
Usher was there.
Jellyfish

Cute Hubby!

Huge manta ray and whale shark!

We lost, but it was still fun to be there. Go Vols!

Today I am making a turkey breast in the crock-pot. If we like it, I'll post the recipe on here soon.

A Kindle Review

So, I promised I would talk about my Kindle once I had time to use it a little. I must say, I love it! I have now read the 2nd book in the Twilight series, and I have almost finished the 3rd book on it. I also have the Bible (ESV) - this was free on Amazon, and I have the book we are reading for Pastor's class on Wednesday nights, Systematic Theology by Grudem.

It is so easy to read on a Kindle. You can adjust the text size to your liking. If you get a cover like mine, it will even stand up. I like this feature for when I am lying down and reading. It allows you to prop the Kindle up on your lap and you don't have to hold it.

The battery lasts forever! I haven't tested it to see exactly how long it will last, but if I keep the wireless turned off when I'm not using it, it honestly lasts several weeks. Two weeks ago we went to watch the ETSU Bucs play in the NCAA tournament in Dayton, Ohio. This was a 6.5 hour car trip both ways. I read my Kindle most of the trip, and I haven't charged it since.

There are many features of the Kindle that I have not used yet, and probably many that I have not discovered. There is a hidden minesweeper game. It works well, but don't expect to play it quickly. You can put music on it (but I have heard that it will only play the music in the order that you install it). It is not meant to be your everyday mp3 player. You can upload your own pictures to it to create your screensaver (remember these will be in black and white). You can highlight text and add notes. You can search for something in every book that you have on your Kindle, or you can just search in one book. You can delete books off of your Kindle once you have finished reading them, and they will be stored on Amazon's website. It even has a basic web browser.

Downsides:
- You have to have a booklight if you are reading in the dark. They sell special Kindle booklights that fit in the cover for it, but I have just been using a booklight they I already owned.
- The text-to-speech option isn't great. This is the option that allows the Kindle to read the book to you. If you are looking for an audio book, just buy the audio version and put it on your Kindle, don't depend on the text-to-speech.
- It didn't come with a cover. Apparently the first version of Kindle came with a TERRIBLE cover, so Amazon decided to just fix that dilemma and not include a cover at all. This wouldn't be bad except it took about 3 extra weeks to receive the cover I ordered (not Amazon's fault).


Overall I am so happy with it. I would recommend it to anyone that likes to read. I have decided that I will probably not put textbooks on it because I like to write too much in my textbooks. If you like to read for fun, it is well worth the money.

Kindle

I know I haven't written in awhile; as usual school has been crazy. I just wanted to say that I'm super excited! I just ordered a Kindle 2. I have been wanting one for awhile, but I was waiting on the new version to come out. My mom has the original version, and she loves it! I'll be sure to put a review on here once I've had enough time to use it.

What have you done?

I got this survey idea from Talia's blog. All of the things in bold are things I have done.

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band.
Visited Hawaii (I wish).
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland/world
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked (This was not my idea. My dad and I were on our way back from Pigeon Forge when I was about 8-9 years old. Our car broke down after being stuck in construction for about an hour. For some reason, and I will never understand why he thought this was a good idea - a guy pulled over and asked if we needed a ride, and my dad took him up on it. Looking back on it, I think my dad lost his brain for a little bit).
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Been to a broadway show in NY
Run a Marathon
Been in three states at once
Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
Seen Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Been to Grace Kelley's grave in Monaco
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Swam in the Mediterranean Sea
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout cookies
Gone whale watching
Gotten flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check (when I was 16 - just after getting a checking account)
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar (no, but I've watched Tanner eat caviar) Does that count? ;)
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job (and I didn't do anything wrong)
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (I have seen the guards, but not the changing of the guards).
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible (I am working on this).
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared my own meat
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee

Exercise

Today began the adventures of Tanner and Tiffany trying to get back into shape. We haven't worked out in FOREVER. I mean, we're talking probably a couple of years since we really worked out. Ugh. We have decided that we are going to go during lunch at least 2 days a week and then we will go either 1 other night or on Saturday. Hopefully, we will get in at least 3 times a week. We are quite busy people, so the lunchtime thing works out ok, except I hate feeling like I stink for the rest of the day. Today we did some weights and jogged/walked the track. We didn't have too much time because we were trying to get me set up with an account. Both of us are currently super frustrated with how out of shape we are, so hopefully that will give us the inspiration we need to actually work out (that and the price we had to pay for me to get a membership). Anyway, I will try to keep you posted on our success.

Happy 2009!!!

Ok, don't yell at me. I realize I haven't written on here since the end of October. Life has been crazy as usual. The holidays were great, and I loved spending time with friends and family. After Christmas we went on a trip to D.C. It was a lot of fun, as well as informative. I will post more about that when I get the pictures uploaded to my computer. Anyway, I wanted to list some of the things that I want to accomplish in 2009. I hate making resolutions because I never fulfill them, so maybe I can call these "goals."

My goals for 2009:
- Continue to become a better wife
- Learn to be submissive
- Trust God more
- Pray more
- Study the Bible more regularly
- Worry and stress less
- Exercise 2-3 times per week
- Read for fun more
- Continue to do well in grad school
- Don't hound Tanner about his school work
- Be a better friend and family member
- Drink more water
- Eat healthier
- Cook more/eat out less
- Complain less


These are all I can think of for right now, but I know there are more. I will continue adding them as I think of them.