M.J. Compton's Blog, page 2

The Season for Giving

Gift giving season is upon us. Here are some ideas for the writers in your life:

Author Boss Insulated Tumbler

Wooden Booklamp Folding Booklight

PenGems

3-D Wooden Bookstore Puzzle

Scented Candles: (Please note that the links take you to specific scents, but you really should explore what else is available.)

Novelly YoursBig MoodsBig White Yeti CandlesGoose CreekBirthdate Candles

Teas:

NovelTeasArtfulTea

Interesting T-Shirts:

TeachersGramSnorg Tees

Good luck!

How To Cook A Turkey (Without Really Trying)

Until COVID closed America in 2020, I had cooked exactly one turkey in my life. My mom had broken her elbow and my  brother (still living at home at the time) was having friends over for a turkey dinner. He’d gotten the turkey as a Christmas bonus from his employer. So I took a day off from work and with Mom hovering, I prepared the turkey.

Because of COVID my husband, children, and I opted not to attend the usual family gathering for Thanksgiving in 2020, which meant I needed to cook a turkey. Now I’m a decent cook, and I actually enjoy cooking on my terms. My daughter and her new husband had to work Thanksgiving Day, but I made arrangements for them to stop by the house and pick up dinner from our back entry hall. Most of the meal prep was easy enough. My son made the mashed potatoes, I’m a fan of Stove-Top Stuffing, and there is a local delicacy known as Plainville Turkey Farm gravy that one can purchase in the freezer aisle of the local supermarkets. Canned cranberry sauce. I also roasted new potatoes and green beans. That essentially left the turkey.

My friend Kris used to mention cooking turkey in crockpot, and that sounded fine to me. It wasn’t as if I needed to feed an army of relatives. There were many text messages (mostly me panicking) that morning, but the results were so good, my daughter said: “If you can cook like this, why do we eat at Grandma’s?”

The next year, X-Chromo and her husband hosted our family Thanksgiving, and I was drafted to cook the turkey. My daughter, one of her friends, and I had a great time fixing dinner that day. The rest of the family decided that here on out, I am the person in charge of the turkey.

KRIS’S SLOW COOKER TURKEY

Ingredients:

5-7 pounds of turkey, bone in, (about 2 split breasts, 2 legs, 2 thighs)2 envelopes Lipton Onion Soup mixWhite wine–use a really good quality. It makes a difference.

Directions:

Remove the skins from the breasts. Try to do this without your mother hovering at your elbow.Place in slow cooker (I use slow-cooker liner bags).Pour on as much white wine as you think it needs. I open a 1.5L bottle, use at least half, then sip while the others slave over the other dishes. Hey! I do the turkey.Sprinkle evenly with soup mixCover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours *or* LOW for 5-6 hours. (Internal temp should be 165°F) (My mother never used a meat thermometer, which explains so very much. I adore mine.)Remove from slow cooker. Slice. I also ladle some of the resulting liquid over the sliced meat to make it moister. It’s already moist from the cooking process, but the wine/soup sauce adds more.

That’s it.

Maybe this year will the the year I save all the juice and make soup.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Changes

It’s the time of year when I finalize my reassessment of my life goals. I’m making major changes come January 1. I revealed one in last week’s post: no more RWA local chapter. That one saddens me, but I’m also looking forward to being a part of revitalizing a once vibrant community. The major change … Continue reading Changes

Farewells are Difficult

Back in 1998, I gifted myself a membership in Romance Writers of America. Several months later, I joined my local chapter and found my “home”. My people were there. I found the women who are my closest friends there. We’ve seen each other through ups and downs in our personal lives as well as our … Continue reading Farewells are Difficult

MJ’s Manuscript: The Next Project

Many years ago, my husband was on the board of a local 1920s movie palace that had been saved from the wrecking ball in the 1970s. He purchased a book about old theaters that had been resuscitated. The book, filled with photos, obsessed me. I had the glimmer of an idea for a story. Fast … Continue reading MJ’s Manuscript: The Next Project

The Mean Mommy

I will admit I was sometimes “mean” to my kids. Sometimes it was funny. Oh, I don’t mean I physically abused them, or even (I hope) mentally tortured them. But once in a while . . . One morning when X-Chromo was about 6-years old, she asked me, “What does no Pablo espanol  mean?” Without missing … Continue reading The Mean Mommy

Music: Monday Songs

I love to make music mixes with themes. Right now, I’m putting together a list of songs about Monday. Some titles are easy (for a woman of my generation): Manic Monday (The Bangles) Monday, Monday (The Mamas & the Papas) Rainy Days & Mondays (The Carpenters) Monday Morning (Fleetwood Mac) Come Monday (Jimmy Buffet) Others … Continue reading Music: Monday Songs

A Thanksgiving Memory

My mother had a classic set of nesting Pyrex bowls. Only the blue and yellow ones survived. She used the blue one for mixing up the gravy thickening. Nowadays, it usually contains Jell-O.  The yellow one had many purposes. Most often it was for popcorn. But Thanksgiving day it had an even more delicious duty. … Continue reading A Thanksgiving Memory

Mommy Files: Birthday Cake Fiasco

My husband and I grew up in different cultures. He’s from a high-rise in the Bronx. My roots are in rural upstate New York. His mother bought his birthday cakes at the corner bakery. My mom baked mine from scratch. When our children were young, I decided it would be fun for the three of … Continue reading Mommy Files: Birthday Cake Fiasco