A few links and some thoughts

A very happy K-dog

I spent most of yesterday wrestling with a 22.5 lb turkey. My wonderful farm box folks had some extra (frozen at this point) organic turkeys available, so I ordered one. I picked it up Wednesday, and by this afternoon it was (mostly) thawed. I roasted it the way I did my Thanksgiving turkey. This was for two of us, mind you! It tasted nearly as good as the first time, I'm happy to report. After dinner I got to finish carving the beast, put up the drippings, boil the neck and innards for the dogs, and try to put my kitchen back together. That was one heavy bird and I ended up all tuckered out. (Not to mention that I'd been trying to clean the attic while it roasted.) Now all I have to do is make the stock. My freezer will be very happy when all is said and done.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that nearly all of my unsalted butter (which is a lot, thanks to all that Tuesdays With Dorie baking) and eggs come from my farm box orders. I love cooking with these fresh ingredients!

The New Year has had me thinking about this blog. My plan is to try posting 4x/week:

early Tuesdays (Tuesdays With Dorie baking post),
late Wednesdays,
early Fridays (often Tyler Florence Fridays), and
Saturday or Sunday

This works out to about once a week less than my hitherto usual posting rate. I've got about 40 partially written posts in draft stage, so even if we eat bread and water for the next 10 weeks I'll still be able to post as if I were busy cooking away! I'm hoping to participate in some more "roundup" type blog cooking events. I've enjoyed Tyler Florence Fridays and also Presto Pasta Nights, and I have my eye on a few others.

That being said, here is a stray Monday post. But it's not for anything I've cooked (unless you count that 22.5 lb bird, that is). I want to share a few links that I've been saving for you all. The first two are courtesy of one of my new favorite food folks, Dan Lephard.

1. Back in November, Dan gathered tips from 30 rather prominent folks in the baking world, and published them on the Guardian website. It makes for a fun read.

2. He followed up with a contest for the best baking tips from his readers. The tips are contained in the comments on this post and Dan announced the winner here.

3. One of the New York Times' most viewed stories for 2008 was called "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" - imo January is a perfect time to recommit to healthy eating habits and now I know what to put on the grocery list! I've actually heard about the health benefits of most of these foods, and have tried to incorporate them into our diet when possible. But after the holiday rich food marathon, I'm ready for clean living!

Actually, S-dog, it's a little cold for an open door!