The tale of the turkey, philosophical musing included.

I recently acquired a giant pan of roasted turkey, as well as two pairs of roasted turkey wings. The how of this acquisition is not important, but rest assured that I came by it honestly. It does open up some interesting questions though, which I'll address later. The generosity of this gift was replaced quickly with concern over how I was going to use it all up. Some frantic searching through several cookbooks and a trip to Winn-Dixie allowed me to set a plan in motion however. What I decided to do is make turkey broth (using a modified chicken broth recipe) and use the rest of the turkey (of which I have at least 3-4 lbs) to make hot dish. Several hot dishes at it turns out.

Before I get to the recipes, I want to take a moment to talk about my food philosophy. It may seem pretentious to refer to it that way, but that's really what it amounts to. And I also want to note that I am still in the process of forming my food philosophy, and I welcome discussion! Anyway, my philosophy as it applies to my day of turkey-related cooking is as follows: in general, I try to eat a mostly vegetarian diet. In fact, since I have been here (going on 5 weeks now!) I have only eaten meat about once a week, and I have never had any in the house. This wasn't necessarily intentional at first, I was just trying to keep my food costs low, and meat seemed like an easy expense to cut out. I have not formally become vegetarian yet, although I don't think I will ever eat red meat again. I prefer to think of myself as a flexitarian. This is one of those terms that is very popular right now among food philosophers, but it describes me quite well I think. I preferentially opt for less meat, but I also won't cut it out entirely. I don't think there is anything wrong with a purist approach to meat-consumption, but I do think that you run into grey areas in situations such as the one which resulted in me having a fridge full of turkey. The aforementioned turkey was left-over from a fund-raiser's buffet and was going to be thrown out if someone didn't claim it. Of the behaviors which could be deemed "wrong," one being meat-consumption and the other being food waste, I tend to think that food waste is far worse. To be fair, I did pass up the tray of pork chops (someone else took it home). Because while I am still on the fence about meat-production--especially concerning the amount of resources used--I think it is a far greater misuse of resources to throw away perfectly good meat just because it is in excess.

So there, I am off my soap-box now. I just wanted to clarify that I was being resourceful and trying to avoid food going to waste :)

Now to the recipes!

Here is the recipe I used for the turkey broth:

3lbs chicken backs & necks (I used 4 giant turkey wings)

3 qt cold water (I used 5 c water because my crock-pot is pretty small)

4 ribs celery, chopped coarsely

6 carrots, unpeeled, sliced thick

2 onions, peeled and quartered

8 peppercorns (I didn't have any of these so I went without)

...I also added 3 parsnips which I had in the fridge, I prepared them the same way as the carrots.

1) Rinse chicken. Place in crock-pot. Add water and veggies.

2) Cover. Cook on high 4-6 hrs.

3) Remove chicken and veggies from broth.

4) When broth has cooled slightly, place in refrigerator to cool completely. Remove fat and any foam when chilled.

5) The stock is ready for soup! Freeze it in 1-cup containers.

6) Use the cooked chicken and vegetables for soup or stews.

I actually ended up using most of the turkey broth right away to make turkey tetrazzini! Here is that recipe:

1 (16 oz.) package uncooked spaghetti

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3 c. chicken broth

2 c. milk

1 2/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

4 c. chopped, roasted turkey

...I also added 1 (16 oz.) bag of frozen peas.

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a clear glass baking dish.

2. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and place in baking dish.

3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Mix in chicken broth and milk. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir in about 1 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat.

4. Mix chicken broth mixture, frozen peas, and turkey with spaghetti. (It helps if you actually mix this all in a separate bowl and then pour it into the pan) Top with remaining cheese. Bake 1hr, until surface is lightly browned.

One final note: It may have been the addition of the peas, but I ended up having about 1.5 times as much tetrazzini as I anticipated, and actually had to get a second baking dish to put it in. Also, I have about 2lbs of turkey left...so I think it's safe to say that I will be eating turkey tetrazzini until my birthday. Woooo :)

The first post: An introduction.

There comes a time in every college student's life when she is forced to admit that she is no longer, in fact, a College Student but a College Graduate. Furthermore, in addition to earning a degree or two, she has also earned a one-way ticket into the Real World, where she will be forced to transform herself and her habits to become a Real Person. For me this transition has been rough at best, causing much stress and emotion. However, I have also realized what an incredible opportunity I have been afforded by finally being able to live independently and make my own decisions about everything from the food I buy and the meals I cook to the places I shop and the things that fill my abode.

After four years as an Environmental Studies major, I, like many of my classmates, began to grow tired of thought-provoking readings and classroom discussions; I found myself hungering for practical real-life experiences. And now, lo and behold, I find myself embarking upon the most practical real-life experience imaginable. Living independently is giving me the opportunity I have been seeking: being able to make the most decisions about my life and my impact as I ever have thus far will allow me to think through every decision, examine every habit, and make choices which reinforce the values and beliefs I have cultivated in my years of study and experience.

I have decided to chronicle the first year of my life as a "Real Person" (quotations to be removed upon successful completion, I suppose) not only to have a record of my journey but so that my discoveries and decisions might be shared with others. I believe that life decisions should be made through consultation with many sources, and one of the important ones is peers and friends. I don't pretend to have all the answers to the problems and choices I will tackle, but I do promise to seek the answers. And I invite you to join me in this! Share anecdotes or solutions, ask questions, offer articles and books which have been helpful or have raised questions for you. Together we will learn!

Finally, I have set a few parameters for my journey:

Budget. I am living on a budget, which is not really a parameter that I have set voluntarily but rather one of necessity. I have a set income which means that I must be frugal, intentional, and wise about spending.

Organic. Organic food and products is one of the areas which I am continuing to research. While I know that it is more important to buy certain products organic than others, I am still forming my conclusions. That being said, I am set on buying organic milk (whether cow milk or soy), and organic cage-free eggs, when I choose to buy them.

Minimal packaging. One of the things that makes me crazy about shopping is the amount of packaging which embalms nearly everything we buy. This is another areas which still deserves research and contemplation on my part, but what I am strongly committed to is seeking products which are encumbered by minimal packaging--especially plastic. This means buying a bigger bottle of vitamins instead of two smaller bottles, or buying a glass jar of mustard instead of the plastic easy-squeeze tube. Also, I am working really hard to forge the habit of bringing bags with me when I go to the store instead of taking new paper or plastic bags at check-out. (My effort has been rather comical thus far, but I am getting better!)

Minimize use of electricity, water, and gasoline. The classical example of conservation, I will be striving to find ways to minimize my use of electricity, such as maximizing use of natural light, using the air conditioning unit sparingly, opting for the ceiling fan or open windows, and using smaller appliances to prepare my food. This has manifested itself so far in a game-like attempt to see just how low I can get my electric bill. My water bill is a flat rate, so although I have no financial incentive to reduce my water use, I will be striving to do this as well. I am actively seeking new creative ways to do this, so please share any ideas you have! As far as gasoline, I am close enough to work so that I can walk or bike every day, and downtown is very accessible to be on foot or...pedal. Trips to the grocery store or Target require driving, so I am addressing that by carpooling as much as possible.

Invest in local/small businesses. This is something that is near to my heart, especially as I have seen large chain stores take over small, family- or privately-owned businesses just because they can. In a world in which big box stores can offer much more attractive and affordable prices, I believe in trying to support smaller non-chain, non-retail stores as much as possible. Given my limited income, this may be difficult, but I will do my best!

Why buy new when slightly used will do? This has been my motto for the past few months especially in finding new books and clothes. This summer I was able to get away with buying very few truly new items by finding a couple of really nice second-hand clothing stores near by. And as always, Half-Price Books was my go-to used bookstore. Oftentimes the incentive for buying second-hand goods is the reduced price, but there is actually a much larger philosophy behind it. This is something I plan to explore in great detail, especially because there has historically (at least in the past few decades) been an unfavorable stigma attached to buying used clothes. More to come! In the mean time, I am doing my best to find used books and clothes to suit my needs (no pun intended). I have been pleased with my success so far, let's hope that trend continues.

Share! Whether it's carpooling; sharing household appliances, a garlic press, or a drying rack; or borrowing books, we find that we have access to a whole wealth of tools to accomplish daily tasks without having to own one of everything. One of the many benefits of living in community :)

Find creative solutions! My overall goal for this year is to find creative solutions to my use of resources and my household decisions. I am really excited about this, and I hope you are too!

All the best!