It's getting to be that time of year.

You know what I mean.  It's almost Thanksgiving in the U.S., and everywhere is coming up on the Yule/Christmas season.  And you know what happens at this time of year.  You have to buy something.  Something that you've lost over the past year, because you only use it once or twice a year.

Know what I'm talking about?  No, because I'm being ridiculously ambiguous.  I'm funny that way.

Poultry Seasoning.  (DA-DA-DUM)

Yes.  That's right.  We only use it a couple times a year, and then it sadly gets relegated to the back of the spice cupboard, never to be seen again.  Or at least, never to be seen until 2 days after you bought a new jar.  I remember helping my friend pack up to move once, we found three (3!) jars in her spice cupboard.  So here it is, a list of 15 things to do with all that poultry seasoning.  First, though, what is poultry seasoning?  If we know what it is made of, can we use it in more places?  Yes.  Every brand will be different, you will have to check your own bottle.  My favorite calls for marjoram, savory, thyme, black pepper and sage.  All the mixes are fairly similar, so no worries if yours has a few more or less ingredients.


1.  Add to your Saturday morning hash browns.   

2.  Make stuffing.  Not just Thanksgiving or Holiday turkey, though.  Make stuffing for stuffed chicken breasts, stuffed pork chops, or on top of a casserole any night of the year!

3.  Barbecue Chicken.  Yes, that's right.  Marinate chicken in a mixture of beer, vinegar, black pepper, salt, and poultry seasoning.  Refrigerate overnight.

4.  Mix with rice that has been cooked with chicken broth instead of water.  Makes rice taste like roast chicken!

5.  Add a teaspoon to meatloaf.  It gives it an interesting (but good!) flavor.

6.  Add a teaspoon or two to your next pot of chicken noodle soup.  It gives it a wonderful flavor, it sort of sticks to the noodles.

7.  If you make your own spice rub for pork, add about 1/2 a teaspoon of poultry seasoning.  It gives a great flavor to pork.

8.  Turkey or chicken stew.  I love my chicken stew.

9.  While this one is sort of the same as number one, it's a different take.  For your next anniversary or at home date night, roast some Cornish game hens.  Just do it the same way you would a regular bird, just less time.  It tastes wonderful with a rice stuffing as well.  (Perhaps the rice from #4?  Hmmm...)

10.  Add some to cornbread,  especially if said cornbread is going to be served with fried chicken and gravy.

11.  Make your own sausage patties.  Find a great recipe here!

12.  A teaspoon tastes great in pumpkin soup.

13.  Three Words.  Chicken.  Pot.  Pie.

14.  Cheese-Beer Bread.  Need I say more?  Recipe here., and instructions for making your own self-rising flour on About.com.

15.  Anytime you make fried chicken, chicken fingers, etc., add some poultry seasoning to your flour for breading.  A great mix is pepper, poultry seasoning, dill and onion powder.

And there you have it.  15 things to do with that poultry seasoning, other than roasting a turkey!  Hope it works well for you.  If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment them!

S.

*NOTE*  I have not personally tried the recipes I've linked here today.  They are, however, on my list of recipes to try!  It's a very long list.  I'll get there eventually.

*ANOTHER NOTE*  Sorry about the lack of pictures.  The SD card I got yesterday from my wonderfully generous friend Tiff didn't fit in my camera.  Hopefully tonight I'll be able to go get another one.

I had a really great post for today.

I really did.  I made these fabulous Mustard Crusted Pork chops last night.  They were so good!  They would be fabulous for a spring Sabbat meal.  And I made some awesome veggies to go with it, a mess of fried onions and mushrooms, and a red and green bell pepper.  I took pictures to post.  I took pictures of the whole dang process, instead of forgetting to take pictures until we were just about to eat.  I really did!

Then my SD card died.  It died a horrible, strangled death.  None of my pictures "worked".  All it would tell me was no image available.  I lost about 40 pictures, some of supper last night but a lot of Brianna!

So, I will be posting my wonderful pork chop recipe another time.  When I can take pictures.  It's okay though, I'm picking up a new SD card from a friend tonight.

In the meantime, I'm working on a great, sort of holiday themed post for tomorrow.  Well, I guess you could say it's holiday themed.  You will just have to come back and see!

And I promise, I really will post the recipe next time I make it!

S.

World Kindness Day

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.  ~Plato


Today, the 13th of November, is World Kindness day.  Today is a day to remember that we are all human.  We all have feelings, and we all want to be shown kindness.  We all need kindness, and we all need to show kindness.  It could be as simple as telling your husband you appreciate his doing the dishes (I'm lucky, I know) or as extensive as giving some baking to someone who is sick.  You often hear that when a new neighbor moves in, it's nice to welcome them to the neighborhood with a casserole or some baked goods.  Does anyone actually do this anymore?  I'm not aware of it ever happening to anyone in my life.  Why is this?  It's because we are losing our village mentality.  Everyone knows the saying, "It takes a village", but who practices this?  I think we have really lost something over the years because our family units have become a separate, private entity.   

 To me, a village means everyone looking out for everyone, and helping achieve wants and needs.  As an example, when I in elementary school,

Mystic the Unicorn

the big thing was Beanie Babies.  Every time our family went to the mall, I would go to a certain store and look at the Beanie Babies.  We couldn't afford any, and I knew that.  Every time I got my allowance I would save it, every penny I had I would save to be able to buy a Beanie Baby.  The unicorn with the shiny horn.  Finally, I thought I had enough.  I took all my money to the store to buy Mystic the Unicorn.  I grabbed it and took it up to the counter, and gave the sales person my money.  She said I didn't have enough.  I took back my money and started to leave the store.  Then this woman came up.  I had no idea who she was, and  dropped a whole bunch of change into my hands!  I counted it, and it was more than 15 dollars!  Needless to say, I went home with Mystic that day.  I still have it.  I've never forgotten the kindness of that woman, and I wish that I had known enough to say thank you.  She took the initiative to care for someone she didn't really know.  I've always hoped that someday I'll be in the  can do the same for someone. 



Personally, I find it very important to have that village.  People that you can count on, and know that they can count on you.  We have our small circle of family and friends that we consider our village.  Today, the whole world is our village.  Sometimes we feel like we don't have enough time for our own families, let alone anyone else.  So what can we do?  Buy some Halls for a sick co-worker.  Bring home a coffee or hot chocolate for your spouse.  Offer to drive a friend with no transportation to an appointment.  Tell someone you love thank you, simply for being there for you.  


Or, for those who are simply addicted to technology, send an e-card!  I was also made aware of this website recently, www.freerice.com.  It's a great website, where you answer questions about vocabulary, art, geography, or a lot of other options.  For each question you get right, you "donate" grains of rice through the World Food Programme.  Also, here is a link to a webpage telling a little bit more about World Kindness Day.    


I hope everyone has a wonderful day!  


KINDEST regards, 


S.