simple blog


A simple blog about seeking the Lord, savoring life and joyfully serving.


Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Creative Muster #360

We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to party with us! The Creative Muster is home to some of the most creative bloggers, which means we do a lot of sharing. If you’re looking to get exposure, find some inspiration or meet new people then you’re in the right place. Grab your favorite family friendly posts, share them, then sit back and check out some of the other amazing things that are being shared. There are a ton of great ideas to be found here!


Image Map Image Map Great Ideas from Abbotts at Home

Link to any family friendly post that is created by you. Please no links to giveaways, stores or other parties. ✔ Add the link to your specific post, not your blogs homepage. ✔ Show some love, visit at least two other links. ✔ Encourage others to check out the party. ✔ Not mandatory, but we would love for you to follow us in some way. You can never have too many friends.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

Thank you for joining us this week. I want to apologize for being behind on our pinning and commenting. Robin and I have both had quite a bit going on this week. We hope to catch up and be back on track this week. 
Blessings to all of you.
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family

2 Secrets to a Moist, Tasty Turkey



Secret # 1:
Brine your Turkey

Adoring Family Brine Recipe
1 Gallon Vegetable Stock
1 Cup salt
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp.Sage
1 Tbsp. RoseMaria Blend from Dean Jacob's 
1 Tbsp. Black Peppercorns
Bring to a boil and then cool.

Remove anything in the turkey cavity such a giblets and neck. Submerge turkey in the brine and add one gallon of heavily iced water. Let Turkey marinate in the brine for 6-8 hours. 


I love this Good Eats episode which is hilariously dated with the mention of a pager and a Teen Magazine (Pinterest and VSCO have taken the place of the TEEN mag) but I LOVE the information presented and the science behind WHY a brine is crucial to a moist turkey.



I've mentioned how we love Alton Brown in this post back in 2015. I was binge watching Good Eats during this time and I am excited that there are new episodes out. I enjoy Alton's recipes and explanation as to why his cooking methods work the way they do. 
I have brined my turkey every year except one and let me tell you, I can tell a tremendous difference. So much so that I will ALWAYS brine my turkey!!! Try it. You won't be disappointed. 





Secret # 2
Slow Roast Your Turkey

I roast my turkey for 1 hour at 350 (this brings the turkey up to a safe temp) and then turn the heat down to 200 and roast for one hour per pound of Turkey. It's important that you make a foil tent in order to keep the moisture in your turkey and this will baste your turkey automatically. Takes all the work out of making a turkey! To make a foil tent, simply take two long pieces of foil and place together, fold the tops together so you can open and have one very large piece of foil. place over your turkey and make sure you fold all the foil over your pan so the turkey is completely enclosed. 


Now, I have heard people all over the internet saying this is not a safe way to cook a turkey, that slow and low allows bacteria a chance to breed. The salt in the brine of the turkey prevents this as well as roasting for one hour at 350. FoodSafety.Gov says the safe internal temp for cooking poultry is 160 so I think we are more than covered. I have slow cooked my turkey like this for 13 years and never had anything but rave reviews. I did want to put this out there so you know this is my recipe and you are using this at your own disclosure. 



So that's it guys, two simple things you can do to make cooking your turkey easy yet exceptionally moist and flavorful. 
My dad says this turkey is the BEST he has ever had and he is definitely a tough critic
I will post pics of this year's turkey later this week.

Thank you all for reading, I hope this helps you make your best turkey ever!
Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings to all of you!
Grace and peace,
Adoring Family







Friday, November 22, 2019

๐Ÿงผ 5 Friday Favorites ๐Ÿงผ Cleaning Edition ๐Ÿงผ

 
Hello friends, I hope everyone had a wonderful week! We have enjoyed our company from Korea along with two community days of school. Today I plan to spend a full day cleaning and organizing my home. Next week I will share all of the fun organizing tools I’m using but this week I’m sharing my favorite household cleaning products. These are products produce amazing results and smell amazing while just making it fun to clean. I actually look forward to my  quiet cleaning time.






First up, we have the Caldrea cleaning products. Their soaps, countertop spray, room spray, and dish soap are my absolute favorite. They are highly fragranced Yet still considered to be “clean” cleaning products meaning no harsh chemicals. They are definitely more of a luxury but I feel that if it’s going to help me do something that is honoring to my husband, a blessing to my children and fulfilling to me, I am happy to spend a few extra dollars on these products while skipping other items such as a fancy coffee.

    
The Orange Glo wood cleaner and conditioner is another favorite to clean my wood items with. I love the shine it produces and the beautiful orange fragrance that is subtle yet refreshing.  Occasionally, I will clean  my cabinets with this but most often my piano, side table in the hall, dining table and night stands.
 


This stainless steel cleaner is 100% the BEST! It is the only one I have found that actually cleans my appliances and doesn't leave a streak mess(does anyone else have a fridge that gets quite dirty after just two or three days?).  This cleaner cleans the dirt but doesn’t like a streaky finish like all of the other stainless steel cleaners I’ve tried. You are left with clean appliances and a beautiful shine



Next up is my MUST HAVE cleaning product for those of us living in areas with hard water. This is not as chemically friendly but sometimes you need something with a little extra boost of you want to clean the hard water stains. This Lime A Way cleaner is a miracle worker. I clean around my faucets with this cleaner because it is a gel and sits nicely in place long enough to descale the lime. I also clean the toilets of course but any place that has hard water buildup will benefit from this cleaner. I do have multiple bottles on hand and designate one for the toilets and another for the sinks etc...I’ve recently discovered these fresh gel rings that you just stamp inside your toilet bowl. They do a great job and keeping the line down and the toilet fresh and clean. 


These stiffer wet pads are my favorite for daily cleaning. I usually deep clean with the O Cedar  mop below and I find that one very easy to use but for our multiple quick mops through the week I prefer to just pop on of these in my swifter sweeper. This is the best price I’ve found on the swifter pads. The Lavender Vanilla is my all time favorite. Again, a lovely smell makes cleaning an enjoyable experience for me. 


 

So that’s it for my Five  Friday Favorites this week!  I hope these products are useful and enjoyable to use if you try them!  
If you are looking for some cleaning inspo, CLICK HERE to head over to my Insta and check out my  "Tap to Clean" stories :) 
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
 Blessings to all of you!

Grace & peace,
adoring Family

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Creative Muster # 359

We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to party with us! The Creative Muster is home to some of the most creative bloggers, which means we do a lot of sharing. If you’re looking to get exposure, find some inspiration or meet new people then you’re in the right place. Grab your favorite family friendly posts, share them, then sit back and check out some of the other amazing things that are being shared. There are a ton of great ideas to be found here!


Image Map Image Map Great Ideas from Jennifer Lambert
Organizing Recipes by Jennifer Lambert

Link to any family friendly post that is created by you. Please no links to giveaways, stores or other parties. ✔ Add the link to your specific post, not your blogs homepage. ✔ Show some love, visit at least two other links. ✔ Encourage others to check out the party. ✔ Not mandatory, but we would love for you to follow us in some way. You can never have too many friends.


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter
Blessings to all of you! 
Grace & peace, 
Adoring Family