Annie DeMoranville Instagram Short Stories #3: Vacation!
Bertie, Gertrude, and Candi were looking forward to their tropical vaca. Candi packed the tanning oil and beach hats. Gertrude managed the maps and tunes. Bertie was in charge of snacks. Loaded up and ready for takeoff, in blew a sudden storm. Alas, their flight was canceled. Instead of getting their feathers ruffled, they made the best of it with what can set any heart aflutter: a little retail therapy.
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Grilled Turkey Thighs and Garden Potatoes
I was looking to grill chicken thighs, but while I was at the store, the clerk was marking down turkey thighs. I grabbed a couple of packages, froze two and cooked one, along with the remainder of the gold potatoes I dug from the garden. A simple and delicious dinner.
Grilled/Smoked Turkey Thighs
- 2 lbs of turkey thighs
- olive oil
- sage
- salt and pepper
Rub thighs with oil, sage, salt and pepper. Heat grill to 400 degrees and grill for 5 minutes, flip and grill an additional 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue to cook until the internal temperature of 175 degrees. Depending on the thickness of the thigh it can take 15 – 25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving, to bring temp up to 180 degrees.
Roasted Garden Potatoes
- 4 medium gold potatoes (Yukon or other)
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- salt and pepper
- foil (or skillet)
- parchment paper
Scrub potatoes and cut into large cubes. Toss potatoes and onions with oil, butter, salt and pepper.
Make a pan with the foil and place a piece of parchment on the bottom. Add the potatoes and onions, don’t seal.
I grilled along with the thighs above, on the top shelf. They finished up at the same time as the thighs. Crispy and browned on the outside.
Mmm… Chicken
Roast your spatchcocked chicken over a bed of onion, carrots, and potatoes. I dusted the bird with garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.
Instapot OxTail
I’m in the midst of clearing out some long-time freezer cruft and found a few ox tails that were vacuum sealed. “Let’s see what the pressure cooker will do with these” was my first thought. Added carrots, celery, onions, and scallions and placed the frozen ox tails on that bed. I also had some white wine that was past its prime but would work. Various herbs from the bench garden and a can of beef broth went in, then the cooker was set for an hour on high. The veggies were for the gravy and were discarded.
I went ahead and steamed some fresh carrots and potato chunks.
When the pressure was off the pot I cooled the oxtails and pulled the meat off them, not much there, and thickened the sauce. Finally, the meat and veggies ware combined and rewarmed in the gravy. Served with hot rolls. Nom nom!
Random Wildlife
Caught a bobcat on the backyard camera a while back. We just got around to reviewing the SD card the other day and saw him/her – not sure which. We have seen both males and females at various times, and even a fleeting glimpse of a cub once.
