How to Truss a Turkey...

Well, if you live with a boat mechanic, that is...
Then Art had to perform CPR on him, as he was too big to fit under the lid of the pan... He turned out great, however and we ALL enjoyed him! George & Amber are particularly enjoying their new feasts!

I finished the second scarf at the doctor's yesterday. It was great knitting in the waiting room; I do it a lot, as I am sure most knitters do - always carry knitting, you never know when you might be stuck somewhere. Well, I met a young lady, I'd say she was about 6th grade, who is going to learn to knit in school next week. So, she came over and sat next to me and watched. I talked her through garter stitch and the poem, which she immediately learned, but was too shy to actually try it although I offered to let her do a row or two. Then several other people started a discussion about it, how they used to knit, or wanted to learn, etc., then a lady came in and ran right back out to her car to get a scarf to show me. It was very pretty. I had so much fun and completely forgot how miserable I felt. As the lobby emptied, a very nice oriental gentleman came over and inquired about knitting, if it was hard to learn, where he could and so forth. He was very genuine. I hope he does. Laura's "Most Charming Husband" Nate knits and he is so cool!

Today I am making 2 Crock Pot Chickens. One for us (with spices) and one for The Dogs. They've devoured the turkey. It's hard to believe how much they eat!!! We are supplementing with dog food. But, eating is important! Particularly proteins, in George's case and Amber's always been finicky and I am trying to be careful to not throw the balance of attention she gets out of whack. Besides, my Crock Pot Chickenis something I make that Art actually really loves. (Don't tell anybody, it's pretty simple) and he bought me a new Crock for Christmas a few years ago. Having 2 is very handy!

1 Whole Chicken, cleaned, gizzards & excess fat removed
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 TBS SPIKE Seasoning (Available at QFC, Albertson & Online)
1-2 tspPaprika
1/4 cup liquid: white wine, chicken broth, water, etc

(KEEP IN MIND I NEVER MEASURE ANYTHING! Except for the chicken, the above are my best guesses!)

Reserving the majority of your paprika for after the rub, mix your salt and spices in a little bowl ahead of time so you are not handling your containers while handling the chicken. If you want garlic chicken, add garlic, go crazy, add chili powder if you want. If you haven't tried Spike, you really need to!
Here are the secret's: 1. Run you finger under the skin breaking that membrane so you can rub the spices UNDER the skin, against the meat. Crockpots don't brown skin, so most people won't eat it, besides, most folk these days don't eat the skin anyway because that is the main fat source, so season the meat & get the flavors to come out. 2. Place the bird breast side down in the pot. Let the best part of the meat sit in the juices all day while it happily simmers away!
If you are starting early and are going to be eating more than 6 hours later, set your pot on low. If you want to eat sooner, set it on high. Most pots are adjustable, and you can always turn it down.
A word to the wise... Don't add very much liquid. Trust me, it won't run dry! However, you can easily over run your pot and come home to a mess if you put a cup or two of liqiud in when you start. Your bird will add lots of fluid while it cooks, please leave room. You'll want all that juice to make Chicken & Dumplings with the leftovers!
Oh, and don't expect to just pick it up out of the pot. It will be falling off the bones, so get big utensils under it on both sides and lift the bird straight up, over & onto a platter!
Enjoy!