Hi friends, there’s no video for this week, but I promise to get back in broadcasting mode next week.
Last week I saw a post on Facebook that I thought was worthy of sharing. Originally posted by Tee Kim on November 22, 2020, an image of a Starbucks sign speaks volumes about the fragility that many of us are feeling but aren’t always willing to consider in those we encounter.
I wasn’t alone in appreciating the message of Tee’s post. Since its original publication, the post has been shared over 119,000 times and liked/loved/cared for over 6,500 times. The thing that strikes me the most about this message of kindness is just how many people believe we need to be aware of the situations of others. The tough part is we are supposed to be aware of one another’s fragility while maintaining social distancing, wearing our masks, getting holiday deals, and holding in our own emotional rodeos.
2020 has been a rough year on most of us. A lot of people want to forget the year ever happened, so I thought I’d give the December 2020 Positivity Challenge a crazy spin. Instead of thinking about a New Year’s resolution for January 2021, I challenge you to make an Old Year’s Resolution.
That’s right, an Old Year’s Resolution! I challenge you to set a goal or envision yourself taking on a new skill, talent, or outlook for 2020. For the rest of December work harder on helping the year end on a positive note than you normally do on the usual weight loss or decluttering resolutions of new years past.
Take this Old Year’s Resolution seriously!
Think of what you pictured 2020 looking like. Remember the resolutions or goals you set for yourself and grab onto one of those dreams, goals, or ambitions. Work your darndest to make that objective a reality as you wrap up this craziest of years.
Don’t let this be the way you move into a new year.
Here are some examples:
For the next 24 days, cut out the sugars and carbs you have always said you should.
For the next 24 days, send a Thank You text or card to someone for whom you are grateful.
For the next 24 days, work out for 25 minutes while you watch your favorite tv show.
Here is the 2nd installation of “Turkey 30 Ways.” These are all turkey recipes that my family enjoys and I hope you will too!
11th Way: Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Turkey
Ingredients: 2 lb. turkey breast chunks, 1 Tblsp olive oil, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup soy sauce
Steps:
Mix pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce in a bowl.
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Lightly brown turkey in skillet before adding to crockpot.
Place turkey in crockpot and cover with pineapple juice mixture.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with warmed rice.
***If the dish looks too soupy, fry turkey and sauce in skillet until sauce is at a light boil. Boil until it thickens.
12th Way: Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Turkey
Ingredients: For the turkey: 2 lbs. turkey breast cut into chunks, sea salt and black pepper to taste, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 2 large eggs beaten, 1/4 cup olive oil
For the sauce: 1/2 cup brown sugar packed, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp garlic minced
Steps:
In a large bowl, whisk sauce ingredients until well blended.
In a separate bowl, season turkey with salt and pepper. Add cornstarch and eggs. Mix until turkey is coated with egg and cornstarch batter.
Heat olive oil in large skillet and cook turkey until it is golden brown, usually 4-5 minutes.
Put turkey in crockpot and cover with the sauce. Stir evenly until turkey is coated.
Cook 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Serve over warm rice or noodles.
13th Way: Cashew Turkey Stir-fry
Ingredients: 1 lb. turkey breast sliced into thin strips, 1 clove garlic minced, 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms, 1 medium green pepper sliced, 1 cup carrots thinly sliced, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp. granulated sugar, 1 Tblsp cornstarch, 1 cup chicken broth, 4 Tblsp vegetable oil, 3 scallions sliced, hot cooked rice, 3/4 cup cashew nuts
Steps:
In small bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and chicken broth. Set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet. Cook turkey in oil until done.
Add garlic, green peppers, mushrooms, carrots, and scallions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir frequently to keep from uneven cooking.
Lower heat and stir in sauce. Cook until sauce thickens.
Serve over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle with cashew nuts.
***I like to add my cashews before plating. Having a little extra sauce on the cashews is extra yummy.
14th Way: Apricot Turkey
Ingredients: 2 lb. turkey breast sliced 1 – 2 inches thick, 1 – 10 oz. jar of apricot preserves, 1 bottle Russian dressing, 1 package instant Onion Soup Mix, 1/4 cup flour
Steps:
Coat turkey breast with flour and place in 9×13 baking dish.
Mix preserves, dressing, and Onion Soup Mix in a small bowl.
Pour preserve mixture over turkey breasts.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
There are two scenarios for this holiday season that come to mind when I think of what’s worthy of effort.
Scenario 1: Putting up Christmas decorations, particularly outdoor lights, is a tough job. It requires precarious positioning of one’s self while attempting to securely attach, mount, or hang the lights in a way that is both esthetically pleasing and able to withstand potential blizzards. Once the lights are in place and any necessary medical attention has been sought, the display of glowing Christmas spirit can warm even the coldest of Grinch hearts. Was it easy to get those eight pre-lit reindeer with Santa’s sleigh AND the inflatable Snoopy snow globe on the roof? No. Could you ever imagine the amount of time it would take to assemble your Made-in-China nativity using words that baby Jesus should never have heard? No. But you do it anyway, and it’s worth every watt of energy and effort because you are letting ALL your Christmas lights shine.
Scenario 2: The second scenario of the season is a bit tougher. As our world continues to battle the COVID crisis, I encourage you to envision a holiday where you loosen your hold on what tradition says we MUST do to make Christmas happen.
2020 has felt like a year that would never end, and yet, I experienced a slight panic realizing today is the last day of November. Where did the year go?
While much of my time has been spent at home, I hope my efforts were impactful outside the boundaries of our family and farm. I volunteer as library lady two afternoons a week at my children’s school and am a lector and song leader at church. In spite of hell and high water, my friends and I work sporadic lunches, happy hours, and lengthy, meme-filled text messages into our chaotic schedules. Making weekly phone calls and sending cards manifests my desire to keep connected with those I love, but I continue to wonder if it’s enough. Do you ever feel the same?
Living on a turkey farm, we eat a lot of turkey and have gotten pretty creative with preparations of our favorite protein. People often ask for my recipes (especially other turkey farming families), so I decided to share my top 30 ways for preparing turkey.
30 recipes in one post is a bit too much (even for me) to digest. I plan to share these recipes in a series starting off with the simplest and most tried-and-true forms.
Now some of these recipes may not be mind-blowingly, new ideas, but they are ways that my family enjoys turkey. Most are easy recipes that do not require unusual ingredients or too much prep time.
1st Way: Fried Turkey Breast
Ingredients: 1 lb. sliced or cubed turkey breast, 2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups vegetable oil
Steps: 1. Season sliced or cubed turkey with salt and pepper. 2. Toss turkey in flour until fully coated. 3. Heat vegetable oil in non-stick pan 350° F. 4. Place coated turkey into hot oil, flip every 2-3 minutes until completely brown or until juices run clear from meat. Avoid over-cooking or turkey will be dry.
2nd Way: Grilled Turkey Breast
Ingredients: turkey breast sliced 1/2″ to 1″ in thickness, marinade or desired seasoning
Steps: 1. Set uncooked turkey in marinade overnight (if possible). If overnight isn’t an option, allow turkey to marinade or be seasoned for as long as possible before placing on the grill. 2. Heat grill to 350-400° F. Lightly grease grill surface and add marinated/seasoned turkey. 3. Close lid and cook 8 minutes, or until bottoms are browned with sear marks. 4. Rotate turkey and close lid 5. Reduce heat to medium and cook 7-10 minutes more, or until internal temperature reaches 165° F.
*Our favorite marinades are Italian dressing or Lawry’s Hawaiian marinade.
3rd Way: Turkey Ka-bobs
Ingredients: turkey breast cubed 1″ to 1 1/2″ squares, marinade or seasoning, skewers (metal or wooden), mushrooms, baby tomatoes, diced bell peppers, pineapple chunks, onion slices, pretty much any vegetable or meat that you like on a ka-bob.
Steps: 1. Set uncooked turkey in marinade overnight (if possible). If overnight isn’t an option, allow turkey to marinade or be seasoned for as long as possible before placing on the grill. 2. Assemble ka-bobs by alternately adding turkey and vegetables or other marinated meats (beef, lamb, shrimp, etc.) to the skewers *If using wooden skewers, soak skewers in water for an hour before adding meat and veggies.* 3. Heat grill to 350-400° F. Lightly grease grill surface and add ka-bobs. 4. Rotate ka-bobs every 2-3 minutes and close lid. 5. Cook for 6-10 minutes until turkey is cooked through ***Adding additional meats will impact the cooking time***
“Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys.”
Holding in the things that bother us and keeping big problems to ourselves can be detrimental to our health and relationships. A constant spewing of our issues can also cause others to be desensitized to our downfalls. On the other hand, shedding light on what makes us shine brightens the world around us. Tooting our own horns is a healthy way to say “Woohoo!” when we do something great, but can make us come across as cocky. We have to find a balance between what makes us rant and what makes us rave.
As we enter a holiday season unlike any we’ve experienced, let’s take stock of all that is good and worthy of appreciation. Celebrate the talents and skills that make us successful and unique. Set our weaknesses and shortcomings aside. (You are probably the only one who notices these anyway.) Quit throwing pity parties and start throwing “I’m a Bad Ass”bashes.
I guess you could say I am grateful for opportunity this week because I am embracing two new ventures with Intentergy. First, I am starting a Monday’s Message video series with my new YouTube Channel. Please give my video a watch and let me know what you think or let me know if you have any suggestions for upcoming Monday Messages.
Second, I am starting a feature called “From the Farmer’s Table.” I plan to use this feature to share recipes from my own kitchen. This week I am beginning a three part series on ways to make turkey. We eat A LOT of turkey here on the farm and I’m sharing our 30 favorite ways to fry, bake, grill, or crockpot turkey. I’ve cleverly called the series “Turkey 30 Ways.” I hope you will try and enjoy the recipes. Let me know how they turn out!
With Thanksgiving in the forefront of our focus, reminding ourselves that there is always, always, always something to be grateful for is important. Not only because we have many blessings in our lives, but because we can also be positive reminders for others. We have the opportunity to help them remember they have much to be thankful for.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read Intentergy! I hope you know that your support is something I am sincerely grateful for. Please comment and let me know for what you are most grateful or how you help others remember to be thankful.
By: Melanie A. Peters
P.S. Putting a video of myself out there is terrifying. Thank you for being here for me!
Forget seek. I just want to hide. I really, really just want to hide. No need to seek me out. I will be okay. I just need to disappear for a bit.
Have you ever sat in your car after turning it off and not gotten out? Did you let the quiet sound of car cooling and silence envelop you? It’s sort of magical, until your family realizes you are out there and bum-rushes the vehicle forcing you to begrudgingly get out.
As we navigate the noise of working from home and distance learning with our kiddos, the drone of electronic devices is deafening, the chaos all-consuming, and the need for privacy imperative. Sometimes I take out the trash, just to take in a minute of peace. (Of course the dog always joins me, but at least he’s usually glad to see me and never asks anything but for a belly rub.)
Discipline – the classic struggle between what we want right now and what we want most.
Abraham Lincoln was an expert on making tough choices based on what he wanted most. He built a career and defined a nation by working for what he knew was necessary to unite our peoples and continue to establish America as a world power. After all how could a nation divided be the most powerful country in the world?
Discipline is something that many feel is a violation of their rights. They believe that if they want to do something, go somewhere, buy something, or say anything, it’s not “fair” to have to work for it or take into consideration the impacts their impulses will have on the big picture for their lives and what they want beyond that moment in time. The demand for instant gratification and knee-jerk reactions to the work and words of others has cast an ugly shadow over what we really need and want as a society.
Intentergy 