Reset Week (A Week of Healthy Eating)

I mentioned in my 101 things in 1,001 days post about doing what I call a Reset Week. This is a habit that I started last year. As someone who likes to eat...a lot...and now eats a wide variety of things that I didn't before, I've decided that I need to give my body a break once in a while. I have done juice fasts before, which are fine. After the last one I finished, it was hard to incorporate solid food again, even when I added things back slowly.

Then I got an idea. Why don't I just cut out some of the foods that I'd like to cut back on for a week (more like five to six days) instead of cutting out solid food altogether? I would begin to think again about how I am eating and remind myself of how to eat healthier. In a way, I would be resetting my eating patterns.

During a Reset Week, beginning on a Sunday or Monday, I refrain from the following until I have a nice, triumphant dinner on Friday night:

No Meat

No Dairy

No Sweets/Dessert (including sugar sweeteners. I try to use agave nectar)

No Alcohol

No Caffeine

and probably something else I'm forgetting as I write this

Essentially, I become a non-drinking vegan for about a week. I also try to eat more fruits and veggies than I normally do already. To be quite honest, it's not as hard as I thought it would be. The easiest for me is refraining from caffeine since I rarely drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages, including soda. No meat is fine since I was a pescetarian (a fish eating vegetarian) for years and used to it, and I'm not big into dairy (except for cheese...I LURVE cheese).

Surprisingly, the sweets have gotten to be the hardest for me. These days I tend to like a little something small and sweet after dinner. During these weeks, I'll drink Vanilla Almond milk as my sweet fix. It's sweetened with cane juice, but I guess it could be worse.

I know many of you are thinking "What's left to eat?" Well, here's a sampling of the things I eat during a Reset Week:

Breakfast

-Vanilla Soy Probiotic Yogurt with apple, berries or some other seasonal fruit, sprinkled with ground flax seeds or flax meal

-Steel Cut Oatmeal with drizzle of agave nectar and banana, apples or berries mixed in

I usually use McCanns Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal because steel cut oats tend to take longer to cook. These take way less time than normal to make.

-Fruit smoothie with almond milk and flax meal

Snacks

-Most nuts (especially walnuts, and almonds are my favorite) are fine. I avoid salted ones though.

-Rice cakes (I like the Lundberg whole grain ones with little to no salt)

-Fruit (I find apples are filling and a great source of fiber)

-Lots of herbal decaf tea (unsweetened or a little agave nectar)

-Lots and lots of water (I like adding big hunks of fresh lemon)

Lunch

Lunch is usually a salad or leftovers from the night before. Here's one of my favorite salads from this summer:

I like to use spinach for my greens, so I've already got one good veggie. This salad also has beets, artichoke hearts, yellow peppers and carrots. For a protein kick, I would add chickpeas, sunflower seeds or maybe some tofu. Go light on the dressing, or just use a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar.

Dinner

I usually try stay away from some of the more processed vegetarian "meats" and patties in favor of things like beans, quinoa, seitan, and tofu (I've been trying not to depend on soy very much for protein). Here are few dishes that I will probably be eating this week.

-Santa Fe Quinoa Salad with steamed veggies or sauteed kale

Here's some of the Santa Fe Quinoa Salad I made during last summer's Reset Week

In the summer, I love Spicy Quinoa, Tomato & Avocado Salad.

-Seitan Stir Fry with Sesame Ginger Sauce

I love seitan. Have you ever had mock meats at various vegetarian restaurants? Well, seitan/wheat gluten are the basis of many of those "meats." Those who are allergic to gluten might want to avoid seitan, but you know more about gluten allergies than me. Like tofu, seitan takes on the flavors of what it's cooked with.

Seitan right out of the bag. Not necessarily pretty, I know

For this dish, I don't make my own stir fry sauce (Sigh..I know I should). I just try not to get too heavy handed. In the pic below, I did. Oops!

Seitan with bok choy (Chinese cabbage), carrots and peppers and Whole Foods sesame ginger sauce

So that's my Reset Week in a nutshell. I know that I indulged a lot this past holiday season, so it's nice to start the year off with a renewed look at how to eat healthfully. I'll be doing this at least three more times this year. If I try any new recipes, I'll be sure to share.

Are you looking to eat healthier this year? What steps are you taking to do so? Do you have any healthy recipes that you'd like to share?

McCann's Quick & Easy Steel Cut Oats

A Recipe for Ujima on Kwanzaa Culinarians

Today is the third day of Kwanzaa. While I know that many people don't celebrate the holiday or think it's even a "real" holiday, I don't believe that it should be ignored. Why? Well, I may not agree on many ideas espoused by the founder, Dr. Maulana Karenga, I think he's done a great thing here. By creating a celebration focused on principles, I think he's adding a grounding aspect to a season that often can be filled with excess (financial or otherwise).

I was very flattered to be asked to write a piece for the Kwanzaa Culinarians site for today's Kwanzaa principle of Ujima.

Ujima stands for Collective Work and Responsibility.

Here's a link to my post featuring one of my favorite Antiguan dishes and a discussion of how it relates to Ujima.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I shouldn't be blogging right now. I should actually be cooking, but I wanted to make sure that I whipped out a post to say "Happy Thanksgiving" to those of you celebrating today.

I was thinking about the idea of passing the baton this week. My mother-in-law and godmother will both be here today. I know that they have both put a lot of blood, sweat and tears over the course of the last 30 years to make sure that Husband J and I had nice Thanksgivings. I'd say that some of the first things that I am thankful for are FAMILY and happy holiday memories. I let one bring a dessert and one is bringing a side dish, but that's it. They've done their time, and I am forever grateful to them. It's now time for them to rest ('cause I ain't. I am sooo tired) and enjoy their later holiday years. I'm happy to accept the baton and the opportunity and the ability to be able to create new holiday memories for my still very new family in its various forms. Thanks to my Mom (who is still baking. I'm not there yet completely), my godmother and my mother-in-law for their hard work. I got this now (I think. Y'all need to pray for me that Fred II, my turkey, comes out okay).

(source)

Fred II is supposed to look something like this by early afternoon. No pomegranates though.

This year has been an odd one, but even with all of the weird, annoying, stressful things that have happened, I am so very thankful for all of it. I love the concept of being refined through our trials. I already see some better things about myself having gone through some of the things I have (vague alert!).

I am super thankful for Husband J 'cause he keeps me going even if I was soo jealous that he got to sit on the couch and watch his DVR'ed shows last night. Marry a partner who can cook, everyone. ;) Just kidding, sweetie!! Love you!

Lastly, I am thankful for you all. I have to admit that there was a moment a few months ago, when I wanted to stop blogging. I think it was the same day that someone said something over e-mail (or was it a tweet?). They said that I had inspired them in some way to get out there, to see something new, to experience something different. As much as I do this 'cause I enjoy it, I do it so that people will dream a little bigger, even if it's just by seeing some pretty pictures on a screen about some faraway place. I just want to say that I am thankful for you all, my little community here on the interwebs. Thanks for keeping me going.

Anyhoo, this is way too long, way too much stream of consciousness and probably because I am waaay too tired. :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

It's Coming...

Yup. We're a week away from one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, food holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a huge holiday here in the U.S. (if you didn't know), and it is THE time to get busy/jiggy with it in the kitchen.

Last year, I hosted my first Thanksgiving, and everything came out well, if I do say so myself. ;) My own mother, one of the best home cooks and bakers I know, was moved to call me the next day to tell me how much she enjoyed the meal. I was beyond flattered (more like floored. That is major props in my book), and I felt like I'd arrived. You can take a look at some parts of the meal from last year here.

Last night I took some time to get my menu together. Here it is below. I feel like I'm missing something though. I need one more side. What would you include? What's one of your best go-to Thanksgiving recipes or favorite dishes? I have to warn you that I'm not really into green bean casserole or pearl onions, so anything else is welcome. :)

TAO Thanksgiving Menu

Turkey

Tofurky

Roasted Fall Vegetables with Fresh Herbs

Greens of some sort (TBD)

Mac & Cheese

Sweet Potato Casserole

Fig & Almond Stuffing (may change to another stuffing)

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Dessert (my Mom is in charge of desserts)

Sweet Potato Pie

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pecan Pie

What am I missing? I can't wait to see what you suggest! Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

Bertolli, Fabio Viviani, Meal Soups & Me

If you follow me on Twitter (and I hope you do, if not, click the little birdie on the right. I am a prolific tweeter for better or worse), you'll know that earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend a really wonderful event sponsored by Bertolli to promote their new Meal Soups with special guest, chef and two-time Top Chef contestant, Fabio Viviani. This was my first invitation to attend a food related event by a major company, so I kinda felt a little special. Cue the "Jeffersons" theme song (Movin' on Up....).

I thought I was going to be in a large room full of lots of press and wall-to-wall people where I could retreat into a corner and shove food into my face. Instead, I walk into this small, intimate wonderfully lit room full of bread, antipasto and friendly people. You guys, I met such wonderful bloggers at this event (more on them later), and I was just a feet away from Fabio Viviani, who is probably one of my top ten favorite Top Chefs ever (I think my favorite of all time is Carla Hall, who is probably the long lost sister of my friend, Big Mitts).

Of course, there was plenty of great antipasto for noshing and meeting people.

Amazing bread and wine....

Focaccia & Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio

After a speech from a rep from Bertolli/Unilever, we saw a little introductory video about the Meal Soups. Chef Michael Christiansen, who essentially develops many of Bertolli's products from the chef's perspective, takes us through how they created the soups. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and is actually a really nice, down-to-earth guy from New Jersey. We had a great conversation that evening.

Essentially, these soups are the frozen componets of what you would make homemade except now you just add some water, bring to a boil, then let it simmer until all of the components are hot. Pretty quick and easy.

After the video, we proceeded into this lovely kitchen and had a demonstration of how the hearty soups really work and learned a little more about the production process. Fabio & Chef Mike tried to do a cook off to see who could make an actual soup in the time allotted. Of course, Chef Mike's Bertolli version won.

Chef Mike showing us the frozen version of the soup. It's essentially all cubed at first.

Here's an actual video of both Fabio & Chef Mike speaking about the soups. I will say that Fabio does give a decent explanation for why people skeptical of frozen anything should try the Meal Soups. Fabio is a VERY good salesman. BTW, excuse my camera angles! This was taken with my Iphone.

BertolliFabioViviani from TAOTerri on Vimeo.

After the short talk, we were able to try some of the soups with wine pairings.

Chicken Rotini (roasted white meat, pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and celery in chicken broth)

Tomato Florentine (Cheese filled tortellini, white meat chicken, spinach and tomatoes in a tomato bisque) I think this one was a big hit. I was too busy scarfing to take a pic earlier.

So, I'm sure you all want to know my opinion, right? I will start by saying that you all know that I don't shill for anyone, so this is really my opinion. You guys, this stuff is actually good! Like I cleaned my bowl good. I wouldn't have been able to tell that it came from anything frozen. I know sometimes in the winter, especially, I am scrambling to find something to make on a weeknight, or I've run out of groceries. I could totally see me having one of these soups for a quick meal. While I am a proponent of eating things that are made from fresh veggies, etc., I don't mind taking short cuts when I need to. I also read the ingredient label, and I could pronounce everything. That's a good sign.

There was even someone serenading us with Italian opera favorites.

Luckily, dessert was not left out. Woo hoo!

I LOVE a good cannolli

You know that I was too happy to see some tiramisu.

As I mentioned before, all the bloggers there were sooo nice. It was really great to connect to food bloggers, especially those that cook since I am not a cooking blogger. Bloggers are really cool people (If I do say so myself). :)

from left to right: Rachel of Laptops & Stovetops, Dana of Dana's Food for Thought & me

Finally, the honored guest, Fabio and I actually had a few conversations during the night. I asked him about the whole Domino's thing. He mentioned that they wanted him as a consultant and that his role was to teach them about sourcing ingredients and how to make pizzas in a more authentic way. Hey, I'm not mad at Fabio for working for the big guys like Bertolli and Domino's. Do you, buddy! I can actually say that Fabio is exactly like he is on Top Chef: very genuine, charming, funny and the accent is totally real. Just kidding, Fabio. ;)

What a night! I'm waiting for New York City to finally cool down, so I can make the soup I got to take home.

Happy Weekend!

Disclosure: As usual, I didn't get paid for this post or links in any way, but a stomach full of good soup, meeting nice people, and hobnobbing with Fabio was payment enough.

Summer Dinner - Swordfish & Green Bean Slaw

Here's another simple dinner from me. As I mentioned before, the summer makes me want to flee the kitchen rather than hunker down to cook anything complicated. I made this dinner the day before our meal at River Cafe (we can't eat out all of the time!).

Clockwise: (Broiled) swordfish, corn, green bean slaw

Swordfish - I know many people are intimidated by cooking fish, but I don't think it has to be hard. Actually I find it easier than cooking red meat, since you can only cook it for so long. For this swordfish, I keep it simple (I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but it's true).

1. Light the broiler :) (I wish I owned a grill)

2. Season the swordfish with salt and pepper

3. Add a little pat of butter (not too much). I know it's butter, but I like it.

Olive spray works well, too.

4. Put under the broiler for about 15 minutes maybe more depending on the thickness of the swordfish.

Obviously, this is not super clear and depends on a lot on just experimenting over time, but this is what I do. I'm definitely not a recipe blogger. :)

Green Bean Slaw - I got the recipe here. The hardest thing about this was cutting the veggies into a nice julienne. It was really that easy. You may want to halve the recipe as I had leftovers for days. If you're planning a late summer barbecue, this would be a great veggie side dish.

Corn - again, simply boiling for 10-12 minutes or so should do the trick. I wish I had a grill for the corn. One day...

Are you intimidated by cooking fish, red meat or anything else?

Summer Dinner - Chipotle Shrimp Tostada

A cooking post? From me? Well, I guess I should try to branch out just a little....

Sunday tends to be our big sit down meal in the TAO household, since Husband J's weekday hours can be a little unpredictable. 9.5 times out of 10 we're home on Sunday nights, and that's when I try new things in the kitchen. Since it's summer, I try to find recipes that are simple, emphasize what's in season, and don't require much time standing over a hot stove.

Chipotle Shrimp Tostada

A very hastily taken picture with my phone amidst bad background lighting.

Here's the recipe.

In some respects, this is probably not the most healthy main dish in the world. The tortilla is fried, and there is some sour cream involved (hangs head in shame). I'm wondering if it might be healthier with whole wheat tortillas. Do you think there was another way to make the tortillas extra crispy without frying them?

Also the amount of chipotle that this recipe calls for results in a pretty decent bite. You might want to reduce the amount, if you don't like very much spice.

I didn't forget the sides.

More phone pics! Left: asparagus/ right: corn

I served some asparagus and corn. For the asparagus I toss in olive oil with salt and pepper (I use the salt and pepper from my grinders because I like the crunchy specks of salt and pepper), and pop them under the broiler for about 10 minutes. I don't like them under there too long because they lose crunch. I'm not a fan of mushy, overcooked veggies. Corn is just boiled for a short time. I find that 10-12 minutes usually does the trick. If it's a good piece of corn, then it won't need butter or anything else.

That's it. I know I tend to be the "non-recipe post" kind of food blogger. I just thought I would mix things up a bit. If you liked this, please let me know in the comments section. Maybe I will write more about what I cook on Sunday evenings.

Happy Weekend!

Project Dinner Party - I Need Your Help

Hey, everyone! I am back from L.A. I'm having some "issues" as they relate to computer access(nothing mechanical just some other things), so posting may be light this week. Hopefully, it won't. In the mean time, please see below 'cause I need your help!


Remember when I mentioned that I wanted to entertain more this year? Well, we've started already trying to stick to our goals in the Try Anything Once household. This upcoming weekend, Husband J and I are going to be hosting a dinner party for some of Husband J's work friends/colleagues. To be honest, I've very rarely cooked for people that I don't know very well. Usually if you're a friend, and we've hung out before, you most likely like me; and so you won't care if I screw up a meal. :) Luckily, I haven't screwed up a meal YET! Our invited guests are coming from Manhattan on a what will presumably be a cold weekend night, I've never met them, these are people who see Husband J everyday. I want to make a good impression and not serve them garbage. Can you tell?


You all have been helpful in the past, so I'd love to hear what you think about whatI should do for this dinner party. Just to let you know, it will be Husband J and me as well as four other couples. The only dietary restrictions that I know of are no shellfish for one guy. So far, I haven't gotten any indications that there are any vegetarians. So.....


1. Mini-Buffet vs. One Pot Meal - When we entertained for a crowd the last time, I made several small dishes and had everyone dig into whatever they wanted. If you wanted a ton of chicken or roasted vegetables, then you could create the meal you wanted. I'm leaning towards this since there will probably be a variety of palates, and I want to cover my bases. The other option is making a large main dish that will probably include a veggie and protein and then make an accompaniment (rice, couscous, maybe some other pasta). The benefit of this of course is way less work for me. That being said, it's less variety for my guests. I know entertaining should be easy breezy, but I like the idea of having a little something for everyone.


2. Disposable Plates vs. Real Plates - Husband J suggested that we buy disposable plates instead of using what we've got here. Honestly we're all adults here; our guest count is pretty manageable; and we have a dish washer. If I clean up throughout the cooking process, it's not going to be that bad. I want to use real plates, but um...I don't think we've got a full set of ten. Er...Even our pretty china we inherited is only service for eight people. Perhaps maybe we just get some upscale disposable ones like these below?

(source for all images)

3. Sure, Guest, You Can Bring.....- I know that people want to give the hosts a little something upon arriving. I usually ask for dessert or wine. I would feel awful though if someone dropped money on dessert and then someone else bought some bargain, but very good, Trader Joe's wine. Should I not be worried about that? Should I coordinate? Of course this is all 'cause this is a new group of people. If it was just my friends, I'd surely tell them what to do. :)

Let me know what you think! Am I over thinking everything?

Conquering My Fear of My Kitchen Aid Mixer #1 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Upside-Down Cake

Everyone, I have a small kitchen; and there is just not room to get jiggy with it in the kitchen appliance department. I was lucky enough to get a generous gift of a Kitchen Aid mixer as a wedding present. I think I've used it maybe a handful of times. The reason is because it intimidates me. You can kill someone with it 'cause it's so heavy, and there are so many functions for it that it boggles my mind. Give me five buttons and basic instructions, and I'm set.

Now add my fear of my Kitchen Aid mixer to the bewildering activity that is baking. I acknowledge that I am not a baker. I've barely ever baked from scratch. I can figure out how to cook something or follow a new recipe and make changes as necessary while cooking almost anything (case in point: Fred the Turkey). You can't really do that in baking. You THINK you're doing the right thing, and you're really not.

I've decided to try to bake more except I have no idea who's going to be eating any of this since I don't regularly work in an office at the moment (and I can't spare the calories). I can still drop some things off for my office mates when I do go into the office, right? I think someone has already agreed to be a guinea pig for me. Sucker! :)

Here is my nemesis..oops...I mean my mixer:

I'm boring and just went with the basic black. It goes with everything!

Can you see the dust that accumulated on the mixing paddle? Probably not, but there is dust. I use this mixer so much! Not.

I'm not going to show you the steps I took to make this chocolate peanut butter banana upside-dow cake primarily because I didn't take pictures at each step. I mean this post is really to get some sympathy and maybe some encouragement to bake more (also to make fun of myself, which I enjoy). If you are interested in the recipe, here it is.

All of the ingredients laid out. The Pepto-Bismol on the right side of this pic was not supposed to be there. Husband J was emerging from a very bad stomach flu. Luckily, his sickness was not due to my baking.

Mixing sugar and butter. Baking fascinates me. You take these ingredients, and they take on a whole new shape and consistency. Well, duh!

Can you tell by what I decided to take pictures of that I am fascinated by making my own cake mix? I am odd.

Okay, hello! I melted chocolate chips myself ('cause I misread the recipe and got chips instead of regular chocolate)!! Can I get some props for some technique, please? Thanks in advance. :)

After lots of other steps that I didn't document, it was time for this bad boy to go into the oven.

Finally out of the oven and ready to cool, but there is one thing left to do:

This is an upside-down cake, so I've got to flip it. Of course, I choose a totally hard core baking project, but why not aim high?

The banana caramelized pretty nicely, huh? It looks like the picture online!

Well, the cake kinda looked pretty, but it didn't really taste all that great. IT WAS DRY...like the Sahara. Sigh...Once you got past the part with the banana towards the top, it was just not moist. The parts with the banana tasted great with the pieces of chunky peanut butter. I am going to give myself A for effort, but that's it. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and you laughed (it's okay to laugh at me). For those of you who bake, how did you learn? Trial and error? Where do you get your baking recipes and inspiration?

Food Porn Friday - Thanksgiving Dinner

Hello, all!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to my readers in the U.S.! I would have sent out well wishes yesterday but hosting Thanksgiving dinner even for just the six of us took a lot out of me.

Just to let you know, Fred, our turkey, came out great. I didn't brine. I was freaked a little about even cooking the turkey (could you tell?), and there was just no way that I could even find space to brine Fred. Small NYC apartment kitchens just don't really have the size of refrigerator that allows for a turkey in a bucket. Do you want to see what my refrigerator looked like very late Wednesday night?

No bucket full of turkey and brine is fitting in there!

I was looking forward to the holiday for using our fancy dishes. My very cool mother-in-law passed down to us some of Husband J's grandmother's china. We didn't register for china, and I am glad that we didn't because we got the most fabulous Mid-century Modern pieces the following Christmas. My mother-in-law also gifted us with flatware she found from antique shop in her town last Christmas too.

Our table setting. I guess gold flatware may look a little blingy, but I like it.

Let's talk dinner! Here's the spread we had for Thanksgiving:

Turkey & Tofurky with stuffing (regular old instant stuffing was cooked in the bird)

I still have yet to taste the Tofurky (my Mom said it was good.) I prefer dark meat, and I thought it came out quite well. The stuffing on the right is one of the two I offered. I'll get to to the other one.

Fresh cranberry sauce. I've never had this before, but I enjoyed the taste and it's extremely easy to make. Plus, I finally got to use the sauce boat we got for a wedding present!

Shitake Mushroom Stuffing

My Mom's Mac + Cheese, a personal favorite.

My mother-in-law's quiche-like dish with spinach, ricotta, peppers, olives, etc.

I forgot to take pictures of the sweet potato casserole with marshmallows! :( That went pretty quickly. It wasn't like my godmother's, but I have to admit I think I might like mine better. :)

I didn't forget veggies.

Braised Greens (in this case collards) with Tomatoes. A lot of people seemed to like this.

Roasted vegetables with herbs.

By dessert I was pretty tired, and I didn't get to take pictures of everything. We had a pumpkin pie that I made, which I still have not eaten; my Mom's great sweet potato pie, and her newest creation, pumpkin cheesecake with pecan topping. AMAZING! This might be my new favorite dessert my Mom makes.

So that was our Thanksgiving dinner. I have to say after making my first one I feel this major sense of accomplishment. My Mom really enjoyed it, and I feel like "I arrived" in her eyes when it comes to cooking. She looked kinda proud. Mission accomplished! :)

Welcome to the holiday season, everyone and Happy Weekend!

You, Jive Turkey!

For those of you in the U.S., you know that Thanksgiving is a week away. This Thanksgiving will be the first time that I have the duties of cooking dinner. I made last year's Christmas dinner, and I think it went over well except this time things are different. Unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving is all about the food and not just one type of food...TURKEY! Granted, I'm also trying some other dishes out that I've never done before, but nothing gives me the willies like knowing that I have to provide the quintessential Thanksgiving culinary showpiece.

(source)

Yes, I have already expressed my latent anxiety about cooking a really large bird. Plus, I'm not just cooking for Husband J. I am also cooking for my mother and mother-in-law, two formidable cooks. I'm sure that my mother will be watching how I handle myself with keen interest. Ha!

The only problem with cooking a turkey is that EVERYONE has got their own way of doing it. Here are some of the techniques that I've heard so far:

Cook in a bag!

Put bacon all over it!

Rub butter on the skin!

Grill it!

Brine it!

It's like turkey information overload!

I've asked my mother-in-law and my Mom to write out how they make turkey, so I can see which technique I'm going to use. This weekend is about strategizing and getting over myself. I mean, it's just turkey, right? :)

So are any of you taking on major holiday cooking responsibilities this year? What's your approach? Also just to confuse myself, how do YOU cook your turkey?