Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast

I was lucky enough to travel back to my home town in Oklahoma to spend Christmas with my family this year.

We had a wonderful time and even got a little snow!

My good friend Michael and adopted member of our family had this amazing apron custom-made for me!

It definitely got me excited to go in the kitchen and prepare our Christmas feast, which included this delicious Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast!!

I made this dish on Thanksgiving a couple of years ago along side my Herb Crusted Turkey Breast and my Mom loved it so much that she specifically requested it for Christmas dinner!

Although you do have to brine it the night before, it’s still super simple to make and only takes about 30 minutes of actual work time to prepare the brine, rub the turkey and make the glaze!

Ingredients (brine)

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup orange juice
• ½ cup kosher salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Ingredients (rub)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp thyme

Ingredients (cranberry glaze)

• 12 oz cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped ginger
• 2 tsp orange zest
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup orange flavor liqueur

Combine all of the brining ingredients in a large container, then place the turkey breast in the brine and place into the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the turkey in the morning and pat dry, then brush with olive oil.

Next, combine the spice rub in a small bowl.

Rub the spices over the turkey and place in a baking dis. Roast the turkey in a 375° oven for one hour.

In the meantime, prepare the cranberry glaze by combining all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Wait for the cranberries to begin bursting, then stir well and allow the glaze to simmer over low heat for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Strain the glaze with a mesh strainer.

Glaze the turkey breast with a basting brush using the strained cranberry glaze.

Serve the strained cranberries on the side as a cranberry sauce for guests to top their turkey with, if so desired!

Place on a platter with a sprig of thyme and a few whole cranberries for a beautifully presented dish!

This turkey is so flavorful, moist and scrumptious!

Hope everyone had a delicious, fun, happy and memorable holiday season!

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Pappas Mexicanos

By now, I’ve mentioned Oklahoma restaurant, Ted’s Escondido, many times on the LLB. From their Frozen Sangria to Homemade Tortillas, Ted’s is always a hit with my family and friends!

Another menu item that I continually drool over is their Pappas Mexicanos, a blend of potatoes, cream, onions and spices make this one delicious potato dish, Mexican style!

I whipped up my version of their tasty taters as a side dish to my Mexican Meatloaf! This turned a traditionally boring meatloaf and potatoes meal into a Mexican Fiesta!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs new potatoes
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1 green bell pepper (diced)
• 1 jalapeño (de-seeded and diced)
• 4 oz can green chilies
• 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup Queso Fresco (not pictured)

Start by peeling and boiling the potatoes.

While they’re boiling away, place the diced bell pepper and jalapeño into a medium skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the onions.  Cook the vegetables until tender and onion is translucent, for about 10 more minutes.

Next, drain the potatoes and whip well with the sour cream using an electric hand mixer.

Next, add the spices, cilantro, green onions and mix well.

Then add the sautéed vegetables, mix and spoon into a casserole dish. Top with the Queso Fresco and place in a 375° oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve garnished with additional cilantro on top!

Check out this plate of Mexican Amazingness!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is Gluten-Free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Songs about Beards, Thunder Basketball and Woodward, OK

It only took 30 seconds of watching their video for me to decide I HAD to meet these guys.  These guys I refer to are the brothers who created the incredibly catchy song about my favorite NBA team and the most famous beard in the nation, “Beard Like Harden“!

For my first interview of the Summer Adventure I hopped in my Moms jeep the morning after OKC Thunder vs. LA Lakers Game 5 and headed to Woodward, Oklahoma.

In the 18 years I lived in Oklahoma I never made the three hour drive down country roads to the town of Woodward, so today I was in for a treat. A new adventure AND an interview with the artists that brought me my new favorite song!

Adventure it was. This is not like a “hop on one highway and be there in 3 hours” kinda drive, it’s more like a “blink and you’ve missed the next road that you were supposed to turn on because they all have 15 signs and they all look the same” kinda drive!

Yes I realize it’s ironic that I can maneuver around Los Angeles with the worst traffic in America but finding my way through the Oklahoma countryside was nearly impossible!

Although the roads were a little difficult to maneuver it was a beautiful drive that took me past the rows and rows of giant windmills (alternative energy, yeah we’re hip in Oklahoma!)

It also took me past many of the animals that make up the majority of the population in Oklahoma… yes, cows… and no I did not tip any!

Three hours later I arrived to meet Chris and Daniel Castor to talk all about “the Beard”, the sweet dance moves in the music video and how the “Beard Like Harden” sensation all came about!  Check out the interview here:

The video for their new original hit song, Came to Play,  is now on YouTube and the song is available for download on iTunes.

Looking forward to keeping in touch with these hometown celebrities to see what they come up with next!

#2 Do a Mud Run

What better place to run through mud than somewhere that naturally has a lot of it, Oklahoma! I found out about the race 2 days before and started scavenging for friends that were not drinking beers and eating hot dogs on the lake for Memorial Day weekend!  Luckily, my long time family friend I like to refer to as my “brother from another mother” and fierce athletic competitor was up for the challenge!

Saturday morning, Jeffrey, myself and my photographer (also known as my Dad!) took off for Ardmore, Oklahoma to complete the Fitness Freak 5K Mud Run.

Got our numbers and in the words of the Dixie Chicks “ready, ready, ready, ready , ready to run!”

Started off strong… then this happened!

and 19 obstacles later…

The climb up the finish line begins and continues…

Good news: when you get to the top, you get to slide down!

And for my favorite picture of the day…

Jeffrey takes a breather at the end while I take advantage of a photo-op and pose!

We received our medals and continued over to the photo wall!

Battle wounds happened, but that’s what a run like this is all about right??

Now it was time to hose down and clean up! Good thing I borrowed my Moms old shoes, do you think she’ll want them back??

I’m going to say probably not!

I would recommend the run to anyone that wants a good challenge!  I will forever lovingly refer to this particular race as the “5K on Crack”!!  If you think running up and over walls in shoes full of mud with dirty water dripping down your back is awesome then this is the race for you!

The “Fitness Freaks” put on the mud run twice a year in May and October, if you’d like to join in the fun, visit their Facebook page for all the details!

#54 Attend an NBA Playoff Game

What an exciting moment, the first check off the bucket list, and I couldn’t imagine a better one to start with!

As I flew back to my hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma on Sunday evening, my good friend and fellow crazed sports fan, Bradie, booked a plane ticket  for her first trip to the great state of Oklahoma to help me complete my first bucket list item!

She flew in Monday morning and the first item of business was well under way, get that girl some Thunder gear! Five shirts later, my Mom, myself and Bradie all had new Thunder gear for the game that night!

I ended up wearing four different Thunder shirts throughout the day! (Can you say wardrobe change much?!)

Following the Thunder shirt shopping spree Bradie and I headed straight for my favorite restaurant in OKC, Ted’s Cafe Escondido for the best frozen sangria I’ve ever had!

We then headed down to “Thunder Alley” which takes place before and during all Thunder games directly in front of the stadium. They have bounce houses and games for kids, plenty of photo ops and of course mingling with fellow Thunder fans!

After meeting up with some friends, getting our tickets and pre-gaming, it was time to Thunder Up, and they don’t call it “Loud City” for nothing!  The stadium was rocking all night!

I have to say that it is SO fun to be the fan of a team whose city is behind them 110%, you can barely go a block in OKC right now without seeing a Thunder flag, shirt, banner or painted building supporting the team!

Thunder pulled out a huge win over the Lakers to win the Round Two series 4:1 and advance to the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.

I am so excited that I actually get to check this bucket list item off TWICE because my good friend Garrick is taking me to Game 3 in OKC on Thursday night! Can’t wait to Thunder Up again in Loud City!

This also means I need another Thunder shirt… or 4

I should probably call up my new friends at Fish Water Tees. The “Beat LA” shirt seen above was given to me after the game by the owner of the company who I met in the “Floor Seat Club”. If you want one for yourself, visit his site at www.FishWaterTees.com.