Use it up!

Otherwise known as "waste not, want not." God instructs us to be stewards over the earth:

God blessed them, saying: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.

With these words, we are given the gift of God's own work. Not a one of us is worthy.

In exploring these themes in the CGS atrium, in our Bible studies and in our prayer life, my son and I have been doing all we can to use the gifts with which God has blessed US. Carefully, judiciously, always putting relationships with people first.

Well, in the food world - I got brave this year. And I cooked up the turkey gizzards too. In past years I have saved them for other people. I still had two packages in the freezer from several months ago, so I added them too. Wow, that was a LOT of meat! By the time I cooked it all down and shredded off all the meat from the next, that was more than enough for the gravy, but I kept going! I chopped up all the parts and mixed them back in, except the liver which I tasted and still couldn't stand (a stray piece still got in and I had it in leftovers on Saturday - even with lots of water and lots of delicious leftovers, it still left a nasty taste in my mouth for about 2 hours). So that is back in the fridge for something else (I'm up for ideas!).

And oh MY! Did the gravy have way too much meat (keep in mind this was gizzards times 3 ;))

[caption id="attachment_986" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is room temp - so congealed, but it's barely runnier as warmed up gravy! "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_987" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Small pot: rest of the neck bones; large pot: rest of the turkey bones"][/caption]

Yes, that is a plastic bin for the turkey you see - it is one of two last pieces of plastic in my kitchen (my spatula handles are a hard rubber; as is the bulb on my baster; all bowls are metal or glass --- but I do have a plastic lid for a small rectangle glass baking dish into which I put slightly warm or room-temp items for transport). This is a tupperware measuring container with a pour spout, with a lid that has a little flip-cap for the pour-spout. It was (my maternal) Grandma's and I have fond memories baking with her as she used this for measurements... I only put in the gravy when it is warm, not hot or boiling, to minimize plastic exposure and I usually use it for pancake batter - it's perfect for my son to mix up the batter in and use to pour onto the griddle (see previous pancake post!).

So we're boiling down the rest of the bones to get all the rest of the meat bits - and to get some turkey stock to freeze for future use. I love my pint and quart mason jars! I've started using them for everything, even though I have a cupboard full of peanut butter, jam and sauce jars! Probably because the  mason ones can seal more properly; and I'm not purchasing jam and sauces anymore anyway (still some peanut butter because we can't seem to get any allegedly raw peanuts to sprout - more on that another day!).

The remainder of the bones then can be used in our homeschooling for a variety of purposes (science and art come to mind - anatomy, parts of the bones, archaeology), but I am entirely up to more ideas!