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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2024 11 By Karen Range, Resident For many people, Thanksgiving is a day about turkey and pies, football and family but also about giving thanks… gratitude. Simply put, gratitude is the state of being grateful. There are many ways that gratitude can be expressed: you can write a letter to a family member or to a friend to express your appreciation for them, you can spend part of the day performing a service (perhaps serving a meal at a food bank), you can start a gratitude journal or a gratitude jar, or you can offer up prayers of gratitude for the blessings in your life. These are acts that can be done on Thanksgiving, leading up to Thanksgiving, or all through the year. There is another way to express gratitude that is especially relevant at this time of year when pumpkins are so readily available… and that is creating a gratitude pumpkin. All you need for this activity is a pumpkin, a permanent marker and a grateful heart. Even young children can come up with things they are thankful for even if it's Mommy, Daddy, or their favorite toy. My niece and her family create a gratitude pumpkin every year. When my young great-nephews mentioned things they were grateful for, I was very happy to see my name included on their pumpkin. An uncarved pumpkin can last for eight to 12 weeks if stored in a cool dark place. So your gratitude pumpkin can be made ahead of time and then put on display on Thanksgiving. Perhaps it could serve as the centerpiece for your dining table. Or perhaps creating a gratitude pumpkin can be done as a Thanksgiving Day activity. The act of recalling and writing down things we are grateful for can help show us that there truly is always something to be thankful for, even if it has been a difficult year. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, whether alone or with others, we can bring a grateful heart to the table, along with the turkey and the trimmings. By Suzette Strauss, Resident This Thanksgiving why not try a new twist with your turkey?! My first adventure of cooking my own turkey was a bit scary. I didn't know there were parts removed, bagged, and stuffed into both ends of the bird. I found the one but not the other until I began to carve it… ugh! What was another bag doing there? Since then, I've tried several ways to cook this beloved bird and I thought someone would like a change this Thanksgiving so here are some I've tried and some new options. Traditional Babysitter: Prep your turkey with salt and pepper, maybe throw an onion inside or stuff with your favorite stuffing recipe. Bake at the appropriate temperature for the appropriate time per lb. while basting the bird every 15 min. to keep it from drying out. Bag-It Birdie: Use an oven bag to cook your turkey. A tbsp of f lour in the bag to keep it from sticking to the bird and spice as you desire make this method easy. Close with the ties included with the oven gag and bake as directed on box insert. No babysitting required. Flip-It, Flip-It Good: This has become one of my favorites. Prep the turkey with your desired spices and place it upside down in the pan. The juices slowly drain down through the breast meat leaving it particularly moist. Be careful f lipping it back for a little crispier skin during the last 15 min. of roasting. Spatchcocking or Butterf lying: This involves cutting the turkey's backbone and f lattening it out. This results in a faster, more evenly cooked turkey. The skin is crispy and the meat juicy. Since the turkey isn't as tall in the oven, two turkeys could fit for larger gatherings. You can even put this turkey on the grill. The backbone can be used for stock or gravy. Deep Fried for the Brave: With the proper equipment this is said to result in an amazingly tasty turkey. The turkey must be fully thawed and dry before placing in the deep fryer for safety! The turkey must be slowly lowered into the oil so be strong and courageous. Turn off the gas and shut down the burner ANY time you're putting the turkey in or removing it from the pot. There are kits available for as little as $90. This started in Louisiana. Roulade Serenade: An elegant choice for an intimate gathering. This calls for a boneless turkey breast. Butterf ly the breast, f latten it out and pound it thin. Roll the meat around your perfectly seasoned stuffing and secure with twine then roast in the oven. No making room for the stuffing on your plate, it's snuggled in with the turkey. I don't know about you, but I am committing to try a new method this year. I hope you will too! P.S. Always check the temperature of the turkey for a minimum of 165°F. Creating a Gratitude Pumpkin Thanksgiving Turkey Twists

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