Last night I was scanning the headlines when I ran accross this article on Yahoo.  At first I didn’t believe it, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.  Here in the Corpus Christi (Texas) area one of our local malls has already gone into foreclosure.  It sounds like this time Texas isn’t going to be spared as we were in the Residential Melt-Down.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_coming_soon_3

I can tell you that here in the Klemm Household we are smoking a brisket for Thanksgiving.  For those of you that want a slightly more traditional Thanksgiving Meal, here’s another article from our friends at www.texasbbqrub.com. 

COOKING THE BIG BIRD – TURKEY  

Smoking a turkey is a fantastic way to cook a turkey. You don’t have to hold off smoking a turkey on just the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, smoke it any time you wish. This is an easy and fun thing to cook anytime of the year. Of course the costs of the birds are a little higher during the off seasons but you can still find a nice bird to cook at around a buck a pound out of the prime turkey seasons.

Important points to remember about smoking a turkey

Food safety is a primary concern when smoking a turkey. Turkeys are great for smoking but it is usually best to choose a whole turkey weighing 10 to 12 pounds for your best results. Larger turkeys stay in the danger zone of bacterial growth too long when you choose a turkey that weighs above 12 pounds. Remember the safety zone is below 40 degrees and above 140 degrees. Larger turkeys placed on the pit will stay in the range between 40 and 140 degrees just a little longer than we like to expose meat to bacterial growth. So be careful.

  

Never stuff a turkey you are going to smoke on the pit. Again, it takes too long for the stuffing to reach the safe temperature range due to the slow smoking temperatures you are using. So keep the dressing/stuffing for the oven.

   

To thaw a frozen turkey there are three recommended ways you should thaw the turkey. First, if you buy a frozen turkey, keep the bird in the freezer until you begin the thawing process. Thaw a turkey under refrigeration, in cold water, or in the microwave oven.

 

·        Refrigeration- Allow about 24 hours per 5 pounds to thaw in the refrigerator

·        In cold water- allow approximately 30 to 45 minutes per pound to thaw in cold water. You will need to change the cold water about every 30 minutes or so. NEVER USE WARM OR HOT WATER to thaw a turkey. And always change the water every 30 minutes. Once the turkey has thawed out you may refrigerate it. Keep the temperature of the turkey under 40 degrees until you are ready to use it.

·        Microwave- Follow the directions of the microwave’s manufacturer, as each microwave oven is different in the power. One point is that once you have thawed a turkey using the microwave oven you cannot put it back in the refrigerator and store it. You have to use it immediately.

 

If you elect to use a fresh turkey, which is preferred, you will need to store it under 40 degrees until you use it. Don’t try to keep it for several days, always get the fresh turkey the day before you will need it. You should check with your butcher or store to see if you can order the fresh turkey in advance then pick it up as late as you can before cooking.

  

How much turkey to buy?

 

How much turkey do you need? Generally, you will need one pound of turkey for each person you are going to serve. This will allow for a meal with some leftovers for the next days turkey sandwiches.

  

Remember too, that we are going to see some great deals on turkeys during the holiday periods so buy two or three and keep them frozen. A frozen turkey will keep for up to one year. So buy a couple of extra this holiday season and then you will have a couple to cook during the year. They are great during the summer when we start thinking about turkey but the price has gone up and we don’t feel like spending the money for one then. You can also buy a couple and try cooking them in different ways to see what you like the best. Smoke one on the pit and then either cook one the conventional way in the oven or try frying one.

 

OK Let’s Smoke a Turkey – It is Easy and Taste Great

  

What you will need:

  

1 turkey (10 to 12 pounds)

1 bottle Italian Dressing – I prefer Wishbone

1 cup of Texas BBQ Rub (original or Texas Wild are my preferences)

1 or 2 onions (optional)

3 stalks of celery (optional)

3 whole cloves of garlic (optional)

1 Reynolds turkey-cooking bag (optional)

 

1)      Clean turkey – wash the turkey inside and out, remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Set aside to dry or pat dry if you wish. If your turkey comes with a built in internal meat thermometer remove it.

2)      Take the bottle of Italian dressing and pour it into a glass pan or bowl. To this add ½ cup of Texas BBQ Rub and mix well. (You should have a nice looking mixture that turns a light brown color) Work some of the Italian-Rub mix under the skin of the turkey without removing the skin. Use your fingers to get the Italian-Rub mix into all the areas under the skin of the bird (try not to tear the skin). With the remaining Italian-Rub mix coat the outside and inside of the bird.

3)      Apply the remaining ½ cup of Texas BBQ Rub over the Italian-Rub mix on the outside of the bird.

4)      Your smoker should be set up for indirect smoking at a temperature of 225 degrees to 250 degrees.

5)      If you are using the celery, onions, and garlic cut the celery stalks into two or three pieces and put in the cavity of the turkey before smoking. The onions can be cut into quarters and placed in the cavity. The garlic should be used to your taste but cut the cloves and place in the cavity as well.

6)      I personally use a Reynolds turkey cooking bag and place the turkey in the bag. Follow the directions that come with the bag except I cut about 10 slits in the bag when using it for smoking. The bag will allow for a nice smoke flavor (but not too much smoke) and it will help speed up the cooking time a bit and help maintain great moisture for the turkey. The bag will also keep the turkey from turning a really dark brown color. If you use the bag you can place some celery, onion and garlic in the bag.

  

Put the turkey on the smoker and there will be no need to baste the turkey. Cook at 225 to 235 degrees until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 160 to 165 degrees. Check the internal temperature of the turkey in the thigh area. Approximate cooking times will be 5 to 7 hours. The cooking time is basically twice as long as a traditionally cooked turkey. When the turkey reaches 160 degrees take off the smoker and set aside for approximately 20 to 30 minutes before you carve it up.

 

Here is the latest from the Aransas Pass Progress:

City gets grant for Conn Brown clean up

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 2:18 PM CST

By Phil Reynolds

Staff Writer

Look for some changes soon at Conn Brown Harbor.

Former Interim City Manager Mike Sullinger, who is now a consultant to the city, reported at the Nov. 17 city council meeting that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has approved a $353,000 grant to the city to be used to improve public space at the harbor.

The grant will primarily repair boat launching ramps at Harbor Park, near the entrance to the harbor, and at the north end of the harbor. However, Sullinger said the grant contains enough money to do some other work as well.

Here is another good article from the Ingleside Index regarding homes hitting the market after the base closure. This is something Paul and I have been saying for YEARS but it is nice to see some validation in the form of a 3 year study!

http://theinglesideindex.com/articles/2008/11/25/news/news02.txt

–Lisa

Here is a great article from the Ingleside Index on a report showing the local impact of closing Naval Station Ingleside:

http://theinglesideindex.com/articles/2008/11/25/news/news01.txt

–Lisa

Rumors are swirling everywhere about the Obama Administration’s plan to tackle the financial crisis we find ourselves in.  I am not going to debate the pros or cons of these plans.  The fact is that our stock market is falling and investors have to be wondering what they should do with their money.

I’ve got an answer:  Income Producing Real Estate.

Sure, Real Estate values are down across the nation; but isn’t that the best time to buy?  I do want to be clear on one thing…  I am not talking about buying and flipping single family residences.  I’m talking about buying and holding Income Producing Properties.

In my mind I’ve always equated this type of investment to buying bonds.  When you buy a bond you buy it at today’s value and hold it.  While holding it you receive a regular monthly income from the investment.  Finally, as the bond matures you sell it for the price you paid for it, or hopefully, for even more.

Income Producing Property works the same way.  Let’s say today you buy a 4-plex.  I can tell you in the Corpus Christi, Texas market you can buy a decent 4-plex for around $150,000.  You can probably do a little better than that, but it’s a good place to start. 

Let’s say that you can rent each of the apartments for $600 per month.  That’s a gross income of $2400 a month or $28,800 per year.  In other words that’s a 19% return on your money.  Obviously this is over-simplified; there are other factors that go into this.  You have to consider vacancies, maintenance taxes and several other issues, but the idea is there.  How many of your current investments pay this kind of return?

The example I used was for a multi family home but there are many types of income producing properties.  Maybe you’d prefer a commercial property.  In the same $150,000 price range (Also in the Corpus Christi market) you could find a small strip mall with long term tenants. 

The important idea to take away from this is that despite what you may hear from the media, Real Estate is not a bad place for your long term investment money.  You’ll have to do some homework, but you do on all of your investments, don’t you?

Check out this article from Caller.com! If you don’t maintain your yard, you may end up on this website! ha ha!

http://www.caller.com/news/2008/nov/19/yard-of-the-week-more-like-eyesore-of-the-week/

–Lisa

Thanks to the Rockport Pilot for this article:

Community members from emergency services to military servicemen will be honored at the annual Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce Christmas Luncheon Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 11:30 until 1 p.m. at the Paws and Taws Convention Center.

The theme is, “A special luncheon Š honoring those who protect and serve our community in paradise.”

There will also be fashions from a dozen local retailers showing coastal, casual holiday apparel as well as gift ideas from the Shop Local Fabulous Five contest. Guests will enjoy performances by students from Miss Jill’s Dance Studio. Santa Claus will make a special appearance at the end of the program.

The lunch menu includes a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and all the trimmings.

Tickets are $15 for members and $18 for non-members. Reserved preferred seating tables are available for $175 and seat eight people. The reservation deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5. Call Shelly Stuart at (361) 729-6445 to make your reservations.

Thanks to the Aransas Pass Progress for this article:

On Tuesday, 11/25 at 7PM, the annual Thanksgiving service will be held at First United Methodist Church, 523 S 8th St., Aransas Pass. This service is a gathering of people from the churches of Aransas Pass and Ingleside who come to offer thanks and praise for another year in this good land. Choirs from several the churches will join together to lead the congregation in songs of thankfulness and praise. There will be a time of fellowship immediately following the service. All are invited to come and give thanks.

The Thanksgiving service is offered to the Ingleside and Aransas Pass communities every year by the Aransas Pass-Ingleside Ministerial Alliance. The Alliance is made up of the ministers of many of the churches in the area. The Alliance is open to all ministers of the congregations in this area. In addition to the annual Thanksgiving service, the Alliance also presents a Good Friday service each year and facilitates National Day of Prayer programs. The Alliance members meet monthly at the various churches represented.

The offering from the Thanksgiving service for 2008 has been designated for the Christian Service Center. The Tri-County Christian Service Center was founded by the Ministerial Alliance more than 25 years ago and continues to provide food and clothing to people in need in the area. The Center is located at 323 N. 7th , Aransas Pass. Visit the Center and see if you would like to become a volunteer and /or a regular financial supporter. This ministry is the one

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