The Best Short Rib Recipe!

Short ribs are the coziest cut and perfect for a great family dinner or a dinner party.

The Best Drumstick Recipes or Chicken Wings Recipes. This easy recipe takes an easy approach to the simplest cuts. Easy recipe that tastes exceptional! 

The Covey Club is not your average subscription box, its a customized meat box to fuel your family, its personalized to your families needs, and hand picked by our family.

This year there have been 100,000 deaths due to overdose alone (a new record) and I thank God it wasn’t her. I know it’s selfish and I pray everyday for those families and those innocent people, but I am beyond thankful she wasn't one of them.

We share most of our life to you, but there are some items we keep to ourselves. Until now, we haven’t shared anything specific regarding my sister or our families struggles. We didn't feel that it was our story to share, and we weren't ready to openly discuss the matter just yet. We have been helping my sister recover from opioid addiction since I was roughly 32 weeks pregnant. While it’s something that has been in the news, it’s not something we had any first hand experience with until now. I had no idea that my sister had been struggling, or how bad it was until we hit the breaking point of her moving in with us.

You can imagine this wasn't easy. We have a one bedroom apartment, we were preparing for our daughter to arrive and trying to get everything on the farm ready for me to be gone, but I felt like God was calling us to be his hands and feet here and help her navigate this journey. It took a lot of prayer for me to decide on saying yes. My sister, like many struggling with addiction had manipulated me in the past and I didn't want to get hurt by her again.

Through this experience we have strengthened our marriage and Talona has become a sister to Charlie. There have been times we have all been in tears, times where we have all yelled, and probably tested each others patience, but there has not been a second that I have regretted this decision. 

Addiction is something that is in every company, on every street, and crosses social lines with ease. For some it started because of an injury, others it was because of trauma or depression. The truth is, it doesn’t matter why it started, what matters is that it has to end. If I am being honest I don't fully understand addiction, I was one of the critics, not knowing how someone could put a high above their loved ones, or even their children. The truth is the patch to recovery is hard, especially for those who can't escape their using environment. My sister was a lucky one, she had a place far enough away from her triggering environment that she could have a safe place to heal, and a recovery center that was not only free, but it was innovative. Those who are struggling with addiction need more than Narcan, they need counseling, they need doctors, and they need meetings to navigate their cravings and struggles. 

Her recovery center didn't require an appointment, was out patient, has a pharmacy onsite, a 24/7 call line for her to call day or night. My advice for anyone who has a loved one struggling with addiction, love them, but set boundaries. Our deal with my sister was that we would do everything in our power to help her, if and only if she went to the recovery center and got help.

My second tip, encourage family to only get medication filled if they plan to use it, and dispose of it if they don't. We have found that many of the pills on the street are from people selling their prescriptions, because they believe they are helping someone deal with their pain. 

My LAST Tip, don't try and do it alone. They need help from someone specializing in addiction, their sickness is a chemical brain imbalance, and it will not resolve itself. They need a doctor, just as those who have heart problems or cancer.

If anyone out there is suffering, we hear you and we see you. We are thankful that we have found resources that are working and are happy to help others in the same way that we’ve helped my sister! 

#addictionrecovery #opioidcrisis #recovery #recoveryispossible #teambasecamp   #youcandoit #wehearyou

John's Turkey with Stuffing

Prior to beginning, thaw turkey in the refrigerator for several days.  Length of time required for thawing will vary by size of the turkey.  Take turkey from a plastic bag and remove giblets from the bag inside the body cavity.  Place giblets in a large saucepan and add 1 quart of chicken broth.  Head the giblets to a boil and reduce to simmer while you prepare the rest of the turkey and stuffing.

Stuffing

Take large bags of Pepperidge Farm stuffing and empty into a large bowl.  I like the regular stuffing mix and not the cornbread stuffing, but either are fine depending on one’s personal taste.  Heat 4 cups of chicken broth in another large saucepan with 6 tbsp of butter.  This doesn’t need to boil, but must be hot and the butter must be melted and mixed in thoroughly.  While this is heating, add 2 tbsp of butter to a large skillet and heat on medium heat until butter is melted.  Add 2 cups of diced onion and 2 cups of diced celery to the frying pan and gently sauté for 5-6 minutes until the celery and onions are tender but not mushy.  Add the sautéed celery and onions to the stuffing mix.  Add 2 tbsp of sage to the stuffing and then add in the heated chicken broth and butter previously heated up.  Mix this thoroughly using your hands.  Finally add in 2 raw free-range Covey Rise chicken eggs and again mix thoroughly.  The eggs will make the stuffing moisture.

Turkey

Take 1 28 lb. Covey Rise Farms pastured turkey and rinse the body cavity out thoroughly using cold water, drain thoroughly and pat dry the inside and outside of the bird using paper towels.  Salt and pepper the body cavity and then fill the cavity with the stuffing mixture and then stuff the neck area cavity.  I often use toothpicks to secure the neck skin to keep the stuffing from falling out.  Salt and pepper the outside of the bird.

Take a large cooking bag and place 2 tbsp of flour in the bag and shake it around to coat the inside of the bag.  Place the turkey into the bag and close using the plastic closure device that comes with the bag.  Puncture the bag 2-3 times using a knife to allow steam to escape.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and cook until turkey is done.  This is about 20 minutes per pound but the turkey may be done quicker than this since the bag makes it cook quicker.  A meat thermometer may be used, and 165 degrees internal temperature is done.  The turkey is also done when the leg easily pulls away from the body. 

Remove turkey from the bag and collect the drippings in a large bowl and throw the bag away. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes prior to carving.  Remove stuffing from cavities prior to carving and place in a serving bowl to serve.

Gravy

While turkey is cooking, the gravy can be made.  After the giblets have been simmering for an hour, remove the giblets and slice the heart, liver and gizzard In small cubes,  Strip the meat from the neck and add all of this meat back to the chicken broth  and turn heat off.  Salt and pepper to taste.  After removing the turkey from the oven, bring the giblets and broth to a boil and add in the turkey drippings.  Take 2 tbsp of cornstarch and dissolve in ½ cup of water.  While the gravy is boiling, still in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy.  Gravy can be served as is or it can be strained to remove the giblets if preferred. 

Slice turkey and place on a platter and serve along with the stuffing and homemade gravy.  Enjoy!

So many people worry and stress over canning, however this Ball recipe we used is so easy, anyone can truly do it!

My one recommendation is to use strawberries that are local to insure freshness and sweetness. We prefer the wide mouth jars for storage and usability. We made a total of 22 jars of strawberry preserve for the upcoming year and I am beyond thrilled.

Make sure you follow the ingredient list carefully. You never want to adjust the ingredients when preserving, its much different than baking or cooking. We did use different jars, and didn't crush our strawberries as much due to the fact that we didn't have a masher, but we followed the recipe along the way.