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the Phillips and Blow Monthly Bulletin
7700 E. Arapahoe Road, Suite 100 Centennial, CO 80112 303-741-2400 www.phillipsandblowlaw.com
11 .2019
From a Love of Food to a Love of Cooking What Makes Thanksgiving My Favorite Holiday
Before I loved cooking, I loved good food. That’s why even before my Dad started teaching me to cook when I was a teenager, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday — and my favorite meal! For the past 15 years or so, I’ve snagged every opportunity I could to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my family. Over time, it has not only reinforced my love of food and cooking but also the connections that I have with family and friends. I cooked my first Thanksgiving meal back in 2005. I asked my family if I could host because it was a year when my wife, Julie, and I felt particularly thankful for our circumstances. We were living in Denver, and I had just started going to law school full time. My dad agreed to cover the cost of my classes, and Julie’s parents were letting us live in a house they owned in the Denver area, saving us the cost of renting a place. Because our family was doing so much to support us, we felt like hosting Thanksgiving would be a great way to give back. timelines for cooking. It was a lot of work, but I had fun doing it. I had to soak the Virginia ham for days because it was salt-cured and hard as a rock. I also ordered a “heritage turkey” for the main course. For those of you not familiar with what that is, you can supposedly trace a heritage turkey’s lineage back to the ones served at the first Thanksgiving (marketing nonsense I’m sure). Regardless of whether or not that’s true, they’re a lot more expensive than regular turkeys, and the meat is a little on the gamier side. I don’t know if I could ever justify getting one again, but I wanted to go all out my first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Long story short, it was a hit, and now I cook every Thanksgiving. I planned the dinner for about a month, deciding between recipes and creating
Each year, I spend several days preparing the food we will bring on Thanksgiving Day. We keep the meal fairly traditional, with turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberries, chestnuts, and a whole slew of desserts all making appearances. That said, I do like to experiment a little bit during the preparations. One year, I tried deep-frying a turkey, and another year, I tried smoking a ham. But there’s one turkey recipe my family requests that calls for the turkey to be slathered with butter, prosciutto, and herbs all shoved under the skin. It doesn’t look as pretty
as a regular turkey, but it’s incredibly flavorful. I’ve cooked it six or seven times, and it’s a hit every time. Although I try to cook as much as I can each Thanksgiving, I’m certainly not without help. We often spend Thanksgiving with my wife’s family, and my brother in law and mother in law are both wonderful cooks too. Even though he doesn’t work as a chef, my brother in law, Jeff, took chef classes for fun just so he could be classically trained. Over the years, we’ve grown closer often through our mutual love of cooking. So from the food to the cooking and the time with family, Thanksgiving has always given me plenty to look forward to, and I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving ahead, as well.
“BEFORE I LOVED COOKING, I LOVED GOOD FOOD. THAT’S WHY EVEN BEFORE MY DAD STARTED TEACHING ME TO COOK WHEN I WAS 18, THANKSGIVING WAS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY — AND MY FAVORITE MEAL!”
– Justin Blow
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How toTake Full Advantage of Your Financial Institution Get More Bank for Your Buck
It's Okay to Be Sad Around the Holidays But You Don’t Have to Be Alone
With twinkling lights, melodious carols, and joyous Christmas parties with friends and family, the holiday season has no shortage of things to fill our hearts with peace and happiness. However, we need to be aware that not everyone is inherently happy around the holidays. For many people, the holiday season brings back memories of loved ones they’ve lost. Because the holiday season is, in large part, about reconnecting with family and friends, people might feel a parent or a child’s absence much more strongly right now than other times during the year. If you have a friend who has lost someone important to them in the last year or so, you may not notice anything different about them around the holidays. That doesn’t mean they’re not hurting. While they might not be open to talking about how they’re feeling, you can still do your part to help them feel some solace. Go out of your way to spend time with friends and family who might be grieving or just feeling down around the holidays, however they seem to want to spend time. That could mean inviting them to Christmas parties they might not otherwise know about, inviting them to help you decorate your house for the holidays (or helping them decorate theirs), or just sharing a holiday meal with them. If they live far away from you, maybe you can send them a gift or a thoughtful card. Whatever you do, just try to let them know they don’t have to go through the holiday season alone. At the same time, if you’ve lost someone in the past year, or the holiday season just makes you reflect on the loved ones you’ve lost over the years, don’t be afraid to seek the help of friends and family. It’s okay if you feel sad around this time of year, but letting those around you know how you’re feeling will perhaps lighten those feelings of loss.
Whether you’re banking with a credit union or a national giant, your financial institution likely offers more resources, account options, and saving plans than you’re using — or even aware of. As one NerdWallet article puts it, “Banks and credit unions continue to find new ways to both delight and confound customers.” If you focus on the delights, you can get more bang for your buck out of the financial institution you’re already using. Plus, there’s a good chance you’ll pick up new ways to stretch your retirement fund, grow your investments, and pass nest eggs to your grandkids along the way. Take these two easy steps to get started. 1. GET CLICKING Even for someone with plenty of internet savvy, bank websites can be intimidating. Most are filled with tabs and portals that overwhelm customers, causing them to limit their interactions to plugging in a username and password to check their balance. Don’t fall into that trap! If you want to get a complete picture of what your bank has to offer, its website is the place to start. Next time you log in, set aside an hour or two to explore the site tab by tab. Take note of products and services you might not be using, like mobile banking apps, 24-hour hotlines, continuing education, and additional account options and their interest rates. Schwab, for example, offers a free online learning center complete with seminars, one-on-one financial advice, and more than 300 informative articles and videos. 2. SCHEDULE A SIT-DOWN If your bank has a brick-and-mortar location near you, make a point to visit it. While there, take the time to learn about the latest updates from the reading materials on offer, make an appointment with a financial analyst, or speak with a bank teller. It’s in your bank’s interest to see your accounts grow, so representatives are happy to help. If you’ve already explored your bank’s website, this is the time to ask follow-up questions on what you found or make a financial move in a new direction. Whether you’ve decided on a 529 plan or a high-interest checking account, your banking representative can make it happen.
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Trusts • Probate • Long Term Care Planning • Elder Law
Trivia
Justin’s Famous Roast Turkey With Prosciutto-Hazelnut Crust
The Recipe Everyone's Been Waiting For
Which of these assets does not need probate:
INGREDIENTS:
A. A house in a trust
• • • • • • • •
3 sticks butter, unsalted 6 tbsp hazelnuts, chopped 1 1/2 tbsp sherry wine vinegar
• • • • • • • •
4 green onions, chopped
B. A car worth $75,000 or more
3 shallots, chopped
1 bay leaf
C. Life insurance without beneficiary designation D. A checking account without a beneficiary with $535,000 or more
6 tbsp thyme, chopped
1 whole turkey
3 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
1 cup dry white wine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 fresh rosemary, chopped 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 tsp salt
9 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flour
DIRECTIONS:
Submit your answers to email@jrphillipslaw.com
THE PROSCIUTTO BUTTER 1. Mix butter, hazelnuts, sherry wine vinegar, fresh thyme, 2 tsp of crushed black peppercorns, 1 minced garlic clove, salt, prosciutto, and 3 chopped green onions together in a large bowl. THE GRAVY BASE 1. Mix 2 tbsp of the prosciutto butter with shallots, bay leaf, and a turkey’s neck, heart, and gizzard in a large pot. 2. Bring the burner to medium high heat and sauté the mix for 20 minutes. After that, add white wine, 1 large fresh thyme sprig, and rosemary. Then, boil the mix. 3. Once it’s almost reduced to a glaze, add chicken broth and bring it to a boil before reducing the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer for 1 hour, and remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig. 4. Take the neck out and remove the meat from the bones. Take the giblets out and chop them, before adding them and then neck meat back to the broth. 2. Rinse the turkey inside and out, then pat it dry. Rub 1 cup of the prosciutto butter underneath the skin and about 1/4 cup on the outside before seasoning it with salt and pepper (reserve at least 1/4 cup of the butter for later). 3. Put an onion, 3 garlic cloves peeled and halved, 5 large thyme sprigs, and 1 tbsp of crushed black peppercorns inside the turkey. 4. Tie the legs loosely and tuck the wingtips underneath before roasting the turkey uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. 5. Cover the turkey with foil before adding 2 cups of broth to the pan. 6. Continue roasting until the turkey’s internal temperature reaches 175 F. 7. Baste it with pan drippings and add broth to the pan for about another 2 hours. Then, let it stand on a platter for 30 minutes. 8. Drain the pan juices into a cup, and then add the gravy base and enough chicken broth to measure 5 cups. 9. Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of prosciutto butter in a pot and mix it with 1/4 cup flour. Wisk the mix for 1 minute while gradually adding the pan juice. 10. Finally, boil this mixture for five minutes until the gravy is slightly thickened. Then, serve the turkey with the gravy. 11. Enjoy! THE TURKEY 1. Heat oven to 325 F.
Correct answers will be entered into a drawing on Nov. 30 for an Amazon gift card.
The attorneys of Phillips & Blow, PC have decades of combined experience in these areas of law: • Estate planning • Estate and gift taxation • Probate, estate administration and trust administration • Elder Law • Conservatorship and Guardianship To find out just how we can help you maximize the assets you keep for yourself or your family, give us a call today at (303) 741-2400 for a free consultation! Who Are We?
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inside
What Makes Thanksgiving My Favorite Holiday this issue
1 2 2 3 3 4
How to Get More From Your Bank
Dealing With Loss During the Holiday Season
Try This Turkey Recipe on Thanksgiving!
Trivia!
Be All You Can Bee
Be All You Can Bee
And Give Honey a SecondThought
The health benefits of raw organic honey, which include soothing sore throats, lowering cholesterol, and treating skin wounds, have been embraced by many members of the holistic health community for decades. But with the rapid decline of the bee population in recent years, humans’ use of honey has become more controversial. According to the New York Bee Sanctuary, bees (not just honey-makers) are disappearing for several reasons, but one of the most unfortunate contributors is the honey industry. In order to mass-produce commercial honey products, many factories have resorted to industrialized beekeeping practices, which have been deemed unethical by animal activist groups because they strip hives of their honey storage, starving the bees through the winter months. This practice, along with soil contamination and a viral infection spread by mites, led to the devastating loss of 40% of all bee colonies last year. Because most bees are pollinators, they play a crucial role in helping plants reproduce. Without the bees playing their part in this natural process, approximately 30% of the world’s
crops won’t flourish. Fortunately, you can help strengthen the bee population in a few ways from your own home.
First, try to avoid purchasing any commercialized honey products of questionable quality and provenance. Instead, look for raw local honey at a farmer’s market. That way, you can meet the beekeeper to determine if their honey- rendering practices are sustainable. Then, by purchasing their product, you are helping fund their hive and enrich the local bee population. You can also plant a garden full of bee-friendly plants, like honeysuckle, strawberries, sunflowers, and cosmos, to give the bees in your community more pollen sources. Additionally, if you notice dandelions growing in your garden, leave them. They are a great food source for bees, especially in early spring before other plants have started blooming. While honey has many excellent health properties, bees are far more vital to the world’s sustainability. Do your part to help their population by researching, spreading awareness, and thinking before you shop for honey.
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Trusts • Probate • Long Term Care Planning • Elder Law
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