Good for you! I haven't seen the SVB yet. I am fighting the Squash Bug. I always feel victorious when I find and destroy a group of eggs.

I must say - this was probably the most organized Thanksgiving turkey dinner I've cooked. Thank goodness. My oven behaved - probably because I took care to tuck in the wings this time - so that the dripping grease wouldn't drop down onto the burners causing a bit of a "flare-up" which My oven is prone to do if something boils over. Anyway, I cooked the bird as I usually do - upside down on the "X" shaped rack that has been a stand-by for such an event each turkey day. The bird is then slow cooked at 250 degrees - not basting until the skin hardens a bit. This seals in the juices, making the bird more moist. About half way through after the underside is nicely browned, I turn the bird over, to brown and cook the breast. When the breast reaches 180 degrees internally, we grab the carvers and that beautiful creation soon becomes a mess. Everything turned out quite well - expect perhaps for the marshmallows that were put on the sweet potato/pineapple dish - they refused to melt and perhaps the toasting oven was a bit too toasty. Ahem. So - now for making the pies. I liked my scheme last year - freezing the turkey, dressing and gravy in a pie pan shaped container. Then it is ready for use - either put in a pie shell - adding frozen peas, and top crust and baking. Or - just heating it up for another plain meal. Either way, lots of good left-over eating in store. As luck would have it - I had lots of volunteer help with clean up - and yours truly was ready for early retirement. Hope you had a nice holiday. Soooo - on to the next big bash - right. What are you planning on eating for X-mas - another turkey perhaps/or? Oh yes - about the dressing - it was a bit moist - will add less moisture next time, but tasty nevertheless. Some sage would have been nice tho. Just my 2 c's. Bejay

There ARE definitely a few things to think about when it comes to safety. However, if you think about it, most of it is just plain common sense and it is truly not that difficult at all! Unfortunately, though, some folks have not been thinking and have made some really stupid mistakes when they've attempted this and have now given the whole thing sort of a bad rap. Our family has done it many, many times and it is very, very easy and safe as long as you follow the directions on your fryer and you think a little bit about what you are doing! Here are a few tips: * Absolutely, positively, DO NOT fry a turkey inside or even close to your home - like on a deck/patio or in the garage. We always fry ours in the driveway. * Make sure the turkey is COMPLETELY thawed and patted dry before putting it into the fryer! This is the biggest mistake people make! Putting a partially frozen/wet turkey in oil that is 350 degrees can cause a fire or even an explosion. * Do not overfill the fryer. This can cause significant burns. * NEVER leave a frying turkey unattended. Even after you are finished frying, the oil remains hot a very long time. Be very careful with kids and pets around it. * EVERYONE should have an All-Purpose fire extinguisher for their kitchen! This will come in handy when you are frying a turkey. As most of you probably know, absolutely NEVER, EVER put water on a grease fire! It only causes the fire to spread faster. If the fire is manageable, you may try to use fire extinguisher. If not, call 911! * Make sure no one who will be at the dinner, and especially eating the turkey, is allergic to peanuts! Here is a link that might be useful: Safely Deep Frying A Turkey

LOL John; actually, the poultry industry practices a huge amount of gender discrimination. All the chickens you buy in the stores are female (with the exception of capons, which are neutered males). One of the higher paid positions at a poultry production facility is the chicken sexer. Yup, it's just what it sounds like. Within a few days of hatching, a highly trained specialist looks at the chicken's nether portions and determines if it is a female--in which case it goes on to get fed and grows up into a chicken--or a male, in which case it is killed. A very few males are allowed to live to propagate the species, but most of them are destroyed. In some places they might let a few males live to become caponized, but if you're a chicken with a Y chromosome, chances are your life span is measured in hours. The chicken sexer is important to the profitability of the operation. You don't want to needlessly destroy any tender female chickens, and don't want to waste food on any males. Ladies, don't get any ideas.