And which bird flew over your house?! This wasn't your year to eat turkey.... or popped corn.

Let's see..a "stuffed" meatloaf?

stick the stuffing in the freezer for a later date..

Mashed potatoes are a meal in itself to me. LOL little sour cream stirred in, lots of cheddar on top, and baked until the cheese is melted..

James what a story! I'd have given up and had the Scotch much earlier! Guess this is how family "stories" are made.

As for the stuffing, use it in ribs and forget about a bird of any type!!!

PS Glad you are all feeling better, nothing worse than the whole family down and out. Thank goodness you could get to the inlaws and stay there!

Oh dear! What a story to tell at future feasts! At first I was afraid you were going to tell us that everyone got sick from the T-day bird - thank heavens that wasn't the case.

When you have recovered, could you post directions for butterflying a chicken? Photos would be great! I'd love to get a little chickie and bake it on top of stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce, please!

Thanks!
Teresa

Geesh...what a day! I've had days like that and it is best to only do things that don't effect others or your property in any way. About the best thing to do is take a nap...alone!

Michelle

Garbage man took the turkey today - It's gone and I'm over it!

Teresa - Butterflying the chicken is simple. Just take some shears and cut along both sides of the back bone to remove it. Flip it over, push down hard in the middle of the breast till it cracks and lays flat. Lay it on a broiler rack and pull up the legs to rest between the thigh and the breast. Here's the full recipe. It calls for putting potatoes under the broiler rack, and man do they come out tasting good! The turkey recipe used a 16x12 disposable roasting pan under the rack rather than the pan bottom so that you could fit more stuffing. In either case, the object is to have somewhere for the fat to run without smoking up your kitchen. It's a very effective trick.

Crisp-Skin High-Roast Butterflied Chicken with Potatoes

If you prefer not to brine, use a kosher chicken - it is salted and has a taste and texture similar to a brined bird. For extracrisp skin, after applying the flavored butter (if using), let the chicken dry uncovered in the refrigerator 8 to 24 hours. Russet potatoes have the best potato flavor, but Yukon Golds have beautiful color and better retain their shape after cooking. Either works well in this recipe. A food processor makes quick and easy work of slicing the potatoes.

Serves 4

1 cup kosher salt (or 1/2 cup table salt), for brine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 whole chicken , 3 1/2 to 4 lbs, preferably free-range or other high-quality chicken such as Bell and Evans, giblets removed and reserved for another use, fat around cavity removed and discarded
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (4 to 5 medium), or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
Vegetable cooking spray (nonstick)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon table salt (for potatoes)
Ground black pepper

1. Dissolve salt and sugar in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Immerse chicken and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Line bottom of broiler pan with foil and spray with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Remove chicken from brine and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Following illustrations 1 through 6, butterfly chicken, flatten breastbone, apply flavored butter (if using), and position chicken on broiler pan rack; thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.

2. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Spread potatoes in even layer in foil-lined broiler pan bottom. Place broiler pan rack with chicken on top. Rub chicken with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with pepper.

3. Roast chicken until spotty brown, about 20 minutes. Rotate pan and continue to roast until skin has crisped and turned a deep brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees in thickest part of breast, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to cutting board. With potholders, remove broiler pan rack; soak up excess grease from potatoes with several sheets paper towels. Remove foil liner with potatoes from broiler pan bottom and invert foil and potatoes onto cookie sheet or second cutting board. Carefully peel back foil, using a metal spatula to help scrape potatoes off foil as needed. With additional paper towels, pat off remaining grease. Cut chicken into serving pieces and serve with potatoes.

Why didn't you pull the legs and thigh off of that turkey and put the rest back into the oven? Certainly no reason to throw it away....you could have cooked it longer and it would have been fine.
Linda C

Because I'm a big baby and have a temper. Ask my MIL about the huge, bone-in, center cut pork roast that I threw out when I realized I didn't cut it the way I intended. She still talks about that one!

oh good lord...there is not a doubt in my military mind that i too would have tossed the turkey and the popcorn too! long before you did. i think you get 2 brownie points for perseverance! and i don't drink scotch but had i been in your shoes, i could have learned :)

Thanks for that good instruction, James! I've always been afraid (?) to butterfly a chicken - but now it's time for me to just get over that!
Teresa

Drink scotch until mashed potatoes and stuffing seem like a fine and complete meal.

: )
lyra

I"m trying very hard to figure out how and when you ever got to a place to give thanks! LOL What a saga. And it will make a great family story.