Vinegar is one of those foods that lasts indefinitely, or nearly so.... It's "safe", but the quality goes down with each passing year. You can find the shelf-life of all kinds of food items at the link below. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Still Tasty

OMG, Bizzo, I just wing it! First, when I'm at the meat counter this year, I want the turkey butterflied but with the skin and bones left in it. From the same shop, last year the butcher asked me one time if I wanted it deboned. Hemming and hawing, I said yes. What I got was a 1/2 turkey breast that was 3-4" thick, skin left on. I grilled it and it made wonderful sandwiches. No problem trying to carve it and get all the meat off the bones. Here's what I intend to do this Thanksgiving-- Wash the turkey breast and dry it. Then stuff sage leaves under the skin along with some small pieces of butter. The skin be covered with a rub of Penzeys Southwest Seasoning. I use a small gas grill so it isn't set up for indirect heat. Usually, I keep the heat in the 325-350 degree range The turkey breast will be placed on the grill, skin down for the time it takes to make the skin a light golden brown. Then flip the turkey so that it rests on it's bones and cooks for the rest of the time that way. Total cooking time should be 60-75 min. I use an instant read thermometer (I target about 170 degrees), but cut into the thickest part of the breast--meat near the bone should no longer be pink. Using these instructions, your turkey breast should look dark golden brown and very moist. This is our favorite way to cook turkey. Since we have a couple of months before Thanksgiving, please cook a 1/2 turkey breast yourself. Cooking times will be similar and you will get a feel for how it's done and whether or not you like it. It's easy and delicious!

In past years, in the week following Thanksgiving, I've seen fresh turkey parts (half-breasts in particular) that are not usually available; there are plenty of wings, legs, and thighs, too. They have very short "sell-by" dates, so I'm pretty sure they are from leftover birds. If I have room in the freezer, I take advantage of the surplus. Since parts are priced differently from whole birds, I can't tell whether they're marked down (I don't buy them often enough to keep tabs on the regular prices). Sue

Love this thread, it was so fun to read! DS thought the MIL’s house was BEAUTIFUL, “Especially the creepy lady in the corner because It’s so unique.” Years ago I started slowly (and obsessively) replacing anything that couldn’t go in the dishwasher with items that can. Smaller cookie sheets, glass/stainless measuring cups, silicone tools, etc. It took years of careful purchases and I kept a list and watched for sales because some of those items were pricey. The only thing I use on a daily basis that doesn’t go in my dishwasher now are sharp knives. Anyway, I just knew hand washing dishes would always be my weakness, but I’m great about loading the dishwasher every time I use something. So, pots and pans that do well in the dishwasher are my friends. My second weakness is unloading the dishwasher. That job became my kids’ first ever daily kitchen chore! Starting in preschool they did it together before school while I made breakfast. Now they switch off days. We make a great team! At Christmas my mom offered to wash crystal goblets and asked where my drying rack was. I do own one, but it collapses and was way at the back of the sink. After rummaging around to pull it out, and rinsing it off because it had dish soap on it, I gave it to her. She asked where a towel was to lay under it. That’s when I remembered that earlier that day I opened the towel drawer to find that half the towels had been used once and thrown back in the drawer with the clean ones by my kids. In annoyance I dumped them all in the wash, along with the ones in the bin in the laundry room, and I forgot to put them in the dryer. I told my mom it was fine to use the rack without a towel. It was NOT fine with my mom. She bought me 2 dish draining mats for Valentine’s Day, which is really only a gift holiday for romantic relationships. Whenever people are coming over and it’s messy I tell them they should feel complimented because I’m treating them like one of the family.