24" (or metric equivalent) is the standard size in Europe. My mother managed to feed a family of 5, plus assorted hangers-on, from a 21" oven for decades :) It depends on how and what you cook. Personally, I have no issues with a 24 oven - I had all my 'smaller' baking trays etc from the UK, so when we bought this house, with a 24" oven, I didn't even think about it. I had no problem roasting a 12lb turkey (yes, you could do 14lb, but it takes some arranging) in the oven. Roast potatoes and vegetables were done in the oven while the turkey rested on the counter (as it's supposed to do) for half an hour before serving anyway. The old oven here wasn't convection, but baking wasn't a problem with it. The ovens I've had in the UK were all convection. When we remodelled the kitchen, I increased to a 27" oven, but it hasn't really made a massive difference - except that it takes longer to heat up, despite being convection. I don't bake massive casseroles or sheet cakes or several trays of cookies at the same time, so I think it really depends on your family's style. On the other hand, had no trouble making massive lasagnes or trays of baked ziti. But, no, I don't think a 24" oven is too small, if you have the right equipment. I can't see the point of buying a huge oven simply for one meal of the year (i.e. to accommodate Thanksgiving Dinner), while the rest of the year you use huge amounts of unecessary heat to bake a potato . . . But that's just me :)

Thanks flwrs! And Cj - Knowing you both had success with using the roaster is reassuring. I use a brown sugar and bourbon glaze and I don�t think anyone will notice the ham isn�t very brown. My biggest worry is that the ham is only 8 pounds and might get too dry. I promise to use my electronic thermometer. Fori, I don�t think I could talk my DH into grilling. Our current forecast is: "Snow beginning around midnight tonight and ending around noon (CST) Friday with 2-4" in most places. Isolated higher amounts are possible near the 5-6" range." He might grill for us if we only get 2 more inches � more than that and you could probably hear him laugh all the way to your house. Beuhl, I am intrigued by the thought of using the slow cooker. I have an older one that has a metal container that sits on a griddle style base. I know the ham would fit nicely in there. I wonder if the glaze would do better in the roaster or the slow cooker. The instruction booklet has been missing for years. As I remember it was only 3 or 4 thin pages with very little real info. Cindy, may I have your apricot, mustard and honey glaze recipe. I promise to wrap that ham in foil before baking. It sounds delicious! I think my brown sugar and bourbon would stick tight to the foil and everyone would be tearing off bits of foil so they could lick the glaze off. I see you are due for a high of 52 degrees tomorrow. I do miss South Carolina winters!! Here in my part of Iowa we are promised a high of 20 tomorrow, which really isn�t too bad. (My southern bones can�t believe I�m saying that.) Northcarolina, I use my roaster to cook 15 to 18 pounds of pork (I also use boston butt) for BBQ all the time. The next time I�m making a smaller amount I will try the slow cooker. Hmmm � New Year�s BBQ. I think I will try your sage and sugar combination with my spices. I have been wanting something with sage lately. I love the aroma of sage cooking. Jakabedy, I like cooking a big turkey in the roaster because it does seem cook up more moist than in the oven. But my old Panasonic convection microwave cooked a very moist turkey in half the time. Thank you all for taking time to reassure me. May all your holiday meals be wonderful!

This was a favorite when I was a kid! My Mom added a cup of chopped nuts to that recipe. It makes a lot but they keep really well or you can bake half and freeze the rest of the dough to bake later. She used Rice Krispies and made the balls smaller than walnut sized. Thanks!!

I'll probably get rocks thrown at me for admitting to using a box mix....BUT...I have struggled with a banana bread recipe that I am really happy with for quite some time. My neighbor makes really good banana bread...I love it. Very basic recipe but I can not seem to duplicate it. Mine just doesn't come out the same. She used to bring me some when she'd bake but we're not friends anymore SO NO MORE OF HER GOOD BANANA BREAD FOR ME!! lol Anyways...I had 2 overripe bananas at home so I decided to try the Chiquita brand box mix for banana bread...2 bananas water and an egg.....well what do you know....some pretty good banana bread for out of box!! There's one piece left :-)