I was more careless (or less paranoid) when I was young. Maybe because almost everything we ate except flour or sugar we raised or grew, so from barn or field to table it was entirely under our control. But now I'm older and cooking meat I buy in a store. I have DH with health problems and there's been lots of illness in the older generation, so I've become very aware of the increased risk with compromised immune systems. It's made me pay more attention. I just figured it was time to develop better habits. You've got to break in that canner sometime! What a perfect opportunity. As far as coming home to frozen meat, ahem . . . if it's canned, no problem. OK, I've hit that enough. Usually at such times I go for ground beef and just cook it in the pan frozen, breaking it apart as it thaws. Then I use it for casserole, spaghetti sauce, etc. The time's about equal. I also keep minestrone, stuffed green peppers, spaghetti sauce, etc. in the freezer. They can be thawed while heating stovetop or while baking. Carol

Wow, you have your turkey already out of the oven and drippings ready for the gravy at 8:00 AM? No reason why you can't make the gravy, let it simmer and then refrigerate it until dinner time. Then just reheat. There is no reason to leave it heating in a crock pot. Make sure you cover the gravy though so that a skin doesn't form on the surface. Ann

I am not fixing our turkey this year, as we are going to our granddaughter's, but I never roast our turkey, I guess you would call it baked. The seasoning for it are as follows, lots of salt inside, a stick of real butter and rum or rum flavoring. It is put breast down either in a roasting pan and covered tightly with foil or in a baking bag. Before sealing up add a pint or so of water. Then let it bake away for near 4 hours. I always fix mine the day before dividing the light and dark meat in separate pans. Heat in oven the next day with some of the broth from the turkey. The broth is used to make gravy and it is very good. This recipe came from my Hawaiian cousin and since tasting his, this is the only way we fix ours. Nice and moist and tasty. Happy Thanksgiving. Sue

If you do not care for the flour taste in gravy, you must simmer it for 15 minutes or so after you add a slurry. This is the reason people use a roux to thicken gravy and stews, the powdery flavor is already cooked out by the time you add it. A roux cooks the flour ahead of time, so your chicken/turkey/roast doesn't need to sit so long while you're making gravy. I use a light brown roux rather than a blond for turkey gravy, as the cooking time required adds a richer flavor. Remember though, that the longer the flour cooks, the less it's thickening power. If you're new at making gravy, or make it seldom, it is a good idea to have some extra chicken stock (or turkey base...Better Than Bouillon makes a good one) on hand in case of over thickening, weak flavor (or not enough drippings!) In the case of thin gravy that needs to be thickened a bit at the last minute, I prefer a cornstarch slurry to a flour slurry because it doesn't need the extra cooking time. Do not use cornstarch as the exclusive thickener however, because it makes more of a "glaze" than a gravy. One part cornstarch to 3 parts water is a good emergency, last minute thickener for a gravy that is just not quite thick enough. Add the cornstarch& water mix in small quantities, say a tablespoon at a time (a little does a lot!), keeping the gravy at a high simmer (stirring the while) for 3 minutes or so before deciding to add more.