I picked up my "fresh" organic turkey today, waited until today so I didn't have to make room in the refer (figured I could store it overnight in the ice chest) only to find it was only partially thawed. So it's sitting out to thaw completely, even though I know that's not ideal. I need to dry brine it tonight in order to get it ready to deep fry tomorrow. It should be thawed enough to keep cool in the ice chest overnight.

Oh and I went to Costco yesterday to buy peanut oil for frying and they didn't have it. Went to another store and they only had a soybean peanut blend, which I don't like, but had no choice. Went to the Asian market today and bought 2 large bottles of peanut oil that I will mix with the other blend, but they were $17 a bottle which added up to almost as much as the 3 gal. blend. It's going to be an expensive fried turkey.

I'm making and freezing for a few weeks from now, so not as urgent, but behind, so urgent enough. :) I didn't have any whole cloves, so used ground. I had already peeled the pumpkins for a different dish, and roasted them since they were peeled, though they were supposed to be steamed. But there's supposed to be excess water from following the instructions, which is used to steep the spices, so I used some watered down spiced blended juice that needs using up because I thought it would go well. I also didn't have any piloncillo except some doubtful, Asian palm sugar, so I used the recipe's substitution of brown sugar, but I remembered it being really sweet, so I used half...and it's really sweet! So I'm contemplating adding a can of plain pumpkin (which I do have for making cake which doesn't work well with fresh), because having more empanadas is never a bad thing... I did mill some hard white wheat for the crusts, though it calls for AP. I feel like one of those cautions about "that's not the recipe!" but I know it'll all be fine in the end. I promise I won't say whose recipe it is that I'm not actually making!

My sour cream cheesecake cracked..... So I made lemon curd to top it.

Nothing major here - @ least this year's holiday so far. I thought the apple pie had burned, but it was an optical illusion, tho a few edges on the crust did get too dark, they were easily trimmed. My pumpkin pie crusts lost their pretty fluting when the pastry dough puffed up, but I know that just means it's extra flaky. 1 of them cracked as well, but I decided I really don't care; I may disguise it w/ whipped cream.

This year I wasn't cooking for anyone but me. First time in a long time. I'm so happy to say that everything went well, not out of anything, no disasters, etc. I'm just wondering why it couldn't have gone this well during all the past Thanksgiving dinner preps when I was cooking for crowds.

Madonna

LOL, Madonna, I also mess things up when I'm cooking for others.

Our family dinner isn't until Sunday, and I'll start the pies, the cheesecake, probably pimento cheese tomorrow with the kids. Saturday I do a lot of the cooking and then Sunday it's the last minute stuff, so I have time to run for milk, for cream cheese, for whatever. The only thing I've run out of so far is bleach!

Annie

With no husband (lost him 11 yrs ago) and the grocery store 2 blocks away now closed for good, I make a major effort to be sure I gave all the ingredients on hand. It's really not that hard -5 minutes tops to look a recipe, check cupboard and write down what I need on a list. At my age, I don't need surprises.

I store my sugar and flour in large Tupperware containers with snug fitting lids. I never get unwelcome critters in the containers.

Well, my mishap occurred three years ago, but it will live in infamy in my family.

Background: In addition to Christmas, between Dec 23 and 29 we also have four birthdays, so our family of six kids, six spouses, seven grandkids, Hub and I gather from far and wide for several days every year.

Three years ago, one son and his family moved into their new home Dec 22 and wanted our entire family to gather in their new home - 21 of us. I was charged with preparing the meat. On Dec 22 I bought 15 pounds of beautiful beef tenderloin and a frozen duck. Because my fridge was full, I put the meats, well-wrapped in their butcher wrap and grocery store bags, on top of the newspapers in the recycling bin in our garage, which was perfect at 30°.

Christmas morning I went to retrieve the meats. The bin was EMPTY! Recycling was picked up the day before, and Hub had dutifully put it on the curb.

Panic on Christmas morning, not to mention mourning the financial loss. We pulled all meats of every description from our freezer, a couple chicken breasts, a couple hamburgers, a few pork chops, a very small beef roast, some salmon, and a sausage or two, and called it a Christmas Smörgåsbord.

What can you do? Couldn't ask the kids to bring anything because they were already here! Stores were all closed. We had plenty of food because the sides and deserts weren't affected. It was a blasted nuisance to cook all the different meats, but delicious nonetheless. The upside was I got my freezer cleaned out, and I shan't be keeping this year's meats in the recycling bin.

Oh, Sheesh. I had to read that twice to convince myself I was understanding it right. That's an expensive Woops. I'm so glad it wasn't me.

Many many years ago we would have a "pre-Thankgiving Feast and Fiasco" for all of our friends and others who couldn't make it home or just because. We usually supplied the meat, all else was pot luck.

This time we had cooked a goose, a turkey, a leg of lamb and a beef roast.

Had a great party, packed up to take the kids to see the grandparents for several days, and came home to find the roast still in the warming oven! Bleagh!

Now with daughters and DIL on shift work we usually have our TG on Saturday. I don't have to deal with all the crazy crouds (didn't have to wait in line at ALL for fresh crab!) and the stores are open in case I forget something! Much less stressful! Nancy

Oh, sheesh, that's awfully expensive. Whew, I'm glad my mishaps include things like getting up at 7 am to put the turkey in the oven and forgetting to turn the oven on until 11 am. Yeah, I've done that. I just turned the oven on 450F and we were only about 1/2 hour overdue for dinner.

Nancy, our dinner was on Sunday and I agree, it's easier. It gives me all weekend to cook and bake and the big stores were horrible because of "Black Friday" shoppers, but the small grocery stores like Aldi were pretty empty...

Annie

I think sheesh wins. I'm happy to say that my meat has never been thrown out with my recycling!!! wow, sheesh, that might have made me cry -- but I'd probably just have a bigger drink, a good laugh and story to tell, and be totally thrilled to have a cleaned-out freezer! :O) gee... do people ever have a "freezer cleaning" food party? It's actually a pretty good idea.

Annie, o m g, I've had to make up time before but I can't believe you made up that much time!!!

I can't think of any *major* or noteworthy cooking mishap that I've experienced.... one sister's worst was probably having her refrigerator go two days before T-day, flooding everything (kitchen floor and down to the basement) and we were coming to stay. :)

Everyone should be happy to see that xmas day is a Sunday this year!

PM, I even surprised myself on that one, LOL. I had planned to have the turkey stuffed and in the oven at 8 am, hence the 7 am wakeup call, I needed to make the stuffing. Put the bird in at 8:04, I planned to cook at 325F for 5 1/2 hours, it was a 20+ pound stuffed bird. Out at 1:30, half an hour to rest, dinner at 2 pm. Yeah. When I looked at the oven the clock said 10:48, and that's when I realized that I was only seeing the clock, not the temperature. (sigh) I am so not a morning person, so I'm not surprised, but still. So, I crank the oven on at 450F, cover the bird with foil and the lid to the roasting pan and hope for the best. At 2:15 the thigh tested 165F. It rested about 10 minutes, while I put the rest of the food on the table and then it got carved. It was perfectly done and juicy and we sat down to eat at 2:30, about half an hour later than planned. It gave everyone enough time to hoot and laugh at me and tease me about being old and forgetful, and reminding each other not to ask me to do ANYTHING before coffee in the morning...

Sheesh has me beat, though, with the "recycled" meat.

Annie

Do any of you ever change your recipes or processes because a mistake turned out well? Annie, will you make your turkey this way again?

sheesh, do you still put meat in the recycle bin? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ETA: it just struck me funny. odd moment. lol!

Sheesh, I wouldn't do that on purpose, although it worked. If I need turkey in a hurry, I'd spatchcock it, then cook it on top of the stuffing, faster and easier but the stuffing isn't quite the same. I thought the stuffing was too moist in the "last minute" turkey too, but I don't care for stuffing, it just seems like greasy bread to me.

Annie