I know how it is John - my chest freezer has a turkey, a couple of whole chickens, 3 3.5lb pork roasts, chops, steaks, a couple of pies, lots of frozen veggies in microwavable bags, coffee, cranberries, etc. I can't fit a thing more in it! I've also been pickling green tomatoes and peppers for a fundraiser at the beginning of Nov, couldn't see canning them so my fridge is full too. Almost couldn't fit the leftover chili in from last night (though it wasn't from approved recipe so couldn't can the 4-5C I had left ;-))! Ah, well, maybe some day (gotta work on that doomsday shelter - my DB said if things got bad he was going to grab his 2 kids, his GF and his GF's kid and come here!). I've got the dehydrator now - but I'm tempted to spend the next $75 on a steam juicer, not a PC. BTW, I understood that you threw away the fat ;-)

Had the MRI today. Pelvis fractured at the hip but not all the way thru. Will heal itself if I keep all weight off and use a wheelchair for 8 wks. I can handle that. I don't want surgery if I can avoid it. She (dr) said the bone chip earlier noticed was not really a chip (gave it a name which I don't remember). I've always drank alot of skim milk which maybe in this case helped.

Oy vey, braised chicken breast shanks anyone?! A classic example of how my "eye for details" NOT gets me in big trouble. I pulled out of the freezer what I thought was a big ol' hunk of frozen turkey thighs, and put it in a bowl of water to thaw while I made some cookies. Now I see that I have thawed three chicken breasts, which I had bought for a totally different purpose! Now I have to make them for dinner either tonight or tomorrow night, and tomorrow (Thanksgiving) BF and I had planned on dining on roast chicken! So that means I either have to make the turkey tomorrow and BF will have to have a less than favored meal for Thanksgiving, or serve chicken for dinner two nights in a row. LUCKILY, BF is a paragon of patience and tolerance, and a man who, in his own words, "knows what he likes and sticks with it" so I think it may be chicken both days. Just yesterday he told me that he could eat chicken for dinner every night of the week. I don't know if he was being sarcastic or not, be careful what you wish for! M-rivergirl you got that right! I don't know what I would do anymore without BF to help me keep track of my keys, shoes, mail and other necessities of life. On the plus side, I bring excitement into his life! :) And I may not have an eye for details, but I can remember the name of that movie, you know the one, with that actor, you know the one who is on that TV show, you know the one with that blonde actress that he likes . . . C'mon, you must know what I am talking about!! If I ever do manage to make the turkey thighs, I think I will use the Julia Child approved recipe linked below, with maybe some dried mushrooms thrown in that I have in the pantry. Then I can serve it with this apple-mustard braised kale recipe in my "to try" folder. Here is a link that might be useful: Braised lamb shanks

" Posted by lindac --I big cold turkey in a pot of hot water is a good way to keep the meat at just the proper temperature for bacteria growth. Much better to put it directly into the oven. " This topic of cause can lead to an endless heated discussion. Still, let me give it a try. What first gave me the reasons to try to find a way that led me to use my method: 1. A frozen 20-lb turkey will take five to six days to thaw in the frig, and there is never room in a freezer to keep a turkey. We all know how much other stuff you have to get for the Thanksgiving dinner in the refrigerator. 2. A turkey from the frig directly to oven, takes too long to cook to reach safe temperature all the way deep inside, and by that time, the meat outside, thatÂs more than half of the turkey, is very overdone, tough and dry. Or worst, the inside meat is still bloody when you are serving to your friends and family. Please understand that I am not recommending to anyone to be unsafe. The many cities I have traveled to outside of this country, including Argentina (meat capital of the world) and recently to Paris, it is not unusual for meats to be sold without refrigeration for the whole day. Pathogens can grow in the refrigerator temperature as well. Generally, it is considered unsafe for temperature to be from 41 to 140 degrees (I think, please check for accuracy). The other important factor is time. Given it enough time, anything can go bad. That why it doesnÂt take long for meats to go bad in a frig. I hate to think what is going on in an uncooked turkey for more than six days in a frig. Here is what I have been doing for more than ten years. Reserve in advance a turkey from the supermarket. Pickup the frozen turkey on Thanksgiving day. Prepare hot water to about 120 degrees. Dump frozen turkey with its plastic bag in hot water, and keep water temperature at about 120 to 130 degrees. I donÂt know if this is absolute correct, I never timed it. Depending on how big and how frozen the turkey is, about an hour later, the whole turkey is completely warmed up ready for seasoning and stuffing. Because the turkey is hot (but not cooked) at this time, it does not take long in the oven for the temperature to reach 165 deep inside without overcooking the outside. Just simple law of thermal dynamics. The entire process gives very little time and opportunity for harmful pathogens to multiply. I advice you not to use my method. It is unorthodox. Go cold turkey. :-) dcarch