Snow White Trackers Withdrawal Club

[unsoclbuttrfly]

Originally Posted by My Escape

Oh wow, I would have guessed 1/2 pound per person no matter what. I do buy bone-in turkey *******, though, so I'm close. And I agree ham just isn't the same. Remember, I'm the person who ordered a 6 pound beef roast for Thanksgiving. Traditional isn't always in my vocabulary. I still haven't had a chance to go out and check for convection info. Hoping to feel better by Monday to go out and do that. I'm running out of time.


Conny, I have NEVER even heard of potato stuffing before. It sounds really good!

Wish I could help you out with the convection oven info, but have almost zero experience with that. I hope you're feeling up to it by Monday. Have you had any luck looking the information up online? I would think there should be some good information out there in the cyber world...somewhere. If you want, I'll do some searching for you. I love a challenge .

My grandma and I will do ham for Christmas, and probably again for Easter. Then again, she's being slightly more open to suggestions on the Christmas meal plan, so maybe I can talk her into something else. Half a boneless turkey breast with skin on would be good, or my old Christmas favorite, a nice yummy meat lasagna. Hmm. I'll have to give this some thought.

[Bindidog]

Originally Posted by COONYCOON

I'd say that goat should be making an appearance any time soon
Aside from all the other great advice about cooking turkeys I will give you my mum's Irish potato stuffing recipe (only the best stuffing I have ever eaten and I've been living in France for the past 20 years!) It is dead easy:
mashed potatoes, chopped onions (I blanche them first in olive oil or butter with a little salt) plus salt and pepper and lots and lots of butter. Then you just stuff it in. My mum would always put in two kinds - traditional sage stuffing (the recipe of which my friend just improved a hundredfold by adding brandy) but sometimes I put it around the bird too ( the only problem is you don't get gravy - or you have to make it without the juices).
This said I have never actually cooked a turkey There isn't one that would ever fit into the tiny oven I have so I just make do witha capon!!
Good luck! I'll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed (as party scout says)

This sounds yummy! I might have to make it tonight to give it a "test run"!

Originally Posted by unsoclbuttrfly

Wow, you must be one busy lady with all that schooling going on. Now I'm even more impressed that you were able to organize that Nutcracker production. Great attitude about the wedding. It'll happen soon enough, no need to push it along.

As for size of bird, you're right, it largely depends on how much you want to have leftover, and on the appetite of your guests. For a first timer, though, I would say nothing over 12-14 pounds (which will be enough turkey to feed spme people all until New Years). I find the bigger birds too cumbersome to deal with; then again, I have a pretty small kitchen.

One website has the following guide, which might work for you:
Steps:

1. Count the number of people who will be eating turkey - remember that this number may be different than the total number of guests if the group includes vegetarians.
2. Figure on 1 pound of unstuffed, whole turkey per person for moderate leftovers. Allow about 1.3 pounds per person for more leftovers.
3. Figure on about 3/4 pound per person if you're buying just a turkey breast. Allow 1/2 pound per person for boneless turkey breast.
4. Allow about 1-1/4 pounds per person if you're buying a prestuffed, frozen bird.

This is great! I think you're right, I won't go too big on the bird!

Originally Posted by WI 50ish

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one, thanks Mrs. Shimmer
SCREAMING!!!!!! PhotoShop the Goat in to the story keep peace in the relationship
I guess the bottom line is - as long as you are happy, a lifetime of 'happy ever after' will follow? How long dating Bindidog? Personally, I was fine in NOT getting married, then after 5 yrs, DH decided it was time. We have been together 25 years, married 20 of them, and I hate to say this ladies- but I got thee very best guy!!! No Goat here, but am certainly going to seriously consider that moose for either his Christmas stocking or the first night of Hannukkah!!

That's a good idea about the moose! That's a good "guys" Webkinz!

Goat's keeper and I have been dating for almost 5 years, but we were good friends for quite a while before that. We've both been through a lot which I think is why neither of us could "jump in" to things. My first love passed away when I was in my early 20's so it's taught me a lot about life, and unfortunately made it hard for me to trust that bads things don't happen. So I'm hoping for that "happily ever after", but sometimes life gets in the way. Anyway, I always try and smile and be optimistic, because I realize I have so much to be thankful for. Every day is a gift, and we get to chose what kind of a life we are going to lead.

[My Escape]

Originally Posted by unsoclbuttrfly

Wish I could help you out with the convection oven info, but have almost zero experience with that. I hope you're feeling up to it by Monday. Have you had any luck looking the information up online? I would think there should be some good information out there in the cyber world...somewhere. If you want, I'll do some searching for you. I love a challenge .

My grandma and I will do ham for Christmas, and probably again for Easter. Then again, she's being slightly more open to suggestions on the Christmas meal plan, so maybe I can talk her into something else. Half a boneless turkey breast with skin on would be good, or my old Christmas favorite, a nice yummy meat lasagna. Hmm. I'll have to give this some thought.

For Christmas day, before the kids came along, my husband and I had stir-fried pork with ginger on Christmas. Since the kids are old enough to voice opinions, I now make a rather labor intensive, but good dish of fried chicken with country gravy. I wish we could just be normal people and cook a ham, but it never works out. For Christmas eve, when the family is here, I alternate between a pasta buffet and chicken and ham bundles wrapped in puff pastry. Everyone seems to like the latter better, so will probably go with that. Don't fix what isn't broken. Your lasagna sounds good, I love that and rarely make it. I'm getting so hungry right now!

Feel free to look, thanks, I'm getting tapped out of ideas. What I'm mostly finding are sites that say 'try lowering the temp by this amount or lowering the time by that amount. Or do both. Experiment...' Can't afford to experiment. I just don't get why standard ovens can have set times and set temps and still put in a disclaimer that says all ovens are different, yet the convection recipes can't do the same. I'd take the disclaimer if they'd just carve something in stone for me to start with. One way or the other, I'll conquer it. I do need time and energy to get to Borders, I'm sure the answer is there. Energy, definitely, energy.

Right now, I'm working on my grocery list for this big event. Funny how a menu can expand into so many individual items needed.

Originally Posted by Bindidog

This sounds yummy! I might have to make it tonight to give it a "test run"!


This is great! I think you're right, I won't go too big on the bird!



That's a good idea about the moose! That's a good "guys" Webkinz!

Goat's keeper and I have been dating for almost 5 years, but we were good friends for quite a while before that. We've both been through a lot which I think is why neither of us could "jump in" to things. My first love passed away when I was in my early 20's so it's taught me a lot about life, and unfortunately made it hard for me to trust that bads things don't happen. So I'm hoping for that "happily ever after", but sometimes life gets in the way. Anyway, I always try and smile and be optimistic, because I realize I have so much to be thankful for. Every day is a gift, and we get to chose what kind of a life we are going to lead.

Bindi, your Happily Ever After will just happen when it's ready. As you've learned, life goes all over the place. When it's time, you'll know it. If you need to speed it up for any reason, you can just stick a picture of a ring on that moose's antler and smile sweetly on Christmas morning.

[Bindidog]

Originally Posted by My Escape

Bindi, your Happily Ever After will just happen when it's ready. As you've learned, life goes all over the place. When it's time, you'll know it. If you need to speed it up for any reason, you can just stick a picture of a ring on that moose's antler and smile sweetly on Christmas morning.

You are so right! In the meantime, I am happy right where I am!

[unsoclbuttrfly]

Hi Escape - I've done a little preliminary searching and here's some information I've pulled for you. Probably stuff you've seen before, but this one does suggest a solid 225 degrees for convection ovens. Good information for me to pick up, as I expect to be using a convection oven at some point in the next year.

-Remove roasts from refrigerator 1/2 to 2 hours before cooking.
-Conventional oven; 325°F. Convection oven: 275°F. Roast in preheated oven 8 to 23 minutes per pound (see table below) or until internal temperature of the roast reaches 125°F to 155°F. Remove from pan at desired temperature.
-As you remove roast from the oven, tent it with aluminum foil; let it "rest" at least 15, up to 60 minutes to redistrubute juices and finish cooking. Temperature will continue to rise 5°F to 10°F. Allow for this further cooking when calculating what temperature to pull out the roast at.

WARNING NOTES: Remember, the rib roast will continue to cook as it sets. For example, the temperature of a roast removed from a conventional oven at 120 degrees F will rise to 125 degrees F to 130 degrees F. internal temperature (medium rare) at 15 to 20 minutes. If allowed to rest as long as an hour, the temperature will rise even higher. So, pay attention to both the temperature you remove the roast at, and how long you let the cooked roast sit.
Special Considerations for Convection Ovens: If you use a convection oven, the temperature of your roast can rise as much as 30 degrees - so remove roast from oven at 110°F on your meat thermometer for rare, 115 degrees F to 120 degrees F degrees for medium rare, and 125 degrees F for medium doneness.

1. You would know that the roast is done when the temperature in the center of the roast reaches 120°F to 125°F, (49°C to 52°C) for rare, 130°F to 140°F (55°C to 60°C) for medium rare, 145°F to 150°F (63°C to 66°C) for medium, and 155°F to 165°F (68°C to 74°C) for well done. (Note: 120° is a very rare roast).
2. How do I know when my roast is done? Do I really need a thermometer?
   A: Using the roasting timetable recommended minutes per pound as a guide for when your roast should be done, you will be able to make a good initial estimate. But roast beef is EXPENSIVE, they vary by size, shape, and fat and ovens differ in cooking times. Don't waste your money or your effort: the best way to determine when your roast is cooked is to use a meat thermometer.
   Know what kind of thermometer you have: the instant read meat thermometers will either melt or explode if left in the meat in the oven. Also check the accuracy: 5 degrees is the difference between rare and medium for some cuts.

Added note: There is a lot of info about the type of pan and most of it indicates that convection cooking is best with shallow pans. I'm sure you already know that part, but thought I'd add it.

OK, last addition (for now ). I'm seeing this info repeated on almost every page I find about convection:

You can use the same recipes in a convection oven as a standard one, but for best results, here are the rules that apply:

1. Reduce the oven temperature by 25° F, cooking times will be about the same.
2. If the baking time is less than 15 min, the temperature should be reduced by 30° F.
3. When roasting, the temperature stays the same, but the cooking time is reduced. The time will depend on the size of the food. For example, if the recipe says bake a roast at 400 degrees for 50 min, in a convection oven you would cook it at 400 degrees for about 30 to 35 min.

[WI 50ish]

Originally Posted by COONYCOON

mashed potatoes, chopped onions (I blanche them first in olive oil or butter with a little salt) plus salt and pepper and lots and lots of butter. Then you just stuff it in. My mum would always put in two kinds - traditional sage stuffing (the recipe of which my friend just improved a hundredfold by adding brandy) but sometimes I put it around the bird too ( the only problem is you don't get gravy - or you have to make it without the juices).

This said I have never actually cooked a turkey There isn't one that would ever fit into the tiny oven I have so I just make do witha capon!!

Good luck! I'll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed (as party scout says)

Can you say salivating over this one! THANKS for this terrific and quite easy addition

Don't know if a few of you remember but near the end of the dwarf ad hunt, I was taking my turkey out of the oven and sliced my finger on the knife that I stupidly used to pull the rack out to check it?! Left for the hospital and returned to have the stitches open while I was clicking....

I cook a turkey once a month here because the kids get this: love it better the next day AND it is really the only sandwich they will make + pack for their school lunch. They are pretty spoiled and don't do the grocery deli's luncheon meats. Actually, my DH own't eat any meat outside of our home..... Since DH July heart attack, we are eating a bit more fish, esp salmon. All 3 play year round sports, so they LOVE their pasta <3 . I so love to cook and I am blessed to have the appliances I researched and wanted.

[Jennifer36]

Good Evening Trackers!

All this talk of food is making me hungry!!!!

I am still worried about making the turduken and really wishing all I was doing was the ham like last year.

Bindidog - I love the smileys! Thanks for makeing them!

I was thinking we should do one with the Snow man or maybe the polar bear with a santa hat!

Hope everyone is having a great night!

[My Escape]

Buttrfly - that's excellent info, thank you! What source was that because I haven't seen anything that definitive on the internet. Someone actually committed to a temperature. The only thing is it's mentioning rib roasts. Do you think a boneless roast would be similar? I'm going to print off that post. I love this thread, the help and support on here is amazing.

If you bake a lot, and I know you do, that's where convection shines. Unlike standard ovens, you can use all the racks and have everything come out at the same time. In standard ovens, one rack might burn while another is undercooked. I didn't anticipate having to do a roast quite this soon, we just got this oven in the last month or so. And there is definitely a learning curve. 50ish made a good point - research is the key and obviously you're great at that. We searched for ours for months, we had no oven for that long because I wanted to make sure we got the right one. Fortunately, we had a turkey roaster when we HAD to have baked goods during that time. Did a passable job. You do what you have to do.

Originally Posted by Jenifer36

Good Evening Trackers!

All this talk of food is making me hungry!!!!

I am still worried about making the turduken and really wishing all I was doing was the ham like last year.

Bindidog - I love the smileys! Thanks for makeing them!

I was thinking we should do one with the Snow man or maybe the polar bear with a santa hat!

Hope everyone is having a great night!

Hi Jenifer! I know, I've been hungry all day from this thread, which is good after the last few days. That turduken sounds like a ton of work, but it just sounds like a true showpiece. I'm still not clear on how it's purchased - do you buy them all deboned and then do all the stuffing yourself? And how far in advance do you stuff versus cook it, because I remember you saying it took a long time to roast. Please, post a picture of it when you cut into it! Yes, you have to stop your entire familiy dinner to take this... Ham is always good, too... I might have to run out for a fast one if I mess up that roast.


50ish - I'm sorry about your husband's heart attack. That must have been a very frightening time for everyone. I sincerely hope he's well on his way to better health.

[Mrs. Shimmer]

Cornbread stuffing for me, and Alton Brown says not to stuff the turkey. Sometimes it doesn't get hot enough, and then you risk some nasty bacteria. He says the herbs are OK, and then throw them away.

I baked about a third of my honey lebkuchen cookies this evening. I decided the rest can wait until tomorrow.

[Bindidog]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Shimmer

Cornbread stuffing for me, and Alton Brown says not to stuff the turkey. Sometimes it doesn't get hot enough, and then you risk some nasty bacteria. He says the herbs are OK, and then throw them away.

I baked about a third of my honey lebkuchen cookies this evening. I decided the rest can wait until tomorrow.

Lebkuchen....now what are these?