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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Peggy's Pointers
Peggy
Biedsoe
Houston
County
Extension
Coordinator
Turkey Safety
I remember the first
Thanksgiving dinner I pre
pared! The turkey was
roasting; the side dishes
were in various stages of
preparation; tthe cornbread
was made for the dressing;
and the pies were baked
and waiting for guests.
Everything was under con
trol until my stepmom called
to say she and Dad had the
flu and would not be coming
for Thanksgiving dinner.
That bit of news blew my
plan as I was planning on
her making the dressing.
You see her dressing was
always perfect! In just a few
days the wonderful aromas
of Thanksgiving dinner will
fill our kitchens once again.
We will reflect on past
Thanksgivings and recall
memories we hold dear.
A juicy, golden roasted
turkey is usually on the
Thanksgiving menu. You
may be preparing your first
Thanksgiving dinner of
turkey and the trimmings
or the one responsible for
roasting the turkey.
Either way, it is important
to follow some basic safety
tips to insure a quality prod
uct for you and your guests.
How much turkey do I
need to buy?
If you are planning to
use a fresh turkey, allow 1
pound of turkey per person.
Buy your turkey only one
or two days before you plan
to cook it. Keep it stored in
the refrigerator until you
are ready to cook it. Place it
on a tray to catch any juices
that may leak.
Do not buy fresh pre
stuffed turkeys. If not han
dled properly, any harmful
bacteria that may be in the
stuffing can multiply very
quickly.
If you are buying a frozen
turkey, allow one pound of
turkey per person. Keep the
turkey frozen until you are
ready to thaw it.
What is the best way to
thaw a turkey?
There are three ways to
safely thaw a turkey: in the
refrigerator, in cold water
or in a microwave oven.
To thaw in the refrigera
tor, allow approximately 24
hours for every 4 to 5 pounds
of meat. Keep the turkey in
its original wrapper. Place it
on a tray or in a pan to catch
any juices that may leak. A
thawed turkey can remain
in the refrigerator for 1 to
2 days.
To thaw in cold water,
allow approximately 30 min
utes per pound. Wrap the
turkey securely; making
sure the water is not able
to leak through the wrap
ping. Submerge your turkey
in cold tap water.
Change the water every
30 minutes. Cook the tur
key immediately after it is
thawed. Do not refreeze.
To thaw in the microwave,
check the owner’s manual
for the size turkey that
will fit in your oven, the
minutes per pound and the
power level to use for thaw-
See BLEDSOE, Page iB
$149
FOOD&HOME
WE GATHER TOGETHER
Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday sea
son. Menus are often set in stone according to
family customs and ethnic backgrounds. My
family expects turkey with cornbread dressing
-the recipe passed down from my Grandmother.
Once, before the holidays, I decided to try a sau
sage and apple dressing recipe. It was very good,
but my youngest daughter eyed it suspiciously
and said, “You’re not thinking about making
Grandma's Turkey,
Cornbread Dressing and
Gravy
One whole turkey with
lettuce
Celery
Onions
Bay leaf
1- large pans of
cornbread
4-5 biscuits (or 4-5 slic
es white bread)
2- stalks celery, finely
chopped
1 large onion, finely
chopped
3- boiled eggs,
chopped
Salt, pepper and sage
to taste
Chicken or Turkey
Broth (from cooking the
giblets or pan juices)
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
• Dressing: Remove
the neck and giblets
from the turkey and
cover with water. Throw
in a few chunks of cel
ery and onion and a
bay leaf. Bring to a
slow boil, reduce the
heat and simmer until
done. When giblets are
cooked, strain, reserv
ing the broth and giblets
separately. Discard the
vegetables and bay leaf.
Chop the giblets and any
meat you can pull off the
neck.
Crumble the cornbread
and biscuits (or bread)
into large mixing bowl.
Add the chopped giblets,
onion, celery and boiled
eggs. Sprinkle with salt,
pepper and sage. Add
broth until thoroughly
Making the most of the fall apple harvest
Notes from AFarr
; 1
farra@alltel.net
With the nip in the air and
holiday displays going up in
the stores, I begin thinking
about the holidays and how
I used to bake and cook for
an army. Now I enjoy watch
ing the army cook. I use to
prepare care packages for
anyone that came to take
home and now care packages
are prepared for me to take
home. Once I am home, I
enjoy dividing up the goodies
and freezing them for later
meals. (My husband called
it recycling the holidays). All
of the children and grand-
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111 1.
I National Turkey Federation
wet but not soggy. Taste
and adjust the seasoning
if necessary. Spray a
large, ovenproof baking
dish (about 14 x 12) with
cooking spray and put in
the dressing mixture. (It
can be refrigerated at this
point.) After the turkey
is cooked and while it is
standing, set the oven to
400 degrees and bake the
dressing about 30 minutes
or until top browns off.
If it seems too dry, pour
a little more broth over
it-a good time to use some
of the pan drippings from
the turkey.
children have turned out
to be good cooks. When
they come home, I still try
to prepare their favorites.
There a few things that I
never mastered so that it
tasted like what I had eaten.
One is my Mother-in-law’s
Cheese and Macaroni (note
not macaroni and cheese),
my Mother’s fried chick
en, and the cheese straws
made by Elizabeth Talton
and Bobbie Richardson.
The two run such a close
race that you would have
to declare it a tie. Maybe
we can get both of them to
give us their recipe before
the holidays. Mine are good
but definitely not as good
as Elizabeth’s and Bobby’s.
I guess we all have some
thing that we do and no
one else can touch it. Mine
would probably be home
made rolls and fresh coco
nut cake.
The beautiful displays
of fall harvest, makes
you hunger for the taste
Agnes
Farr
Columnist
’ during our
WHOLE HOUSE
CARPET INSTALIATION EVENT
Yvonne
Sutherland
Food
Columnist
yvonnes@windstream.net
• Turkey: You can stuff
some of the dressing into
the turkey, but I think it’s
difficult to get out. (And
it takes longer to cook the
bird.) I get the same flavor
by throwing a few hunks
of celery and onion inside
the turkey and rubbing the
skin lightly with sage, salt
and pepper. I cover the bird
loosely with foil (leaving
room for air to circulate)
and bake it at 325 degrees
until it is done. Always
use a meat thermometer.
The breast should reach
170 degrees and the thigh
180 degrees. That will take
of these items. My favorite,
the apple, is beautiful and
so good for you. One of my
sons told me that his Dr. rec
ommended that he eat two
apples a day and it would
help his memory. I asked him
if he was complying and he
said, “No, I keep forgetting.”
So is life. Apples are also
good for the digestion and
contain good fiber and potas
sium. Try to get at least one
apple a day into your diet...
especially while they are so
plentiful. To me the moun
tain grown apples are much
better than the ones that or
grown around here.
Try some of these dishes
and I am sure that you will
find at least one that you will
enjoy.
Raw Apple Cake:
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/4 c shortening (1/2 stick
See APPLES, Page
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008
this for Thanksgiving, are you?!” I was, but
we had cornbread dressing as usual. I know
people who swear by prepared stuffing mixes
and mixes you prepare on the stove top. I have
never tried them; I wouldn’t dare!
Here is my grandmother’s recipe as it has
evolved. (I don’t think she used aluminum
foil!)
about 3 hours for a 12-
pound turkey and, 4 1/2 to 5
hours for a 20 to 24-pound
turkey. While it is cooking,
baste it occasionally with
the pan juices. When it is
done, remove the foil. If
it has not browned well,
increase the oven tempera
ture to 425 degrees until it
does. Remove the onions
and celery and discard. Let
the turkey stand 30 min
utes before carving.
•Gravy: Pour the juices
from the roasting pan and
skim off the fat. Reserve
2 tablespoons of fat and put
s ~ 1
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Apples are in season now at their best prices
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1812 Hwy 41 North • Perry
987-1112
SECTION: B
it into a sauce pan. Add the
juices to the broth from the
giblets if any is left. Add 1
cup of the turkey broth to
the roasting pan and stir
deglazing it of any bits of
browned drippings. Stir
the flour into the fat in the
sauce pan and cook over
medium heat until slightly
browned. Add the cup of
broth from the roasting
pan and the milk. Whisk
over medium heat until
thickened. If too thick, add
more liquid. Serve with the
turkey and dressing.
Note: I utilize broth
from cooking giblets and
See THANKSGIVING, Page zB
Journal/Charlotte Perkins
71047