First, the misses:

Those offbeat deviled eggs: They weren't bad, but they weren't worth the
trouble, either.

Roasted sunchokes: With all the other vegetables, they were just
superfluous. I wanted *something* on the table which had been simply
prepared, and now I'm regretting that simplicity.


Mixed reviews for:

Turkey cracklin' fritters: I thought they were dry, but most everybody else
loved them.

Spicy pickled pumpkin: I thought it was too salty, but others observed that
if eaten in combination with cheese (or right after having an olive) it was
very good.


Hits:

The turkey breast was gorgeous and very tasty. Lin gets most of the credit
for that.

The mushroom & sage Yorkshire pudding won over someone who didn't expect to
like it.

One of the diners couldn't stop eating the corn relish. It was kind of
funny, because the corn relish was spicy, and she was suffering from the
spiciness, but she liked the flavor so much she kept eating more and more.


HUGE Hits:

The mincemeat dressing was *very* much enjoyed.

The parsnips were loved, and much-commented upon.

The chocolate "brulot" pots de creme were exceptional.


Next up, Christmas Eve!


Bob

In article m>,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> First, the misses:
<snip>
> Mixed reviews for:
<snip>

That wasn't peer review. That was you. I know when I make crap too.
People tend to smile and give you a thumbs up while they drool the stuff
into a cup just under their chin if they're polite. Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.

leo

Leo wrote:

> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:
>
>> First, the misses:
> <snip>
>> Mixed reviews for:
> <snip>
>
> That wasn't peer review. That was you. I know when I make crap too.
> People tend to smile and give you a thumbs up while they drool the stuff
> into a cup just under their chin if they're polite. Nothing ventured,
> nothing gained.

Oh, I'm aware of the disparity between what people say and what they think.
I based my assessment of the diners' opinions on what the diners ate, not
what they said. For example, the sunchokes were barely touched, but the
fritters were just about wiped out. That's how I can be pretty sure that the
diners liked the fritters but not the sunchokes.

Bob

On Nov 27, 1:29*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
>
>
> One of the diners couldn't stop eating the corn relish. It was kind of
> funny, because the corn relish was spicy, and she was suffering from the
> spiciness, but she liked the flavor so much she kept eating more and more..
>
Capsaicin is like that. If I had a dollar for every time I continued
to hurt myself with chilies...
>
> Bob

--Bryan

On Nov 27, 3:34*am, Wayne Boatwright >
wrote:
> On Sat 27 Nov 2010 01:33:39a, Leonard Blaisdell told us...
>
> > In article m>,
> > *"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:
>
> >> First, the misses:
> > <snip>
> >> Mixed reviews for:
> > <snip>
>
> > That wasn't peer review. That was you. I know when I make crap
> > too. People tend to smile and give you a thumbs up while they
> > drool the stuff into a cup just under their chin if they're
> > polite. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
>
> > leo
>
> Amen!
>

My god, if you've already tasted it, it seems like it would be easier
just to swallow it than to "drool the stuff into a cup just under
[your] chin." I guess it's the whole spit/swallow thing.
>
> * * * * * * * * * * *Wayne Boatwright

--Bryan

On 11/27/2010 3:45 AM, Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Leo wrote:
>
>> "Bob > wrote:
>>
>>> First, the misses:
>> <snip>
>>> Mixed reviews for:
>> <snip>
>>
>> That wasn't peer review. That was you. I know when I make crap too.
>> People tend to smile and give you a thumbs up while they drool the stuff
>> into a cup just under their chin if they're polite. Nothing ventured,
>> nothing gained.
>
> Oh, I'm aware of the disparity between what people say and what they think.
> I based my assessment of the diners' opinions on what the diners ate, not
> what they said. For example, the sunchokes were barely touched, but the
> fritters were just about wiped out. That's how I can be pretty sure that the
> diners liked the fritters but not the sunchokes.
>
> Bob

I'm not sure what a sunchoke is...will have to google it.

The pumpkin praline pancakes were awful...I couldn't get the temp
right...so some were raw in the middle, some were bricks. The turkey
and apple sausage was awesome.

Dinner was fabulous...everything disappeared, but I only made the
traditional basics. Didn't try anything new.


--
Currently reading: The Chalice by Phil Rickman and The Walking Dead vol 3

On Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:29:29 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> The mushroom & sage Yorkshire pudding won over someone who didn't expect to
> like it.
>
> One of the diners couldn't stop eating the corn relish. It was kind of
> funny, because the corn relish was spicy, and she was suffering from the
> spiciness, but she liked the flavor so much she kept eating more and more.
>
Those sound very interesting! I make plainer Yorkshire pudding and
have wanted to make corn relish, but usually think of it after the
fact... like now. Do you have recipe links or recipes to post?

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On 27 Nov 2010 09:56:49 GMT, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Sat 27 Nov 2010 01:33:39a, Leonard Blaisdell told us...
>
>> In article m>,
>> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:
>>
>>> First, the misses:
>> <snip>
>>> Mixed reviews for:
>> <snip>
>>
>> That wasn't peer review. That was you. I know when I make crap
>> too. People tend to smile and give you a thumbs up while they
>> drool the stuff into a cup just under their chin if they're
>> polite. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
>>
>> leo
>>
>
> I personally think that experimentation is a bad idea when it comes
> to traditional celebrations unless, of course, each of the dishes has
> been prepared previously to insure they meet one's expectations.
>
> As I've commented before, I also think that making every dish on the
> table "over the top" is self-defeating. There's something to be said
> for simplicity with a focus on one or two spectacular dishes. JMO
>
> Obviously, what works is wholly dependent on the family and friends
> who will be eating the meal. It may work well for some, but mine
> would not enjoy such an overall extreme menu.

i'm not sure i cook anything that could be called 'spectacular.'

your pal,
blake

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> First, the misses:
>
> Those offbeat deviled eggs: They weren't bad, but they weren't worth the
> trouble, either.
>
> Roasted sunchokes: With all the other vegetables, they were just
> superfluous. I wanted *something* on the table which had been simply
> prepared, and now I'm regretting that simplicity.
>
>
> Mixed reviews for:
>
> Turkey cracklin' fritters: I thought they were dry, but most everybody else
> loved them.
>
> Spicy pickled pumpkin: I thought it was too salty, but others observed that
> if eaten in combination with cheese (or right after having an olive) it was
> very good.
>
>
> Hits:
>
> The turkey breast was gorgeous and very tasty. Lin gets most of the credit
> for that.
>
> The mushroom& sage Yorkshire pudding won over someone who didn't expect to
> like it.
>
> One of the diners couldn't stop eating the corn relish. It was kind of
> funny, because the corn relish was spicy, and she was suffering from the
> spiciness, but she liked the flavor so much she kept eating more and more.
>
>
> HUGE Hits:
>
> The mincemeat dressing was *very* much enjoyed.
>
> The parsnips were loved, and much-commented upon.
>
> The chocolate "brulot" pots de creme were exceptional.
>
>
> Next up, Christmas Eve!
>
>
> Bob
>
>

Mushroom and sage Yorkshire pudding? That sounds good. Please
describe this more fully. I'd also love to have the recipe for
the mincemeat dressing.

I kind-of kluged together most of my dishes:

The green beans with a sour-cream-based mushroom sauce etc. was a
step in the right direction but need to be fiddled with some more.

The chicken... My daughter wanted breast. I regretted that,
because it was a tad dry. The sauce was a bit too sweet, because
I added some cherry preserves at the last second. It was
basically balsamic glaze, Port, and that.

The cranberry sauce was bitter--my own darned fault. I will play
with this though, probably crossing this recipe (posted here, and
also containing Port) with my norm, using Port for some of the
liquid (and reducing the liquid in general) and marmalade instead
of my normal apricot preserves. Maybe orange juice instead of
some or all of the lemon juice.

The dried cranberry stuffing, made in muffin cups, was good....

As mentioned before, the family Pumpkin Chiffon Pie was great this
year, with the addition of 2 Tbsps of sweet potato to compensate
for the smaller amount in the cans of pumpkin. (I do remember
that I promised to try roasting a pumpkin and will do that soon,
but not for the expected holiday pie.

--
Jean B.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:18:59 -0700, "Jean B." > wrote:

> The chicken... My daughter wanted breast. I regretted that,
> because it was a tad dry.

You really made chicken or got a turkey breast to cook?

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:18:59 -0700, "Jean > wrote:
>
>> The chicken... My daughter wanted breast. I regretted that,
>> because it was a tad dry.
>
> You really made chicken or got a turkey breast to cook?
>
That was chicken breast, because my daughter won't eat turkey.

--
Jean B.

On Nov 26, 11:29*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> HUGE Hits:
I did not cook for our family dinner, on Friday this year, but for
bringing Spiced Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies that were an addictive hit
made with Vanilla Butternut Flavoring, maple ultra-mini chips and
fresh nutmeg zest.
Daughter followed a friend's last year "mistake" of roasting the
turkey upside down, and it came out with the most juicy breast meat
ever, while the dark meats were all still perfectly moist.
Everyone but me drooled over and loved the creamed corn she makes
using just heavy whipping cream and a spoon of sugar (while for me,
corn is just to be buttered with salt and fresh ground pepper added).
Turkey was stuffed as normal, and good, but a side dressing made with
sausage and apples was extra good.
An okay was son-in-law's always made mushroom soup and dried onion
green beans with a first time "better" of his cooking the beans only
until they were crisp-done. Usually they are mushy-done.
A little miss was that I arrived too late to make strach gravy, but
daughter's doctored up canned gravy wasn't at all a throw away.
Left overs brought home and will be enjoyed this evening while I bake
more Christmas giving breads and mix more cookie doughs to freeze. I
have near 100 breads in the freezer now, as well as four different 15
dozen each cookie doughs there as well. Our Boxing Day this year will
be on the 22nd. Ugh! Two long drives to Murrietta with just one day
between await me. I often get lost when driving, and yesterday's trip
had me at 167 miles making a 111 mile drive to the home that I've been
to at least one dozen times.
---Picky

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:56:34 -0700, "Jean B." > wrote:

> sf wrote:
> > On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:18:59 -0700, "Jean > wrote:
> >
> >> The chicken... My daughter wanted breast. I regretted that,
> >> because it was a tad dry.
> >
> > You really made chicken or got a turkey breast to cook?
> >
> That was chicken breast, because my daughter won't eat turkey.

Chicken breast, not even a whole chicken? How did you fix it?

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:11:09 -0800 (PST), JeanineAlyse
> wrote:

> Two long drives to Murrietta with just one day between await me.

Why don't you spend the night in the area? Seems silly to drive back
and forth like that... especially when you don't like it.

> I often get lost when driving, and yesterday's trip had me at
> 167 miles making a 111 mile drive to the home that I've been
> to at least one dozen times.

Sounds like you need to give yourself a GPS for Christmas. Make it an
early present.


--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:56:34 -0700, "Jean > wrote:
>
>> sf wrote:
>>> On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:18:59 -0700, "Jean > wrote:
>>>
>>>> The chicken... My daughter wanted breast. I regretted that,
>>>> because it was a tad dry.
>>>
>>> You really made chicken or got a turkey breast to cook?
>>>
>> That was chicken breast, because my daughter won't eat turkey.
>
> Chicken breast, not even a whole chicken? How did you fix it?
>
Welllll... Some months ago, I actually used one of the simmer
sauces (I forget which one by now, alas), and I noticed that the
texture of the chicken was perfect. Sooo, I tried to recall
precisely how I had cooked it. This time I kluged together a
balsamic glaze (which I rather suspect is what TJs dissontinued
product was), Port (having been reminded of that), and, at the
last moment, some chunky cherry preserves. That last part made it
too sweet. I still have some sauce and will try to tart it up
with more vinegar....

--
Jean B.

On Nov 27, 9:38*am, sf > wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:11:09 -0800 (PST), JeanineAlyse
>
> > wrote:
> > Two long drives to Murrietta with just one day between await me. *
> Why don't you spend the night in the area? *Seems silly to drive back
> and forth like that... especially when you don't like it.
Sound idea, but.... I will not spend the night between drives because
our family Boxing Day gives me five to deliver to peeps at home, and
we each prefer to deliver before Christmas so that others can share
with their own incoming families on Christmas Day.
> Sounds like you need to give yourself a GPS for Christmas. *Make it an
> early present. *
Way back when they first came out I bought myself a Tom-Tom GPS (QVC,
$500 then). My son programmed it for my most frequent trips (one, two
and three hours away). I first used it going to and coming back from
daughter's, to be told to left turn left, right off of an overpass
while still on it!&*$, which I did ignore to learn the GPS does catch
up to where your position is when you "go wrong" from it's tell. I
used it for only a few other, shorter trips, then did not use it for
about two years and it seems to have lost a way (for me) to activate
it. I have it and all it's go-withs bagged to take into work for
help. An away from my immediate work area volunteers to look at and
teach me that part, and to check it for whatever programming it may
since need, but he's hard to catch.

I am, real soon, going to at least buy myself a wee compass to help a
bit. My Mark IIIV had one built in, but this darned Murrietta doesn't
and I miss it. At least I'll always know in which direction I'm
going!
....PickyWithoutBearings

The miss was my Chess pies. I am having a devil of a time getting my
oven calibrated so consequently they looked like they had been cooked
with a blow torch.


:*(

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 14:37:36 -0800 (PST), JeanineAlyse
> wrote:

> I am, real soon, going to at least buy myself a wee compass to help a
> bit. My Mark IIIV had one built in, but this darned Murrietta doesn't
> and I miss it. At least I'll always know in which direction I'm
> going!

My dad installed a compass in every car we owned when I was a kid...
but he was a navigator in the Army Air Corps, so maps and compasses
were his thing.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 15:03:56 -0800 (PST), itsjoannotjoann
> wrote:

> The miss was my Chess pies. I am having a devil of a time getting my
> oven calibrated so consequently they looked like they had been cooked
> with a blow torch.
>
Darn! Sounds like something else is wrong. Has it been checked as
far as when it cycles on and how long it stays on? Sounds like that's
out of whack.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

Jean B. wrote:

> Mushroom and sage Yorkshire pudding? That sounds good. Please describe
> this more fully.

I had been braising turkey legs, so I grabbed some of the fat and liquid
from that pot. Those went into a metal pot which went into a 400-degree oven
along with about seven or eight good-sized cremini mushrooms which I had
sliced fairly thickly.

I picked about six leaves of sage from our plant, lightly brushed them with
grapeseed oil, and microwaved about one minute (until crisp). Those got
crumbled. Then I made the batter for Yorkshire pudding using the recipe in
the Vincent Price cookbook. (I'm at work tonight so I can't type that up at
the moment.) I stirred the crumbled sage into the batter and waited until
the drippings in the pan were smoking hot (as the recipe directs; it's one
of the keys to successful Yorkshire pudding). Then I poured the batter into
the pan, returned the pan to the oven, and cooked until puffed and golden
brown.


> I'd also love to have the recipe for the mincemeat dressing.

I cooked the giblets and turkey neck along with some chicken giblets and the
turkey back. The meat was removed and chopped fairly fine. A couple stalks
of celery and a big onion were chopped and cooked in butter until softened.
The meat and vegetables were combined with stale bread cubes in a big bowl,
and tossed with about a quarter-cup of jarred mincemeat, salt, and
freshly-ground black pepper.

The stuffing was cooked under the roasting turkey breast: The roasting rack
was lined with foil, the stuffing was piled on the foil, and the dry-brined
turkey breast was put on top. The foil was wrapped around to gently enclose
the bottom part of the breast (but not so tightly as to inhibit air
circulation). Then the whole thing was roasted at 325F until the internal
temperature of the meat hit 150F. (At which time the stuffing registered a
temperature of about 175F.)

Bob

sf wrote:

>> The mushroom & sage Yorkshire pudding won over someone who didn't expect
>> to like it.
>>
>> One of the diners couldn't stop eating the corn relish. It was kind of
>> funny, because the corn relish was spicy, and she was suffering from the
>> spiciness, but she liked the flavor so much she kept eating more and
>> more.
>>
> Those sound very interesting! I make plainer Yorkshire pudding and
> have wanted to make corn relish, but usually think of it after the
> fact... like now. Do you have recipe links or recipes to post?

Yes, but it'll have to wait for a day or two, since I don't have either of
them in digital form. The corn relish recipe came from a book on preserving,
but I left out the Cleargel since I wasn't preserving the stuff. The
Yorkshire pudding recipe was modified from the Vincent Price recipe; I just
added sage and sliced cremini mushrooms.

Bob

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:27:26 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
>
> >> The mushroom & sage Yorkshire pudding won over someone who didn't expect
> >> to like it.
> >>
> >> One of the diners couldn't stop eating the corn relish. It was kind of
> >> funny, because the corn relish was spicy, and she was suffering from the
> >> spiciness, but she liked the flavor so much she kept eating more and
> >> more.
> >>
> > Those sound very interesting! I make plainer Yorkshire pudding and
> > have wanted to make corn relish, but usually think of it after the
> > fact... like now. Do you have recipe links or recipes to post?
>
> Yes, but it'll have to wait for a day or two, since I don't have either of
> them in digital form. The corn relish recipe came from a book on preserving,
> but I left out the Cleargel since I wasn't preserving the stuff.

Thanks for the recipe, if and when you get 'roundtoit.

> The
> Yorkshire pudding recipe was modified from the Vincent Price recipe; I just
> added sage and sliced cremini mushrooms.
>
Okay, I can do that. I made a really good Yorkshire pudding with
apples and sausages in it a month or so ago.... must repeat that one
soon.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

In news:rec.food.cooking, "Bob Terwilliger" >
posted on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:29:29 -0800 the following:

> First, the misses:
>
> Those offbeat deviled eggs: They weren't bad, but they weren't worth the
> trouble, either.

I used to love deviled eggs, but lately many of the foods I used to like,
I'm getting tired of. I guess there may be such a thing as palate
fatigue.

> Roasted sunchokes: With all the other vegetables, they were just
> superfluous. I wanted *something* on the table which had been simply
> prepared, and now I'm regretting that simplicity.
>
>
> Mixed reviews for:
>
> Turkey cracklin' fritters: I thought they were dry, but most everybody else
> loved them.

Did they really love them, or did they just say they loved them? I don't
think there are very many people out there who would look at someone and
say, "Your turkey cracklin' fritters are dry". They would eat them with a
smile, and secretly be grateful they only have to eat them once a year.

Okay, I'm going to post this and I do realize that someday in the future,
someone who knows me might read this message and find out what I really
think, but this is a food newsgroup and I just feel like it's the best
place to share something like this:

My friend's mom has a problem swallowing some foods. The typical
Thanksgiving dressing is one of those foods. One year I made the dressing
and I made it in a way that I've always seen it made all my life, just a
classic dressing. She told me she needed a wetter-than-typical dressing,
so just for her, I made a side of tasty, brothy gravy for her to put on
her dressing so she could make it as wet as she wanted it. She had it
beside her, but I never noticed her using it. Then she ate some dressing
and nearly choked on it. Well I wasn't happy, so I've never made the
dressing for Thanksgiving again. For myself and my friend, I make
cornbread dressing and chicken a few times a year because I do like it. I
just like to eat it with a fork, not a spoon.

Well, this year she made the dressing, and we all had to eat runny
dressing. I love the woman to death, but her dressing looked like a layer
of dried snot was sitting on top of it...literally like a 200-foot-tall
giant had sneezed a wad of snot right into the casserole, complete with
spikes of dried snot-looking spikes shooting up the sides of the dish. I
was disgusted by the sight of it, but put a little on my plate, ate it and
didn't complain.

I'll top it off by saying I think I would have liked a Swanson turkey &
dressing TV dinner a bit more. God, I hope nobody I know reads this.
/sigh But some stories I just have to share.

Other dishes were asparagus, some kind of string bean casserole with those
canned fried onions on top, turkey (of course), which actually was good,
though cold by the time we got to the table. It's always the turkey
that's cold. Canned string beans and asparagus aren't my favorite foods,
but...you know... it's only once a year, and at least I could eat and had
no trouble at all putting my fork down. Macaroni & Cheese was there, but
made with jars of Ragu cheese sauce.

Am I just delusional, or is Thanksgiving supposed to be all about hard
work in the kitchen, taking no shortcuts and making everything top
quality? Jars of cheese sauce, canned string beans, canned asparagus,
frozen dinner rolls (and not even decent ones at that), etc... all just
led to disappointment. Am I okay to feel let down? Sure, I smiled and
didn't tell anybody it wasn't the best food, though I nearly felt my gag
reflexes kick in two or three times as I tried to get through the meal.
And now I feel bad even talking about it, like I should have just made a
decision to love the food genuinely, whether I actually liked it or not.

> HUGE Hits:
>
> The mincemeat dressing was *very* much enjoyed.
>
> The parsnips were loved, and much-commented upon.
>
> The chocolate "brulot" pots de creme were exceptional.

I've never had parsnips, mincemeat, nor the chocolate dish you mentioned
last. The Yorkshire pudding sounds good, as does the corn relish and
turkey breast. Not sure about the pickled pumpkin. I would have been
willing to sample them at least. Overall it sounds like you had better
food at your get-together than we had at ours.



Damaeus

In news:rec.food.cooking, Leonard Blaisdell >
posted on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:33:39 -0800 the following:

> That wasn't peer review. That was you. I know when I make crap too.
> People tend to smile and give you a thumbs up while they drool the
> stuff into a cup just under their chin if they're polite. Nothing
> ventured, nothing gained.

In a way I felt guilty about making the cheesecake. It was the only thing
at our get-together people were moaning in ecstasy over. Everything else
was just kind of eaten silently with a few short, but artificial-sounding
"Oh, this is good" comments. I could feel the tension, like people were
thinking, "God this stuff is nasty, but let's be nice." I certainly felt
that way about most of it. I wanted to say something nice without lying
so I told the person who made the turkey that most of the turkey I'd had
was dry, and that hers was actually tasty and not dry. I didn't say
anything about any of the other food. The Ocean Spray cranberry sauce was
good.

Damaeus

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Mushroom and sage Yorkshire pudding? That sounds good. Please describe
>> this more fully.
>
> I had been braising turkey legs, so I grabbed some of the fat and liquid
> from that pot. Those went into a metal pot which went into a 400-degree oven
> along with about seven or eight good-sized cremini mushrooms which I had
> sliced fairly thickly.
>
> I picked about six leaves of sage from our plant, lightly brushed them with
> grapeseed oil, and microwaved about one minute (until crisp). Those got
> crumbled. Then I made the batter for Yorkshire pudding using the recipe in
> the Vincent Price cookbook. (I'm at work tonight so I can't type that up at
> the moment.) I stirred the crumbled sage into the batter and waited until
> the drippings in the pan were smoking hot (as the recipe directs; it's one
> of the keys to successful Yorkshire pudding). Then I poured the batter into
> the pan, returned the pan to the oven, and cooked until puffed and golden
> brown.
>
>
>> I'd also love to have the recipe for the mincemeat dressing.
>
> I cooked the giblets and turkey neck along with some chicken giblets and the
> turkey back. The meat was removed and chopped fairly fine. A couple stalks
> of celery and a big onion were chopped and cooked in butter until softened.
> The meat and vegetables were combined with stale bread cubes in a big bowl,
> and tossed with about a quarter-cup of jarred mincemeat, salt, and
> freshly-ground black pepper.
>
> The stuffing was cooked under the roasting turkey breast: The roasting rack
> was lined with foil, the stuffing was piled on the foil, and the dry-brined
> turkey breast was put on top. The foil was wrapped around to gently enclose
> the bottom part of the breast (but not so tightly as to inhibit air
> circulation). Then the whole thing was roasted at 325F until the internal
> temperature of the meat hit 150F. (At which time the stuffing registered a
> temperature of about 175F.)
>
> Bob
>
>
Thanks! I have the VP cookbook, so you don't need to type it for
me, anyway.

--
Jean B.

On Nov 27, 7:38*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 15:03:56 -0800 (PST), itsjoannotjoann
>
> > wrote:
> > The miss was my Chess pies. *I am having a devil of a time getting my
> > oven calibrated so consequently they looked like they had been cooked
> > with a blow torch.
>
> Darn! *Sounds like something else is wrong. *Has it been checked as
> far as when it cycles on and how long it stays on? *Sounds like that's
> out of whack.
>
>
It's the temperature gauge that I can't seem to get on the mark. It
has little notches on the back that if I set them in either direction
it will increase or decrease the temperature by 5 degrees. I'm still
working on it but darn those pies looked awful.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:12:44 -0800 (PST), itsjoannotjoann
> wrote:

> On Nov 27, 7:38*pm, sf > wrote:
> > On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 15:03:56 -0800 (PST), itsjoannotjoann
> >
> > > wrote:
> > > The miss was my Chess pies. *I am having a devil of a time getting my
> > > oven calibrated so consequently they looked like they had been cooked
> > > with a blow torch.
> >
> > Darn! *Sounds like something else is wrong. *Has it been checked as
> > far as when it cycles on and how long it stays on? *Sounds like that's
> > out of whack.
> >
> >
> It's the temperature gauge that I can't seem to get on the mark. It
> has little notches on the back that if I set them in either direction
> it will increase or decrease the temperature by 5 degrees. I'm still
> working on it but darn those pies looked awful.

5 degrees one way or the other shouldn't make a huge difference. Once
you know, you adjust the cooking time slightly. That's why I think
it's a different problem, like the thermostat.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 12:44:44 -0600, BlueBrooke
> wrote:

>On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:11:09 -0800 (PST), JeanineAlyse
> wrote:
>
>>Daughter followed a friend's last year "mistake" of roasting the
>>turkey upside down, and it came out with the most juicy breast meat
>>ever, while the dark meats were all still perfectly moist.
>
>Cook's Illustrated did this a couple of years ago. I can't remember
>if they started breast side up or down, but they "flipped" it during
>cooking. So I've always wondered if it really worked, but wasn't the
>least bit interested in trying to "flip" a hot turkey.
>
>I did it that way this year, but no "flipping." Looked funny in the
>rack, and it felt strange to have the wings sticking out like that --
>couldn't tuck 'em.
>
>My Sweetie usually sticks to the dark meat because it's not dry, but
>not this time. The breast meat was so juicy, I was afraid it wasn't
>done when we took it out of the oven.

I flipped our 22 lb turkey, which wasn't too hard. Started the bird
upside down on one rack in the pan. After two hours, I pulled it. The
wife held a second rack (bought for $1.99 at Big Lots) and I more or
less rolled the turkey onto the second rack. The breast was a little
marked up but not bad. Rack into pan, pan into oven.

Unfortunately the turkey was a little less moist this year because it
came out around 1:30 (an hour before it should have been done) and we
didn't eat til almost 3pm. Keeping it warm dried it out a little.
Still got lots of compliments on it. One fellow asked if I'd made the
bird this year. Told him yes, then he nodded and asked to have about
a pound sliced up in a take home box.... :-)
--
Best -- Terry