The kitchen gods were not with me
bulka
The first clue - I've never made a bad pie. This morning I managed to
charcoal the top crust.
At least the turkey was pretty good - moist flesh, crispy skin.
Intentionally slightly undercooked, since most of it is planned for re-
use anyway. Still managed to make a disaster of the carving.
Cranberrys were good - Mama Stamberg's and the Garlic Cranberry
Chutney from the same website.
Everything else, though, was over-spiced and over-cooked. Dishes I've
done right many times. My "How hard could it be?" recipe-less attempt
at stuffing/dressing was inedible. But at least there was a lot of
it.
We'll see what damage I can to to a simple carcass stock tomorrow.
I'm just thankful that we weren't having company. Thankful that I
didn't break anything, start a fire, spill grease all over the floor,
cut off a finger. Could have been worse.
Some days, I shoulda stood in bed.
bulka
gloria.p
>
> I'm just thankful that we weren't having company. Thankful that I
> didn't break anything, start a fire, spill grease all over the floor,
> cut off a finger. Could have been worse.
>
> Some days, I shoulda stood in bed.
>
Some days are just like that and there's not much you can do
about it. You just can';t do anything right on those days and
you might as well quit trying. But you are right--it could have
been worse.
There was a bad house fire this AM in Dumont, CO, in the
mountains near I-70. Turns out it was started by a turkey
fryer sitting too close to the house. Talk about an
unforgettable Thanksgiving!
gloria p
Janet Bostwick
"bulka" <working.art...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:01f68165-eec0-42a4...@k4g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
Janet
Wayne Boatwright
I think it happens to all of us at times. I didn't cook this year, but
last year's feast was absolutely perfect, nothing forgotten, everything
cooked just right, and perfectly syncronized in getting it to the table.
It was planned so well that I wasn't even the least bit stressed.
The year before was almost a total disaster. Some things didn't cook well,
the timing was really off, and I forgot several dishes that were prepared
ahead. I was so stressed out by this that I didn't even want to sit down
to eat.
It's not like we practice this meal every week or every month. For most of
us it's a once a year shot and it can be tought to get it just right,
especially when you're juggling a dozen dishes that need to be presented
altogether.
It's especially challenging for those of us who, either by choice or
circumstance, cook the entire meal ourselves.
--
~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~
~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~
**********************************************************
Wayne Boatwright
Dale P
news:01f68165-eec0-42a4...@k4g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
turkey and stuffing were great. Some of the dishes were put into the oven
and set at 350 to get warm for dinner. I guess the oven didn't get very
hot, as the food was rather cold. I know it was set at 350 and the food was
in there for about 45 minutes, but the beef, beans and yams were not as warm
as I would have liked. The helpers got all of the food out of the oven, and
then by the time we got everyone together and did grace, that did not help
the temperature! The oven is only four years old, but sometimes when I
change the temp setting, it does not respond very quickly. I over boiled
the potatoes and they were rather mush before we started mashing. The gravy
was okay, and we forgot to warm the rolls. The pumpkin pie was great, but
the pecan pie got too hot and cooked over and was not very attractive.
Everyone got full, and the day with family was great. Weather here was
picture perfect for the season.
Later,
DP
Steve Pope
>"bulka" <working.art...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> Probably the worst meal I've ever prepared.
I can think of a few past disasters.
Not too long ago, I made what had to be the world's worst martini
for an Important Guest. Ouch!
Today went well, but... we didn't have anyone over. Maybe that's
the trick. :-)
>I feel that I had some dishes that were not up to snuff today. At least the
>turkey and stuffing were great. Some of the dishes were put into the oven
>and set at 350 to get warm for dinner. I guess the oven didn't get very
>hot, as the food was rather cold. I know it was set at 350 and the food was
>in there for about 45 minutes, but the beef, beans and yams were not as warm
>as I would have liked. The helpers got all of the food out of the oven, and
>then by the time we got everyone together and did grace, that did not help
>the temperature! The oven is only four years old, but sometimes when I
>change the temp setting, it does not respond very quickly.
I noticed things not heating as quickly as I predicted also.
Not sure why, I had an oven thermometer and it read about 320,
and I allowed 50 minutes to reheat duck, and bake stuffing and squash.
Perhaps putting too many things in the oven at once slows it down.
Steve
Bob Muncie
I just wanted to wish all of you a better next holiday dinner. I've had
a dish or two not turn out as expected, but I always wanted the holiday
gathering to have a good meal. My last fail was green beans with bacon,
where I skipped the blanch period. The green beans were pretty much raw.
Good luck for the next holiday meal!
Bob
Gregory Morrow
Could you have made a more *generalized* and relatively *pointless* post,
Lil' Wayne...???
--
Best
Greg
nospam
> Probably the worst meal I've ever prepared.
>
>
> Everything else, though, was over-spiced and over-cooked.
Well at least we will not be ever seeing you or any of the other so
called cooking losers who post here that supposedly can cook on any cook
show ever!
Stu
<waynebo...@arizona.usa.com> wrote:
-->On Thu 26 Nov 2009 09:30:30p, Janet Bostwick told us...
-->
-->>
-->> "bulka" <working.art...@gmail.com> wrote in message
-->> news:01f68165-eec0-42a4...@k4g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
-->>> Probably the worst meal I've ever prepared.
-->>>
-->>> The first clue - I've never made a bad pie. This morning I managed to
-->>> charcoal the top crust.
-->>>
-->>> At least the turkey was pretty good - moist flesh, crispy skin.
-->>> Intentionally slightly undercooked, since most of it is planned for re-
-->>> use anyway. Still managed to make a disaster of the carving.
-->>>
-->>> Cranberrys were good - Mama Stamberg's and the Garlic Cranberry
-->>> Chutney from the same website.
-->>>
-->>> Everything else, though, was over-spiced and over-cooked. Dishes I've
-->>> done right many times. My "How hard could it be?" recipe-less attempt
-->>> at stuffing/dressing was inedible. But at least there was a lot of it.
-->>>
-->>> We'll see what damage I can to to a simple carcass stock tomorrow.
-->>>
-->>> I'm just thankful that we weren't having company. Thankful that I
-->>> didn't break anything, start a fire, spill grease all over the floor,
-->>> cut off a finger. Could have been worse.
-->>>
-->>> Some days, I shoulda stood in bed.
-->>>
-->>> bulka
-->>>
-->> Me too. :o{ To all of it.
-->> Janet
-->
-->I think it happens to all of us at times. I didn't cook this year, but
-->last year's feast was absolutely perfect, nothing forgotten, everything
-->cooked just right, and perfectly syncronized in getting it to the table.
-->It was planned so well that I wasn't even the least bit stressed.
-->
-->The year before was almost a total disaster. Some things didn't cook well,
-->the timing was really off, and I forgot several dishes that were prepared
-->ahead. I was so stressed out by this that I didn't even want to sit down
-->to eat.
-->
-->It's not like we practice this meal every week or every month. For most of
-->us it's a once a year shot and it can be tought to get it just right,
-->especially when you're juggling a dozen dishes that need to be presented
-->altogether.
-->
-->It's especially challenging for those of us who, either by choice or
-->circumstance, cook the entire meal ourselves.
Not as bad as a fellow down east who build a contraption to deepfry his 20
pounder and his house caught fire and burnt to the ground. Happy thanksgiving.
Jean B.
the stuffing. What did you do? I have winged it before, and
while the attempts weren't great, they were edible.
As someone said to another person on another venue... This
Thanksgiving will be memorable. You will probably look back on it
and laugh. It just isn't very funny when it is happening.
--
Jean B.
Jean B.
--
Jean B.
Janet Bostwick
"Jean B." <jb...@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:7na3r8F...@mid.individual.net...
the fridge etc. Result, crappy looking pie and the top crust overcooked and
became very 'brown.' The usual no recipe dressing -- it would be kind to
call it insipid. The turkey, even though it had a constant read thermometer
in the breast, was very dry. (I did brine it with the usual brine). The
gravy was, well, indescribable. The mushroom/lima beans were overcooked.
The mashed potatoes were o.k. That's the highlights. I can't decide
whether to dump all the leftovers or go to the store and see if I can get
some turkey necks, wings or whatever to make a broth for some decent gravy.
That would allow using leftover turkey for hot turkey sandwiches, turkey pot
pie. dunno Oh. . . The sprayer thingy on the kitchen faucet??? When I
replaced it in the holder the trigger re-activated, stuck, and sprayed a
good, large area of my kitchen, me and the dog.
Janet
Jean B.
didn't go well. I am sorry you had to experience that.
--
Jean B.
blake murphy
i wonder if there are any stats kept on turkey fryer injuries?
your pal,
blake
Food Snob®
It couldn't have been as bad as what my wife was subjected to (I
didn't go due to circumstances) at her sister's. Store bought pies
were one of the better things served. The scratch apple pie she
brought was only good item. I stayed home and drank a few glasses of
wine and worked on a 500 piece puzzle, and ate leftover turkey that I
roasted on Tuesday. Trader Joe's cornbread stuffing mix is really
good stuff.
>
> bulka
--Bryan
Bob Muncie
Jean - I always "wing it" for the recipes. My latest stuffing was this:
1 lb of sage pork stuffing Fried and broken up
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 large yellow onion chopped small
8 Oz button mushrooms sliced
24 Oz of applesauce (I like cherry flavored)
poultry seasoning (sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, pepper, etc.)
1 handfull of dried cranberries
1.5 loaves of a good bread. I normally use a buttermilk or sourdough bread.
Cook the sausage on the stove top, breaking up as it cooks.
Tear up the bread into 1 inch pieces
Toss the spices on the bread and mix, and add the cranberries, than add
the applesauce and mix more.
Saut�e the celery, onions, and mushrooms in the sausage grease
Add the sausage and the sauteed items to the seasoned bread, and mix.
Stuff the 20lb turkey, front and back. than cook the rest of the
stuffing (dressing), in a 2QT oven dish for 40 minutes at 350F.
Can you tell why I don't keep recipes? :-)
Bob
sf
<blakepm...@verizon.net> wrote:
>i wonder if there are any stats kept on turkey fryer injuries?
>
Only if the injuries involve the fire department or hospital. I
imagine if the police are involved, they would have a record too.
;)
--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.
sf
>Not as bad as a fellow down east who build a contraption to deepfry his 20
>pounder and his house caught fire and burnt to the ground. Happy thanksgiving.
I heard about that. Safety first means don't put it close to the
house. Did you see Alton Brown's contraption that involved a winch
and a stepladder?
sf
<nos...@nospam.net> wrote:
>Result, crappy looking pie and the top crust overcooked and
>became very 'brown.'
Future DIL's pie burned too. Her oven suddenly decided it would heat
too high. The pie itself was amazing, but the crust had too deep of a
tan. She did something I thought was unusual. She put gingersnaps in
it. Not sure if the crust itself had crumbled gingersnaps or if she
lined the bottom with them. I didn't see any cookie chunks. I think
she also said there were pecans in the crust. In any case, it was
still tasty in spite of the burn.
Jean B.
stuffing muffin. I think it tasted better today.
--
Jean B.
Bob Muncie
Jean - As long as we all have nice stuffing day, I am all happy about that.
What was the stuffing "muffin" ? I'm all for good eats, and I think you
you have that :-)
Recipe for a "stuffin' muffin" please? Sounds like something I'd like.
Bob
Jean B.
The muffin part isn't a recipe. You just bake the stuffing in
muffin tins. I thought my daughter would like that. I should
have baked them at a higher temperature or for longer, because
they weren't crisp. Also, although I packed them into the cups,
they were more fragile than I had anticipated.
My daughter wanted this stuffing. Nothing special--just contained
Craisins and pecans and the normal stuff. I think I might add
some apple. Or try chestnuts. I have NEVER made what I would
consider to be a great stuffing.
--
Jean B.
Omelet
<01f68165-eec0-42a4...@k4g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
bulka <working.art...@gmail.com> wrote:
You'll learn from your errors and do better next year! :-)
--
Peace! Om
"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein
Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
recfood...@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: recfoodrecip...@yahoogroups.com
Cheryl
>>
> I can see some things I might do differently. I just had another stuffing
> muffin. I think it tasted better today.
>
My mom started doing some of the stuffing that way a couple of years ago.
Great idea!
Jean B.
I did like the idea. I just would like a) for them to stick
together better, and b) to come up with a can't-be-beaten formula.
--
Jean B.
Kalmia
> Probably the worst meal I've ever prepared.
>
> The first clue - I've never made a bad pie. This morning I managed to
> charcoal the top crust.
>
> At least the turkey was pretty good - moist flesh, crispy skin.
> Intentionally slightly undercooked, since most of it is planned for re-
> use anyway. Still managed to make a disaster of the carving.
>
> Cranberrys were good - Mama Stamberg's and the Garlic Cranberry
> Chutney from the same website.
>
> Everything else, though, was over-spiced and over-cooked. Dishes I've
> done right many times. My "How hard could it be?" recipe-less attempt
> at stuffing/dressing was inedible. But at least there was a lot of
> it.
>
> We'll see what damage I can to to a simple carcass stock tomorrow.
>
> I'm just thankful that we weren't having company. Thankful that I
> didn't break anything, start a fire, spill grease all over the floor,
> cut off a finger. Could have been worse.
>
> Some days, I shoulda stood in bed.
>
> bulka
Maybe a good time to analyze what you did right and wrong and write
down a game plan for next year and tuck it away. Maybe simplify the
menu too?
Mr. Joseph Littleshoes Esq.
Kalmia wrote:
> On Nov 26, 10:38ÔøΩpm, bulka <working.artists.work...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Probably the worst meal I've ever prepared.
>>
>>The first clue - I've never made a bad pie. ÔøΩThis morning I managed to
>>charcoal the top crust.
>>
>>At least the turkey was pretty good - moist flesh, crispy skin.
>>Intentionally slightly undercooked, since most of it is planned for re-
>>use anyway. ÔøΩStill managed to make a disaster of the carving.
>>
>>Cranberrys were good - Mama Stamberg's and the Garlic Cranberry
>>Chutney from the same website.
>>
>>Everything else, though, was over-spiced and over-cooked. Dishes I've
>>done right many times. ÔøΩMy "How hard could it be?" recipe-less attempt
>>at stuffing/dressing was inedible. ÔøΩBut at least there was a lot of
>>it.
>>
>>We'll see what damage I can to to a simple carcass stock tomorrow.
>>
>>I'm just thankful that we weren't having company. ÔøΩThankful that I
>>didn't break anything, start a fire, spill grease all over the floor,
>>cut off a finger. ÔøΩCould have been worse.
>>
>>Some days, I shoulda stood in bed.
>>
>>bulka
>
>
> Maybe a good time to analyze what you did right and wrong and write
> down a game plan for next year and tuck it away. Maybe simplify the
> menu too?
"The best laid plans of mice and men...." one can never completely
eliminate just plain old bad luck.
--
Mr. Joseph Littleshoes Esq.
Domine, dirige nos.
Let the games begin!
http://fredeeky.typepad.com/fredeeky/files/sf_anthem.mp3
Bob Muncie
Jean - Thanks for sharing the concept. I love my leftover stuffing, but
new ideas on what to do with it are welcome.
Bob
Jean B.
I did another post on that. I bet you can make muffins of your
leftovers. Or balls.
--
Jean B.
blake murphy
people who serve store-bought pies should be flayed alive, but t.j.'s
store-bought dressing is good stuff. got it.
blake
blake murphy
> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:50:20 -0500, blake murphy
> <blakepm...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>>i wonder if there are any stats kept on turkey fryer injuries?
>>
> Only if the injuries involve the fire department or hospital. I
> imagine if the police are involved, they would have a record too.
>
> ;)
now that you mention it, i wonder how many thanksgiving wife-beating
episodes are out there, in comparison to the bogus super bowl stats that
made the rounds a few years ago.
<http://www.snopes.com/crime/statistics/superbowl.asp>
your pal,
blake