It is hard to believe that in just a few days Thanksgiving will be upon us. In recent years Thanksgiving has become like a springboard for Christmas and for shopping. Even now more and more stores are staying open on Thanksgiving day to give shoppers a chance to get ahead of the bigger shopping day that follows on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a big holiday for some and not such a big celebration for others. Big extended families will gather and pull out the card table and folding chairs and set up tv trays all over the house to make room for all of the company. Couples will quietly bake a chicken, a turkey just too much for two. Some will stand in-line serving others. It's a day of joy for some, and day of sorrow for others.
I never quite know how to feel about Thanksgiving when it rolls around every year. I have fond memories of gathering at my grandparents with cousins, aunts, uncles, great grandparents, and an occasional odd guest or two. It was usually a madhouse. Times change though and the house won't be as crowded, but there will still be family celebrating with memories of past Thanksgivings and thoughts on future turkey days.
I have a bit of apprehension though when the day gets closer. For a time of being thankful of all that we each hold dear, it has also been a time of year that there has been sadness with not so pleasant memories. For all the good things associated with the holidays I have become a bit superstitious, waiting for the bad news to drop. At times it seems as if life tries to even out the happiness of the celebration with sobering reminders that moments are fleeting, as well as people.
Some years, in fact most years, Thanksgiving has become synonymous with having the flu. Someone always seems to be suffering from the affliction and passes the bug to someone else and they in turn pass it on, til you aren't sure by the week-end if you have caught the flu, or if it was food poisoning from the turkey and it's leftovers.
I am feeling pretty good and haven't caught the flu yet - knock wood. This year I am in charge of the dinner and I will be cooking the turkey. In fact I even have one turkey and one turkey breast already bought from awhile ago. I have to admit I haven't cooked that many turkeys. I do know some of the basics about not letting the turkey thaw on the counter, and that you can thaw a partially frozen turkey in cold running water. I have taken the precaution to get those disposable plastic cooking bags to cook it in, and I have even gone so far as to take the frozen turkey out of the freezer in preparation for Thursday.
I couldn't help but stare at my little frozen turkey though and secretly wish I was Martha Stewart. Martha would make a beautiful turkey, she wouldn't use plastic cooking bags. She would have a golden brown turkey cooked under a wine-soaked cheesecloth and basted with a honey-butter-sage-mango sauce....(okay maybe not the mango part of it). Martha knows everything about turkeys. Martha would be able to tell me,... that after spying the expiration date on my turkey,... whether or not a year old frozen turkey is safe to cook....and eat....
....I guess time does pass quicker than we realize....so I checked the other turkey in the freezer for it's expiration date.
Maybe we will just have ham this year.
I will let Sue wake up and post first, and comment later, since she is the Turkey Cookin Mama around here, but I seem to remember having a bird from the freezer that would probably been eligible for Poultry Social Security had it still been alive and gobblin.....looks at the links to the side of your blog................there is one for a Jennie-O Oven ready turkey, straight from freezer to oven ready to cook.....SO I guess if you have a major problem here on Multiply, you post your blog, then reload the page and let the Google ad links take care of it for you. Why do you need friends, when you have google? (feels all useless all of a sudden)
ReplyDeleteHave a great Thanksgiving vics, and Melted M&M's make a very colorful glaze
Your frozen turkey will be alright to eat. Of course thaw it first, or other wise it is hard to chew. I was just pondering on whether I would have canned spam with mashed potatoes and ice cream for desert, do you think that would be to much? I got some great canned potatoes too, and thought cream of mushroom soup would top them off just right. I will set my table real purdy..cuz I have left over valentine napkins, and a lovely plastic basket that I put eggs in at Easter, to hold the silverware. I know Martha would be proud of me if she knew and would want to feature me in her magazine so don't let on that I can do thanksgiving bettr' en her. I think I will really out do myself this time because I forgot the pumpkin I carved is still on the back porch and I may just make a pie with it.
ReplyDelete(works every time, going to my son's house for dinner) Regards, your friend, stongwilledwoman
Well Vic I know your dinner will be delicious and sharing it with others is what makes it so good. Yes, for some it is a not so happy occasion and I had times where I was not looking forward to it myself but I seldom get to see my children anymore since they have left home and have very busy lives so I will find it a wonderful blessing to be able to partake of a meal with them once again:) I truly wish you and yours a day of making sweetest memories.
ReplyDeleteI just recently sent a yr old frozen turkey up the hill behind hubby on his 4 wheeler! I figured with all the work it takes to make one look good I wasn't going to take a chance on it not tasting good. I'm sure it would be safe but meats tend to change flavor after a few months of being frozen.
ReplyDeleteOh,if you are wondering about the ride, we put stuff like that in the woods for the wild critters to eat. I'm sure they wont mind the off taste. LOL
Hi Vic:
ReplyDeleteWell, we Canadians already did the Thanksgiving thing and for the first time we used a plastic cooking bag for the bird. It cut the cooking time by more than half and the critter came out perfect. No one has to know how it was cooked, just take it out of the bag, put it on a platter and take it into the dining room or whatever and people will think you ARE Martha Stewart(without the felony conviction).
I have faith in you Viccles, just dig out all those cook books you have and get some good use out of them, if that fails you can (1) get your bird already roasted at most large grocery stores or that nasty place too (Wal Mart) .(2) get a couple of cans of spray paint (gold and brown) and have the most BEAUTIFUL bird ever....just take it back in the kitchen to carve and come back with turkey hot dogs. (3) serve lots of wine before dinner and no one will notice what it tastes or looks like .(4) wait until the last minute to pull it out of the oven and have it "accidently" fall on the floor, and SP will think you got a playmate for her.and pounce it...hmmmmmmm I think that should cover it, if not, just send it to Vero in the mail, she can send it over the hill......
ReplyDeleteJust stuff it full of M&Ms and that year old frozen turkey will be fine.
ReplyDeleteYou sure your eons old meat/birds aren't the reason for disappearing family and friends? Not saying you found a way to off family or friends without arousing suspicion. Just your story reminded me of an old Alfred short story Hitchcock thriller.
ReplyDeleteVic I have used those baking magic bag's before and the turkey turned out to be very juicy and very tasteful. Never fear....that bird won't last long enough for anyone to even guess it was a year in the freezer. lol
ReplyDeleteLOL this blog got some great comments.. still laughing.. Hey you know why martha knows her turkeys so well don't ya? ... birds of a feather flock together... Have a great T-day!
ReplyDelete