snackalot - All Comments

re: Help! My First Turkey is Bigger Than Me

Taya — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:23:03 GMT

Well, I know this is a little late, but maybe for your next turkey the following might help:

Oven temp: 325 F

If stuffing your turkey, make sure the stuffing is cold going into your turkey. ( I make my stuffing the night before and refrigerate it). Then I know the stuffing is cold.

I roast the turkey, uncovered, until desired browness is achieved, then I cover loosely with foil.

The turkey is cooked when the meat thermometer reads 170F for an unstuffed turkey or 180 F for a stuffed turkey, and the juices run clear. TOH has good stuffing recipes.

Remove the turkey when cooking is completed and let stand 15-20 minutes to allow the juices to set.

Dec. 2007, I bought a butterball turkey and a programmable meat thermometer, and it was the best turkey I ever had. It was about 19 pounds and it cooked in about 5 hours. I never basted it, as opening and closing the oven door, too many times, the turkey takes longer to cook.

Thawing turkey:

Refigerator Method :

Place turkey on a tray on a bottom shelf in refrigerator and allow 5 hours per pound.

Cold Water Method:

In a large container (I use the camping cooler), cover turkey completely with cold water.

Change water at least every hour (I live in a cold winter climate, so I don't change the water)

Allow 1 hour per pound.

As for gravy, sorry I can't help you there, I'm not good at it, so I let my mother in law make it.

Hope that helps...happy cooking!

eggs large vs small cooking

eggs large vs small cooking — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:09:49 GMT

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re: Cooking Wishes Vs. Cooking Reality

cjrecipes — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:21:43 GMT

I do take part of one day off and cook. I work full time in a hospital lab so have varied days and weekends off.

I'll get something started in the crock pot in the morning.

Then after shopping I'll make at least two other entrees. One is served fresh that evening and the other one and the crock pot dish are reheated for week night meals after work. My husband makes our salads and steams up a fresh vegetable for us. Leaves time for other after work activities for both of us.

re: Cooking Wishes Vs. Cooking Reality

Mirabelle____UK — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:28:28 GMT

Hello snackalot! to be honest, I like cooking, but after having cooked for large groups and families etc...for years and years (or so it seems!LOL) I do like cooking for smaller numbers now...and one meal at a time is quite enough for me..but I do know what you mean, I sometimes get this urge for somehting in particular, and have to be making it perfectly...like a nice roast dinner with all the trimmings...or somehting special when they all come home...it may be nothing very difficult, but it has to be just right...

and as for eggs..could never be without them! Could eat them in some for mor other every day, and mostly do!how about a perfect omlette, you cannot beat it..or rather, you have to beat the eggs!and as for breakfast for dinner, yes please! we sometimes go away or come home from our holidays, and a nice cooked breakfast is all we have fancied for ages..you have to have, bacon, (only English rashers they are nicer than the Amercian ones we think!) sausages (specialities form the butchers') nicely brown and spitting, fried eggs...mushrooms done in the bacon juices...half tomatoes grilled perhaps? and piles of toast...Jeff needs lashings of either brown sauce or ketchup (both yuk for me!)a nice cup of tea, and you are in heaven! and yes, it is a heartattack on a plate, but so nice, and you can do that once in a while!

Mirabelle

re: Why Can't June come after January?

sandiLa — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:00:32 GMT

I think it gives us in the south a little time to get ready for those sweltering humid days where you melt as soon as you walk out the door. LOL It's in the 70's now ans will be in the 60's tonight. Tomorrow starts the 80 degree days, very hot right out of the cold winter temps, we never get below zero but did have some cold nights here in Louisiana.

Hope summer gets to you quicker. :D

re: Who Loves New Orleans Like I Do?

sandiLa — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:56:51 GMT

I love New Orleans too. I live about 65 miles north of NO but we visit there a lot. And my hubby loves the Muffalatta's from Central Grocery. My Mom lives in New Orleans fo we get to go a lot. I love going to Cafe Dumonde too.

It has changed since Katrina as all areas that were hit by the storm were. We even got a lot of damage in my city.

I used to work in the city as an E.M.T. so I got to know a lot about it when I was working.

So glad you like it and hope you get to come back for a visit.

re: Who Loves New Orleans Like I Do?

cjjm — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:08:20 GMT

Hi,

I'm new to this blog but was thrilled to see a link to Fat Tuesday, and glad to see someone else who loves New Orleans. I was raised in New Orleans (26 years of living there, then moved away, went back, moved away again (because of work), then moved back again), and now live in New York. I will ALWAYS love N.O., even though it's hard to get back there now. Our best friends still live down in N.O.

I know everyone raves about Mardi Gras, but my favorite thing to go to is the Jazz Fest - end of April, beginning of May. The music, the sights, and the FOOD is amazing!!!!!

I fix a big pot of red beans and rice at least once a month (and know it is something my fussy 20 year old will eat, no matter what). I also fix cafe au lait, and I have two boxes of beignet mix in my cabinet. Next time you go, go to Central Grocery on Decatur Street and get a quart or two of their Olive Salad, and try a Muffalatta Sandwich. To die for!!!! I wish we could get true french bread up here in New York, but haven't found it yet.

I'll keep blogging in so I can see what others say about N.O. It truly is a magical place.

Janice

re: Who Loves New Orleans Like I Do?

moly — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:30:18 GMT

Welcome to the world of NOLA. I have visited six times in recent years with my daughter and a friend and we just cannot get enough. It is so different now since Katrina. We have visited once since the storm and want to return soon.

I have Cafe Du Monde coffee every morning too, LOL! My desk coasters are New Orleans tiles and I have the fridge full of NO magnets. A nice reminder for my day. Not to mention the beads on my BB at work and the Tabasco poster above my desk. I have a picture of a Lucky Dog seller on my file cabinet.

Nice to hear that others are so entralled.

re: Why Can't June come after January?

Little Beckie — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:39:07 GMT

Wow. You get snow. We are either dry and cold (it was 23 degrees when we got up this morning), or we have ice. We cross our fingers that there's no wind, or else there goes all our tree limbs and power lines. Most (we do have our ding-dongs too) natives to the Hill Country of Central Texas, and I emphasize "hill," know not to go out because of the black ice. This is when arms and hips get broken, not to mention the 30 car pile-ups, on each side of the highway.

Sorry about the "nostril-freezing" (never heard it put that way) temps. I really do feel for y'all when winter arrives. I bet you do snack a lot. I've been in real snow a few times (imagine a puppy in snow for the first time - I'm almost as bad.) and am always impressed by the quiet.

Just think of me in June when it hovers around 100 degrees for days. If you want to know how that feels, take a deep breath the next time you open your oven. ;-)

re: Almost Delicious Peach Cobbler

beth247 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:11:46 GMT

I have used pretty much that same reciped since I was just learning how to cook as a young girl. It has been handed down from generation to generation in my family. My grt grt Grandma who just turned 100 yrs old New Years day has always called it Cupa Cupa Cupa Cobbler because all it takes is 1 cup of flour, sugar and milk. We have always melted the stick of butter right in the pan we are baking it in and pour the batter right in and dump the fruit you are using in the middle and voila' it just mellows together at 350 degrees until its golden brown....bread is my favorite part! Over the years I have experimented with it in a wide variety of ways. We have plenty of apple trees , so last fall I combined some ripe apples I needed to use with the cobbler mixture and sprinkled the top with a mixture of oatmeal, lil flour and brown sugar . It was smack your mouth good! Sort of a combo of cobbler and apple brown betty, almost apple pie like, great with vanilla ice cream or cool whip.... In my family we like to cook the fruit a bit if its not very soft with a lil sugar for a few minutes in the microwave before pouring on cobbler mixture. If you like things a lil more tart you dont have to do that.

re: Almost Delicious Peach Cobbler

Peggy — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:09:02 GMT

Multiple sets of measuring cups and spoons are a great thing to have...maybe a good stocking stuffer for you this year:-) I even have 3 sets of measuring spoons for those crazy cooking days when I have too many things going at once to think about stopping to wash the spoons before I move on to the next recipe...much less drying them completely so the herbs and spices don't stick to the spoons!

re: Almost Delicious Peach Cobbler

cupcakefan — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:08:52 GMT

Can't wait to hear more of your kitchen antics! And always, always remember, it is definitely the fault of the man you share your home with! ha ha ha

re: Help! My First Turkey is Bigger Than Me

bk_cooks1 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:29:37 GMT

Here's a helpful article on toh.com that was posted for Thanksgiving:

www.tasteofhome.com/Easy-Tips-for-Preparing-Turkey-Dinner-Ahead-of-Time

re: Waiting for the Weekend

Peggy — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:46:26 GMT

snackalot-

Sounds like our Saturday mornings!:-) Although ours includes Tater Tots. I'd like to think I'm above them and, instead, make fresh hash browns from potatoes grown in my very own garden, but there's just something about a Tater Tot!

re: Almost Delicious Peach Cobbler

love2cook — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:07:12 GMT

Great blog, snackalot! I'm looking forward to reading more.