gulfporter

We've never spatchcocked a turkey and never grilled one before, but that's the plan for Thursday. I ran across this article today. It's not technically a spatchcock since the bird will end up in two pieces, but having the white meat separate from the dark meat will make it easier to get each type cooked properly. And not having to cut out the backbone will make it less of a struggle, I think. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-spatchcock-a-turkey-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-212641 Any comments?

Pomegranate Sangria: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pomegranate-sangria-recipe.html

Before grilling my spatchcocked turkey, I plan to dry brine it. Have never done this before. My brine will be my regular homemade rub, but maybe a tad extra salt. I've been researching and right now, my preference is to rub it on Tuesday and leave it in fridge until Thursday. And I don't plan to rinse off the dry brine before hitting the grill. Other ideas, suggestions, corrections?

After I boil my sweet potatoes, I smash them with gobs of butter, then add chunks of caramelized apples, caramelized onions and a good bit of chilpotle in adobo sauce. May not be traditional, but neither are we.

A friend of mine worked as a reporter for a small mid-Atlantic newspaper (city had 200K population). Once a week, each reporter had to take incoming phone calls from readers. He said by far the largest volume of calls were about errors in the paper's recipe column where reader-submitted recipes were reprinted. A cup of flour when it was supposed to be sugar; wrong temperatures; missing ingredients; not enough instructions. People were angry that they spent their money on ingredients for a product that was inedible. I took my friend's story to heart when I started writing a recipe column for an expat monthly magazine when I lived in Mexico; my DH and I read and re-read my submissions before finalizing. In five years, one boo-boo got through (a missing ingredient that was referred to in the text, but left off the list of ingredients). I like to think I can spot a botched recipe, but typos happen and I think it's good to allow comments for recipes that are unclear or found to be erroneous. I'm not in favor of ratings for the reasons others have stated.

Am I correct in assuming that the cashiers are paid the minimum wage ($7.25), as opposed to wait staff whose minimum wage is $2.13? Neither of the places that I mentioned have table service and hence no wait staff. I have been throwing two bucks in when I pick up, just wondering if that's enough, or if it's not really expected. I should add that my average order is usually $10-12 at either place.

We haven't used carryout in many many years. We recently discovered two eateries whose primary business is carryout (one an Asian restaurant, the other is a BBQ joint). While both have limited seating, you rarely see people eating at either place as they don't have table service nor alcoholic beverage licenses. Both places have tip jars at the counter. My instinct is not to tip as the only service is selling me their food....same as if I go to the deli counters of grocery stores, where there are no tip jars. Do you tip at carryouts or not. If you do, what percentage of the tab do you tip, or do you just leave a flat amount, like a buck or two?

We've fried turnkeys in the past (this year, I'm grilling the bird). We found that injecting before frying makes for a lot of splatter. We also discovered that when frying, the cheap store-brand turkey is just as good as a higher end bird and there's no need to brine. I didn't believe it at first, but an old-timer gave me that tip and one year we fried two turkeys (30+ guests) and the cheap, unbrined, non-injected turkey came out on top by the vast majority of attendees (blind test). Live and learn.

There are more sizes, but something like these?? http://www.containerstore.com/s/nalgene-wide-mouth-leakproof-bottles/d?productId=10000247&q=nalgene

We are a small group this year. I will buy a 10# turkey (marketed as Lil Butterballs) and dry brine it. I'm hoping this gas grill (4 burner) will give me some leeway in moderating temperatures. And that this small turkey will allow me to flip the bird more often (he he he). Though I'm willing to sacrifice presentation and remove body parts that are done sooner than others. I bought a Thermoworks Thermopen to keep me abreast of this (another bad pun, soory!).

I've only used pomegranate seeds raw in the past (sprinkled over various items). But I'm contemplating using them as the fruit component in a Mexican turkey stuffing (chorizo, corn bread, etc.). Will the seeds soften and be tasty? Or will they disintegrate? Or will they toughen up, get too chewy? Anyone have any experience using pomegranate in cooked foods and have any suggestions?

Menu planning is upon us. Some families never vary the menu, but we like to play with our food. Name one thing you'll make that's traditional; and one new item you're adding to the table this year. I'll start: Old: Mincemeat pie with vanilla ice cream New: I will spatchcock and grill the turkey this year (wish me luck, I've never done this before)!

The article reported a lot of positive changes....soda sales down 25% since 1998; sugar-laden cereal sales down 25% since 2000; major brands like Kraft dropping artificial dyes; and Perdue and Tyson limiting antibiotic use in their poultry. Per capita consumption of raw veggies is up 10% in the past 5 years...that's also good thing. Yes, the prepared food counters at grocery chains are popular and to me it's a roll of the dice as ingredients and caloric and fat content are normally not displayed. I know we eat healthier now that we're retired than we did when we both worked 50 to 60 hour weeks, as I also relied on pre-made 'fresh' food (usually from the local Costco). Again, no real details on the label back then. It's good that other retailers/grocers are offering these ready-to-go meals as frankly, many of my co-workers were young, single mom's on very limited budgets and often they simply went to the McD's drive-in and ordered off the $1 menu after picking up their kids at day care.

I agree with you on the 60/40, that's our current set up. Alas, at our price point, this one will be a true double (though all my prior double sinks were 50/50, so we will readjust quickly). Yeah, we're both neat-freaks, often wish we weren't, but that's just the way we are. We ordered it yesterday and it'll be here before TDay, but my DH i(aka, The Installer) is traveling a lot these days on family business, so we're saying it's a post-holiday project. Want to take some time to decide on a new faucet after the sink is here.

Tis the season....hoping our next shopping trip to TJ's finds their annual offering of pfeffernusse. Their boxed version is limited time only and I stock up heavily.

I've had stainless sinks in two houses; they're fine. But I want a bit more of statement in this kitchen, so I'm going with the copper. Probably will wait till after the holidays for the install.

Poison!! Really!! Seems a bit specious, given I don't plan to eat from it. I've read that copper is naturally anti-bacterial.

Yes it matters. Should be gauge 16 or lower. The one we are looking at is 14 gauge (the smaller the number, the thicker the copper).

There are a lot of bronze colored fixtures that match the sink color. Yes large window behind the sink, and a bright spotlight over the sink which we tend to leave on during evening hours anyway, so that'll highlight the sink as well. Frankly, if we had gone stainless in this kitchen, I wouldn't consider the copper sink as I think it would clash with stainless, but others may disagree. I think the copper will go well with our white appliances, countertop granite, our light oak cabinets and our terra cotta paint. I should mention that we have had 'different' sinks before....at a previous residence, our kitchen had all stainless appliances. The sink was in the island and it was bright red. It was a beautiful kitchen and I think having an unusual sink is a good thing, rather than just matching everything else in the kitchen.

We really don't do any of the above. There's only the two of us and we're both pretty tidy. We don't mind having to be a bit fussy over something we like. The customer reviews for this sink are very good on both Amazon and Home Depot. One mentioned getting some 'greening' but to me that's natural and we like that patina. One of the reviews said hammered copper (like this one) is better for a kitchen sink than the smooth surfaced ones. I haven't read anything that scares me away yet. I'll do more research but still hoping for firsthand accounts from other owners.

We moved to this house 2 years ago. The appliances are white (the fridge and d/w are new). The existing sink is white. Its finish is worn and it stains easily and we want to replace it. Our counter top is a dark granite with mostly browns, blacks and beige tones. I am considering a hammered copper sink...it's not shiny copper, it's antiqued and is a bronze color. Here's a link to one that meets our specs and price point. http://www.homedepot.com/p/SINKOLOGY-Raphael-Dual-Mount-Handmade-Pure-Solid-Copper-33-in-4-Hole-Double-Bowl-Kitchen-Sink-in-Antique-Copper-KDF-3322AH/206084556 While aesthetically, I think this sink will work well, I'm wondering if anyone has any comments on its practicality.

In April I went to US Border and Customs Control to apply for Global Entry. Part of Global Entry's security system is the reading of your electronic fingerprints; they are scanned at airports' international arrivals when you return to the US. The Agent could not get a good 'read' of my fingerprints, parts of them were blank. He told me about 40% of female applicants in their 50s and 60s have rubbed off some of their fingerprints over the years due to cleaning and scrubbing. He said he rarely runs into it with men of the same age. Ha! He got the best 'read' he could but said they might not be good enough for the automated Global Entry scanner. He suggested that before placing my hands on the scanner, that I rub them against my forehead to add some oil to them. I did this last month returning from Spain and the scanner was able to make a match. This doesn't help the OP find a solution to her problem but I found it to be an interesting fact. In the past, when we lived in dry climates, I too used bag balm for dry skin.

I've given French Bark, using Ina Garten's recipe (less time consuming than truffles) and both tasty and colorful. You can substitute a different nut or combination of other dried fruit http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-chocolate-bark-recipe.html Lately I've been giving savory items such as my homemade rub, quince chutney, spiced nuts, homemade chipotle sauce. For host/hostess gifts, the most appreciated gifts are herb-flavored butters given in pretty but heavy glass cups (often I use votive or candle holders). I use either rosemary or dill for the flavors.

From yesterday's WaPo about the genetic connection. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/02/how-risky-are-bacon-and-hot-dogs-depends-on-your-dna/?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_wonkblogbacon-1125pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

My brother and his wife had a baby late in life (he was 45, she was 37). Prior to having a child, they ate out often with friends in very nice eateries. When we were with them, they were the first to comment on the parents of disruptive babies/children in the restaurant. While my SIL was pregnant, they declared they would never be 'those parents.' As luck would have it, their baby was a colicky sort. But true to their word, they drove in separate cars to restaurant outings. At the first peep out of their baby, one of them was out the door. They'd give the kid a chance to settle down (especially as he got older) and return to the table, but more often than not, one parent would head home while the other finished his/her meal with their friends. When they wanted a nice meal as a solo couple, they lined up a sitter. Oddly, they still drove to the restaurant in separate cars. Just kidding on that last sentence