Toliver

Did you try the link? I don't think that this is a recipe that requires a membership to view. (I do have a membership but I have not had to log in to see this recipe, and usually the site requires a log-in for non-free stuff). Let me know, I'm interested. And FWIW, I'm probably not going to renew my CI membership. I don't think that it's a good value. I'd rather spend the $20 annual fee on another cookbook. ← 20.00? I only paid 12.95!! ← You got the half-off discount rate (like I did). Check out the current rates on their subscription page. Andie, thanks for the link to the gingerbread cookie recipe! I'll give it a try when I visit my mom for the holidays.

Pam, I found a locator on the Popeye's web site but they require that you enter your zip code (as opposed to just showing you where all of their locations are). That might be the easiest way of finding out where the nearest Popeye's is in your area (if they are even in your region).

I happened to notice this morning that the local McDonald's are now touting their breakfast sausage used in their breakfast sandwiches as "savory sausage". They never made this distinction before. So my question is, is there another kind of sausage that they use? Or will they be introducing a sweet sausage in the near future? Is anyone in a test market where they're selling a sweet sausage (or sausage that's not their typical savory sausage)? I am discounting the sausage they're using in the so-so McSkillet Breakfast Burrito.

I ask this because I am not familiar with the product, but are the parts that are difficult to clean made of metal? I'm curious if they could be put into a self-cleaning oven and run through the self-cleaning cycle without harming the parts. Otherwise, the Dawn Power Dissolver sounds like it may work (my mom swears by the product for cleaning her stove grates).

That would be César Chávez. And your mom rocks. I don't usually eat at BK but they're definitely on my boycott list now.

As for sources, do you have WalMarts up there (in Canada)? In the US, I've found them at most of the WalMarts I've visited (they're in the food storage bag section). That they're being advertised on Canadian TV means someone will be selling them soon. Reynold's Handi-Vac website You can always contact Reynolds to find a source (on the website above, there's a "contact us" link on the drop-down menu under "The Basics").

Are you saying it's too large to fit in your oven? There have been previous discussions (that I can't specifically recall at the moment) where it was suggested that the dark meat and the white meat be roasted for different lengths of time since one takes longer than the other. This would mean cutting the turkey up before cooking. Perhaps one or more of the previous posters who advocate this method of turkey roasting will chime in. Our Thanksgiving turkey has never been carved at the dining table. It's always pre-carved in the kitchen for ease of distribution. So cooking it cut up could work for you.

I had the new McSkillet Burrito from McDonald's this morning. McMeh. The description says there's cheese inside but it seems more like they're using Cheese Whiz. The sausage was spicy (not spicy hot, though) and the mild red salsa was innocuous. I ordered the combo which came with a hash brown patty and a drink. The hash brown patty was redundant since there are potatoes in the McSkillet Burrito ("Would the gentleman care for hash browns with his hash browns?"). I wouldn't order it again.

We froze some leftover turkey meat using the sealer. The bags are still airtight. So far, I share Anna N's enthusiasm over the little sealer that could.

Reese's Whipss Reese's has jumped on the "Less Fat" bandwagon (see the Mint 3 Musketeers post above) with this candy bar. They claim it has 40% less fat than a regular candy bar of similar size. It tastes like a "lite" peanut butter 3 Musketeers candy bar. The fluffy peanut butter-flavored nougat inside the Whipss candy bar has a dry, marshmallow-y like texture. It's not very appealing though I suppose if you're watching your calorie intake, you'll make the sacrifice of texture. Does it taste like a Reese's peanut butter candy bar? Not enough to recommend it. The chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio is lacking (not enough chocolate). I don't eat candy bars very often, though if you look at all of my posts in this discussion you'd think I was a candy-holic . So if I were to choose a candy bar to break my candy-fast it wouldn't be a Reese's Whipss. It's a very mediocre candy bar at best.

I was just thinking how sorry I was that we didn't try deep-frying a whole chicken while we had the turkey fryer up and running. How was it? How long did it take to fry? Or do you mean you made "fried chicken"--pieces dredged or battered and fried? ← The fryers had been given a good spice rub the night before. Any remaining moisture on or in the chickens was patted dry and then they were fried whole. It takes about 3 minutes per pound (just like the turkey). My brother bought a two-fryer pack at Costco which weighed in at just over 8 pounds. Each chicken was done in under 12 minutes and cut up into pieces post-fry. My brothers and I had debated about frying them whole or in pieces. If we hadn't cooked the fish (with their respective batters/coatings) we'd have cut the fryers into pieces and battered/floured them before frying just for efficiency's sake. edited to add: Long heat-proof gloves are a must-have when deep frying in this manner. My brother had what amounted to welder's gloves which covered his arm up to the elbow (he also uses the gloves when he smokes meat in his large smoker). He was able to quickly remove the hot metal-lifter contraption out of one chicken and move it into the next in order to minimize the down time between fryings. Though, with the chickens, they were small enough we could have risked frying them without the contraption and using tongs and/or the large metal scoop/strainer that came with the pot to fish out the cooked chicken.

I'm no baker, so I have no clue what docking is. So probably not. I do prick it all over with a fork. Is that the same thing? ← Yes, pricking the dough with your fork is called docking.

My brother and I deep fried the turkey a little too long. As in charcoal breasts. Of course, inside the turkey was incredibly moist and tender as it always is when we deep fry. We just ignored the...er...crust. We also deep fried two chickens and, lastly, a mess of albacore/yellow fin (gifts for my brother from one of his customers who had gone deep sea fishing) with two different kinds of breading which was Da Bomb! It made for some interesting appetizers. My mom told us she hid all of her frozen onion rings and french fries after the last time we deep fried a turkey (some of the spice rub on the turkey ended up flavoring the oil nicely and we were looking for anything and everything that we could throw into the seasoned hot oil). Usually, I'm the one who makes the home-made mashed potatoes. But because I was assisting at the deep fryer, the job fell to a family friend who worked under instructions from my mom. Which meant this year's mashed potatoes didn't have real butter or a the usual scosh of sour cream. She had them use margarine. Oh, the horror.

I thought someone might say "You do it better then." Even though I consider myself a good amateur cook, I just don't think the potential for deliciousness is that high for the traditional TG meal. I haven't tried to make it though. ← What about educating them a dish at a time? Volunteer to make the gravy or the mashed potatoes. I'm sure they'll notice the difference and appreciate it.

Perhaps you should volunteer one year to make the Thanksgiving meal for your family and show them how it should be done.

To help eliminate shrinkage, it was once suggested in another eGullet discussion to bake the pie shell upside down. Put the dough in your pie pan and place another (clean) pie pan inside the pie crust. Invert the two pans (turning them upside down) and bake them in the oven for the required amount of time. Gravity is your friend in this case.

Candles work for me. I'm currently using a pumkpin spice candle that's now appropriate for the season (If I wait long enough, everything comes back into season ). From what I understand, spray air freshners don't remove odors. Like the air freshners in your car (such as the ubiquitous evergreen tree), they desensitize your sense of smell and just replace one odor with another.

You're on the right track with salad dressings. Don't forget you can also make some interesting cole slaws with your different vinegars. Vinegars go great with most pork dishes. Also with sausages, brats, and the like (helps to cut the richness). Vinegars are a good addition with some bean dishes, too. I always add a liberal splash of vinegar to my mom's Navy Bean soup.

If your waiter's service was good, then your tip was proper (IMHO). As for the other problems (mixed up drink order & poorly cooked entree), I'd rethink returning to that restaurant for future meals unless you think it was a one-time problem. edited for clarity.

Every kid knows eating the crust puts hair on your chest. Worked for me.

On second thought, there's a good side to repeats. I would never have become a fan of Sarah Moulton without the endless repeats of her amazing "Cooking Live" show on the Food Network. The same with Mario Batali and the endless repeats of his "Molto Mario".

To those of you who've purchased this product, after a month or so with the Bacon Salt, is it still a good purchase? Any caveats? MSRadell said there wasn't much discernable difference in flavor between the different flavors. Does that still hold true?

I thought I would bump this back up after seeing there are some new gourmet pepper flakes in the market: DaViola Pizza Pepper Flakes I haven't spied them in the grocery store, yet. Has anyone tried them? My brother does this, to an extent. He grows a variety of hot peppers, dries them and then grinds them into his own concoction of pepper flakes that have quite a kick to them. He gave me a batch of flakes in a shaker jar which I end up adding to just about everything I cook. They're great on pizza.

They do this to save money. Most networks do it. As an off-topic example, Paramount only shot their various "Star Trek" television series for 7 years. At 7 years, they calculated that they had enough of a show catalogue for successful syndication and any more money put into keeping the original show on the air was seen as unnecessary. A lot of the Food Network programing consists of repeats which don't cost them a production cent. They're saving money. The same show episodes are aired repeatedly during a week. That's airtime they don't have to fill with original programs which cost money to make. On the one hand, repeats suck, as you've pointed out. But on the other hand, if I miss an episode, I figure I can catch it later that night or whenever they repeat it next. I suppose you could say they serve a lot more meringue than pie.

Which is also why you're more likely to find residents canning food in a small town. My mom grew up in a small Kansas town. Her family canned everything from vegetables to chicken to get them through the winter months.