I've been elected to cook this year for Thanksgiving. In the last few days I've run around like a chicken (or turkey in this case) with my head cut off trying to make sure I have everything. My family is coming over and they're all bringing a dish to pass which has been coordinated with my menu so we don't have four dishes of stuffed squash.

Cooking the turkey still scares me. I've made dry birds in the past. Last year we had a Turducken which turned out great, but I missed the classic turkey. So this year I'm trying the bird again. I've got some new ideas to try - like brining the bird (soaking overnight in a salt water bath with seasonings) and I started thawing the turkey last Friday so I know it won't be frozen on Thursday when I start cooking it.  Now that I've got all of my recipes in line, I realized that I need to figure out how long I should cook the bird for. Then I got an e-mail newsletter from Better Homes and Gardens that has an interactive roasting guide! You plug in the info and it gives you the time you need to thaw, cook and let the turkey set for your meal.

Timing a dinner is always one of the hard parts of the meal. I'm hoping this year the roasting guide will help me get the timing exactly right!

Here's the link to the Interactive Roasting Guide: http://www.bhg.com/bhg/file.jsp?item=/marketing/splashPages/Thanksgiving/07/bhg_splashpage_roastinguide 

Have a great Thanksgiving!

A reportcard for chain restaurants has come out from the writers/publishers of Eat This Not That for Kids. Here's a link to the selection:

http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/Restaurant-Report-Kids/

 While I agree with most of it, what your child eats is really a reflection of what you let him eat. If we go to McDonalds (*gasp*) and get a yogurt parfait - it's pretty healthy. If we go to McD's and get a big mac and fries - not so healthy.

We don't got to McD's often and when we do I steer my kids away from the worst of it. I know it's not good for them, but if we ban everything that's not good for them they're going to binge as soon as they get the chance to eat the forbidden foods. Teaching moderation is what it's all about. OK, we will eat at Taco Bell for lunch, but we won't eat out again this week - or we will have a huge salad and grilled chicken for dinner.

One thing to watch - does your child get an upset stomach after eating at a fast food restaurant? Mine do sometimes. I make note of it and bring it up with them... "Why do you think your stomach hurts?" Then they start realizing that the food they eat affects how they feel.

My kids are at the age when they want to start ordering from the adult menu. Great! A bigger variety for them to choose from. However, the meals are too big for them. My advice? Spilt a meal with your children or have them share. I've split numerous meals with one of my kids when they want what I'm having. It keeps me from overeating and gives them something a bit more healthy than the chicken fingers and fries option on the kids menu.

What are your favorite items on the kids menu?

Decorating cookies isn't my strong suit (see my last post on Chistmas Cookies). However, when I was looking for recipes I found a cute little holiday E-postcard maker that my kids love! They can decorate a cookie without a mess! Granted, they can't eat it, but they can share it with their grandparents!

(This is why I don't decorate Christmas Cookies!) :)

Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti

Family Circle Magazine

 

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