Turkey Cooking Temp & Time (unstuffed)

Cook turkey for 20-30 minutes at 450, then reduce the temperature to 350.  

For the final hour, reduce the temperature to 325 for a sensational Thanksgiving bird!

Weight  of Bird	Roasting Time
10 to 18 pounds	3 to 3-1/2 hours
18 to 22 pounds	3-1/2 to 4 hours
22 to 24 pounds	4 to 4-1/2 hours
24 to 29 pounds	4-1/2 to 5 hours

Freezer Cooking: Egg Muffin Sandwhiches

I don't do much freezer cooking.  I don't have much freezer space nor the desire to actually cook in bulk.  However, having a husband who leaves the house before dawn (commuting 1 1/2 hours each way) for work, has led us to discover that freezer cooking for his breakfast benefits everyone.  He needs something more substantial than cereal and milk or yogurt, so we've gone to making egg muffin sandwiches.  This way he has a hearty breakfast, that he can heat quickly (and quietly) & I don't have to get up 4 hours before the kids to make it.  I spend about an hour a month preparing them & he's got enough to get him through almost every morning for the entire month!

18 English Muffin

18 eggs

1 package of Canadian Bacon (there are only 15 pieces in the pack I buy, so he has 3 that don't have meat)

18 American Cheese slices

I have this adorable little egg frying pan and it works perfectly!  I spray a little non stick cooking spray, crack the egg into the pan, break up the yolk with a tooth pic & cook it.  Since I'll be using the entire carton of eggs, I just put the cracked shells back in the carton :)

As each egg is cooked, I place them on a wire rack to cool. 

As the eggs are cooking, I get out my bread knife and begin to the cut the muffins in half.

Go ahead and toss the box, but keep the bag the box comes in for later.

Then I begin assembling the sandwiches.  I start with the bottom of the muffin, then add an egg, a slice of canadian bacon & the top of the muffin.  We have found that adding cheese at this point is really not the best idea since it heats so much more quickly than the rest of the items.

Once all the sandwiches are assembled, I individually wrap the sandwiches in seran wrap.  Once they are all wrapped, I place the individually wrapped sandwiches into the bag from the english muffins, secure the top of the bag and place in the freezer.

In the morning, my sweet husband takes out a sandwich, unwraps it, wraps it in a paper towel and microwaves the entire thing for 1 minute & 15 seconds.  While it's cooking, he grabs a slice of cheese out of the fridge.  Once it's cooked, he opens it, adds the cheese, lets it sit for a minute or so and enjoys a nice, hot, filling breakfast.

Best part is, there is an entire month of drive thru style breakfasts for about 10 bucks...can't beat that!

How To: Freezing Raspberries

from thriftyfun.com

Selecting High-Quality Fruit Raspberries:

Once frozen, berries do lose some of their texture, but they are still good for use in dishes and desserts. Select firm, mature, well-colored berries that are fully ripe. Avoid leaky, mushy, or discolored berries. Remove those that are immature, moldy or damaged.

Preparing for Freezing:

Put raspberries into a colander and dunk in cold water to wash gently. Lift and drain. If possible, until you're ready to process them, store raspberries in a single layer in the refrigerator to avoid crushing. They will stay fresh for 1 or 2 days.

Best Freezing Methods(s):

Unsweetened (Plain) Pack

Place raspberries in a single layer on a cookie sheet and tray-freeze. Once frozen (within 24 hours), pack them into suitable containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze. Raspberries can also be packaged and placed directly into the freezer, although berries that are tray-frozen are likely to freeze together in clumps.

Sweetened (Sugar) Pack

Combine 1 quart (1 1/3 pounds) of raspberries and _ cup sugar. Mix carefully to avoid crushing the berries. Stir until most of the sugar is dissolved. Pack into suitable containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze.

Syrup Pack

Pack raspberries into containers and cover with cold, light syrup (2 cups sugar to 4 cups water). Pack in suitable containers leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze.

Suitable Packaging:

Freezer containers should be moisture and vapor resistant and should not be prone to cracking or breaking at low temperatures. Containers should provide protection against absorbing flavors or odors and should be easy to label. Suitable packaging for freezing raspberries includes freezer-grade plastic bags, rigid plastic containers or glass containers and heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Maximum Storage Time:

Up to 12 months at 0ºF.

Thawing:

Add frozen raspberries directly to dishes and desserts.

Tips & Shortcuts:

Raspberries frozen in a sweetened (sugar) pack are best for pies. They will retain their texture better in sugar than if frozen in an unsweetened (plain) pack.