Christmas

[Sydney_Bristow]

Sounds like you're on top of things, Beate!!! My Christmas prep is still all up in the air!! So much to do, so little time and way too many parties happening so cards and pressies still to be b*ght!! Yikes!!! Is anyone as badly organised as moi??? OMG 12 more sleeps till christmas Better get my skates on!!!


Deep breath....after another Baileys

[Rainey]

Sounds like you're on top of things, Beate!!! My Christmas prep is still all up in the air!! So much to do, so little time and way too many parties happening so cards and pressies still to be b*ght!! Yikes!!! Is anyone as badly organised as moi??? OMG 12 more sleeps till christmas Better get my skates on!!!


Deep breath....after another Baileys

I am doing just as bad if not worse this year, I am normally all done by the end of November, will have the kids finished tomorrow reserved the last of their bits to pick up after work........but haven't started on the rest of the family/friends yet, have no wrapping paper, Christmas cards, not even got a box of mince pies in the cupboard, working all week and next weekend so have no idea when I am going to do it and have 10 people coming for Xmas dinner......HELP ME!!!! lol


......oh and after b*ying Hello Kitty everything for my daughter as she has loved it for god knows how long, she tells me its boring and she doesn't like it anymore and has stripped all the HK stuff she already has out of her room!!!!!!

[butterfly]

raineylb what a nightmare! how you going to convince her Hello Kitty is not boring in the time you have left?

am the same as you and Sydney_Bristow well and truly not ready this year. far too much to do and so little time to get it done! late min headless chicken is coming to mind... oh the joys of xmas!

[destresserai]

You learn something new every day............................


Mistletoe etiquette dictates that after you kiss under it, you remove a berry. When all the berries are gone, the kissing is over. Kisses should only ever be on the cheek. However, don't eat the berry or your kissing days will be permanently over. Holly berries and every part of the mistletoe are poisonous.

[Ms Thrifty]

This has reminded me that Xmas is quite close now. Wonder if there's anything I should be doing before it's too late?

[destresserai]

FROZEN TURKEY
This should be put into your freezer as quickly as possible after p*rchase.
It is imperative the bird is thoroughly defrosted before cooking. The turkey should be defrosted in the fridge although this does take longer. Place it on the bottom shelf and as this ensures it cannot drip onto any other foods. Allow at least 24 hours defrosting for every 4/5 lbs (2/2½ kg) of weight.

To check it is fully defrosted make sure there are no ice crystals inside, the body is soft and the legs and wings move freely.

FRESH TURKEY
This should be b*ght as late as possible as it should be cooked within two days of p*rchase

COOKING
It is imperative poultry is cooked properly in order to kill the bacteria which causes food poisoning. To check if it is fully cooked pierce the thickest part of the leg and the juices should run clear - any sign of pink shows it is not cooked properly. If you have a meat thermometer or a temperature probe check that the internal temperature reaches 72ºC. Temperature and time settings for cooking vary from oven to oven.

The following are approximate cooking times for turkeys in an oven, which is at 180ºC / 350ºF / gas mark 4:

Size of Turkey Stuffed Turkey Unstuffed Turkey
8-12 lbs / 3.5 - 5.5kg 3 - 3 ½ hours 2 ¾ - 3 hours
12-14 lbs / 5.5 - 6.5 kg 3 ½ -4 hours 3 - 3 ¾ hours
14-18 lbs / 6.5 - 8kg 4- 4 ¼ hours 3 ¾ - 4 ¼ hours
18-20 lbs / 8 - 9kg 4 ¼ - 4 ¾ hours 4 ¼ - 4 ½ hours
20-24 lbs / 9 - 11kg 4 ¾ - 5 ¼ hours 4 ½ - 5 hours

The modern way of thinking seems to be it is best not to stuff the cavity of the bird but to cook the stuffing separately, especially if you are likely to have some left over for another day. Not only does it cook better without stuffing but it also keeps better afterwards. If you are determined to stuff the bird don't overstuff and use the neck cavity only. You will need to allow extra cooking time of approximately 10-15 minutes per lb/450g.

[tomorrow72]

1 ltr bottle of Baileys £9.24 in Tesco (hopefully this is nationwide and not just in mine). A wonderful Xmas pressie for the girls.

[destresserai]

Highest Grossing Holiday Films

1.Home Alone
2.How the Grinch Stole Christmas
3.Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
4.Elf
5.The Santa Clause
6.The Santa Clause 2
7.Cheaper by the Dozen
8.The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
9.Christmas with the Cranks
10.Grumpier Old Men
11.Grumpy Old Men
12.Scrooged
13.Bad Santa
14.Love Actually
15.The Nightmare Before Christmas

[evilzadi]

i like curly sue. always comes on at xmas on itv

[weliveandbreathewords]

Im surprised that santa clause 3 is so high up, shame jingle all the way isnt on there!
elf was on on sunday :)