BlogHer - HOLIDAY VIDEOS - Comments

I am not going to cook the

netblogger1 — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:54:43 -0600

I am not going to cook the turkey. It is a lot of work.

Here is a cute animated ecard for this Thanksgiving. I just wish cooking can be this easy:-)

http://www.ojolie.com/index.php?step=preview&ec_id=27

Nice!

she has moxie — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:33:54 -0600

Great video!
Now where is the video to show me how to carve the turkey without making a shredded mess of it?

It is pretty

Denise — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:41:28 -0600

TW is actually in the kitchen now, making a turkey (though at this point all I see is the huge mess she is making for me to clean up) I hope it looks this good when it comes out of the oven.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Fast Times @ Homeschool High & Flamingo House Happenings

Turkey Photo!

Erin Kotecki Vest — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:04:46 -0600

My Sister-in-Law's finished Turkey-she used the BlogHer Holiday Guide Video and Recipe!

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

cool

Denise — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:55:48 -0600

where is the photo?!!

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Fast Times @ Homeschool High & Flamingo House Happenings

I wanted to show everyone this email

Erin Kotecki Vest — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:25:39 -0600

I received it from my sister-in-law in Germany:

Hey,
I just cooked a beautiful 25 lb turkey using a recipe from blogher.com! Every year the PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) hosts a big Thanksgiving dinner for the German ladies from the churches in the towns right outside post. The dinner is tonight. I'm not going because I don't have a babysitter but I agreed to cook a turkey for them. I more or less used the method from your "project". I only got to taste the bite that came out when I checked the turkey for doneness with a fork but man, was it good! And it was so pretty, I didn't even carve it before I sent it to them.
Anyway, here's a picture! And I am supposed to get a plate brought to me after the event tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
Jenn

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Crust isn't so scary

alyssaroyse — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:04:02 -0600

This really is a nice and simple guide to making a crust! I wish people weren't scared of it, because home made pie crust is a thing of beauty!!!

My 2 tips (and I'm making pies almost every day. Someday, I swear I will open an all-pie restaurant.)

For fat, only 2 things will do. 1) good quality real butter and 2) good quality real lard. Both can be hard to find, but are worth it. In fact, i now render my own lard, in fairly large quantities....

The reason for the lard is twofold. First is is significantly better for you than vegetable shortening - it has no trans fats and is all natural. (but the store bought stuff, not so much.) 2) it has a higher melting point that butter or vegetable shortening.

Once I understood why that matters, I always made a good pie crust, because understanding the mechanics of flake is important.

Flakiness is achieved by creating enough little air pockets in the crust. The air pockets are the space that's left behind after that solid fat melts. The trick to achieving that is to use a fat with a high melting point so that the fibers in the flour are SET and structurally sound before the fat melts. So, a high melting point allows more time for the fibers int eh flour to get structurally stable.

That's also why it's super important not to over beat, mix, roll your pie crust. the more muscle you put into it, the more you just mix everything into a paste, and there won't be many air pockets because the consistency will be too even. By leaving it with little fat globs in it, you'll actually be creating those flaky air pockets. And that's what you want.

That's also why it's important to use cold fats and ice water, and work quickly, you ant it going int eh oven with the fats still as solid as they can be.

If you ask me, baking is scary because it's all science. Unlike cooking, which is all passion. But once this was explained to me, my pie crusts were better, and way less scary.
___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE
make some good news!
www.JustCauseIt.com

I'm terrified of pie crust

Erin Kotecki Vest — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:29:42 -0600

...Jess made this dough so easily and the steps were something I really think most of us can do! No more store bought for me...I vow!

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

The olives really did it...

Erin Kotecki Vest — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:28:24 -0600

I was thinking the same thing...OLIVES? REALLY?

And it was super yummy. Just the right amount of salt from the olives...and I swear it was THAT easy too!

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Love the high speed!

Kalyn Denny — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:54:39 -0600

I'm not a baker (at all!) so the idea of making something like this intimidates me totally. But it did look pretty easy. My favorite part was the high speed arranging of the apples.

Also fun discovering The Petite Pig, added it to my rss reader! (Sigh, so many food blogs I just can't keep up.)

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

The videos are great!

Alanna Kellogg — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:50:48 -0600

I love how each one makes the dish looks so do-able! For anyone interested in making a real pie crust, just today I posted a how-to (with illustrations) for a double-crust apple pie that's just achingly tender, it's How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust.

Love it!

Kalyn Denny — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:01:43 -0600

Love the sound of this stuffing cooked on top of the stove. I've never been fond of the kind that's cooked in the turkey. Not only is it hard to get it done, but it makes the inside of the turkey all messy so you have to wash it out if you're going to make turkey stock. Love the additions of walnuts and green olives.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Very fun!

Alanna Kellogg — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:45:09 -0600

With olives (really?) and raisins, not that traditional (well, maybe for the Bauers!) but still, sounds great!

Alanna Kellogg, A Veggie Venture

Great job Erin, Dani

Karen Rani — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:51:12 -0500

You both looked so comfortable with that raw poultry. I've never cooked a turkey but once we move to the new house, I just might try. Thank you!!
--
Troll Baby | Swank Web Style | Famecrawler

Thanks!

Erin Kotecki Vest — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:45:14 -0500

Yes-it really was that easy. As Dani told me...if you can roast a chicken, you can cook a turkey!

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain