Good Morning!! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and are prepared for this short but busy holiday week! Are you the one hosting? You better start thinking about that turkey. Hosting is taking place at the Aliotti-Silva house and that means, I better start wrapping my head around this. Okay so avoided shopping last week, wanting to ensure things were good come the week of and avoided shopping the weekend before the holiday, to avoid the crowds so puts me at today as Shopping Day! The sooner you can go this week, the better off you will be. Crowds, YES but more than that things run out quick, i.e. our fabulous Pumpkin Puree or what about Pumpkin Pie, if you plan on picking one up!? Yes, that is right, last year I had to opt for an apple pie since the pumpkin AND cheesecakes were all sold out!! Better to get everything you need sooner than later. As you head out to the grocery store, remember to eat before you go! It is never smart to go grocery shopping when you are hungry but more than that, with the crowds, lack of parking, and long lines, a typical 30 minute grocery trip could take you an hour or 2! You don’t want to be half way through your grocery shopping and find yourself hungry and then frustrated at the craziness. Eat before you shop! With that being said, you don’t want to forget something and have to deal with the crowds twice so be sure to make a list and check things off the list as you put them in your cart!!! Now, if you are like me and have waited until the last minute to grab your turkey, trying to avoid this big turkey sitting in your refrigerator (who has room for that) here are a few pointers as you head out to grab your turkey or two…. Where do you start?
-SIZE–Choose a turkey that is the right size for your group. Buy at least one pound of turkey per person. Keep in mind that turkey leftovers are part of the celebration so go bigger than smaller or better yet, maybe buy two smaller turkeys! This will allow you to prepare the birds differently and add to the variety at the table. BBQ one and Bake one šŸ™‚
-QUALITY– The higher quality, free range turkeys OR even better, Organic turkeys are best! Yes, a bit more pricey but if you can go for quality, the taste is remarkably better!
-FRESH OR FROZEN–Depends on your desire of preparation… Of course, fresh is better but if you don’t have a ton of time, classic cleaned and frozen is a better choice. If fresh, stick it immediately in the coldest part of your freezer. If Frozen, you want to be sure to defrost your turkey 3 days before the big meal so that is TODAY! If you have a Frozen Turkey in the Fridge, take it out. If you buys a Frozen Turkey today, KEEP IT OUT. Any turkey under 20 pounds should take no more than 3 days to thaw in the fridge. For turkeys over 20 pounds, give it 4 to 5 days– oh no, by now, you may be out of luck! šŸ™ A good rule of thumb is one day of thawing for every four pounds.
ARE YOU READY FOR THIS… You are worried about something going wrong during preparation… No NEED TO FEAR, THE HELPLINE IS HERE…
Yes, Foster farms has a Turkey Helpline that will answer even the most technical questions 24 hours a day during the season and even all day on Thanksgiving Day. Have a question about cooking or run into a problem, YES CALL FOR HELP!! šŸ™‚
The Turkey Helpline (800) 255-7227
Enjoy your holiday preparation …