Holiday Tips

• Thawing the Bird
• Cooking Times & Temperatures
• How to Roast a Turkey To A Delicious Golden Brown
• Delicious "Planned Overs" for Turkey and Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffing
• Carving Methods Illustrated
• The Easiest Way to Stuff a Turkey
• Easy Things to Add to the Stuffing

Thawing the Bird

The best way to thaw a frozen turkey is to let it slowly defrost on a tray in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days (24 hours for each 5 pounds of turkey). If you must thaw a turkey in a hurry cover the turkey with cold water and change the water frequently (every 1/2 hour per pound of turkey). As soon as the turkey is thawed, refrigerate it or begin preparing it for cooking. For maximum eating quality, don't refreeze uncooked turkey meat.

Cooking Times & Temperatures

How to Roast a Turkey to a Delicious Golden Brown

The turkey should be stuffed and cooked immediately after thawing. To roast, place turkey breast side up on a rack in shallow open roasting pan. If a meat thermometer is used, insert into center of thigh next to body not touching the bone.
Lay a "tent" of lightweight aluminum foil, shiny side down, loosely over turkey to prevent over-browning. See time and temperature chart for proper oven temperature and roasting time based on size of turkey. Turkey may be basted and foil may be removed during last half hour for a final browning.

The turkey is done when the meat thermometer registers 180° F or the thick part of drumstick feels soft when pressed with thumb and forefinger, or drumstick moves easily. To make it easy, buy a turkey with a pop-up timer. The turkey will be cooked to perfection when the red stem pops up. Do not partially cook the turkey; completely finish cooking the turkey once it has been started. Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 20 minutes for easier carving.

Delicious "Planned Overs" for Turkey and Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffing

Even though we invariably overeat during the holidays, it seems there is always plenty of food left over. With a little planning, your family can enjoy delicious meals all week long and not feel like they are being served the "leftovers." The following "planned over" ideas will help families enjoy holiday spread again and again and never have the same exact meal twice!
Grease a casserole dish and place any turkey pieces in bottom of casserole, covering surface. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons cooking sherry (if desired) to remaining gravy and heat. Pour dressing over turkey, top with extra Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing and bake at 350 degrees F until stuffing is piping hot and serve.

Cut turkey slices into small pieces, toss with remaining Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing and spoon into hollowed out tomato halves. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional) and broil until heated through.

Saute onions and garlic in a little oil. Add cooked turkey pieces from the holiday meal and one can of stewed tomatoes. Season with hot sauce or red chili powder to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add shrimp, shell-on mussels or clams and simmer until liquid is almost gone. Serve this Creole-style "planned over" on top of reheated Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing.

Slit Anaheim or other favorite chiles and remove seeds from chiles. Combine any favorite Mexican-style ingredients (turkey pieces, cooked sausage, canned corn, etc.) with Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing. Stuff chiles with stuffing mixture, top with strips of cheese and bake in greased shallow baking pan at 350 degrees F until chiles are tender and stuffing is warmed through.

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Carving Methods Illustrated

	1. Remove Drumstick and Thigh To remove drumstick and thigh, press leg away from body. Joint connecting leg to the hip will often times snap free or may be severed easily with knife point. Cut dark meat completely from body by following body contour carefully with knife.
	2. Slicing Dark Meat Place drumstick and thigh on cutting surface and cut through connecting joint. Both pieces may be individually sliced. Tilt drumstick to convenient angle, slicing towards table as shown in illustration.
	3. Slicing Thigh To slice thigh meat, hold firmly on cutting surface with fork. Cut even slices parallel to the bone.
	4. Preparing Breast In preparing breast for easy slicing, place knife parallel and as close to wing as possible. Make deep cut into breast, cutting right to bone. This is your base cut. All breast slices will stop at this horizontal cut.
	5. Carving Breasts After making base cut, carve downward, ending at base cut. Start each new slice slightly higher up on breast. Keep slices thin and even.

The Easiest Way to Stuff a Turkey

Use Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffin' Sack! Once you've used the turkey Stuffin' Sack from Mrs. Cubbison's, you'll never dread stuffing the bird again! The Stuffin' Sack is so easy to use, is much neater than stuffing by hand, and eliminates wasted stuffing left in the turkey cavity.

Remember, it is important to stuff the turkey just before cooking. First, you must prepare the turkey for stuffing. Take off and discard any plastic wrap around the turkey. Remove giblets and neck from the body and neck cavities. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cool water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Now you are ready to stuff the turkey. Simply place your hand inside the all-cotton Stuffin' Sack and push the sack into the turkey cavity. Slowly remove your hand from the sack, keeping most of the sack inside the bird, and tuck the opening part of the sack around the outside of the turkey. Combine any style of Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffing with your favorite ingredients, as instructed on the stuffing box, and spoon into the sack inside the bird. When the sack is loosely packed and full, simply twist the opening end of the sack and tuck it into the bird.

If you are using a smaller turkey and have some stuffing left over, spoon it into a greased 2-1/2 or 3 quart casserole dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove cover and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer for a crisper top. When turkey is done cooking, and the stuffing has reached 165 degrees F, simply pull the Stuffin' Sack out of the bird, open the sack and remove stuffing to serving bowl, fluff with a fork and it's ready to serve. No fuss, no mess, no waste!

Easy Things to Add to the Stuffing

Gill's Chopped Celery and Onions ae available in the refrigerated section of the produce department. The fresh chopped celery and onins pour easily from the plastic container. It's a great time-saver - no chopping, no crying.

Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider is an excellent liquid ingredient to moisten the dressing.

For variety, you can add your favorite chopped fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts and a variety of your favorite foods. Here are just some of them:

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