HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY GOY FRIENDS:-)

A lovely pic,Ba..and a pretty homely scene..Rosie and Meg did very well,bless em..to pose for you,eventually :o) Hope you and your Family have a great Christmas too,and a happy healthy New Year....:o)) x

Thanks, Bornagain ...
Merry Christmas and all the best for 2012 ...

Pretty photo ... lovely Rosie and Meg ...

Truth is ... my dogs aren't allowed on the furniture !

Eeek Terra, mine think they own the sofa lol. I was never very good at training:-)

Lol. :o)

Thanks Bloomer, it's nearly time for me to start panicking about Christmas dinner:-)

Lovely picture of Rosie and Meg, Merry Christmas to you all, all the best for 2012.....

Don't get stressed,Ba..easy to say,as we all tend to do it sometimes..just keep thinking ..it's only a Sunday roast,with a few extras ! Lol.

Aw, lovely picture Bornagain ... and all the very best to you too. X

Thank you , and Merry Christmas to you all ...

A very happy christmas to you and yours BA, that tree looks beautiful and your room looks so cosy and warm.

Aw lovely..merry Christmas to you too :)

What a lovely cosy scene, Rosy and Meg look so happy on the chair wouldnt have the heart to move them off, Have a Great Christmas and all the best for the New Year Ba;0)

Greeting to you to...Ba...lovely shot...
Don't panic, just let it flow lol....:)))

Thanks Stripes, love the cat in the hat:-)

Bloomer, I don't really do Sunday roasts...so no help at all there lol...and even if I did, it wouldn't be for at least 12 and two different meats (turkey and ham) and two vegetarians and all the trimmings! Help!!! I keep hearing chefs say to take turkey legs off before cooking which I've never done, but it would mean I could have the gravy more or less finished before Christmas day wouldn't it? and Mary Berry says I can cook roasties the day before and just pop them back in for about half an hour on the day. never tried that though I have cooked the mash before and it was fine:-)

Thanks Sheila, hope the weather's not too bad for you up there:-)

Thanks Hywel, hope the snow keeps away for you:-)

Thanks Sticki, had new fire fitted at last:-)

Thanks Pixi, what's the weather like for you?:-)

Never mind let them stay on the chair Pansy, took me ages to make them stay on it long enough 'cos they were lovely and comfy on Dad's lap lol, not happy at being moved, but I wanted the tree in the pic :-)

Thanks Crissue, panic and embarrassment are my middle names:-)

aww have a short slurp or two, to calm the nerves...:)))

Merry Christmas to you all! :)

Merry Christmas to you too.

Great picture.

You do sound to have a lot on,Ba..I haven't taken the Turkey legs off before either..but it would cook quicker,doing them seperately,wouldn't it,wrapped in foil at the side of the Turkey,so they wouldn't dry out.? I don't see why the roasties wouldn't be fine cooked before either..I have heard you can do it to the point when they are just lightly brown,and open freeze them on trays,when cold..only like oven chips,I suppose..and bag them up,till you want them...It's finding room for everything that's sometime the problem..I used to cook other veg too,while Turley was cooking,and then just reheat in Microwave..still do,sometimes,and all pans etc out of the way..I could do with an extension of work tops, at this time,.and a longer day ! :o))

Will do Crissue:-)

Thanks Ulma:-)

Thanks Frybo, I love Christmas:-)

I do have a small range cooker Bloomer, but there's never enough room is there? I also have 5 gas burners...and a microwave...still not enough lol:-)

i cooked turkey and ham last year BA, i was a bit bothered about it just cos it was the two of them but they taste so great together its well worth it.

some people cook the meat the day before then slice it cold on the day [easier to carve] you could then warm it up if you wanted??

A very Happy Christmas to you Bornagain

That is what I am doing ,Sticki..and taking it up to our daughters,along with the gravy....they are doing the rest.!
She has to work till 6pm Christmas eve,so will have enough to do..but we are all organised as to who is doing what ! :o)

i would never doubt you would be organised bloomer!!

i have had to work a morning shift before now and come home to cook christmas dinner!!!

lovely picture of your dogs and I love the tree. Happy christmas.

Merry Christmas Bornagain

Ah,the not so good old days,Sticki..remember them well..the worst of retail,when you see the days,that Christmas holidays fall on,and it's not your lucky break..again !

I only work part time but I have to do the dinner when the boys can come!

Merry Christmas Ba! Great photo of your girls, and what a wonderful tree! Hope that you and the family have a lovely Christmas and New Year too! Lots of love...Flori B XXXXXX

Happy Christmas Ba...Lovely pic xx

Thats a smashing picture BA, well worth the effort and the tree looks gorgeous (as do Rosie and Meg despite the hangdog expressions lol)!!
Your guests will be predisposed to be pleased just for your company, so a glass of wine or three all around and dinner will go with a swing(e).
Have a wonderful Christmas lass (hope you managed to get rid of the crutches hehehe).

Thanks Drc Rosie and Milky, isn't Christmas great? If you want to join in the great turkey cooking debate you are very welcome:-):-)

Thanks Motinot, do you have all the family round?:-)

Flori, lovely to see you on here, I only managed to send one Christmas card this year so far! Do you think I'm a little behind?:-)

Tet me dear, how are you? Another one long time no see. Have you two got that rescue dog yet? No time like the present, don't know where we'd be without our two:-)

Now to continue THE GREAT TURKEY DEBATE. Sticki and Bloomer, do you mean I could cook the meats on Christmas Eve? How would I safely heat it without it drying out? It would me marvellous if I could do that and the gravy would be all finished with too (I love gravy). Years ago I used to cook the turkey slowly over night in my old gas cooker and when we woke in the morning the house would smell delicious. The five of us had eaten our Christmas dinner by one o'clock. Lost my confidence in that after googling for info and terrified of poisoning everyone although it always worked fine before.. Now I aim for eating about one or two o'clock...it normally ends up about three or four and some of it's cold lol:-)

two options ~ serve the meat sliced and cold but the hot gravy makes it ok
or put the meat in the microwave for a little while ~ covered in cling film but with slits in the film; if it has been in the fridge over night and heated through thoroughly [so it feels hot] there should be no problem.

hello flori ~ lovely to see you and tet too!!

I always say to my daughter "dinner at 2pm" and she usually says ,"oh that will be 4pm then!" She's usually right!

ah, i recognise that rose ~ happens all the time here.!!

So I'm not the only one? Whew:-)

BA you could check with pam about the meat ~ she is the expert.

Ba,by the time you have let it rest while making the gravy ,etc,and carve it,it will have almost cooled down anyway..but it will be fine,if you do as Sticki said... if you cook it on Christmas eve,and store in fridge ,as soon as its cold,you shouldn't have a problem with either serving it as it is,with hot gravy...and hot plates..or reheating in Microwave,,but I would add a little gravy to keep it moist,if you do the latter......I think most of us are aware about food poisoning or Salmonella..but highly unlikely,as it's much worse to leave it to 'breed' in a warm kitchen.
Personally,I prefer the first way,as not keen on reheating meat,or fowl..

You can cook fowl twice but no more. that is to say cooked once and reheated to boiling a second time (I make pies with leftovers, by the time pastry cooked, meat is piping hot). Why dont you google "delia on turkey"?
Havent got a pooch yet BA, worried stiff if we go in for one we will have the whole bally lot!!! Otherwise I will have nightmares about the ones we left behind. Im devasted every time I see/hear dogs in a dogs home..cant take the emotional upheaval..oh to win the lottery, have a house with lots of land and loads of dogs (and that Caesar chap to make sure they dont squabble), Id end up with old horses too!!

Here's my input on the turkey....Cook whole, don't stuff it, make a herb butter if you want, and run your hand under the skin and smear the herb butter under the skin.Lay your streaky bacon strips diagonally across the bird....
When cooked and rested, cut the legs off...Then cut the whole breast off, it easier to carve this way, same with the other breast if you need it...

[cut up fine herbs of your choice, and mix well with butter, for the smearing under the skin...You can also add a whole Garlic to the inside of the bird if you like it.]

i assume you have already bought the turkey BA ~ cos otherwise you could buy a crown then there are no legs to worry about!!!

Happy holidays Ba.....and all great gardening for 2012.....XX

Thanks all for all your help. Yes, It's sitting in the fridge. Its a 'plumpie' free ranger a fraction under 8 kilos. I had one of these last year and it was delicious. I like to use the legs another day for turkey and ham pie or there's a fantastic turkey salad recipe of Jamies which i made for the family one year, that was amazing. It's just trying to get everything ready on time. I think I'll give the cooking on Christmas Eve a go, it will make everything easier on the day. I've never tried taking the whole breast off Crissue, do you mean off the bone? Tet, I've got Delia's book, but she doesn't mention cooking the night before and I want to keep things as calm as possible..impossible knowing me lol:-) All I need is a little confidence. I had no problems with the thought of cooking the ham the night before.:-)

Thanks Janey, let's hope we have a summer 2012 too:-)

You do whatever you are happy with BA, that's the only way it really works, oh and a little celebratory drink before the main cooking doesn't hurt!

Sry lol been a while..weather is not too bad here..jsut a tad windy and rain...usual!

I'm with Sticki on this one,Ba..do your own thing..it will be fine,whatever you do..you and your family will enjoy it,however you cook it,or carve it...or whatever time it's ready..have a lovely day...X

Im with Sticki too, especially the drinkie poohs while cooking lol!

Tet,have a lovely Christmas,and hope the New Year brings you better health..xx

Thanks Bloomer..Im a fan of positive thinking, and your good wishes will add to that! Maybe a trip to Yorkshire next year, hoping to meet up with Yorkie and you too maybe.
Do have a great time yourself and I wish you everything you could wish yourselves (except perhaps winning the lottery, we aim to do that this year hehehe) {:¬D

Wouldn't it be great to have a really big GOY get-together sometime:-))) Ps I've decided to cook the turkey tomorrow lol....after all that!:-)))

well done BA ~ hope it goes really well.

Merry Christmas to you too Bornagain. This is a lovely picture! :)))

I've never tried taking the whole breast off Crissue, do you mean off the bone?
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Yes Ba, follow along the breastbone and alongside the Wishbone....sharp knife required...

Happy carving...