Holiday Meals Gone Wrong

We all know the dreaded scene in the movie   A Christmas Story where, after pulling out a beautifully cooked turkey dinner, Bumpeses’ dogs get in the house and devour the meal causing the family to go out to eat and be serenaded with not-so-in-tune holiday music.

                                   

We know a lot can go wrong when you are planning your big family meal, and we have been there. We have had a few holiday mishaps of our own. Just last year too many potato skins were put down the disposal causing all the pipes in our house to back up and flood our kitchen ,laundry room, and even the stairs to the basement. As a kid my aunt spent all day laboring away on a nice beautiful turkey dinner and once we tasted the meat we found that somehow the turkey had gone bad and instead of a turkey dinner we had lovely fried chicken from KFC. And perhaps the most memorable one of all was when Kyle’s mom was making a turkey dinner and left the house. Kyle and I came home to find a house filled with smoke. Kyle went to the oven to find an oven on fire complete with a “flame- cooked” turkey. 

While most our holidays are not as eventful as these (and for that we are grateful) we want to give you some tips on how to avoid a holiday meal disaster.

1.       When it comes to thawing out your turkey its best to follow the instructions on the turkey. Let it set in the fridge for the right amount of time. This will ensure all that hard work does not go to waste.   

2.       As for the potato peels, if you are peeling a lot of potatoes for a crowd it might be best to let your garbage disposal have a break and put the peels in the trash can.

3.       To avoid a flame cooked turkey, watch your turkey bag carefully! Kyle’s mom used a turkey bag to cook this turkey. The bag became so full of drippings that the bag soon fell over the side of the roasting dish and landed on her heating element, causing it to melt and starting a fire. Make sure you have a big enough roasting dish and that the bag is carefully tucked in the pan. It’s also a good idea not to leave the house while the turkey is in the oven.  

Do you have a holiday disaster you want to share? Leave us a comment! As for us at VanderDoes Home Services, we hope you all have an uneventful family-filled Thanksgiving!