Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
• 8 slices bacon
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms (approximately 8 oz.)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/8 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a covered large dutch oven, cook the beans in salted boiling water over medium-high heat approximately 4 minutes or until green beans are crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 1-1/2 Tbsp. of the bacon drippings in skillet. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Sauté the mushrooms and red onion in the drippings 5 minutes or until tender. Add green beans and crushed red pepper; sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in crumbled bacon, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Combined ingredients well.

Don’t get caught on Thanksgiving morning staring at a half frozen turkey wondering how you are going to get it defrosted and cooked in time for dinner.

Follow these guidelines for planning the right amount of defrosting and roasting time for your turkey.

As a rule of thumb, if you are defrosting your turkey in the refrigerator, you should allow 24 hours of defrosting time for every 5 pounds of turkey. That means a 15 pound turkey will take three full days.

If you miss this deadline, you can try defrosting the bird faster in a sink full of cold water (do not use warm or hot water – trust me on this one), allowing about half an hour for each pound of turkey and changing the water every hour. (It will still take 7 1/2 hours for that 15-pounder).

Important Notes on Stuffing

Stuffing your bird increases the cooking time, adding approximately 5 to 7 minutes cooking time per pound.

Never stuff the bird ahead of time. Stuff it just before putting it in the oven.

If brining your turkey, we do not recommend stuffing it since the stuffing will absorb too much salt. Cook your stuffing separately.

If not stuffing, you can place some fresh herbs along with roughly chopped celery, onion and carrots in the cavity for added flavor.

Check the temperature of the stuffing as well as the turkey to determine when it is fully cooked—160°F for the stuffing. When done, all parts of the turkey should register 165°F.

Approximate Roasting Times for a Fully Defrosted, Unstuffed Turkey

8 to 12 lbs.: 2 to 3 hours

12 to 16 lbs.: 3 to 4 hours

16 to 2 lbs.: 4 to 5 hours

20 to 25 lbs.: 5 to 6 hours

25 to 20 lbs.: 6 plus hours

Fresh cranberries take on an exotic and refreshing taste flavor when combined with orange and crystallized ginger.  Pecans add an extra crunch. This is a fabulous side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas because it pairs well with turkey, ham or pork.

Ingredients

• 2 bags of fresh cran
• berries, chopped
• 1/2 can of frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 sugar or sugar substitute
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Combine ingredients and chill overnight to let the flavors blend.

You may have never considered this, but what would you do if all of your vital records or keepsakes were burned in a fire?  You may be able to replace some of them, however, others may be irreplaceable.  That is why it is critical that you keep important original documents and keepsakes in either a safe deposit box or fire proof safe.

If you choose a fireproof safe, make sure that you can bolt it to the floor or something that will be very difficult for a burglar to remove.  If it is not adequately bolted down, it will be the first thing a thief takes.

Also check the fire rating on your safe.  Look at the British Thermal Units (BTUs), degrees and minutes.  Some manufacturers refer to a safe’s fire resistance in terms of a UL number.  The higher the rating, the more likely your items will survive a fire.  Choose the highest rating you can afford.

If you will be storing CDs, DVDs, photos, videos, negatives or other media, you’ll need to purchase a separate safe that can withstand temperatures of 1550 degrees or greater.  The minimum rating for media is UL125, which means that the interior of the safe won’t go above 125 degrees (the safe range for media).  Alternatively, you can also purchase a special media cooler that will fit inside of your fireproof safe.

Another thing you will want to ask about is the safes ability to keep out water.  It would be a shame to have your items saved from a fire only to have them damaged by water from fire hoses or overhead sprinklers

Below are some guidelines for what you should keep in a fireproof safe or safety deposit box.

Items for a Safe Deposit Box or Fire Proof Safe (original copies)

• Military records
• Wills
• Powers of attorney
• Trust documents
• Adoptions papers
• Special bequests
• Birth certificates
• Citizenship papers
• Marriage certificates
• Adoption papers
• Divorce or separation papers
• Death certificates
• Burial lot deeds
• Passports
• Deeds
• List of Insurance policies
• Titles to vehicles
• Household inventory with pictures or videos
• Veteran’s papers
• Bond and stock certificates
• Copyrights and patents
• Important contracts
• Precious stones, metal, jewelry, rare coins, cash and other valuable items

When guests come to stay at your home, you want them to feel comfortable and well taken care of. You can create a warm and inviting environment for your guests by providing some thoughtful guest room amenities. Below you’ll find a list of items that will that will make your guests feel right at home.

• Freshly laundered sheets
• Fluffy pillows
• Extra blankets and pillows
• Closet space and empty hangers
• Drawer space
• Side table with lamp
• Alarm clock,
• Mirror (in case the bathrooms are in use)
• Nightlight
• Fresh towel set(s)
• Bathrobe(s)
• Hair dryer
• Magazines and books
• Waste basket
• Telephone and phonebook
• Guestbook
• TV (optional)
• Internet access with instructions (optional)
• Key to your home
• Instructions for alarm system
• List of important local phone numbers
• Brochures for local attractions
• Local map
• Fresh flowers
• A basket filled with: toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner hairspray, razors, deodorant, feminine products, emery board, shaving cream, sunscreen, lotion, pain reliever, bottled water, sewing kit, snacks, paper and pen, tissues, and disposable camera.

When it comes to finding directions on how to make the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, suddenly everyone you know becomes an expert. Your neighbor, your mail carrier, your hairdresser, your car repairman (even though he has never cooked a turkey in his life) and last, but not least, your pest control man. Everyone has to put in their two cents worth on the subject. Well, I guess that means I’m in good company. Here are my instructions on how to cook the best Thanksgiving turkey you’ll ever eat.

Creating Perfect Flavor

I am going to let you in on a little secret. There is a method that the five star restaurants use to give their turkeys incredible flavor. What is it? It’s called flavor brining. Yep, that’s their secret. Historically, brining was done as a method of preserving. However, today it is used primarily as a vehicle to impart unbelievable flavor and moisture into a lean cut of meat.

Note: You should begin the brining process at a minimum of four days before you plan to cook your bird.

How to Brine Your Perfect Turkey

1. Purchase a 14 – 16 pound natural, young turkey. It should not be a self-basting or kosher turkey. These types of turkeys have a ton of added salt. Be careful to look at the ingredients on the turkey package and if it says it contains sodium or salt, keep looking for one without salt.

If your turkey is frozen, you will need to thaw it for at least two days before you begin the brining process. Remove the innards.

2. You will need a non-reactive, food-safe, 5-gallon plastic bucket large enough to fit your turkey with enough headroom for the brine to cover the turkey entirely by about one inch. Restaurant supply houses usually have these types of containers. You can also check with a local restaurant to see if they have a container like this that they are discarding. Be sure to clean it well with very hot soap and water before use.

3. To determine the amount of brine mixture you will need, put your turkey in the container and cover it with water. Remove the turkey and measure the remaining water. This is the amount you will need to make. Discard this water.

4. Place your thawed turkey (innards removed) neck cavity side up in the container and cover with it the brine (see recipe below). If you need to weigh your bird down, fill one or two large plastic zipper-type bag with ice and place them on top of the bird. This will also keep your bird at a cool temperature.

Refrigerate or place the bird in a cool place to brine for at least 12 hours or up to two days if desired. You can place the bird outside as long as the weather won’t cause it to freeze and the lid is secure against pests and animals.

If you are concerned about the bird being too salty, stop after the 12 hour period. It is better to err on the side of caution.

5. When the brining process is complete, rinse the bird well inside and out to remove the excess salt, then pat it dry with a paper towel. Air dry the bird over-night in the refrigerator to let the skin dry. This will help in crisping  the skin as it roasts. Stuff your turkey as usual and roast according to the instructions below.

The Perfect Brine Recipe

You may need to double this recipe in order to have enough to cover your bird. Additional spices such as allspice berries, crushed thyme leaves, sprigs of rosemary, cinnamon sticks, and candied ginger may be added to this mixture to create your own unique flavor.

• Approximately one-gallon of cold, no-salt vegetable stock or water.
• 1 cup of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (if using Morton’s Kosher salt, use 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
• 7 fresh leaves sage, bruised
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
• 10 cloves of peeled, crushed garlic

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, sage, onion and garlic in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve all the solids and then bring to a boil. Remove the brine immediately from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Pour the mixture over the turkey and refrigerate or keep in a cool place.

Roasting Your Perfect Turkey

The goal in cooking a turkey is to get your bird cooked and beautifully browned without drying out the breast. Here’s the problem: white meat cooks faster than dark meat. Traditionally, the bird is cooked breast-side up. This method causes the breast meat to cook quickly while the legs that are under the bird cook slowly. What you end up with is dried-out breast meat in order for the legs and thighs to be done properly.

So what is the answer you ask? Roast your turkey breast side down. Now before you brand me a heretic and have me burned at the stake, hear me out. Yes, this is not how your mother or grandmother did it but I am telling you, once you try this method you will never go back to cooking your turkey breast-side up again.

Why do it this way? Because when the breast meat is on the bottom, not only is it protected and cooks more slowly but all the juices from the turkey drain down into the breast making it moist, tender and juicy. Unless you have your heart set on a Norman Rockwell presentation at your Thanksgiving table, this is the best position in which to cook your bird. It may not look as pretty as the other, but who carves their turkey at the table anyway? We never do.

The last tip to the perfect turkey is to put your bird in the oven and leave it there until it is done. Calculate the amount of time that it will take to cook your bird, then put it in the oven and don’t peek until the timer goes off. No basting is necessary. You don’t need to baste if you cook the turkey breast-side down.

Roast your turkey at 325 degrees F. A 14 to 18 pound, unstuffed turkey will take approximately 3 3/4 hours to 4 1/2 hours.

For an unstuffed turkey, place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, taking care that it does not touch any bone. Roast the turkey until the meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees F.

For a stuffed turkey, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the dressing. The center of the dressing inside the bird (or in a separate baking dish) must reach a temperature of 165 degrees F. for food safety.

After removing the turkey from the oven and before carving, allow the turkey to rest at least 20 minutes so that the juices settle within the meat, which will provide the meat with even more flavor and tenderness and will also make carving much easier.

Bon Appetite!

© 2002 – 2009 Blair Massey

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Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey is devoted to helping Christian women around the world get their home, family and life organized. To get your home organized and start living the amazing life you were created by God to enjoy, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at www.KeepingUpAtHome.com

Many people keep documents longer than they need to because they would rather err on the side of caution than make a mistake. This mindset keeps many home filing cabinets packed to their limit.

Below are some basic guidelines that will help you determine what you should keep and how long you should keep it. These guidelines are not meant to replace advice from your accountant or attorney. We recommend that you seek their advice regarding your family record retention plan.

Tax Returns and Supporting Documentation: Seven years.

The IRS has three years from your filing date to audit your return if it suspects good faith errors. The three-year deadline also applies if you discover a mistake in your return and decide to file an amended return to claim a refund.

The IRS has six years to challenge your return if it thinks you under-reported your gross income by 25% or more.

There is no time limit if you failed to file your return or filed a fraudulent return.

For more information, read the IRS guidelines.

Paid Bills: One month unless keeping for tax purposes, insurance proof or to substantiate a warranty.

Bills for big purchases such as jewelry, rugs, appliances, antiques, cars, collectibles, furniture, computers, etc. should be kept in a safe deposit box or fire proof safe for proof of their value in the event of loss or damage.

Credit Card Receipts: One month to seven years.

Keep your original receipts until you receive your monthly statement; toss the receipts after you verify that the charge is correct. If it is documentation for tax-related expenses, keep the receipts with the tax return for seven years.

ATM Receipts: Until verified on your bank statement.

Pay Check Stubs: Current stub.

Keep the current stub and shred the others. It contains the accumulated information on your wages and is the only information you need to keep. When you receive your annual W-2 form from your employer, make sure the information on your stub is the amount reported by your employer. If it is, you can shred the stub. If it is incorrect, request a corrected form, known as a W-2c.

Bank Statements: Keep monthly statements for one year. Keep annual statements for seven years, especially if you are self-employed and need this information for income verification or taxes. These also serve as records for earned income on saving accounts and CDs.

Brokerage Statements: Keep as long as you own the security plus seven years.

Keep monthly statements for one year. If your annual statement summarizes all activity, you can shred the monthly statements. Keep the yearly summaries as long as you own the security plus seven years.

Keep records of the purchase price and number of shares. This information is used to calculate capital gains or losses at tax time.

Retirement and Savings Plans: Until retirement.

Keep the quarterly statements from your 401(k) or other plans until you receive the annual summary; if everything matches up, you can shred the quarterlies. Keep the annual summaries until you retire.

IRA Contributions: Until retirement.

Keep monthly statement for one year. You can shred the monthly statements when their accumulative total is verified on your annual statement summary.

If you made a nondeductible contribution to an IRA, keep the records indefinitely to prove that you already paid tax on this money when the time comes to withdraw.

Current Contracts and Leases: Life of contract, plus three years.

House Records: Keep for as long as you own the home, plus seven years.

These establish the cost basis for your home and could help lower your capital gains tax.

Keep all records documenting the purchase price and the cost of all permanent improvements, such as remodeling, additions, and added appliances and equipment.

Keep records of expenses incurred in selling and buying the property, such as legal fees and your real estate agent’s commission, for seven years after you sell your home.

Utility Bills: Until paid or seven years.

If you are writing off your utility bills for tax purposes, keep them as tax records. You can also keep them if you want to track your utility use over a period of time.

Loans: Keep for the life of the loan.

Insurance Policies: Life of the policy.

Legal Documentation: (Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, Divorce Papers, etc.): Forever

Warranties: Life of the product.

Below are some basic categories you can use as a guide for setting up a Home Filing System.  Of course you must decide what your categories and sub-categories will ultimately be, but this list will give you some ideas to get you started.  

Bank

• Checking account information
• Canceled checks
• Savings account information
• Inventory of safe deposit box

Correspondence

• Business
• Personal

Donations and Contributions

• Church
• Charities

Education

• Diplomas
• Continuing Education records
• College records
• Homeschooling records

Employment

• Resumes
• Employment records
• Employment contracts
• Wage statements (paycheck stubs)

Financial

• Budget
• Financial Goals (long and short-term)
• Net worth statements
• Property tax records
• Receipts
• Paid bills
• Credit card agreements
• Listing of credit card numbers

Health and Medical

• Medicare or insurance cards
• Medical History
• Medical Directives
• Immunizations and blood types
• Dental
• Vision
• Prescriptions
• Disability
• Pet medical records

Housing

• Mortgage payments
• Refinance papers
• Lease and rent payments
• Repairs
• Home improvements
• Household inventory (second copy in safe deposit box)

Insurance

• Life Insurance policies
• Vehicle Insurance policies (auto, motorcycles, boats, RVs, and other vehicles)
• Health Insurance policies
• Homeowner’s or renter’s insurance

Legal (originals in safe deposit box or fireproof safe)

• Wills
• Powers of attorney
• Trust documents
• Adoptions papers
• Inheritance
• Military records
• Birth certificates
• Citizenship papers
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce or separation papers
• Death certificates
• Burial lot deeds
• Passports
• Deeds
• Household inventory with pictures or videos
• Veteran’s papers
• Contracts
• Copyrights and patents

Loans

• Loan contracts
• Loan statements

Organizations and Clubs

• Civic
• Business and Professional
• School
• Church

Tax

• Previous year’s returns
• Canceled checks (tax related)
• Work and or business related receipts
• Medical receipts
• 1099s
• W2s

Reference Material

• Cleaning
• Crafts or hobbies
• Gardening
• Home furnishings
• Travel
• Maps
• Vacations

Investments

• Annuities
• Bonds
• Stocks
• Rental Income
• Real estate investments
• Partnerships
• Pension plans
• Social Security cards and records
• 401K
• IRA
• Roth IRA
• Education IRA
• Other investments

Vehicles

• Titles to vehicles with VIN numbers
• Maintenance – repair
• Autos
• RVs
• Boats
• Motorcycles

Safe Deposit Box or Fire Proof Safe (original copies)

• Military records
• Wills
• Powers of attorney
• Trust documents
• Adoptions papers
• Special bequests
• Birth certificates
• Citizenship papers
• Marriage certificates
• Adoption papers
• Divorce or separation papers
• Death certificates
• Burial lot deeds
• Passports
• Deeds
• List of Insurance policies
• Titles to vehicles
• Household inventory with pictures or videos
• Veteran’s papers
• Bond and stock certificates
• Copyrights and patents
• Important contracts
• Precious stones, metal, jewelry, rare coins, cash and other valuable items