Joe Lizura vs. Black Friday

November 29, 2013, Flagstaff, Arizona.  Well, Black Friday is almost over and I'm happy to say that the score is Joe Lizura (www.joelizura.com) one and the stores zero.  After a long drive from Flagstaff down to Scottsdale to spend a few hours in the shopping mayhem, it actually turned out be fun.  I didn't actually buy anything, but everyone else in the family did.  I did however, get a kick out of the fact that stores were doing their best to out-do one another.  One store was 40 percent off everything, followed by the next which was 50 percent off and that was yet followed by the next one that was 60 percent off! 

It's definitely going to be a great holiday shopping season, but it's going to be a quick one, after all,
Christmas is just three and a half weeks away!  You know what that means . . . Cyber-Monday is going to be crazy!  And tomorrow isn't looking to bad either; I just saw a commercial for 10 dollars off your 25 dollar purchase at Macys!

Shop well my friends, shop well!   www.joelizura.net

Joe Lizura's turkey cooking chart

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!  It's one of my favorite days of the year (although not my actual favorite, which is Halloween) because Thanksgiving brings the family together for the official start of the entire holiday season.  Lot's of football to watch on TV and in some cases snow to shovel! 

I'm not sure about everyone else, but it seems that our family (even when I was a kid) could never get an accurate explanation of how many hours to cook the Turkey - No matter who you ask, it's always about things like "Is it a stuffed turkey or unstuffed turkey?",  "Are you cooking it at 325 degrees or 350 degrees?", "Is it a fresh turkey or a frozen one?", and on an on ... but this year, I think I found the perfect chart for cooking - here it is!

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 165 degrees F. Don't forget to let the bird rest at least 30 minutes before carving to allow the juices to re-absorb into the flesh. You don't want the moisture to drain out.
Roasting times are for a preheated 325 degrees F. oven.

Approximate Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight	Hours
6 to 8 pounds	3 to 3-1/2 hours
8 to 12 pounds	3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
12 to 16 pounds	4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours
16 to 20 pounds	5-1/2 to 6 hours
20 to 24 pounds	6 to 6-1/2 hours
Approximate Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight	Hours
6 to 8 pounds	2-1/2 to 3 hours
8 to 12 pounds	3 to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds	4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 pounds	5 to 5-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds	5-1/2 to 6 hours

Sad news from the Disney Family

I was sad to learn today that Walt Disney's daughter Diane Disney Miller passed away today at age 79.  Its wonderful to know that a family you have never met has made such a dramatic impact on your life.  Walt Disney was widely credited with creating Disneyland in a large part as something to
give his daughter and we are all better off because he did.

Diane was a very generous woman who gave away millions and millions of dollars to charities and
deserving organizations - exactly as her father would have wanted her too.  Rest in Peace and tell your father "thank you".