I was more careless (or less paranoid) when I was young. Maybe because almost everything we ate except flour or sugar we raised or grew, so from barn or field to table it was entirely under our control. But now I'm older and cooking meat I buy in a store. I have DH with health problems and there's been lots of illness in the older generation, so I've become very aware of the increased risk with compromised immune systems. It's made me pay more attention. I just figured it was time to develop better habits. You've got to break in that canner sometime! What a perfect opportunity. As far as coming home to frozen meat, ahem . . . if it's canned, no problem. OK, I've hit that enough. Usually at such times I go for ground beef and just cook it in the pan frozen, breaking it apart as it thaws. Then I use it for casserole, spaghetti sauce, etc. The time's about equal. I also keep minestrone, stuffed green peppers, spaghetti sauce, etc. in the freezer. They can be thawed while heating stovetop or while baking. Carol

I was born in VT. Many of my mothers relatives lived there too. A couple of years ago, I was in Burlington VT visiting an uncle, and found a shop that sells cheese ends. Basically, they are bits, chunks, and all shapes and sizes of Cabot cheeses. The cost per pound was only about $2, but that was because they had several different cheddar chunks all clumped together. I bought about 8 pounds and it took a while to use it all up. I make a 'mean' mac and cheese, and use a bit of mustard powder as well as onions, and some Velveta to get it to be a bit more creamy. I mix in some no fat milk, along with a big dollop of margerine. Its mostly Cabot chedddars though, and is a real 'comfort' food. Mixed with some bits of cooked hamburg, you now have even more flavor and texture. There is a specific brand and type of pasta I use, which is a bit larger than regular elbows, and it gets cheese inside each elbow, its a 'casserole' type pasta.. Yum! An interesting thing about pepper, is that once its freshly ground and added as a meat rub and baked, the 'heat' will deminish. Tellicherry peppercorns are one of the best there is. I make an 'egg mcmuffin' with eggs, either homemade sausage patties, or slices of home made Canadian bacon. These are placed bewteen a split, toasted English muffin, with a slice of American cheese. I have a round metal ring form that I use to make the egg portion, and use both the 'Egg Beaters' product, but also add some powdered egg. It cooks up much firmer and holds up better to freezing. I use 6 inch wide FS bags and then freeze them. When I want one, its an easy thing to leave sealed, and allow it to heat in the microwave for about a minute. I flip it over and continue to thaw/heat it. The bag will expand and pop open due to steam buildup. Once that happens its usually done. The popping of the plastic bag can be heard, but doesn't seem to explode any of the contents inside the microwave. Only problem I see is that becaue of the intense heat, the muffins (which contain gluten) will firm up, making for a very chewy muffin, kind of like a bagel. If I want it to be a bit more tender, its removed from the plastic bag, and is wrapped in a paper towel and heated a bit slower, with about 40 second intervals while flipping it over a couple of times. A 1000 watt microwave is what I have, so your results may differ. Both the eggs and cheese are fine when frozen and thawed, and I even see a bit more moisture coming from the egg part, so thats a good sign.

Do you have your mind set on brining? If not, you might want to try the presalting method instead. I switched a couple of years ago from brining to the pre-salt method. It produces a very moist flavourful bird without the hassle of a big pail of water. The turkey is salted a couple of days before you plan to roast it, wrapped in plastic wrap and left in the fridge. This method works for all cuts of meat. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pre-Salting =========== Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe method Servings: 11 to 15 Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting. ADVERTISEMENT 1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey Kosher salt 1. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons). 2. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted. 3. Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side. 4. Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. 5. Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours. 6. On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 7. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts). 8. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting. 9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve. Notes: This same method can be used for chicken, chicken pieces, pork roasts, ribs, chops, etc.. With the smaller cuts just pre-salt 4 or five hours in advance. Even this short period of presalting makes an amazing difference. Don't cover, just refrigerate and then remove from the fridge in time for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

For a lot of years lots of people have been soaking their meat in salt water....for one reason or another....brining is not new. If you need a scientific reason, it works on the principas of osmosis....that the concentrations of salts ( and sugar is a "salt") on either side of a permeable membrane ( and a turkey and the cell walls are permeamble membrane) will equalize concentration. That is the salt and sugar ions will migrate to the turkey, carrying with them the flavor of thyme, sage, garlic and whatever else is in your brine. The first time I did it was with a full pork loin and my son was coming and going to cook it for the family and about 8 additional friends. Stew who sometimes forgets that all he knows he learned from his mother... is a very good cook...Pooh-Poohed the concept.....but after grilling that big piece of meat....faintly flavored with garlic and rosemary to the center....tender and wonderful...he became a believer! Ann....tell me the principal of pre-salting? Does it jusr firm up the meat? Much like baking a roast in a salt crust does? Or is there more? Do you put seasonings in the salting mix? Linda C