One of my favorite meals includes pork chops because they are so full of flavor. However, they can be difficult to cook if you have never cooked pork chops before.

Tips for the Best Pork Chops:

1. Prepare Ahead
Decide ahead of time what you’ll be adding to your chops and how you’ll be cooking them. If you plan to fry them in oil or wine, make sure you have enough time to cook them 2 or 3 at a time. The size will also depend on how much time you’ll need. Give yourself at least an hour.

2. Cook Slow
The main thing you’ll want to keep in mind regardless of what you add is they need to be cooked slow. Cooking pork chops too fast will leave them burnt on the outside and pink in the middle. If you are cooking it in a pan, don’t cook higher than medium heat.

3. Add Additional Ingredients Last
When you add ingredients like cream of mushroom soup, be sure to add them last. Since you’ll be cooking slow, you want to make sure the meat is fully cooked before adding ingredients that don’t need to be cooked that well.

Feel free to get creative with your pork chops, and try out different ingredients following the tips above!

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About the Author: Kara Kelso is the mother of two, and owner of several websites. For more pork chop recipes and tips, visit:
http://www.idea-queen.com/pork-chops.html

Love the smell of a pot roast in the oven? I know most do, and pot roasts make a great meal for the entire family.

The next time you make a roast, here are a few quick tips to make sure you get the most out of your time, and make a delicious roast.

1. Use the Oven
   I know many absolutely love their crockpots, and use it for lots of different dishes. It’s a wonderful idea for slow cooked meals that don’t require a lot of time from you. However, to get the most meals out of your roast I recommend using a large roaster in the oven. This way you’ll have room for more vegetables and can cook additional items along side (like bread).
2. Allow Time
   For the best roast, you’ll want to cook it slow. Allow at least 4-5 hours to cook your roast, checking it often. While a roast requires little attention, you will still need to check on it often.
3. Make Too Much
   Don’t just plan for that night’s meal – make as much as you can! Roasts, potatoes, and other veggies make wonderful leftovers. You’ll save time and energy this was as well, since you can get several meals out of just cooking once. Pick the largest roast you can find at the store to make sure you’ll have plenty of meals.

A simple pot roast is one of the best home cooked meals out there. The next time you have time, make a roast that’s not only healthy, but one the whole family will love!

Cooking a whole turkey is just not something we do very often so having a perfect, juicy turkey on Thanksgiving Day can be illusive. Here are a few tips, hints and things to look for when making your turkey.

Choosing a Turkey
As Thanksgiving Day gets closer shopping market shelves seem to burst with turkeys of all sizes and brands. How do you know what size turkey to get? First figure out how many people you will be serving. Perhaps you should jot this number down on top of your shopping list because it will be helpful as you buy other items. If you are only feeding a few people and plan on getting a turkey less than 12 pounds expect figure about ¾ of a pound per adult as servings. If you are feeding a lot of people and are getting a larger turkey add up each adult serving as a pound and that is the size turkey you will want to look for. So if you are feeding 15 people you will want to get a 15-pound turkey. If you want to have leftovers add about 3-4 pounds.

White or Dark Meat?
Look on the labeling of the turkey carefully. If your family prefers white meat, then you will want to get a hen turkey. If dark meat is more desirable then get a tom turkey.

Thawing a Frozen Turkey
Thawing is an important part of getting the turkey to cook right. If the turkey is not completely thawed it will cook unevenly. Plan on the turkey taking 24 hours for every 5 pounds to thaw. So if you get a 15-pound turkey it will take three days for it to thaw. You also can’t count that day you are planning on roasting the turkey. To thaw, place the turkey on a tray and put in the fridge. You can tell the turkey is thawed if you can remove the giblets easily and there is no ice on the inside of the bird.

Preparations for Roasting
When the turkey is thawed release the legs, and remove everything from the inside cavities. Rinse the turkey thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. If you want to cook the stuffing inside the turkey make sure you have a meat thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer you will want to cook the stuffing separately. Reset the legs with the leg clamp or tie with string. Put the wing tips under the back. Place a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan and put the turkey on the rack breast side up. If you have a meat thermometer insert it into a thigh or some other place where it will not touch bone. Cover the turkey loosely with foil (make sure there is space between the turkey and the foil.

Roast in a 325 degree oven. Turkeys that are 8-12 pounds need to be roasted for 2 ½ -3 hours, 12-14 pound turkey for 3-3 ¾ hours, 14-18 pound turkeys for 3 ½- 4 ¼ hours, 18-20 pound turkeys for 4 ¼-4 ½ hours, and a 20-24 pound turkey will need to cook for 4 ½ to 5 hours. If you have opted to put stuffing in your turkey then you will need to allow for an extra 15-45 minutes on all cooking times.

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