Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Living Well

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat! And so is that holiday turkey. Nothing symbolizes this great feasting day better than visions of the great golden bird.

But if your visions include a carving nightmare starting with the proud bird elegantly displayed on your company-best-platter and ending up with it sliding off and crashing to the floor read on. Here's a foolproof way to tame that turkey before it spoils your day.

Place turkey with legs to your right. First, carve side toward audience. Hold drumstick with fingers. Then cut the joint that joins the leg to the backbone.

Hold leg on the plate. Cut joint to separate drumstick and thigh. Slice drumstick, turning for even slices. Carve the thigh in slices parallel to bone.

To carve white meat, first make a deep cut into the breast clear to body frame, parallel to and as close to wing as possible. Anchor bird with fork.

Starting halfway up the breast, thinly slice the white meat down to cut made at wing level. Take stuffing from opening where leg was removed.

Serve with thanks given.

SPECIAL GIFTS

Time is getting short for finding those special gifts. Here's a little help:

• a special photo framed;
• a magazine or newspaper subscription;
• bulbs, a flower pot and stone chips;
• a basket of flavored coffees/teas;
• a gift certificate for a facial or massage;
• a selection of ornaments for the tree;
• tickets to a concert or show;
• a cooking or computer lesson;
• a 2000 diary or a blank book; or
• a very special calendar.

The three keys to dietary success without weighty excess are balance, variety and moderation. This holiday season, if your cravings happen to be a slice of chocolate cake or a serving of mashed potatoes with gravy, go ahead and enjoy them. After all, deprivation does little more than tempt you to overeat at the next opportunity. Just remember to balance higher-calorie, higher-fat items on your plate with lower-fat items. If you want to enjoy cake at one meal, simply eat lighter at the next meal.

Finding dietary balance is as easy as looking at the total diet, rather than each individual meal.