When I cut into the turkey, the center
was still raw!
This is a good reason to never carve at
the table. Always check doneness in the
kitchen with a meat thermometer. To fix
this, carve the turkey into pieces. Arrange
the pieces in the roasting pan, spooning
some cooking juices over it. Cover tightly
with foil, increase the oven temperature
to 375°F, and roast until done. It might
take another 30 to 45 minutes, so in the
future, plan to have your turkey done (and
kept warm) well before the meal is served.
Cover all of the sides with foil to keep
warm, and serve some cheese and crackers
to tide guests over until dinner.
My shortbread cookie dough is so
crumbly, I can’t work with it!
Simply work the dough with your hands a
bit to soften the butter.
We used all of the butter when making
dinner, and now we don’t have any to
serve with dinner rolls.
Place olive oil sprinkled with a little coarse
salt and pepper in shallow dishes. Let
guests dip their rolls and bread in the oil.
My mashed potatoes ended up gummy
and gluey. Can I fix them?
Although this is hard to fix once it’s
happened, you could try adding a little
more butter or cream, or making a new
small batch of mashed potatoes and
stirring it in. Otherwise, run to a 24-hour
grocery store for refrigerated mashed
potatoes or turn the gluey potatoes into
potato pancakes.
Aunt Pat unexpectedly brought along
her daughter and grandkids, and I
didn’t make enough turkey.
Send someone to a 24-hour grocery
store to pick up one or two deli-roasted
chickens. Carve the turkey and chickens
in the kitchen and layer the two together
on the platter. While at the grocery store,
have someone pick up some extra deli sides
such as macaroni and cheese.
My gravy turned out lumpy!
While the gravy is still hot, use a whisk
to vigorously stir the mixture. If lumps
remain, pour the gravy through a strainer.
Why does my fudge always have a
gritty texture?
Check that your candy thermometer is
calibrated. To do this, place it in boiling
water; the temperature should be 212°F.
Also, be sure you have the correct
saucepan size. If the pan is too big, too
much water will evaporate and this will
affect the sugar concentration.
Yikes! I walked into the kitchen and
found the cat on the counter eating
the mashed potatoes.
Before setting out the food, close all
pets in another room. Unfortunately,
once a dish has been contaminated
by an animal, the safest thing to do
is toss it out. Again, you could send
someone to the 24-hour grocery
store to pick up deli or refrigerated
mashed potatoes.
My pumpkin pie cracked
and looks terrible!
You can either cut it into slices
before bringing it to the table (cut
along the crack for one side), or
you can cover the pumpkin pie
surface with whipped cream,
caramel sauce, or a mixture of
maple syrup and toasted pecans.
Last year my pumpkin pie was
runny. What happened?
This year use an oven
thermometer to check that your
oven temperature is accurate.
It’s also possible you didn’t
bake the pie long enough—
when you check for
doneness, make
sure the knife
comes out clean.
Oops! with Colleen
We’ve all made mistakes. Here are some quick fixes from a pro.
Colleen Weeden,
Senior Test
Kitchen Specialist
better homes and gardens | celebrate! 11
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