Its the day before Christmas and I'll be cooking for 20+ tomorrow. Normally this time of year its cold so I prepare things in advance and keep it in the garage by the door to stay cold. But we've had really warm weather so the garage is over 40. Much too warm to keep food cold this week. I don't want 2015 the year I food poisoned my extended family and friends.
I've got my fridge stacked like a tetris game with thing piled on things on every shelf. Not complaining about the weather but geeze I probably should have hauled out the 5 day ice cooler, tossed in a couple bags of ice, and put stuff in there for a couple days. Nothing prepared in advance since the trays I would use wouldn't fit in the fridge with all the stuff in there already. So I'll be doing everything tomorrow and be beat by tomorrow night.
The obligatory question: Has the weather changed anything in how you plan your holiday this year?
I am loving the warmer weather but I too am lamenting the delay of my giant walk in fridge that also houses cars.
Well, if I wanted some forsythia to bloom, I'd cut some and bring it in because we still have had some unseasonably warm days here and there.My garden is a little confused. Lately, though, it's back to 'cold and wet' mode. I am considering trading in the Honda for a good ark, Portland has had a lot of rain. Nothing to interfere with holiday plans, thankfully. :)
Dallas area here... Ultra warm weather... My bulbs are ready coming up again .,
Crazy because after more 70's tomorrow they are talking snow late Sunday night!!! Of course it can't stick.
Ugh it's messing up my daughters plan for her 21st bday celebration on Sunday.
As for Christmas Day.. We have no idea what we are doing. Probably sleep a lot like we did today on Christmas Eve. Just not a time we feel to celebrate right now. We are not emotionally ready for the first Christmas without my dear hubby. Next year we are getting out of town!
I'm not far from you so I feel your pain. We had the same issue with a Hanukkah party a few weeks ago - just used coolers and bags of ice on top.
The neighbor's strawberries are growing and other friends have things in bloom. My flip flops are still by the door. While a lot of people find this a pleasant delay of the inevitable winter (especially after what hit us in Massachusetts last year), it actually concerns me a lot. These climate extremes are pretty ominous and they do screw up so many things long term, from the hatching of beneficial insects that have nothing to eat, to changes in animal migration patterns. I wish lawmakers and policy makers would actually listen to climate scientists as much as they listen to a ground hog on February 2nd!
Hope you have a very nice Christmas!
no, but i TOTALLY feel you about the fridge situation! we've got a spare in the garage, but i'm still used to having the garage stay cold enough to help me out with keeping the christmas feast cold enough. fortunately for me on this ridiculously warm year we had a small gathering and no sit-down dinner so i didn't have to do the tetris thing.
i must say i wasn't one bit sad to have the quieter more relaxed thing this year. i was wondering if i'd get sniffly and nostalgic for having the extended fam over and breaking out the good china, but i didn't one little bit. from now we're sticking to the the chilled-out christmas days!
hope you all had a great one.
:) khairete
S.
I'm 49 years old and have been in Southern California all of my life. Never did it occur to me to store food outside in the snow/cold or in the garage, sure would have more space.
What makes me laugh is it's a good 72 degrees here. Women are all decked out in boots, sweaters, jackets, scarves and hats.
We got a new puppy yesterday, so I'm thankful for the warmer weather since we have to take him outside so much. I am worried about my irises and daffodils that are coming up, however!
You know, I've always wondered what people down south do without being able to put food outdoors. Coolers are the only option I guess but they won't hold already prepped trays. I'm trying to convince my family to picnic at the beach instead.
I'm jealous of your warm weather! I live in alaska and it's freezing and snowing here. Merry Christmas!
It is 70 degrees in Philadelphia and we are unable to use our garage for cold storage too. Although I am not complaining about the warm weather I really could do without the humidity. My hair is too curly!!!
Yes. I'm near Chicago so normally we are super cold and snowed over by now. Yesterday was in the mid fifties and raining! There was even a bug flying around in the garage. I am only able to keep drinks out in the garage now. That means everything else is in the fridge. Mine is packed in tetris style like yours. I am doing an Italian meal Christmas Eve and a full dinner Christmas day with cornish hens, roast beef, corn casserole, stuffing, potatoes and gravy,green beans, cheese/sausage appetizers and big fruit and veggie bowls. Not to mention desserts. It's a pain not being able to use the natural outside cold this year! Even so, I do NOT miss the snow and cold and I would be happy to have a not-so-white Christmas in favor of the nice weather we have had. I can hardly remember a Christmas that does not include frigid weather and slip-sliding all over town.
It's 81 here in southern Virginia!
We broke some record high of 75 which was set back in 1891.
My snow drops and crocuses are blooming - they think it's spring.
Definitely weird weather but I'm feeling so bad about the tornadoes in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas.
We have the AC running otherwise it would get too hot and humid in the house.
Only my wardrobe choices. It's always warmer here. Today it was in the 80s. I was hoping to get to wear a sweater on Christmas Eve and Christmas this year. But instead, the AC has been running for the last week, and will continue to do so.
We are in southern Iowa it's a bit warmer this year than last (in the low - mid 40's). My father-in-law is visiting from Houston. He's wearing fur lined boots, wants the heat in the vehicle on high & is sleeping under at least 2 if not more blankets! Methinks it's a bit chilly for him here ;-)
Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas tomorrow! Peace & Grace in abundance.
Yikes D.! Not as big an adjustment as you're making, but I'll see how things work tomorrow at my parents' house because we normally use the cold garage as a spillover spot for her fridge too.
Today it was really weird to be baking and cooking with the doors and windows open and the ceiling fan on to cool. And I normally pop the cookie sheets outdoors to cool between batches but it was the same temp outside as in the house. And normally I have my bread dough (homemade Monkey Bread - an assache I undertake but once a year) go through it's first rise in my mudroom. It doubled way too fast this year so I had to put it in the crowded fridge to slow it down.
Hope tomorrow is smooth, and Merry Christmas!
ETA: we also had to do some last-minute wardrobe changes. I let the boys nix their sweaters for church but did insist on pants, dress shoes and dress shirts, and I swapped out the pants I planned on wearing for a skirt. It was hot as hell in there anyway LOL. As soon as we got home they switched back into shorts and t-shirts for our Christmas Eve party. Getting them into dress clothes again tomorrow will be a bit of a battle.
not complaing and i hope we dont wind up paying for it later
happy holidays
merry christmas
happy new year!
It has only changed that my electric bill will likely increase, because we have been running our AC here in Maryland. It's been in the 70's most of the past week. It gets to be close to in the house, and hotter when people were over and we were cooking all day.
I keep seeing reports of a rough February - I'd rather not have it then either!!
Updated
It has only changed that my electric bill will likely increase, because we have been running our AC here in Maryland. It's been in the 70's most of the past week. It gets to be close to in the house, and hotter when people were over and we were cooking all day.
I keep seeing reports of a rough February - I'd rather not have it then either!!
It is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit here today, so I can't use the outdoors as a fridge, but it does make a great freezer. I can also chill the drinks in the snow really quick, as long as I don't forget about them! I am going to get the kids to shovel the snow off the patio so we can get to the firepit for a fire tonight.
These temperatures are a very welcome change where I live.
2013-2014: we won the Snowflake Award for the highest snowfall in the US.
2014-2015: The coldest winter on record with below zero temps lasting so long (the entire month of February plus some) our schools closed for at least 4 days - our schools NEVER close unless it's a real danger to the students to get there. The boilers couldn't keep the schools warm, the buses wouldn't start in the morning, and so on... So this year's warm weather and lack of snow is a welcome change to our normal weather.
Fortunately I have a walk-in cooler at my disposal this year. My back porch would not have cut it with this weather! And traveling to see relatives is uneventful :)
LOL....I totally misread your question title I interpreted it as some sort of time travel/back in time suggestion...........I guess a little more coffee is in order. I scared myself a little...
Not sure how to advise you on this one, we're down to 4 so we tend to keep things small. But I know in the past when we've had fridge problems...we've used the cooler method you mentioned above. Hoping everything went well....Happy Holidays. :-) S.
Went to Stillwater OK today and just meandered over campus and saw a lot of new buildings. Things have changed so much. Otherwise my daughter ruined my Christmas.
