Holiday Cooking Mishaps?

[Mama Mangia]

you guys are too much!! LMAO!

[Shelley]

One year, my aunt didn't know that we stored our cereal boxes in the oven when it wasn't being used (we didn't have a pantry). She turned the oven on and caught the cereal boxes on fire.

[jglass]

You guys should have seen the salad my FIL came up with one year. He cut up a head of lettuce and threw it in a bowl. He used generic diet red dressing and took a can of salmon and tossed it on top. It was so bad lol.
A few months later he decided to make salmon cakes. He put a can of those diced carrot, potatoes and peas inside the salmon cakes. I just plain old told him that one was really bad lol. He loves to cook but he does get a tad strange at time with the things he puts together.

Like a dummy I put a chicken in the rotisserie once and forgot to take my little spice rack back off the top of the rotisserie where I had put it. Well a few min later when I smelled rubbed melting I realized what I had done. I raced in there and got it off but not before the swivel base on the spice rack was ruined lol. Somedays I do things on autopilot and do not pay attention like I should. Thankfully it didnt hurt my rotisserie.

[The Ironic Chef]

Several years ago all the inlaws, parents, grandparents ect had requested that since they all loved my homemade pasta that I do an Italian Pasta Christmas Dinner. No 7 fishes stuff. I made Lasagna, manicotti, ziti, Homemade strombolis and Italian bread loaves. We had several platters of deli meats and cheeses. I went all out. My wife made all types of Italian pastries, cookies, and even filled chocolates. We made everything at home and then loaded it up and brought it to the inlaws house to heat up again to serve.
We set the table. It was beautiful with all the different types of pastas and breads. We had side tables with everything else set up. Everyone sat down to the table and a blessing was said. My mother inlaw decides it's just a bit warm and decided to pull the chord to the ceiling fan over the dining room table.
No, the ceiling fan didn't fall onto the table wounding all the dinner guest, lol. I had installed it.

Here is what happend. I should inform everyone that my inlaws get into hobbies and go way over board. Well they had become interested in pet birds. They ended up buying a few.... A few more,,,, a few more and more and more. I think by the time all said and done with they had close to 200 birds of every type imaginable in there home. Birds lay a lot of eggs too. Stepping into their home was like going into a tropical rain forest. Sqawking and screeching. I hate birds indoors..
Well with birds comes molting. The fine feather dust gets people very sick and causes severe lung infections to many. The dust settles everywhere.
Well, back to the cieling fan. I was sitting there watching the blades start to turn. It was almost like slow motion as the cloud of feather dust started swirling in a down wards motion towards all the food on the table. My jaw just dropped as I watched everyone grabbing for the food only to be to late. Everything that I had spent days preparing was ruined.

[ricksrealpitbbq]

Wow IC, I would have been so upset. What a shame, I bet everything would have been so good too.

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

After hearing all of this I think I will do a meatloaf. Just shape that sucker like a turkey. Everyone is stuck on the football on TV so they would probably never know.

I love the idea!!!

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

IC your story is so funny, not really, but in a sad kind of way it is! All those birds inside OH My Gosh, I would have a coronary! Birds carry a disease called psitticosis that is not good (as you mentioned it gets in the lungs) I'd of been scarred to death of catching it! Anyone purchasing a bird to keep in their home should have their birds stool tested at their local vet! I am a bird lover, but because they are so messy I can't tolerate even a parakeet in my house anymore And all my life I dreamed of having an Aviary of my very own

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Wow- many great stories, all!

Having cooked in commercial kitchens for years- I can tell a few good stories too- however, we in the culinary union are sworn to secrecy and prohibited from ever sharing bad secrets that might turn folks' stomachs so badly that they never eat out ever again! Ha!

[pua.melia409]

I had a neighbor once who forgot to turn the oven on and when she went to check the turkey it was still frozen! needless to say they had no turkey that Thanksgiving!

[Mama Mangia]

I had a neighbor once who forgot to turn the oven on and when she went to check the turkey it was still frozen! needless to say they had no turkey that Thanksgiving!

OMG! who cooks a frozen turkey?????????????