Turkey To Come

The making of the Thanksgiving feast has overtaken me.

This is the first time I've cooked the whole thing (in my younger days, I was in charge of making the mashed potatoes) and I've gotten immersed in searching for recipes and planning out the whole thing so that, hopefully, everything will hit the table at the same time.



As for the turkey, I'm trying a new technique that's all the rage this year: dry brining. It consists of rubbing the turkey (thawed and dried) with kosher salt and seasonings, then curing it in a large zip-lock bag for three days before cooking. At the end of the first day you rub the turkey through the bag, working the salt and spices into the bird; the end of the second day (shown in video above), you rub the bird again and put it back in the refrigerator breast side down; the end of the third day, you remove the turkey from the bag and let it sit for eight hours (or more) in the refrigerator to dry. Then you cook it normally. I'll tell you how it turns out.

I'm determined to be so organized that I won't forget anything, so I went out today and picked up a platter for the turkey (even at only 9 1/2 pounds, we still don't have a platter large enough), and skewers to hold in the stuffing while cooking (the recipe calls for inverting the turkey for the first 30 minutes in a 425° oven, then turning it breast side up for another 2 hours at 325°, basting, etc.).

One thing I've realized is that I'm really picky about recipes. Looking for a candied yams recipe, I ended up taking three different versions and coming up with my own hybrid. I'll let you know how that turns out, too.

Then there's green bean casserole with crunchy onions, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and biscuits. I'm cutting corners some, using a packaged mix for the stuffing (but spiffing it up with ingredients of my own), and instant potatoes (I don't have enough pots to boil fresh ones and get everything else cooked), but I'm making the gravy from scratch. Also cutting corners, I purchased a baked pumpkin pie and a can of heavy whipping cream rather than attempting to do them myself.

One more run to the store tomorrow for extra milk (just in case) and egg nog. Also, Rice Krispies, since I have a huge bag of mini-marshmallows and I'm only using a cup of them on the yams, so Rice Krispie treats over the weekend are in order (either that or let them go stale and throw them out in a couple weeks).

So, I've got five pages of recipes, schedules and timelines printed out and sitting in the kitchen. The roasting pan just fits into the oven with enough room left over to squeeze in the yams and casserole. I'm starting at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, and the meal should hit the table about 3:15 p.m. (hopefully in tastefully presented dinnerware and not hurled in hysterical fistfuls from the kitchen).

I'll let you know how that turns out, too.

But, one thing's for sure: I'm thankful. There's so much to be thankful for, so much bounty in my life. Sure, I got things I like to bitch or whine about (you longtime readers know them by heart), but I look around and all I see are blessings in my life. Here's hoping you have the same experience for your Thanksgiving.

And, if you're lucky, we'll get enough holiday spirit together to put up the Christmas tree this weekend. If such is the case, I'm sure I'll have my annual tree picture posted in the near future.