Thanksgiving Dinner

I have officially made my first thanksgiving dinner

with a lot of guidance from my wise mom (thank you mom!!)
and a lot of help from my sister phoebe

the hardest part of a dinner that big is the timing. once i had the turkey in the oven we had a lot of sitting around time, but within the last 1/2 hour before you serve dinner, there are a million things to get done! but it went off with a success.

For our meal we had: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, cooked carrots, garlic green beans, corn, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, and "relax" red & white wines. delicious.

Thanksgiving Turkey:

I bought a frozen turkey.. next time I think I would buy FRESH as it takes away the task of defrosting the bird. For defrosting, there are 2 methods:

• the refrigerator method: place turkey on a tray on the bottom shelf of refrigerator. allow 10 hours per kg
• cold water method: place turkey (keep the plastic wrapping on) in a large container and cover completely with cold water. change water every hour (annoying i know - trust me, i was up in the night changing the water) but necessary to avoid salmonella  - although, to be honest, in the night I only changed it every 2 hours.. but so far we're all ok!!

Once it is fully thawed, refrigerate immediately and cook within 48 hours.

Use this chart to determine roasting times for your turkey, so you know when to put it into the oven in the morning:

• 6-8lbs (3.0-3.5 kg) - 3-3 1/4 hrs (stuffed); 2 1/2-2 3/4 hrs (unstuffed)
• 8-10lbs (3.5-4.5 kg) - 3 1/4-3 1/2 hrs (stuffed); 2 3/4- 3 hrs (unstuffed)
• 10-12lbs (4.5-5.5 kg) - 3 1/2-3 3/4 hrs (stuffed); 3 -3 1/4 hrs (unstuffed)
• 12-16lbs (5.5-7.0 kg) - 3 3/4-4 hrs (stuffed); 3 1/4- 3 1/2 hrs (unstuffed)
• 16-22lbs (7.0-310.0 kg) - 4-4 1/2 hrs (stuffed); 3 1/2-4 hrs (unstuffed)

Once you have figured out when to start cooking your bird, you should start "prepping" it about 45 minutes before, to allow time to figure out what you're doing!
Put the turkey in your sink, and remove the plastic wrapping. remove any of the "extra" parts (often they come in a bag - the heart, liver, etc) and the neck. I threw these away, but other people use them to make a broth later, or some people eat them. rinse the bird both inside and out, and then hold the bird up so that any extra water in the cavity will drip out. if the turkey is quite wet, pat it dry with a paper towel.

At this point you should have the stuffing made. I just used the "stove top" stuffing that comes in a box. I bought the "seasoned" kind, and chopped up 2 onions, quite fine, and added it to the stuffing. Empty out the contents of the box into a bowl, add the onions and 2 tbsp of butter or margarine. Boil some water, and add the amount that is called for on the box. stir everything together

then spoon into the cavity of the turkey. Put a lot of stuffing in, but don't pack it extremely tight as it will expand. Once you have all the stuffing in, place an end piece of a loaf of bread at the opening and close up the bird. This can be done by poking the legs through a piece of skin (often the turkey comes with the legs tucked into the skin, you can also make a slit in the skin to do this) I also used tooth picks (or skewers if you have) to hold the skin together over the opening, it helps the stuffing to stay in the turkey.

Place the turkey into a roaster, breast side up. pour some water into the roaster, about 2-3 fingers worth - not half of the pan, about an inch or so. The more water, the more you have to use for gravy later, but if you have too much water the flavour of the gravy will be diluted.

sprinkle the turkey generously with seasoning salt and garlic powder.

place lid on the roaster and put into the oven (have the oven rack on the bottom rung) Cook first at 450, for the first 1 1/2 hours, then reduce the oven heat to 350 for the rest of the cooking time. At the 3 hour mark (or with about 45 minutes to go, depending on your cooking time) take the lid off to check that the turkey is browning. If it isn't, take the lid off for the rest of the cooking time. To check if the turkey is done, put a knife into the meatiest part, away from the bone. When you pull it out the juices should be clear. if they are red or pink at all, it is not done yet.

If it is done, put the lid back on, and leave in the oven, but turn the oven off. Take it out once you are ready to carve and eat.

Mashed potatoes:

Peel and wash the potatoes, and cut up into small pieces. Place in a pot, and cover the potatoes completely with cold water. Put on the stove and bring the potatoes to a boil. Add a bit of butter if the water starts boiling over, it will help stop that. Once the water has come to a boil, reduce to medium heat. Continue cooking until the potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes). Drain the potatoes, and place in a bowl to mash. Add butter and milk as you go to get your desired consistency. At the end it helps to use a hand mixer to really get the lumps out of the potatoes. Place in an oven safe bowl and keep in the oven (still turned off) to keep warm with the turkey until you are ready to eat.

Gravy:

Take the drippings from the bottom of the roaster and place in a pot on the stove. In a separate container (like a tall plastic sour cream container) place 1 cup flour and fill the container 2/3 full of water. Cover and shake until well blended and no lumps. Set aside. Bring the drippings to a boil, once boiling, begin to add the flour/water mixture slowly, whisking as you go to avoid lumps. Add the flour/water mixture until you get the consistency you want. If it's too thick, add more drippings. If too thin, add more flour/water mixture.

Cooked carrots:

Place carrots in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cover. Boil about 10 minutes, checking that they don't get too soft. Once they are soft, with still a slight crisp to the middle, drain and serve.

Garlic Green Beans:

I used frozen green beans, place beans in a pot with a small amount of water (normally there is a ratio of beans to water on the package). Once cooked through, drain and set aside. In the same pot, melt about 2 tbsp of butter and add 2-3 tsp (or more) of minced garlic, and allow to sauté for about a minute. Add the green beans and stir on the stove until evening coated and nicely warmed. Remove from heat and serve.

Both the cranberry sauce, and the corn were from cans. So, I take no credit for that, other than opening the cranberry sauce and putting in a bowl, and heating the corn in the microwave :)

Get everything on the table, have everyone sit down, pour yourself a glass of red or white, sit back, enjoy and give thanks.

oh, and have a slice of pie or two after, just so you're really full :)