My family lives in Arizona, so it ‘s my daughterly duty to make a valiant effort to celebrate the yearly turkey day in the desert. But, 5 years ago, due to a hectic work schedule, I would have to spend Thanksgiving on my own in Southern California. A master plan was in the making…. I would demonstrate my traditional holiday skills by whipping up a feast fit for a Queen! Then, and only then, would I be able to show the world, that I was capable of carrying on my family rituals.
Cranberries, Yams, biscuits, green bean casserole, stuffing, pumpkin pie and of course, the infamous bird… the turkey! I tried to time everything perfectly, but that damn bird refused to cook! It was roasting for hours in the oven! But then I remembered my mom had the same issue one year and she remedied the problem by pulling the stuffing out of the turkey to allow the bird to cook thoroughly. Smart idea! Thanks mom for all the helpful hints and tricks for holiday meal preparation, but I forgot one little detail… you must continue to cook the stuffing before consuming it!
Stuffing has to be my ultimate favorite Thanksgiving food, so as you can imagine the massive pile I had on my plate. I didn’t for a second think that I was about to eat stuffing that had been sitting inside a raw turkey. Oh yeah!…. For hours, just soaking up every little juice the crude bird secreted was about to be in my belly! Well I can save you the gory details, but let’s just say, I learned a lesson from a turkey that day and now, I will pass my knowledge onto you. I hope you have a safe, healthy and COOKED Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble!
Good for you, for braving the unimaginable ! I myself take pride in knowing that I have NEVER baked or carved a turkey. But, I do know that most take pride in doing it just right. My daughter (Martha Stewart wanna be)doesn’t know her Brime turkey was salty. Who am I to tell her? I am just the guest. The wine, however was perfect (can’t miss with Pinot Grigio or Livognier) !
How did that happen? Seems like my turkey is always done ahead of time, stuffing and all, then I have to madly mash the potatoes and burn the rolls because I’m not keeping an eye on them…..
Good times… and you lived to learn from it… bonus! Happy Thanksgiving my friends.
Yikes. Hope this year’s feast was kinder to your stomach! PS You could totally carry on the tradition. A few mishaps are part of the learning process, right?!
I want to offer a suggestion for next time–try putting the “Infamous bird ” into a roasting bag before placing it into the oven. It cooks quicker, holds in the moisture so the turkey stays moist, and the bird will attain a beautiful tan that will have you hungering for a taste.
Just avoid my mistake of placing the stuffing in a pan above the bird–I wasn’t watching when I stuck it in and soon smoke was emerging from the oven–the stuffing adhered to the top of the oven. This just goes to show that attempts to maintain family traditions focus on all the goodies –lessons you learn trying to recreate family traditions make for stories you get to share with your friends. I would like to suggest adding sage sausage , along with simmered celery and onions to your stuffing if you haven’t tried it before. One family memory I cherish is awakening to smells of onion and celery boiling–mom began preparing Thanksgiving dinner several days in advance and would later complain it was gobbled in seconds. But I think as you well know that love that goes into the meal and love eating it with family are why we try to make meals like mom did. What say you?
Hope you enjoyed a perky-turkey
I GAVE UP STUFFING THE TURKEY YEARS AGO WHEN I HAD SOGGY DRESSING . EVER SINCE THEN I COOK EACH ON THEIR OWN.