Turkey Day

Ah Turkey... the coveted sleep inducing meat rarely thought about unless it is November. I used to fear the day that I would have to do the work that encompassed Thanksgiving, but I have to say that it really isn't hard to put together. The secret is in the planning. I prepare the menu, log how long things need to cook/bake and at what temperature, then I note the pots, pans, and casserole dishes that each dish will be prepared in.

The Menu:
Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, filling, noodles, candied yams, green bean casserole, baked corn, baked apples, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, pies, and cake.

Of course the biggie is the turkey. Most turkeys have directions right on the package. My 20lb bird needed to bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours. I start the turkey so that it is done about 1 1/2 hours before everything else. I like to carve and pull the turkey and plate it ahead of time so that the bones and mess are all cleaned up before company arrives. Today we were eating at 5:30 so the turkey started roasting at 12. I put the bird in the roaster will a cup of water, quartered onions, three peeled and chunked carrots. When the turkey is done, I carve all the meat off and put on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

James peeled potatoes and cut them into chunks for boiling then mashing. When I mash them I add 1/2 stick of butter and 1 cup of sour cream, salt and pepper. Justin made the green bean casserole. Two packages of green beans, two can of cream of mushroom, one can of cream of chicken, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of french fried onions, mixed it all together, poured it into a glass casserole dish and topped with french fried onions, baked at 350 for 45 minutes. I made the candied yams by combining the juice from the canned yams,a stick of butter and a cup and a half of brown sugar in a sauce pan untill warm. I poured that over the yams in a glass casserole dish, baked at 350 for 45 minutes. For the stuffing I had 2 bags of regular bread cubes and 2 bags of potato bread cubes and I seasoned them with poultry seasoning. I sautéed two onions and four stalks of celery in a stick of butter, when soft I added 2 cans of chicken broth and a cup of water, poured that over the bread and mixed until cubes were well coated, baked at 350 for 45 minutes. The noodles were boiled in chicken bouillon for 10 minutes, drained and then I add two scoops of gravy. Mom made the deserts and the baked corn. Tara brought rolls and baked apples. It was all so great and we loved eating and saying what we were all thankful for. I was thankful that I was not on Prozac .... yet! Happy Turkey Day Everyone ... now it is nap time ZZzzzzzzzzzzz.