Thanksgiving 2024 - The Turkey Part 2

 Thursday, November 28, 2024

At 11:30 Dale buttered the underside of the turkey. We flipped it over to the other side and moved it to the baking pan and buttered the other side. It sat until noon when Dale put it in the oven at 400 degrees. 

                                                             

Dale put the giblets in water and got them on the oven at medium heat (5.0) at 12:23. He realized he should have gotten them on a little earlier so he turned it up to 7.5.

At 12:30 Dale basted the turkey with white wine and turned the oven down to 350.  He then basted it at intervals of about 20 minutes. 

Just before1:30 we turned the turkey over. 

And basted it again. 

And put it back in the oven. 

When the turkey was back in the oven I went to work on chopping up the giblets. 

I diced it all up. The liver was pretty soft but the heart and gizzard were pretty tough. 

All ready for when Dale makes the gravy. 

Dale took the turkey out right around 2:00 and tented it. We let it rest for an hour. 

Thanksgiving 2024 - The Turkey Part 1

 Thursday,  November 28, 2024

At 10:20 we took the turkey out of the fridge and cut it out of its packaging. This year we bought an 11 pound bird (unfrozen). 

Took the neck out (which we don't use)...

Took the giblets out (which we DO use for the gravy).

Continued to rinse it out. 

Next we set it on a platter...

...and I dried it (inside. and out) with paper towels.

By 10:25 it was left out to come up to room temperture. Dale said that would take till about noon.

Thanksgiving 2022

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Dale made the cranberry sauce at around 9:30 a.m. It's the item that makes the most sense to make ahead of dinner since it can just sit in the fridge. 

We follow the Nigella Lawson turkey recipe from her book Feast. It's on page. 

Dale gave the turkey a bath around 11:30. 

We pulled out the giblets and saved them for making the gravy. 

Post bath.

I dried the turkey off.

Between cleaning and food prep I'd check in on the parade once in a while. 

And sip on my Bloody Mary. 

Turkey was in the roaster just a little before 1:00.

Dale buttered it...

...and had it in the oven by 1:06. For the first half hour the oven was set at 4:00.

After the turkey was in the oven Dale had the giblets ready to boil then simmer. 

The turkey got basted with white wine after its first half hour in the oven. The oven temp was turned down to 350 and the turkey's next hour of baking. 

I got started on the sweet potato casserole at 1:50. The recipe I used is the same one I used last time. I drained the yams a little better this go-round. It turned out pretty well overall. Although I halved the recipe I didn't do so with all ingredients. Next time I'd recommend trying to be more precise overall. That said it still turned out pretty well.  

The turkey after an hour and a half in the oven...

...which is when we flipped it over. It went back in for another half hour. Upon removal we tented it with aluminum foil and let it rest for an hour before I cut it. I did the cutting which is my usual duty. I generally do a hack job but it all ends up okay. At some point I should look up the official way to do it. 

When the sweet potatoes were done we put them in the oven warmer until we were ready to serve up Dale's awesome Brussels sprouts. The Stove-Top stuffing was made right at the very end. Getting everything in serving dishes and on the table was quite busy but pain-free. 

Mom and Noel came over around 3 p.m. For hors d'oeuvres we had olives, pickled herring, crackers, and wasabi peas. Dinner was on the table at 4:37 p.m!

Mom brought an apple pie her friend Joanne made for her and Noel brought over a pumpkin pie from Mrs. Kowalski's. 

I had meant to make fruit salad but got distracted the last hour of prep. For next time I think the only things a might add would be corn and maybe dinner rolls. However, that said, what we had was more than enough. 

Thanksgiving 2020 - Turkey Prep

Thursday, November 26, 2020

This year's turkey was completely unfrozen. It sat in the sink only briefly before Dale rinsed it off. 

My job was to dry it off. 

 

I think I did a fine job. 

We had it transferred to it's baking pan by 10:30 a.m. Dale says it should set out until about noon. 

We threw the neck out but are holding on to the giblets for the gravy. Dale boiled these on medium low (4.0 on our stove) for 45 minutes.

Athena knows something's up. 

Thanksgiving 2013 - The Feast

Top left: The turkey we bought was unfrozen but Dale determined it was still somewhat so in the center. We let it thaw just a bit longer.
Top center: Dale made cranberry sauce. The recipe on the bag calls for adding 1 cup of sugar. Too much. Last year Dale put in a quarter cup. Too little. This year he added half a cup. Just right!
Top right: Turkey basted with red wine. 
Middle left: Dale boiled the giblets and diced some of them to add to the gravy.
Middle center: The backyard on Thanksgiving Day.
Middle right: Checking the turkey's temperature.
Bottom left: Appetizers of pickled herring and gouda cheese. 
Bottom center: The table is set.
Bottom right: Pumpkin pie and coffee for dessert.

Note: I made a fruit salad with whipping cream and two cans of fruit cocktail just like  Grandma Alice used to make. She added bananas to hers so I did too. Mom made the gravy and also brought sweet potatoes. It ALL turned out very well!