It’s nearly three in the afternoon and the leftovers are safely tucked in the refrigerator. First of all, I am proud to report I didn’t burn anything, and that includes myself.
At 9 AM, I made my way downstairs to make coffee and get the turkey ready to be violated. I washed it (without soap, this is a good tip) and took out the neck and reached inside its… and pulled out the gravy bag and the bag of livers and giblets. Disposed of all three.
Rub turkey with poultry seasoning. Another tip: leave the lid on and sprinkle. Jene’ caught me as I took the lid off and was about to pour seasoning on the turkey. I don’t know what I was thinking there.
Seared turkey in oven near 450 degrees for 20 minutes. This seals in all the juice of the turkey without having to use a bag and you don’t have to baste it. It’s so easy, even I can do it. Then the turkey cooked for nearly two hours at 325 degrees. Turkey turns out nice and moist.
Jene’ made the green beans while I made dressing and got it ready to be put in the oven after the turkey came out.
Pictures were taken of the pie and turkey to post later.
The rolls cook for about twenty minutes and are topped off with butter and returned to the oven to brown. They were not as fluffy as they could have been, but they were still mighty tasty.
The dressing went in the oven while I… carved the turkey.
Okay, mangle is a better word for what I did to the turkey. I tried to carve it, but our electric knife died a horrible death a while back, so I had to carve it. Perhaps if I’d chosen a serrated knife there would have been less mangling. It was still very good, even in the small pieces.
I peeled five pounds of potatoes and cooked them. It didn’t boil over (wow) and when I was finished adding the butter and cream (hey, it’s Thanksgiving, calories don’t count) they were perfect.
Everything tasted good (yay) and nothing was burned (an accomplishment for me). From start to finish, four hours, but because of preparation the night before and my clean as you go rule, I had plenty of time to sit down in between tasks and enjoy the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
I would be taking a nap now if my walls weren’t shaking. My neighbor two doors down has decided that she has to listen to Sade with her door wide open. I did go visit her and said hello and suggested that if they were indeed going to have a party, if they turned the bass down (or shut the door) it would go a long way in helping me (and everybody else at this end of the complex) take a nap.
She had a tough time believing I lived TWO doors down and could hear her music. I said I couldn’t hear it. I could feel it and then I think she got it. She did turn it down slightly, so while my walls are shaking, my windows aren’t. Hopefully her husband will return soon and make the adjustment (I hope he does anyway. This is annoying).
All in all, a good day. Jene’ is napping on the other side of the apartment, so she is not feeling much of this at all… which is good, she needs sleep.
I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!
Sassy Dreams Awake 