Gobble Gobble-ing

This Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving, has been squandered away on my couch, eating leftover turkey and stuffing with a spoon from my breakfast bowl.  Leftovers of this nature only come once a year you know.  And what a marvelous holiday it was! With coffee in hand, I am giddy to share with you the happenings of yesterday, including the second half of my turkey story.  

Thanksgiving started early for me. I was so excited I hardly slept a wink. Promises of gathering with friends and celebrating Joe's birthday consumed my thoughts, so I rose early and began to prepare the turkey.  I had been careful to plan out everything that needed to be done, including preparing the majority of the stuffing recipe the night before.  Recipes were printed and modified to account for group size,  to-do lists sketched, and supply lists carefully thought out.  

With my scatterbrained way of thinking (organized chaos is how I often like to put it) such organization measures were essential for accomplishing all of my cooking responsibilities for the day.  So with a temporary online shopping snag to purchase some pre-black friday deals, I threw on my apron and grabbed the turkey from its refrigerated slumber.  After a slight mishap of removing the neck skin (fixed by skewer suturing), this turkey was buttered, stuffed, seasoned, and contently perched on its roasting rack. 

A piece of tin foil was placed across its breast to keep the
white meat tender during the long roasting process.

By 8:45 AM, Joe and I had laced up our running shoes. We were ready to run this turkey over to the party house and then grab a spot at the starting line of a local turkey trot. Transferring a large bird by car proved to be an challenging task. I ended up sloshing chicken broth all over the inner contents of my purse and my shins in route. A fitting perfume for the day, I decided! 

Giving driving directions with a giant bird
on my lap and a can of broth between my feet.

Thanks to the gracious hosts, the turkey was placed in the oven around 11:00 AM and Joe and I returned after the race around 1:00 PM to take over the basting duties. Mostly, the afternoon hours were spent either on the couch drinking beer while watching football, or in the kitchen sipping wine while slicing yams and assembling casseroles. You can probably guess the activities I elected to be part of! 

Late afternoon, the smells from the kitchen began to draw a hungry crowd. Around 4:15 the turkey was ready for its temperature test. Both thighs read 180 degrees F, passing the exam, however the stuffing inside did not reach the 165 degree minimum. Therefore, while the bird rested, I got busy continuing to bake the stuffing from the turkey, as well as the extra stuffing casseroles I pre-prepared.

Once the turkey was transfered safely to a serving platter, the drippings from the bottom of the pan were transformed into a creamy gravy. This was done by straddling the pan across two burners and whisking in a bit of butter, flour, S&P, and more stock. Extra pepper is my secret. 

Homemade gravy divine.
I think the gravy was better received than the meat that
it accompanied!

While the cooks shuttled hot dishes to the serving area and rang the dinner bell, I had a quick moment to admire the outcome of my first turkey.  A sigh of relief! 

Soon to be carved, one last look at the golden bird.

Our feast began around 5:00 PM. The menu included more food than anyone could finish. There was a wonderful mix of modern and classic recipes, such as green bean casserole, candied yams, citrus kale salad, creamy mixed fruit...

...and desserts galore!  Among the sweet contenders, two birthday cakes for the two birthday boys present.  I made a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake in honor of Joe's birthday in the lower right corner (to be discussed in a separate post soon)!

The rest of the night was spent gobble gobble-ing and celebrating as a family away from family. 

Birthday Joe stuffed to complacency.
A very happy day indeed.

I am full of thanks for such a successful turkey outcome. The three days of preparation truly paid off. Most importantly, I am thankful for such a happy and memorable day giving thanks.  Friends and family. Great weather. Full bellies. Life, library, and the pursuit of happiness.  Man cannot live on turkey alone. 

Note, the recipes I used can be found here:  Turkey & Gravy, Stuffing