STILL TALKING TURKEY

       Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and shopping for groceries is a part of the fun. Yes, I said fun. There is something about pushing a cart and strolling through the aisles. I may have an empty closet, but I will never have an empty refrigerator. When the shopping is done, the sous chefs and I are ready for The Big Day.

       My favorite part of preparing a turkey dinner is to fry up the liver and eat it while the turkey roasts. Turkey liver is delicious. Did I hear someone say, “Yuck”? Alas, alack, It is easy to find the neck but…but where is the bag with the giblets? (giblets is the polite word for liver, heart and other rejected body parts.) My hand goes in; my hand comes out. No giblet bag. Other side. My hand goes in; my hand comes out. Ditto, the same. Okay folks, what’s going on here? I want my turkey liver and I want it now. Even more embarrassing would be to roast the turkey with the liver still in the bag tucked way inside the bird. (Not something that has ever happened to me.) Last Thanksgiving, two independent turkey inspectors were called to the scene, and the verdict was the same. No giblet bag. Maybe because it was a Kosher turkey? Okay maybe, I am not sure why, but it was agreed that there was no (sob) liver for this grandma to cook and enjoy. Life has its disappointments.

       The next step is to brine the turkey. Brine? If my son is reading this, he will smile. He is the first in our family to discover the now essential brining step. Being novices to the brine process, my daughter purchased a Brine Kit which included a large plastic bag, a packet of brining powder, a packet of seasoning for after the brine and best of all, DIRECTIONS. We found a bucket and started the brine. We put the bag in the bucket (dear Liza, dear Liza) then we added two gallons of liquid, the powder and oops let’s not forget the turkey. This all went into the frig overnight and it was extraordinarily heavy. Are you taking notes? Well, don’t. We left it in the brine too long, but no one noticed.

       On Thanksgiving Day, El Tomador must be loving rubbed spa style with soft butter, then herbs and Voila! -into the oven. This is often followed by an extended debate about what is 15x15 divided by 60, but eventually an agreed upon cooking time will be reached. Even if Tom has to share the oven with baked mac & cheese, or a sweet potato casserole, before you can say ‘gobble’ it will be Turkey Time. I love to make the gravy. My daughter has a earned her Doctorate degree in mashed potatoes. The Thanksgiving verdict is undeniably Yummy in the Tummy. We are very, very grateful.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

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