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If you are making your first Thanksgiving dinner this year, be encourage, turkey is the easiest thing to cook. You prep it, put it in the oven, heat and time do the rest. As always, I have some unsolicited grandmotherly advice on the subject:
If you have never made a turkey before get a self-basting one. This is not the time to worry bout artificial ingredients or whatever people complain about with self-basting turkeys. As you get more experience roasting turkey, you can branch out into organic, fresh, soy turkey, wherever your bliss leads you. The first time out, go for the turkey with the safety net. In addition, if you buy a frozen turkey, it can take days to thaw. Read and follow the thawing directions. Thawing out a frozen turkey is defiantly not something you can do at the last moment.
Early in the month, buy one of those big disposable roaster pans. After the stress of cooking Thanksgiving dinner that is one less thing to clean. You want to buy it early because by Thanksgiving they are to find (I know whereof I type). An instant read thermometer is very helpful also. Basters, never saw the point, get one if it makes you happy. Putting the pan on a cookie sheet will make it easier to remove the turkey from the oven.
To stuff or not to stuff the bird? Do what you want. Heed the safety warnings on stuffing turkeys. Guests who get food poisoning will not be happy campers. Personally, I find unstuffed makes for less stress.
If you do not stuff your bird, do put a couple of halved apples in to the turkey cavity. You can seed the apples but you do not have to peel them. This will help keep the turkey moist while it roasts.
It is better to depend on your instant thermometer that the little pop up timer to tell when the turkey is done. You want an internal temperature of 180 degrees F before you remove it from the oven. I prefer 200 degrees but that is just me.
Gravy, if you feel adventurous try making your own but have a couple of jars of ready-made hiding on your pantry shelf. If your gravy comes out well, you are golden and the jars can go to the nearest food bank. If not, you are covered. Gravy is important at Thanksgiving.
The biggest problem with making a Thanksgiving Dinner is timing and cleaning. You are making a usually big meal and your house has to be cleaner than usual. Two big tasks to be completed at about the same time. This plus the odd cousin, politically out spoken uncle and the female family member who is always complaining is what makes Thanksgiving dinner stressful.
Usually there are more dishes than burners and more to food to cook than oven space. The more you can prep the day before the easier your day will be. This is no time for pride, if someone offers to bring a dish, LET THEM. If they offer to come over and help clean, LET THEM.
A detailed list of what you are serving, when it has to be cooked either on a burner or in the stove will make you life easier. Start with your planned estimated serving time and work backwards so you know at what time each dish has to be cooking. Turkey has to sit for a while so food that has to be warmed or cooked can go in the oven during the turkey’s resting time. (That is the technical term for when meat sits out on the counter so the juices have time to settle: resting)
That is my grandmotherly (bossy?) little list.
Anyone else have turkey day advice they’d like to share?
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Check out the Christmas Parades in smaller towns in your area. The big city parades are fun but parking and food can set you back big bucks. Smaller towns have free or cheap parking. The parades take less time so a meal out doesn’t have to be part of the day out. After the parade enjoy 2 cups of coffee (small) and a shared dessert at the local coffee shop before heading home.
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This is one my sister and her husband taught me....
Many national bookstores don’t mind if you grab a book or two or a few magazines and peruse them in the bookstore. Both our local Boarders and Barnes and Nobles have seating areas where you can look at magazines and get something to eat and/or drink.
Date night plan: Scope out what you would like to read, meet back at the table for some coffee, a shared dessert, magazine skimming, shared smiles and comments.
Your turn.......
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I got a Facebook account sometime this summer. It has been wonderful for keeping up with friends and family. Cousins I haven’t seen in years, I can keep up with on Facebook. When one of my daughter’s friend died, they mourned for her on Facebook and the family could quickly keep her many friends apprised of the memorial service plans. Social net works are great. Send out a prayer request and people pray and encourage.
Sometimes you just have to pick up the phone. I called a good friend I haven’t talked to in months. We both blog our lives and are on Facebook so we keep up. It feels like we are connected until I realized months have gone by and we haven’t spoken to each other. There was so much more going on in our lives than we could/would communicate by pixels for any and all too read. It was great to talk to her.
Social net works are great......
Hearing a voice.......even better.
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There are turning points in release from being a 24/7 mommy, always having to consider the effects of my behavior on a younger person in my care, to being able to make decisions independent of being someone’s mom. The first one I remember was then all the kids were toilet trained. Not more toting a small suitcase with me everywhere I went. We could jump in the car with less planning, less lugging, more spontaneity.
The next big return to personal independence came when Haggai was about 13. No more babysitters! He was mature enough to leave the younger kids in his care when my husband and I wanted to go out. The younger kids were old enough to rat him out if he abused his powers over them. We both love being parents but it was a revelation to us to have the freedom to be “we” sometimes instead of always “us”. (We did pay him.)
There was a setback in our freedom as both Princess and Haggai developed active social lives and were no longer readily available to babysit their younger brother and sister. Ichabod was too old for a babysitter and not mature enough to deal with the taunting of Tech Princess, so we were back to parent mode until they both matured and we were relatively certain we would not come home to WWIII if we left them home alone together.
As each child had gotten his or her license, I have a greater degree of time to pursue my own interests. The transition to this freed up time has not always been welcome. I kinda miss my older kids.
As I considered the multitude of options I had in getting that much needed towel I didn’t have to consider anyone else but myself in how I would go about that minor task.
The transition from us to we or I as the kids grow up has me rethinking how I do to some of the most basic things that make up a life. What is value of time, when time, money and effort are no long centered on raising children? What does a post child raising marriage look like?
I danced to the tune in my head as I retrieved a towel......
How do you envision a post raising children life and marriage? If you are at this stage of marriage what have you enjoyed most about this time in life?
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3T of popcorn
1 1/2t of light flavored oil. I used Canola (what is a canola anyway?)
Paper lunch bag
Salt (Everyone recommends popcorn salt but all I have is regular salt and I was pleased with the results)
Mix the popcorn, salt and oil in a small bowl. Pour mixture into the paper bag. Close the bag by folding it a few times and creasing the fold. (Stapling is suggested but if a fire starts you didn’t read that here. Staple at your own risk.)
Microwave 2-3 minutes until the popping slows down. Be careful not to burn your popcorn. (Unless of course you like burnt popcorn. My mother did.) Open the bag carefully, pour contents into a bowl and enjoy!
Frugal Gift Idea
Package prettily one bag of good quality popcorn, a small bottle of oil, paper lunch bags and salt (or popcorn salt of there really is such a thing.) Find the oil on sale and you will have a very nice, frugal present for under $10. Toss in a set on measuring spoons and a serving bowl if you want plus the directions for making the popcorn.
Anyone else have a frugal gift idea?
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For 2 crusts:
6 cup bread flour (I love King Arthur flour)*
2 pkgs or 2 ½ teaspoons fast rising yeast
½ t sugar
½ t salt
2 cups warm tap water
1/3 oil cup, I like olive oil
Mix the dry ingredients, stir in the wet ones. Mix well, kneed till smooth, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a bowl, spray with Pam type product, flip dough, spray other side, cover with a towel, let rise in a warn place, punch down as needed.
The dough with take some shaping to get it into the pans. Be patient. Top with your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake on the lower rack for 12 minutes at 450 F. Check for doneness after 10 minutes.
Easy peasy and a whole lot less than $6.95 per crust.
*Attention FTC: No I do not get paid to endorse this flour. I just think it is the best. I am open to the possibility though.
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Thinking of school, for years there was one set of books that united American children no matter where they went to school (more or less) in our quest to learn to read. Fun with Dick and Jane…..iconic reading....
More to follow…..
Love Aunt Carissa
Did you learn to read using Fun With Dick and Jane?
(Altogether now: See Spot run. Run Spot run.)
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