Posts: 7404 |
Turtleneck Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 3:19 PM |
I really don't like feeling this way because I usually enjoy Thanksgiving. But this year...will be...different. And not in a good way.
What I don't want to do: Have Thanksgiving at my teeny-tiny house.
What I am doing: Having Thanksgiving at my teeny-tiny house. I was sweet talked, arm twisted, and guilted into it. I am not a willing volunteer.
What I have never done: Cooked a turkey. Prepared dinner for more than 7 people at once in my teeny-tiny kitchen.
What I am doing: Cooking a turkey. Preparing dinner for 14 in my teeny-tiny kitchen. Except for my parents, it's all my husband's family.
My stomach is in knots over this. If it were just my family and let's say that the turkey is burned on the outside and still frozen in the middle, my family would probably have a big laugh about it and find something else to eat and we'd have a funny story to tell the rest of our lives. My husband's family is much more...ummm...well. There's a lot of pressure to get it right.
I have asked everyone to bring something to ease my burden, desserts and rolls and stuff, but the almighty TURKEY is the star of the show on Thanksgiving. I just worry that everyone's Thanksgiving is going to be spoiled because of my incompetence in the kitchen. It's not going to be a Norman Rockwell presentation, I'm afraid.
I have suggested a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in which we serve buttered toast, popcorn, jelly beans and pretzel sticks, but somehow that didn't strike a chord with the rellies.
I'm thinking about taking pictures as I go along, or making a video or something, because I'm sure it's gonna be quite an adventure.
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Posts: 2850 |
Peewee Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 3:28 PM |
Awww I can hear the anxiety in your post! lol Don't be stressing Missy, I'm sure your turkey will turn out fine, just remember to keep an eye on it and cook it for the right amount of time. Sounds like quite a bit of hassle but if it's YOUR thanksgiving well "tough" on the rellies, they should really appreciate all the hard work & STRESS you are going through to ensure they have a lovely day......anyone says anything out of place then throw the carving knife at them, lol.
Best of Luck! I hope it goes well ohhhhhhh and yes please we would love some pics! :)
I have the same kind of problem this Christmas as I have my partners family coming to ours for Christmas Dinner. His sister has 3 kids who are SO fussy (eaters) and so is his brother-in-law! All meat and no veg ahhhhhh! They will get what I give them! lol
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Posts: 7404 |
Turtleneck Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 3:48 PM |
Peewee wrote: Awww I can hear the anxiety in your post! lol Don't be stressing Missy, I'm sure your turkey will turn out fine, just remember to keep an eye on it and cook it for the right amount of time. Sounds like quite a bit of hassle but if it's YOUR thanksgiving well "tough" on the rellies, they should really appreciate all the hard work & STRESS you are going through to ensure they have a lovely day......anyone says anything out of place then throw the carving knife at them, lol.
Best of Luck! I hope it goes well ohhhhhhh and yes please we would love some pics! :)
I have the same kind of problem this Christmas as I have my partners family coming to ours for Christmas Dinner. His sister has 3 kids who are SO fussy (eaters) and so is his brother-in-law! All meat and no veg ahhhhhh! They will get what I give them! lol
Thanks for the encouragement. I have visions of my turkey turning out like the one in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, where they stick the fork in and it explodes and then deflates. |
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Posts: 2578 |
Esteban Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 3:50 PM |
| If they don't like what you make for them, tell 'em bollocks. |
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Turtleneck Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 3:58 PM |
Esteban wrote: If they don't like what you make for them, tell 'em bollocks.
I doubt they'd know what that means! |
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Posts: 346 |
th74 Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 5:42 PM |
| Just do your best, and it'll be ok. There's lots of helpfull websites for cooking a turkey. His family will have to deal if it's not "perfect" and if they complain, you can tell them they should have hosted. You can always buy a cooked turkey beforehand and pull it out of the oven right as his family arrives! Ta da! |
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Posts: 2076 |
Meridith Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 6:39 PM |
I'm terrified of cooking turkey myself. I hope we always get invited somewhere so I never have to do it. :)
The first Thanksgiving's being married, my father-in-law assigned me the sweet potatoes. I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes and so this was new for me. My family never made them. I went to the store, got some sweet potatoes, found a recipe from Williams and Sonoma and went to work. Come Thanksgiving day, I happily presented my sweet potatoes dish that I worked hard at. My father-in-law says out load, "Where are the sweet potatoes?" I show him where I put them on the table and he tells me those are not sweet potatoes. I tell him that I went to the store and picked out the potatoes that were marked as sweet potatoes and went to work. I followed the recipe exactly and those were sweet potatoes. Apparently he wanted candied yams.
After that, I wasn't assigned the sweet potatoes anymore. I get to do all of the pies...which I prefer. :) |
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Posts: 7404 |
Turtleneck Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 6:57 PM |
Oh, Merideth, I'm sure your sweet taters were great. Your father-in-law should have been more specific and handed you the famous family recipe! My mother is in charge of those this year.
Well, I'll tell ya what's going on right now. After scouring the internet for turkey instructions, I decided on a method that calls for soaking the turkey in a sweet/salty solution for 24-48 hours before cooking to ensure a moist and flavorful bird. That's the way Martha does it! So, I have unwrapped it, I have removed the bag of giblets (everyone has a horror story about someone forgetting to do that!) and the package says, "Remove the neck from the body cavity." First--Eeeeewwww. Second, nothing is coming out. I can't find it. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for. Maybe it's not thawed enough yet? |
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Posts: 2076 |
Meridith Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 7:00 PM |
Turtleneck wrote: So, I have unwrapped it, I have removed the bag of giblets (everyone has a horror story about someone forgetting to do that!) and the package says, "Remove the neck from the body cavity." First--Eeeeewwww. Second, nothing is coming out. I can't find it. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for. Maybe it's not thawed enough yet?
see, that's why I don't EVEN want to go there. :) I feel for you Turtle! |
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Posts: 8468 |
AbsolutPurple Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 7:11 PM |
Why not cook a "turkey-revisited" kinda thing ?
Let me be more specific : buy pieces of turkey cook them and cook the stuffing separately.
Present each plate with a piece of turkey and sauce (or gravy or whatever dressing you like).
Stuffing and vegs on a separate plate on the side.
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Posts: 7404 |
Turtleneck Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 9:47 PM |
I've never seen turkey parts like that; chicken, but not turkey. They sell turkey breasts on their own, but my husband likes dark meat. Anyway, I'm in too deep now to change course.
The update: I eventually got the neck removed from the, uh, body cavity. I just had to reach in a bit further. Turkey and I have reached new levels of intimacy. A turkey neck is one ugly piece of meat. You know what I'm thankful for this year? I am very thankful that my husband is a graphic designer and not a poultry farmer. The PYT (Pretty Young Turkey) is now in the refrigerator soaking in its brine solution in a humongous zip-lock bag made for this purpose. Pray that it does not leak. It's in a big pan, but still, there's a lot of liquid in there. |
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megg_inc Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 9:59 PM |
| Maybe you can order it? No? |
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th74 Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 10:00 PM |
| I'm glad you found the neck. Good luck! |
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Posts: 8468 |
AbsolutPurple Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 10:08 PM |
th74 wrote: I'm glad you found the neck. Good luck!
you don't stuff it through the neck, right ?
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Posts: 8468 |
AbsolutPurple Posted Tue 20 Nov, 2007 10:22 PM |
Turtleneck wrote: I've never seen turkey parts like that; chicken, but not turkey. They sell turkey breasts on their own, but my husband likes dark meat. Anyway, I'm in too deep now to change course.
The update: I eventually got the neck removed from the, uh, body cavity. I just had to reach in a bit further. Turkey and I have reached new levels of intimacy. A turkey neck is one ugly piece of meat. You know what I'm thankful for this year? I am very thankful that my husband is a graphic designer and not a poultry farmer. The PYT (Pretty Young Turkey) is now in the refrigerator soaking in its brine solution in a humongous zip-lock bag made for this purpose. Pray that it does not leak. It's in a big pan, but still, there's a lot of liquid in there.
You're really good at telling stories you know.
I'm laughing lots and at the same time happy to see work in progress. |
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