Yay. I Didn't Burn the Turkey

What a day. A really fantastic day.

I was so worried about whether I’d be able to pull off a turkey. I’m not a huge fan of turkey actually, so I really wanted to make one that I liked. Here’s what I learned…I really like butter and sage rubbed turkey.

I pretty much followed the Bon Appetit recipe, though I did stuff the bird with onions and
some herbs from my garden. I think that helped to infuse the meat with flavor. It also helped to salt the turkey the night before. Much easier than brining.

The other big worry was whether I’d be able to serve 18 people a relatively formal meal on time, and still piping hot.

Mission accomplished.

That’s not to say it all went smoothly. The dressing was a little disappointing. It needed a shallower dish.

And we still had to work out switching from the soup course to the main course. Passing around three tables turned out to be overly complicated.

But all the food was ready on time and the turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes were still steaming by the time we all held hands around the table to say grace.

I thought the table looked OK how I set it. But it got a huge Martha Stewart-ish boost when my sister-in-law arrived.

The iFarmer’s Twin superbly executed this vague idea I had about writing messages of thanks on ribbons to help dress the table.

All 18 of us got a ribbon with our name on it, plus a message like blessed and grateful.

Mine was exactly how I felt today: Contented.

I was content because I didn’t burn or dry out the turkey and because I got to spend so much time in the kitchen with my family.

You may notice from the pix that several of us have on new aprons.

These were a surprise from Playful Spirit Potter, who made holiday aprons for me, the iFarmer and the kids. Love them.

There’s nothing like an apron to put me in a cooking state of mind.