Usually, I just roast my turkey the same way that I roast my chickens. But this year, I am trying something new. I decided to take the plunge and attempt to brine our turkey. I used the recipe from Pioneer Woman:
Since I knew I had to work all day today and the bird needs to brine for at least 18-24 hours, I made the brine last night and put the turkey in it. I used the Reynolds bags to place the turkey and brine in. Then I put a layer of ice in the bottom of our cooler, put the bag of turkey/brine in, and another bag with ice on top. I placed the entire cooler outside where it was cold. I checked it this morning and the ice had melted a little, but it was still cold and plenty of ice left. We used a free range, organic turkey this year as well that I got from our co-op. It's ginormous! I think its about 18lbs, but I'm also feeding 8 adults and 5 children. Plus I want leftovers. I think it should be fine.
Our other menu items include:
*rosemary and butter yeast rolls* I make these every year and they are a huge hit!
*cornbread stuffing* Also an every year thing and a huge hit!
*cornflake potatoes* This is my grandfather's recipe and I have loved it since I was a child
*deviled eggs*
*Greenbean casserole*
*7-layer salad*
*Mashed potatoes and turnips* trust me, you'll never know the turnips are in there!
*Homemade Pecan pie and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream*
*My mom's homemade sweet potatoes*
*Homemade gravy*
I think that about sums it up. I make everything from scratch for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think the holidays warrant really good, homemade food! I don't mess around with the premade stuff.
I can't wait to gobble it all down!! But, I do plan to run that morning so I don't feel guilty about eating all that good food. :)
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