Heightened emotions. Stress. Excitement. Family waiting in anticipation. Happy tears. Nervous tears. Tears of frustration. Reading advice. Asking for advice. Second-guessing what you already know. Spending too much. Buying stuff you don't need. Forgetting essentials that you do. Self-doubt and feeling inadequate. Over-confidence. Exquisite joy! Over in moments. Lots of mess to clean up. Exhaustion. Happy exhaustion.The best of times. The worst of times.
Sound familiar?
Yeah, sounds like having a baby, right? I experience all of those emotions over the course of pregnancy and delivery. I love giving birth, and each of my deliveries turned out to be thankfully, uneventful. Three of them were unmedicated. Still, there is always a moment right about transition when I start thinking, "This was a really bad idea." Luckily, my husband is a great coach and I can't dismiss the joy, peace, and satisfaction I feel once I've got that little person in my arms. Happy ending.
However, I was actually describing cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family; particularly how I feel when I make a turkey.
Weeks in advance I think, "Of course I'll cook the turkey. I've done this multiple times. It'll be easy. I've got this." That sense of uber-confidence lasts until I go to the store to buy the turkey. It is amazing how rows of frozen birds can rob you of your sense of security! How many pounds should I buy? Did I read the promotional ad correctly? Will this really ring up as only $.69 a pound? Why do people buy "self-basting birds?" Do I need an oven bag? Did I buy everything I need for the brine? (Why am I doing a brine?) I hope this sucker thaws in time for baking, unlike last year...
This year we celebrated Thanksgiving early at my house because my in-laws were coming in town anyway to see me perform in my handbell group, and my sister-in-law had just had a baby. I love my house. Built in 1941, it is charmingly cozy with its dark red brick, its built in shelving in the kitchen, and its original pink tile bathroom. It isn't huge though, so guests sleep in the family room, and when all 8 chairs are around the kitchen table, there isn't really room to open the fridge, or stove, or breath too heavily.
You can eat comfortably, but leaving the table is like peeling apart tortillas that have been in the fridge too long. You know how they are all stuck together, but after some bending, plying, and perhaps irritated mutterings you can finally get the things apart without looking too bad? That's leaving the table at my house with 8 adults in the kitchen.
Really though, I love my house and maybe it is because of its age that it feels right to be crammed into a tight space with the delicious aroma of turkey, slightly burnt sweet potatoes, freshly baked rolls, and gravy simmering on the stove. I feel connected to the history of this house, and wonder how may other families made similar memories in this homey space. When my house is filled with the noise of people and holiday food, it feels most like home.
Back to the food...
Have you tried this before? I swear all that buttery goodness just ended up on my hands and wrists and not on the turkey, like some bizarre, herby hand mask. How do you spread butter or a wet, cold turkey? It doesn't stick! Its like trying to get a two-year-old to sit still in a candy store full of open bins of M&M's. Plus, the skin didn't seem to pull away from the turkey breast at all. What? Finally, I gave up, covered the turkey foil, put on the lid, turned up the roasted to 325 degrees. and went to church. We came home to a house filled with the promising aroma of turkey success.
I poured the juices from the turkey through a sieve and into a pot to start making the gravy. In a small bowl I whisked together some turkey drippings and flour to make a paste, and them stirred that into the pot of drippings. This became the MOST magical turkey gravy I have ever made, or tasted. Period. I didn't even have to season it, not even with salt. Rosemary and garlic lingered as a light background flavor behind turkey goodness. Well, I figured, we can at least drown the turkey with delicious gravy.
We also made 10 pounds, (no joke), of mashed potatoes. I used some of the garlic rosemary butter in the potatoes, and they were heavenly. Whipped up with more butter, sour cream, and whole milk, these potatoes were light, fluffy, and divine with gravy. My sister-in-law brought an amazing arugula salad from how sweet eats pomegranates, roasted acorn squash, avocados, cucumbers, and a pomegranate vinaigrette. When the whole spread was on the table, it looked Pinterest worthy. Maybe it would be ok if the turkey was a total bust?
But the turkey...
So, there were copious amounts of white breast meat, and juicy strips of dark meat hiding where I didn't expect it to be. The turkey wasn't too dry, and it tasted wonderfully fresh and herby. Oh, the relief! I piled my serving platter high and delivered to my family the centerpiece of Thanksgiving 2015, which the kids passed up for raspberries and Martinelli's.
The best of times. Happy ending. Happy exhaustion.
With the labor pains over, and the dishes finally done, I can honestly say I'd do it all over again.
But not until next year.
Bake the bread. Share the slices.
It was a DELICIOUS turkey!!! I ate it until I hurt!!!
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