The day that we all patiently waited for has arrived. We all look forward to a day of hearty meals and the best company … some look forward to cold beers and aged wine. I can say I’m a truly greedy person at heart! Our Thanksgiving spread consisted of roasted turkey, ham (courtesy of Honey Baked Ham), macaroni & cheese, collard greens, potato salad, sweet potato yams, my mama’s famous dressing, homemade cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and pound cake drizzled with vanilla bean icing.
Being that we have a family now, last year, I wanted to follow the typical turkey tradition and decided to cook a turkey for the very first time. I was so used to buying sliced turkey from Honey Baked Ham. My mom always cooked her turkey, the old-school way, in a turkey bag so I called myself cooking a turkey in brining bag. I figured I was on the road to success! When using a brining bag you are supposed to remove the turkey from the bag and rinse it off with water before cooking it. YET I COOKED MINE INSIDE OF THE BAG!!! The turkey had not been rinsed either. I must say it was a complete disaster! The turkey was beyond dry. I clearly didn’t know what I was doing. I dared to be different and different it was! Such is life! My husband ate some of the turkey off of the strength of not wanting to hurt my feelings. Gotta love him for that!
This year was my second year cooking a turkey! Since last year’s turkey was a flop I wanted to redeem myself! I seasoned, brined and roasted my turkey. And I must say I am extremely proud of myself! After seasoning the turkey, I made a fresh broth that included fresh sautéed herbs, bell peppers, onions & mushrooms. The broth was then injected into the turkey. The turkey was stuffed with onions, celery, carrots, and cranberries. I allowed the turkey to sit in the brining bag overnight. The turkey was then rinsed with water and coated with butter. I then surrounded the turkey with rainbow carrots & fingerling potatoes, cooked it on low and constantly basted it with butter/turkey broth. The turkey was a hit!!!
You can find both my homemade cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie recipes under my recipes tab (enjoy!).