My First Turkey

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year and it was my first "real" turkey. I'm told my pre-seasoned Jenny-O turkey breast two years ago didn't count. Thank goodness for the guidance from Scot and Becca on the 11-pound bird. Oh wait, they offered a lot more than just guidance. Scot pulled out all the giblets and organs the night before and used the neck to season his gravy. They both helped me get it brined overnight, and then Becca helped me flip the bird mid-way through cooking. It was done in just 3 hours and it was perfectly moist and tasty.

Here I've just carved the honorary first slice.

Then I let Scot carve the rest. To complete the meal, we ate Becca's homemade bread- sausage stuffing, Scot's mashed potatoes and gravy, my sweet potato casserole and rolls with cinna-butter. We topped it off with some sparkling pear cider.

All the dishes were delicious, but I have to confess that my favorite part of the meal was that we ate while all four kids were napping. It was really great to enjoy the meal in peace without having to spoon-feed the children or hear their endless chatter. Cory made his contribution by washing all the dishes.

When the kids woke up we snuggled under blankets and watched Toy Story 3. The kids ate their feast for dinner and then we had pie. The selections this year were cream cheese pumpkin and Marie Callender's Razzleberry.

We finished the night with a little online Christmas shopping and a dice game. It was a nice relaxing holiday. I'm thankful to live near family so I'll never have to do the turkey on my own. Haha, just kidding guys!