Turkey Talk on Turkey Day

Just about everyone cooks but due to the economy and I personally don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon I think more of us are cooking than ever before.

I guess its something about Thanksgiving Day that makes me nostalgic but truthfully a good cook can make Thanksgiving Day a much more exciting prospect.  If you knew you were just having some microwaved turkey breast and a can of corn while you might be thankful you may not be quite as awe inspired .  My husband brines our turkey every year but here is his recipe and his is super simple using some everyday household staples:

The Viking’s Turkey Brine

First he injects the turkey with italian dressing then he places it in a beverage cooler shown above.

1 Cup Kosher Salt

1 Cup honey

2 C. Chicken Broth (From The Freezer/Homemade Chicken Broth)

Cover With Ice.

We usually do about a 24 hour brine.

If you want something a little more involved you may want to try Amy @ Homestead Revival’s Citrus Turkey Brine recipe I looked at it yesterday and it looked amazing!

In our household the Turkey is truly the centerpiece while I get it that in other households they often eat ham, steaks, or even pizza so after musing through my turkey reflections I have to share a favorite family Turkey Story.

One year my Mom and one of my older brothers schemed up to deep fry a turkey.  I had heard of this concept but I had never had deep-fried turkey before and wasn’t sure how I felt about it but nevertheless they were giving it a go, my Mom was very worried about this turkey frying thing as well but for different reasons she is a perfectionist and wanted our Thanksgiving meal to be perfect and well I just wanted some good turkey.  So in order to ensure we had an edible turkey, she baked one the good old-fashioned way.

My brother followed all the directions precisely from what I can remember but for some reason when he brought it out to the table his turkey was charred black and my Mother’s turkey was pristine and beautiful on the table next to his.  We all gave my brother such a hard time about his turkey I was insistent that I was not going to eat it.    You should have heard the teasing and remarks flying about my brothers’ char-grilled turkey.  My Mom ever the optimist especially when it comes to her children encouraged everyone to try his turkey in spite of how it looked and all I can tell you is that I think it was one of the best turkeys I have ever had in my life.

You know how you have been taught to never judge by appearance well this was the case with this turkey.   It was amazingly delicious and all that was left on the table of his turkey were the bones my Mom’s turkey while it was very good still had quite a bit left which was good because we needed leftovers 😉

Last year my brothers and I gathered together at my Mom and my  Step Dad’s along with my Mother In Law and Step Sister and her family.  We insisted my brother bring the turkey fryer and had him cook two turkeys and of course they weren’t black as he is a turkey frying expert these days and of course they were delicious!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Friends in Real Life and my Virtual Life!  I know I have much to be thankful for!

PS:  Gratitude No. 15 for November I am so thankful for all the writers in the world who bring me great joy every day.  Whether it is Jane Eyre, Mark Twain, the Modern Day Family script writers, Seinfeld’s writers, my favorite columnists at Backwoods Home Magazine or some of my favorite bloggers.  Writers provoke thought, sometimes they move us to action, and sometimes they fill our hearts with laughter.

and Fight Back Friday!  Go check them out!