I suppose we need a thread.
Mine, a 10kg Brazilian bird is done, and hour or two early. Nice crisp skin, nice fond that promises a good gravy. Did it with bread dressing in the bird. Now for my patented mashed potatoes with turnip.
How’s yours going?
Haven’t started cooking it yet…but even though there are only two of us, we buy the biggest turkey we can find.
Same amount of work for small turkey as large turkey, just longer cooking time.
Eat some, freeze the rest.
Boil carcass for broth.
Only throw out the bones.
Cheapest deal you can get during the holidays.
I actually prefer the turkey sandwich - on white bread, with lettuce and mayo and lots of pepper.
We got a 21 pound turkey this year (again, just for the two of us) and my guess is none of it will go to waste, even if it takes a few months to get through it.
Save some for next week when I’m in Vegas, I’ll bring a couple of friends… 
BTW, a GREAT recipe we always do for Christmas Day is this soup from the Butterball site.
Made it the first time about 15 years ago and not it is a tradition in our house!
Happy to oblige…give an email and then call when you get here!
Also, from the soup recipe above, use turkey broth and add bits of turkey to the recipe.
For anyone who’s never had mashed potatoes with turnip: you should try it sometime. It adds just the right little zing to them.
I haven’t started mine yet. I was toying with the idea of brining, but I think it’s too late for that now. I want to eat sometime before 6:00, after all.
I’m going with tradition. A little butter over the skin, a bit under, and a bread stuffing inside. Yum!
Gosh I am angry.
I did the dinner for all the Filipinos. They said we would serve at six. Everything was hot and ready at six. Nobody came to help me get the stuff over to the rec center. I carried over there. Nothing was ready. No decorations, no tables nothing.
They wasted all my work. I left the stuff in the middle of the floor. They are over there now decorating. Darn I am angry.
That’s awful, Paul. I’m sorry your efforts were wasted.
I am planning revenge. Do Filipinos have giblets?
(Thank you for your kind words Ginger, you also say the right thing.
The thoughts aren’t wasted, though. good attempt though, Paul.
That’s sad; you meant well and I’m sure they’ll enjoy the food anyway. And, as LOUNE said, the thoughts aren’t wasted.
Good Morning all. You know, I have reflected on it. What really upsets me is that the turkey came out so nice. Brown as a nut with such nice skin. I wonder how it tasted. Cold.
Grumble.
I may go out and get another bird just for me. I may have broken the code on the perfect turkey.
Thank you all for your kind words.
Yesterday’s turkey was…interesting.
My uncle and his wife were the ones cooking the bird this year. Wife takes out the frozen 24 lb. fowl to thaw the night before. When my uncle realizes this, he tells her that it will never be thawed in time, and goes out to buy another turkey. Somehow, the fresh bird gets put in the freezer and frozen bird gets prepped for cooking. How they didn’t notice the weight difference, or how they got vegetables in a frozen turkey, is beyond me.
Cut to the kitchen - the bird has just been taken out of the oven, and the first slice is carved. Looks OK. A second slice…hmm, does it look a little pink? A third slice…raw. Completely raw. So wife’s friend decides to hack it up and put back in the oven for another hour. Out comes a turkey that looks OK, aside from being in chunks rather than slices…but I couldn’t bring myself to eat it.
I was pretty much full on stuffing and croissants anyway.
I feel bad for my uncle’s wife, but I had a great time telling the story to the rest of my family.
I fixed a chicken. Living alone in an apartment with a none too large fridge and freezer (which is already largely filled with other sorts of leftovers), I just couldn’t see dealing with a larger bird. My only problem was that as I read all my directions(That is, Betty Crocker’s and the packaging for the chicken), it should have taken until at least noon to bake. At 11:30–or perhaps a tad earlier–I checked the pop-up thermometer. Popped. Pulled out chicken, checked with my brand new meat thermometer. Plenty hot. Stuck on table, fixed creamed onions, decided the cranberry tart could wait until later.
Ate. Dealt with the rest of the chicken. Have decided that if I ever roast another chicken using this rub from my cupboard, must add salt. Lots of salt. The chicken tasted fine, but the chicken skin was missing something flavorwise.
10.5 pound turkey. Brine’d and roasted, came out great. Then stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, and canned candied yams with the little marshmallows.