Talking Turkey

I’m 36 years old and the mother of two, but I think I’m officially an adult now because this year, I’ll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

It won’t be a huge crowd—just our family of four and my mother- and father-in-law—so it’s not like I need to make a giant turkey and a gajillion side dishes. I’m taking off from work the day before Thanksgiving, so I figure that will be plenty of time to knock out some side dishes while mentally preparing to cook the mythical turkey the next day.

While I have never cooked a whole turkey before, I am pretty adept at cooking those yummy honey brined turkey breasts from Wegmans, and I’ve probably roasted hundreds of chickens in my day. How different can a turkey be from a chicken, right?

So far, my only preparation has been to read through my November issue of Martha Stewart Living and to imagine myself preparing the perfect bird. I tried to order a fresh turkey from Wegmans, but the butcher told me they will have plenty on hand and in three varieties (the usual “green label” turkey they always have in stock, a turkey with bonus breast meat and an organic bird) so they aren’t taking orders this year. So “order turkey” was an easy thing to cross off my list with a flourish.

I’ve heard a couple different suggestions for cooking the turkey. Some people say to stuff it, but I don’t think I will. Others say to cook it uncovered, but both a colleague and my dental hygienist suggested using a Reynolds oven cooking bag which will somehow keep it very moist while also cooking quickly and allow it to brown. I’m not sure how it can brown inside the bag, and I’m not sure I want to run an experiment on the biggest eating holiday of the year. Somehow I’m guessing Chik Fil A won’t be open to feed my family if I mess this up. Guess it’s time to read a few more recipes and mull it over.

The rest of my effort to date has been spent thinking about what side dishes are must-haves. Because we are a small crowd this year, I guess we should pare down the usual smorgasbord of stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, English pea casserole, cornbread pudding and baked artichoke hearts. But I’m not sure how I’m going to do it. All of those flavors seem essential to Thanksgiving day—who am I to make these big calls? It’s my first Thanksgiving as hostess, after all. We haven’t even addressed the matter of pies yet.

If I sound stressed, I’m actually not worried about it—I figure what gets cooked will be fine and being with my family is the most important part of the day. But I am grateful that my mother-in-law will make the stuffing and gravy, and that my father-in-law will be wielding the electric knife to carve the turkey.