Thanksgiving day was wonderful. The night before we made pumpkin pies. I rolled out the crusts while my husband mixed up the filling.
The pies turned out beautifully and tasted delicious!
The morning of Thanksgiving I set the table and got things ready. Some of the side dishes I set out ahead of time. I love these dishes we inherited when my mother-in-law passed away. The just look and feel like Thanksgiving.
I brined my turkey overnight in a solution of 4 quarts pineapple juice, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 1/2 cups kosher salt; 6 garlic cloves cut in half, and 4-6 whole bay leaves. I soaked it for 12 hours for a 12 pound bird. I trussed the turkey according to Alton Brown's you-tube video. I cooked it for 30 minutes in a 500 degree oven (unfortunately I had the rack too high so the skin got a little dark; I'm not supposed to eat the skin anyways); then lowered the heat to 350 and placed an aluminum foil skin over the white meat and cooked until the thermometer in the breast was 161 degrees (about another 1 1/2 hours). I'm making detailed notes here so I can repeat process in 2012. This way I don't have to rack my brain trying to remember how I made it so good this year....and let me tell you, it was delicious!!!!!! The white meat was sooooo juicy, and I'm not usually a white meat lover.
We started the meal with Harvest Squash and Mushroom soup garnished with yogurt and slivered almonds. Note to self: the children HATE this. We followed it with a spinach salad which the kids did consume.
Two of my side dishes were sweet potato casserole (there are sweet potatoes under all that brown sugar and pecan crust) and green bean casserole which I doctored up with sour cream and cheddar cheese....yummy!
The cows came up to the fence and ate some leaves and grass before moving off. I love my adirondack chairs! Don't you?
Carolyn "Care Bear" King
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