Well people, it’s that time of year again; The time where everyone wants to eat but nobody wants to help in the kitchen, the time for 15 hours of cooking, for 15 minutes of eating, the time where everyone dreads clean-up after, but everyone looks forward to leftovers. Thats right! I’m talking about thanksgiving!
The only day, where you are sure to catch a glimpse of a giant snoopy balloon! I never seem to catch the full broadcast of the parade, because I am to busy cooking the bird.
And what a pretty Bird she is!
When I cook turkey, it usually starts with a long bath. I clean this bird so much, that sometimes I think I could call it a brine. I always clean out the cavity and remove the gizzards and what not, but I also clean up and pull out all the little veins and things in there. I never just rinse it out and go. It’s always a big procedure.
I give it a good scrub down on the inside and outside with salt. Kinda like an exfoliation. I then set her down on my roasting pan that is fitted with a rack, and I slather it with lots of butter and salt. That’s it. Just butter and salt.
I pour some water, about four cups, in the bottom of the pan,
I then cover with the roasting pan lid, or aluminum foil and create a seal around the pan and place the pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about three hours, basting about every 45 minutes then covering again.
After three hours in the tent, she is pretty much done. Now she just needs to get brown. So I take of the foil and let her cook for another one and a half hours, while basting every 30 minutes or so.
I’ve been doing it this way my whole life. Our dinner is usually done by 3 pm. Just in time for football. If I make a dish that is not a regular staple at my thanksgiving table, my sweet mother-in-law will of course tell me I’m going a bit too “Gourmet” 
on her.
The gravy is pretty simple and old fashioned, but I like it that way. It goes like this:
After the first 3 hours of cooking the turkey, I remove the foil and get all that water from the bottom of the pan. By now, that four cups has become a lot more from all the juices from the turkey and now all that water has become turkey broth.
After I put the bird back in the oven, is when I start on my gravy.
I pour all or most of the turkey broth in a sauce pan and bring it to a slow boiling roll. 
I put about a half a teaspoon of minced garlic in and stir. I then take out about a cup of this broth and place in a measuring cup. I then stir in about three or four tablespoons of flour in the measuring cup and stir really well and make a thick paste.
Then I pour that mixture into the turkey broth while stirring vigorously with a whisk.
I sometimes repeat this process until I get the right gravy consistency I’m looking for. I then add about three tablespoons of Soy Sauce. Yup! Soy Sauce! No need to add salt. Just a bit of black pepper. Stir for a bit, and simmer for about 20 minutes
And I promise you will have the most yummiest old fashioned Turkey Gravy ever!
So simple, so easy, so done!
Along with my turkey and gravy, here is a list of the other wonderful dishes I will be
Serving this thanksgiving.

 

 
 

    Noodle Kugel

 
 
What will you be serving this thanksgiving?

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