baking success

This past weekend I baked my first turkey by myself. I learned how to make a turkey this past summer at our cabin, with my mom giving me directions since I had never before had a reason or chance to venture into the large bird baking world. I was so surprised at how incredibly easy it was to make a turkey, seeing as how everyone is so scared of them.

So when it came time to sign up to cook something for the ward Thanksgiving dinner, I confidently put my name down under turkey. My bird arrived early on Saturday morning, ready to be rinsed, covered in butter and sage, and then very gingerly placed in a baking bag and into my oven for the next 4 hours.

I have to admit that baking bags are brilliant. No mess and your bird is incredibly moist and golden brown. I also took the time to make my homemade stuffing, since I am not one to cut corners. If anyone is looking for a great stuffing recipe, here you go:

4 T butter
1 onion, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
ground sage
curry powder
2 c water
1 bag of stuffing mix
1 c craisins

Saute the onions and celery in the butter for about 5 minutes until soft.
Add the water and sprinkle ground sage into mixture. Add 1-2 t curry powder and
bring to a boil. Once boiling, add stuffing, remove from heat, and fluff with a
fork. At this point, taste for seasoning. I tend to add a few more shakes of
curry powder to give it a bit of a kick. Add craisins once seasoned.

The curry gives the stuffing a great "warm" flavor, especially with the craisins. I know it sounds crazy, but you really need to give it a try.

My turkey looked beautiful when I pulled it out, all golden brown. Sadly we didn't get to eat it warm since the drive to the church took an hour longer than usual due to an accident in the road. But luckily I am dating the most incredible guy, who is brilliant and knows to play Enrique to make me happy. And it worked. Thanks Ben.

Sadly, I will not get to test my turkey ability until next year, since we are headed out to the Virgin Islands on Thursday to spend six marvelous days snorkeling, relaxing on the beach, and watching movies on my personal DVD player while laying in bed.