who else is cooking tonight?

[pianistimo]

am i the only crazy to stay up half the night cooking.  and now, i am guestimating that if i want to have a fully cooked 22 lb turkey, i must get up at 5:00 am.  right now, i am making jello.  tommorrow, yams and pototoes and rolls.  i am writing it here in case i am too tired and forget what to do.  oh and a salad. 

next year - i am going to the bahamas.  i will be a bahama mama.  i will pretend that thanksgiving doesn't exist.  that i never heard of it.  or brined turkeys (that was a lot of work, whew).  just taking fat off a turkey is enough to make you feel  like you completed a liposuction surgery.

[pianistimo]

never cook when tired.  i came this close to putting 'theraflu' in as gelatine package. 

[lau]

i am suppose to make a cheesecake...eh, i haven't even made anything for like 3 months. I use to bake a lot, and now i just think it's dumb.

[instromp]

Lol @ the Theraflu  

My mom has been been on a cooking and bakng frenzy since she came home from work.She's going to wear herself out trying to do everything tonight.She went to bed though and will do the rest early in the morning.I hate being in the house when it's Thanksgiving time.All the different aromas of the food and you know you can't eat until dinner time    

[wishful thinker]

brined turkeys (that was a lot of work, whew).  just taking fat off a turkey is enough to make you feel  like you completed a liposuction surgery.

what is a brined Turkey?  why would you want to take the fat off?  We only have Turkey for Christmas lunch (why, don't ask me, theres a lot better stuff to be had), but we just stuff it, wrap bacon over the top, cover in foil and roast.  Please expalin.

[pianistimo]

ok.  i used to do the same - and just put the turkey in a turkey bag for moisture.  but, if you brine it (completely submerge it in a 'brine' of applejuice or pineapple juice - whatever) you get this super moist turkey.

this morning i drained the turkey, rinsed it, put a 'rubbing' on it of butter, sage, clementines, lemon, a little flour, garlic, onion (run through cuisinart) - and rubbed int onto the outside of the turkey.  then i realized i didn't have a turkey bag to switch it to (from the brining bag).  rats.  so i put tin foil over it.  this is second best - because the turkey is then exposed to air.  the best way is in a turkey bag with holes poked in it.  really great flavor and you can still 'baste' it through the holes in the bag. 

basting is really important throughout the cooking to keep it moist, too.  as probably everyone knows.  i don't know why - but we usually go through all this trouble every year.  but, i'm really tired now.  i'm going back to bed.

[wishful thinker]

Thank you, madam.  That sounds like one heck of a lot of apple juice.  How long do you leave in the juice for?

[lau]

last year my dad made mashed potatoes and the consistency was like glue...this year was a lot better

[pianistimo]

dear wishfulthinker,  i put about two gallons of apple juice over the turkey and let it sit overnight.  (boiling it down first - with the above ingredients).  it turned out good again this year - but buy not only the brining bag - but a turkey bag to put it in after it's brined!  keeps it really moist!

the recipie is under 'brined turkey' thread.