“Cooking the turkey upside down on a roasting rack for the first hour to hour and a half, then turning it over”
Does this sound dangerous to anyone but me? I envision dropping the turkey on the floor and ruining it resulting in family members attacking me like angry peasants with pitchforks.
I turn mine twice and find those newer oven mitts made of that heat resistant, rubbery material work really well. H used to use two large wads of paper towel for each side of the turkey and that worked too.
“And btw, we put nothing on our sweet potatoes. So delicious on their own.”
I put a little bit of butter and brown sugar on the sweet potatoes. Never marshmallows. 
I have two delicious recipes for mashed sweet potatoes. One has a lot of butter, plus some booze (amontillado or bourbon), nutmeg, S&P. A little brown sugar on top if you want. The other has fresh orange juice and grated orange and lemon rind, fresh grated ginger, grated nutmeg, cinnamon, S&P. The only thing on the table with no butter at all, and I never miss it, honestly. But sweet potatoes are innately rich.
@doschicos haven’t dropped the turkey yet!
Do you stuff your turkey, @Consolation? No problem with having it jostled out with all the flipping?
Both sweet potato dishes sound great but especially the citrusy one.
" okay, give it up-what is the turkey recipe? I’m looking for anything to help me get a juicy turkey. Last year I brined it for hours and hours exactly as instructed, and it was the worst one ever. One year I roasted a perfect one, and have no idea what I did differently. I’m not cooking this year, but maybe I can practice a time or two before next year."
@Nrdsb4, My sister did the brine thingy for days one year and her turkey was inedible. H makes our turkey and he uses the high heat method (500 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce to 350 for the rest of the time.) He does a spicy dry rub (his own creation) on the skin. It comes out super crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. He also doesn’t baste at all and never opens oven door while it’s cooking.
^That’s the method I’ve used as well with success. No basting don’t open oven door. Get a thermometer that has the exterior digital read and let the bird do its thing. If you keep opening the door, it slows down the cooking time and dries the bird out.
For son and g/f have a few good weeks. For son to be less depressed about thesis. I could not care less what I am doing, just want the younger generation to feel content and hopeful about their choices and the political future.
I think I’m going to try making a jello salad/dessert or two.
We are having 110 people here for Thanksgiving dinner! We start preparing a week in advance, and have lots of friends to help. We’ll be roasting a dozen turkeys, and most of the side dishes will be made with vegetables and dairy products that are grown or produced here on our farm. Even the cranberry sauce will be made from wild cranberries that we picked last week! One of our traditions is the blessings box…in the days leading up to the holiday, we write down the things we are thankful for, and put them in the box. They are then opened and read aloud during the meal. It is our biggest and most special holiday celebration. Can’t wait!
Wow! You win, @cameo43. Sounds like a wonderful and fun event.
@doschicos, part of the upside down thing is trussing the turkey and sewing up the cavity loosely using dental floss. So nothing falls out when you flip it. I prefer stuffing in the turkey, personally, but if I don’t stuff it I put in a collection of aromatics: a scraped carrot, a halved onion, some cloves of garlic, some celery tops, a sprig of parsley, some herbs. They would tend to fall out w/o the sewing also.
I’ve been assigned and apple dessert and my Garlic Smashed Potatoes. I’ve got the potatoes under control, but I’m still researching the dessert. Traditional apple pie is hard to beat and I’m happy to do that, but thought I’d see if this crowd had another favorite apple dessert. Suggestions of tried and true favorites would be great!
Apple crisp is what I make (I’m not good with pie crust). Here’s the recipe I use with Granny Smith apples (I cut brown sugar back to 1/2 cup): http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/apple-crisp/3715a45c-3c00-430c-bbe2-9865f9013238
@Classof2015, I’ve also been assigned an apple dessert. Thinking of making an apple crisp type thing but not sure how I’d serve it warm. I’m going to friends’ and will need to take it already prepared. Can it be warmed up with a foil lid for a few minutes without sacrificing flavor??
@Beil1958 how about a crockpot or electric skillet/frying pan? (I use those when I have potlucks and/or office parties). Depending on timing and other variables, you could assemble when you get there and have it cook while eating. Or you could have it cooked already and just keep it warm.
I don’t truss the turkey. Lately, what we do to turn a turkey, is run a long, strong, meat fork up the inside, lift that with a hand on the neck side. Can’t describe, but it works without disturbing any coating on the outside. Like a lot of lifting jobs, it needs some thinking. And sure, until you get the hang of it, it may thunk down on its side. If it’s stuffed, you just make sure the lifter is up against the meat, not through the stuffing.
Key is to cook just the right amount of time. I could never figure out the “until the juices run clear,” so a really good thermometer helps. Meats continue cooking after removed from the oven, so you target a slightly lower temp to take it out.
Grandma always then covered it with loose foil and then a kitchen towel. That keeps moisture in. Somehow, it didn’t uncrisp the skin.
Beil1958 – I usually make it ahead of time then microwave each portion for 30 seconds before putting ice cream on top. But I’m sure you could warm it up that way too!
Warming a crisp won’t harm the flavor. It might harm the texture if it steams. I’d use either no lid or a loose foil to prevent over-browning.
This is a very good apple cake:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/marie-helenes-apple-cake-361150
I have made this one for years. It is similar to Marie-Helene’s but much tarter and a bit denser. This version came from Cuisinart magazine, so it was adapted for food processor. It is my favorite.
SENAUD’S APPLE CAKE
11/2 scant cups all-purpose flour (Use the lightly spoon into the cup and sweep method for measuring.)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
13/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 scant cup sugar
3 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons dark rum
i medium lemon and 1 medium orange, or 2 lemons
11/2 pounds green apples, such as Granny Smiths, peeled, quartered or halved, and cored.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest of the citrus fruit in strips, reserve.
Slice apples (1/4 in)in food processor or by hand, should have about 3 cups. Toss with some lemon juice in a bowl and reserve.
Process the citrus zest and 1/2 cup sugar until finely chopped. Add remaining sugar and butter, process about 20 sec until creamy. Add egg yolks and rum, process about 20 sec, scraping bowl once.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add to processor, pulse until flour just disappears.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Stir 1/4 of them into the flour mixture to lighten, then fold in the remainder. (You can stir the first part in the processor bowl, then scrape it all out into the egg white bowl for folding.)
Cover bottom of prepared pan with 1/3 of batter, layer with 1/2 the apples, repeat. End with the last third of batter on top. The batter will be very thick. Perfect coverage is not necessary. Better not to deflate the batter too much.
Bake 1 1/4-1/2 hrs until tester comes out clean. Let cool on a rack 1/2 hr before unmolding. This cake travels really well and is great for picnics.
This apple dessert is amazing. My MIL was very into Minute Rice type convenience, casseroles, etc. But also of a time when people shared recipes on index cards (and clung to their favorites,) so I have no idea where it came from. I’ve baked it in a round souffle dish, but it’s special when made in a crown-like jello mold (the sort that looks like a ring.)
Ella’s Raw Apple Cake.
4C raw apples, chopped, 2C sugar. Pour over apples, stir, leave one hour. (This soaking brings out a lot of liquid from the apples.)
Add and mix: 2 eggs, 1C salad oil, 3C flour, 2tsp baing soda, 1tsp salt, 1T vanilla, 1C chopped black walnuts.
Bake 1 hour 350, well greased pan.
…
If you use a mold, be sure it’s super well greased and I dust with flour. In my mold, it needs about 1 hr 10 min, you have to check with a toothpick or skewer and do want it slightly moister than for a usual cake.
You have to be gentle getting it out of a mold, wiggle and hope. But if it falls apart when you try to get it out of the pan, you just serve it in a nice bowl and don’t call it cake.