<p>Just the turkey eaters this year so it feels like a vacation. Did all my shopping on Sunday and made the orange-cranberry sauce and turkey stock for the gravy. </p>
<p>Made the pie crusts last night and cooking my pies today. I’m using the Cook’s illustrated’s pumpkin pie recipe for the first time this year. Coincidentally, it’s on the main page of Yahoo today. It calls for vodka (!) as the secret ingredient to a light and fluffy crust. It cooks off so there’s no alcohol and no taste in the finished product. Very interested to see how this comes out.</p>
<p>Also doing a brined bird for the first time, with an herb encrusted butter rub under the skin, orange, lemon, herbs and garlic in the cavity and a dry rub outside. It goes in the oven at 425 and gets turned down to 325 after 1/2 hour. </p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving!</p>