1 post tagged “recipes”

I went shopping for food and cleaning supplies on Thanksgiving day, and bought a turkey. One should never shop when hungry. I ended-up with a turkey, which I do not like. And I have never ever cooked. Until today.

This is the turkey, naked as a jay bird...naked turkey. You may consider this his 'before' picture. I had to resist the temptation to put him on my hand and pretend he was a hand-puppet named Eric who enjoyed dancing to No Doubt. If the turkey was not so cold, I likely would have. So, no pictures of that, unfortunately. But this is the turkey once done.

I prepared the turkey by rubbing butter and spices under the skin. Spices include thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, savory, parsley, garlic, (sea) salt, black pepper(corn), red pepper(corn), pink pepper(corn), white pepper(corn), green pepper(corn), allspice, coriander. Sesame oil was then rubbed on the skin with remaining spices. I also stuffed a quarter of an onion in the neck.

I then proceeded to stuff the turkey. The turkey was stuffed with ground-up croutons, several of the above herbs, and a stick of butter. Additionally, I added chopped onions, scallions, mushrooms, garlic, and the turkey giblets. I placed the turkey in the oven, partially surrounded by the stuffing I couldn't fit inside the turkey and halved and quartered red potatoes. (Mayhap one should note I do not like potatoes, either. Why do I do my own shopping?)

I could not make a turkey alone, however, so I also made a few side dishes.

I decided to try to make a casserole, of sorts, with asparagus. I buttered the bottom of the dish (I like butter, can you tell?). I then laid a layer of asparagus in the bottom of the dish. I then poured on some wonderfully-flavored oyster crackers I had been munching on the day before. On top of that I put cream of mushroom soup. I then piled on mushrooms, onions, scallions, and another layer of asparagus. Then I put a little more cream of mushroom soup to cover the asparagus.

Next on my list was sweet potatoes. Those, I figured, could be prepared simply enough. I put a thin coat of sesame oil on the outside, then put them in the oven. When done, I cut a cross in the top of them to push-up the insides, added a little butter, then sprinkled-on salt and paprika.

Lastly, and most simply, I sliced some Roma tomatoes. No spices, no sauces, nothing fancy. Just slices of tomato.

All spices were freshly-ground (as applicable) by yours truly. Do note that rubbing your eyes after mincing garlic is an incredibly stupid idea. Additionally, the vegetables were all fresh-purchased before I cut them up. I can't stand canned vegetables.

I have never made turkey. I have never made stuffing. I have never made a casserole. I have never baked my own sweet potatoes. I had never really even seen this stuff done before. (Does this make me deprived or something?) I solicited suggestions for how to cook a turkey, the other day. Several people gave many helpful hints -- starting points for me, so I would at least have a vague idea of what I was doing. Everything I decided to make was done with no real plan or recipe in mind, however -- just a vague idea (turkey, asparagus, sweet potato).

And this is the result.

I admit this does not look pretty. But I'll let you in on a little secret...I am NOT a chef. And in the glass? Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (courtesy the holiday hawk).

So, how did it turn out?

...Decent enough, I suppose, for never having done any of this stuff before. The sweet potato -- the easiest thing to cook -- was excellent (try it the way I told you, trust me). The asparagus was pretty good, too, though it took me a few minutes to determine if I liked the texture of the crackers I had included. The stuffing was excellent, though a touch too moist (certainly edible, however). And the turkey? Tasty. The dark meat was a touch too dry. So was the breast meat on one side...rather, the outer-most layer, which is probably unavoidable (at least at my level of ability). However, except for a touch here or there, it was very moist and most enjoyable. This says a lot, though, considering I do not like turkey. And re-heated...it was awesome.

So while the food does not look particularly pretty, and I am not particularly skilled at cooking, the meal turned-out well. I did not want to originally eat it...I never want to eat food I spend time cooking (not immediately after the food is done cooking, anyway). Was it worth all the time and effort? I doubt it. But it was reasonably tasty.

So there you go. My first time cooking a turkey.