Being away from home, it always makes it bearable being so far from family if I do the usual things I took for granted while growing up when I was back home. The most poignant times are when I celebrate the traditional festivities such as Thanksgiving. It makes me feel less displaced and more like I’m still on a journey towards finding my true self. My simple logic that puts my mind at ease is that wherever I find myself in the world, I can always make a home for myself as long as I am secure about what I want from life and that I am proud of what I have accomplished.

Anyhoo, back to the turkey… It’s been quite awhile since I prepared my own Thanksgiving feast. This was actually only my second turkey that I ever made, with the exception of doing a deconstructed turkey photo shoot (which I didn’t cook but photographed). It made me feel like it was my first time. I was nervous about the outcome, lest the bird became a failure, reducing all my fruitless attempts to nothing but a lousy memory. Hence, referring to myself as a birdbrain whenever I see a turkey.

Thanksgiving has always been a family affair, and it’s been ages since my husband and I together had a chance to spend some time with family and friends from back home on Thanksgiving. I can’t compare having dinner out with family and friends to celebrate the occasion. It actually defeats the purpose. Thanksgiving is supposed to be celebrated amongst family and friends at home where you relax as much as you can, unbutton your trousers and just plop down on the sofa and listen to your relatives reminisce or debate about anything and everything they can think of.

Thanksgiving is thought of primarily as an American celebration, when in fact, just like Christmas, it’s a universal occasion. Everyone, after all, has something to be thankful for and that’s the true essence of Thanksgiving: giving thanks for all the good things that happened to you the whole year. That is precisely why it was about time to cook our own Thanksgiving and start a new tradition. I consulted with Mom and my friend Camille. I used Alton Brown’s brining method and ordered the Turkey from France, a smallish bird about 6 pounds. I was fearful if I went full size it might not have fit into the oven. I was very tempted to take out my Crème brûlée torch that I couldn’t find and give the legs a bit of a tan, but I was exhausted from the three day cook-off and just wanted to sit down and grub. I used a lamb, maple sausage, baguette stuffing, that was fairly easy but took a lot of prep work.

There’s always a first time for everything and it’s never too late for a first time for anything. Needless to say, my turkey was a resounding success!

No Left Over Maple Lamb Sausage Stuffing
(serves 6)

(Leave cut and a cubed baguette over night or if you are in a hurry use the oven to crisp them)

1 package of maple sausage links (raw and removed from their casing if possible but not necessary)
1 package of lamb sausage
1 stalk of celery
6 small cubes of Knorr Chicken Stock (adjust to taste)
1 Pinch of Thyme
1 Pinch of Sage
1 Onion
1 Stick of butter
2 2ggs

Directions: Sautee everything for the exception of the egg and bread, you’ll want to add a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent the butter from burning. After the sausage has cooked and veggies have caramelized, you’ll add the mixture to the bowl of bread cubes. You’ll then add 2 eggs, mix, and add the chicken stock until the mixture is damp but not soggy. Bake for 45 minutes at 180c covered in foil, unwrap the foil to allow the top to crisp, about 20 minutes more at 210c.

As you know, today is Wednesday, a day of the week we dedicate to a different country and its cuisine.  This week we have landed in Antarctica.  Because the fare of those living in Antarctica tends to be unappealing to us humans we have decided to dedicate this post to Thanksgiving preparation, namely, cooking a turkey.  But, before we launch into our sage advice about turkey preparation we would like to direct you to two websites:  Cool Antarctica and World Wildlife Fund.

At Cool Antarctica you can read some interesting facts, look at beautiful pictures and contemplate putting this destination on your bucket list.   At World Wildlife Fund you can read about their mission to protect nature and the beautiful creatures that are in danger, which includes one of our favorites, the Polar Bear.

OK folks, let’s talk turkey. Making a turkey is not as daunting a task as you may think. There is too much stress associated with the cooking of the big bird. Why is there stress? We have a couple theories: (1) many may be making a turkey for the first time. The stress associated with hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for the first time is worth of a few restless nights. After all it isn’t just about the turkey. There are side dishes and desserts. (2) Who cooks something that large during the rest of the year? Cooking a turkey that weighs 15-20 pounds is quite different than cooking an oven roaster chicken that weighs about 5 pounds. Or is it?

We contend that cooking that massive bird is not much different than cooking a small chicken. The best piece of advice that we can give you is to plan, plan, and plan! If you have a solid plan you will not fail. This is why we find Alton Brown’s recipe for brining and cooking a turkey, by far, the best out there for it is fool proof. Trust us.

But, before we get to Alton Brown’s recipe lets discuss a trial run or shall we say a “chicken run”. Part of a good plan begins with practice and as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. If you have never made a turkey having a trial run should not be an option. It should be a mandatory part of your Thanksgiving plan.

Yes, you will be doing this with a small chicken, but you will get the feel for the process, the timing (just multiplied with the turkey) and the coordination it takes to pull off the Thanksgiving feast. You have to eat dinner right? Well, make a wonderful chicken dinner with all the trimmings about 10 days before the holiday, following the same recipe for your turkey and for your sides, just in smaller portions.

Having a trial run will not cost you an arm and a leg. Roaster chickens are inexpensive and you will need all the same ingredients for the actual turkey. Think of it as doing some preliminary Thanksgiving shopping, which will actually make your major shopping trip that much easier.

Obviously we needed to adjust the measurements and times for the trial run. Please note the changes in parentheses; these will be the adjustments to use for the “Chicken Run”. Also, one of the best ways to assure success is to pre-read all recipes prior to actually making them. Thanksgiving is a good time to remember all those grandmotherly quotes. Here are some of the most important ones to keep in mind:

1. Keep it Simple (Stupid) K.I.S.S.
2. Haste makes waste
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
3. Practice makes perfect.
4. Patience is a virtue (that most of us don’t have!)

We’d love to hear some of your grandmother/mother quotes. What a fun way to entertain your guests, too. Start a list of quotes and ask your guests to add their favorites. If done anonymously you can guess who wrote what quote.

Alton Brown’s Fool Proof Turkey

Ingredients

1, 14 to 16 pound, frozen young turkey (1, 5 pound oven roaster chicken)

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt (1/3 cup)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (3 tablespoons)
1 gallon vegetable stock (1 quart)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns (1 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries (1/2 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger (1/2 teaspoon)
1 gallon heavily iced water (1 quart)

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced (very small apple or half a normal sized apple)
1/2 onion, sliced (1/4 onion)
1 cinnamon stick (1/4 stick)
1 cup water (1/4 cup)
4 sprigs rosemary (1 sprig)
6 leaves sage (2 leaves)
Canola oil

Directions

1. 2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

2. Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

3. Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

5. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

6. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

7. Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting.

8. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

NOTE: For the “Chicken Run” preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Follow the same guidelines with the exception of time. The chicken should finish cooking in 1- 11/2 hour. If you don’t have a thermometer, buy a simple one. It is worth the money. If you can, buying the oven roaster chicken with the plastic popper that alerts you that the chicken is finished.