Last-minute advice on Thanksgiving dinner

And yes, there’s a lot of expectation, anticipation and tradition.

Oops. I bought my frozen turkey on Tuesday.

” To defrost in refrigerator, allow one day for every 4 to 5 pounds”.

16 pounder = 4 days to thaw (purchase by Sunday morning of Thanksgiving week).

If you don’t have a crowd coming for Thanksgiving, Easy Skillet Turkey Dinner for Four is the answer to your Thanksgiving dinner prayers!

The best way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator on a tray.

Frozen turkeys are available right now, so be hasty.

The recipes are mostly basic, whether you use the vegetable casserole that’s been on the table every year since you were a kid or dig into some new trend.

Foodday has always recommended the Chez Panisse Turkey Brine.

Dry brining is essentially salting the bird and allowing it to rest overnight. In that situation, salt draws the meat’s juices to the surface of the bird. But you also need to make sure you cook the meat to a safe temperature.

“We think that the pasture-raised turkey, the GMO-free, raised from grain the farmer made is the best turkey you can buy”, says Sara Bushong, Oasis at Bird-in-Hand’s office manager. Instead of turkey, little chickens, for example. Use a meat thermometer to tell you when it’s ready. The key is in choosing a cooking method that will do it justice.

If you don’t stuff the bird it will cook faster. A real selling point: It can be done in advance.

I bet you’re wondering why a fitness enthusiast like myself is excited for a day about over-eating. These fires then declined throughout the evening. This turkey started at $3.49 per pound, but went on sale for $1.99 per pound starting November 15. There is no official definition of “local” – some stores and producers use a 500 mile radius, or the state boundaries, or other rubrics – but home cooks should be able to find a local farm with a little research. The dish delivers everything you expected from a good roast chicken – crispy skin, tender breast meat and dense, flavorful dark meat. You might consider a duck, which is smaller, with rich, gamy flavor. A quick guide to making turkey broth and gravy.

The main course is Utah Wight Family Farms free-range roasted turkey with accoutrements such as purée blanche ravioli, Romanesco Brussels sprouts gratin, quinoa with shallots and roasted pine nuts and much more, including housemade desserts. Discard the solids and measure the stock; you should have 4 cups. According to the USDA, the oven temperature should never be lower than 325 degrees.

How do I make a flawless pie crust?

-Snack on fruit and vegetables throughout day so you don’t approach the dinner table with an empty stomach. And if something does go wrong, roll with it. Yes, I said “dressing;” after all I’m from Texas, y’all, and we don’t call it stuffing.

First of all, you have to learn to let go. For $7.97, this sandwich is filled with cranberry sauce, sriracha, turkey and havarti. Cool, cover and chill until it is time to make the gravy.

Not to despair, Christmas comes and the whole turkey extravaganza starts again.

As I test the recipes and tweak proportions so they work for a home cook, then photograph them in our studio, I’m always fascinated to see how miraculously the traditional and eclectic dishes always somehow wind up working together. Then, slice off the bird’s wings – which nobody eats anyway – and add them to the other parts. Reheat or finish baking on Thursday.

The idea of having a host of articles and shows all about how to take care of me sounds really, really, tempting. Whether you are with family or friends at home or at a fancy restaurant, here’s to hoping you have a reason to be thankful. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Mash pies into ramekins for a kind of custard.