The day was amazing really.  It started with egg casserole, gluten free biscuits, and homemade pumpkin butter (recipe to come).  The turkey went into the oven by 10am.  Stuffed with cornbread stuffing and sitting upside down on the roasting rack.  I basted it with olive oil before putting it in the oven.

Who decided what was right side up for a turkey, I’m not really sure.  I sleep stomach side down, and I’ve never once thought I was sleeping upside down.  But whatever.  The turkey’s back was facing upwards.  You get the idea.

Let’s talk logistics: white meat cooks faster than dark meat.  Putting white meat closer to the heat source is about the silliest idea ever then.  It should be the reverse.  Of course, the downside of this is that the “top” of the bird becomes the underside and doesn’t turn that beautiful golden brown color.  It, quite simply, doesn’t look like it “should”.  The obvious solution here is to flip it at the end so the “top” can still get golden brown.

This presents obvious challenges.  14 lbs. is a big bird to completely flip, especially when it’s unbelievably hot.  My mother happens to have these tongs that are like a foot and a half long.  I pretty much shoved them up the turkey’s butt, and with the assistance of my dear little sister, we managed alright.  After the turkey was flipped, I basted the new “top” with olive oil and put it back in the oven.  The turkey was tender, even for leftovers.  I was a little amazed.

A lot of people say that flipping the bird mid-roast is ridiculous.  And while I can definitely understand their point, I’ve never had a turkey so beautiful and so tender.  You just can’t argue with that.

Buddy, the elf. What’s your favorite color?

Joy the Baker talked on her podcast about things that you want to know about people, but it’s just too awkward to ask. When I first started dating the boyfriend, I wanted to know if he was a food-sharer, but I didn’t know how to ask without being weird about it. He is. Phew!

It’s hard to find someone who agrees with you on these things… especially if you’re not allowed to ask. And while the boyfriend is great, and the roommates too… there’s something special about spending time with family. You quote the same movies and laugh at the same kinds of jokes. You play Super Mario Galaxy 2 ( which is one of the best 2 player wii games yet) as a perfect team. But mostly, you can say, “I’m going to the Dickens festival”, and it doesn’t seem weird to them.

If I were an iron chef, I know who my sous chefs would be: my little sister and my boyfriend.

A good sous chef is severely underrated. Sometimes, when somebody offers to help you in the kitchen, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. They cut things unevenly, they’re constantly in the exact place where you need to be, and they need you to explain how to stir a cream sauce so it doesn’t burn (of course, even after the lesson, the cream sauce burns).

The sister and the boyfriend have it down perfectly. Neither of them cook much on their own, so they don’t try to tell me that something is needed in the potatoes. They work flawlessly to help me accomplish my artistic vision (I sound so stuck up, don’t I?). Our Thanksgiving dinner was amazing, and I’m so thankful for my little sister’s hand in that, even if she didn’t contribute a dish. She did everything, and my day was considerably less stressful because of it.

… But mostly, when I asked her what I should blog about, she said “me”.

I’m a planner through and through.  I like to know what’s going on, and when I don’t know, I like to figure it out.  Having a plan is always better than not having a plan.  And I’m good at that.  I make great plans.  I think through all of the details, and my plans generally go smoothly.

Except sometimes, they don’t.  Sometimes, I forget to get the sweetened condensed milk.  Sometimes, that just happens.  And sometimes, when that happens, I throw a fit.  Maybe not out loud.  But in my head, there’s a huge tantrum raging.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Some of our plans aren’t going to go the way they’re supposed to.  Stores will be closed when we totes forgot that last ingredient.  So if you’re like me… let’s try to go with the flow.  K, thanks, bye!