Cooking Thanksgiving dinner can be a fun and memorable experience. If possible get your family and relatives involved in the cooking process and it can be a learning experience for them as well. Start asking someone to chop up some russell potatoes, yellow onions, and bulk carrots. These vegetables will go under the Turkey to keep it up off of the bottom of the pan. The idea is to keep the Turkey out of the drippings which would make it soggy and disgusting if left to cook in.
While someone is chopping those veggies, wash your Turkey inside and out. Make sure you take the giblets out and keep them in the frig for the gravy that you will make later. After washing the Turkey thouroughly, rub it with salt and olive oil. The oil and salt will help the Turkey to cook better as well as give it extra flavor. Some prefer to use butter instead of olive oil, but I like the taste the olive oil gives the turkey and the drippings which you will use for making gravy.
Place the turkey on the vegetables and stuff the Turkey with celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, sage, oregano, and a bay leaf. You won't eat these vegetables and herbs, but they will serve to add flavor to the bird. Get the turkey in the oven at 350 degress. Wash your hands as you have been handling uncooked meat that can make you and your family sick. Plan ahead of time and expect the turkey to take between 4-7 hours depending on how many pounds it is. In the meantime you can start on the other fixings like cranberries.
Fresh cranberries are by far worth the extra effort. It's really not that much extra effort as a matter of fact. Just wash the cranberries and put them in a pan with some water and sugar. Adjust the water to sugar ratio depending on your taste. Usually 1 cup of sugar per 1/2 pound of cranberries is about the right amount. Add enough water to just cover the cranberries in the pot. Cook off the water on low heat until you have a think cranberry sauce and then place it in the frig to serve later. The next course to work on is the stuffing.
I prefer to make the stuffing outside of the Turkey in a 9 by 13 inch pan. I start by browning some onions in butter. Then I add some fresh spinach and garlic. After the spinach has wilted add some stale bread to the pan. While the bread is absorbing the buttery onion / spinach flavor whisk together come half and half, 2 large eggs, salt, and pepper. Transfer the bread, onion, and spinach mixture to the 13 by 9 inch pan and pour the half and half / egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with italian seasoning and some fresh chopped parsley. You can put this in the frig and wait to cook it in the oven with the turkey for the last hour.
By this time your turkey has been in the oven cooking for about an hour and it is time to begin basting it. Take your baster and suck up the drippings in the bottom of the pan and release them over the top of the turkey. You'll want to do this every half hour until the turkey is done. You will know that the turkey is done when your meat thermometer registers 170 degrees F. I like my turkey well-done at a safe high temperature well beyond the recomended internal safe temperature.
John Lorber is a professional chef and writer for EasyRecipes.us. Visit http://www.easyrecipes.us for more of his recipes which he adds to weekly.