So, you survived purchasing the turkey, right? It wasn't that bad, was it?
I told you so.
Anyway, today we will be moving right along to the preliminaries for prepping your bird.
After dinner tomorrow night---which would be Wednesday---make
sure you pull it out of the freezer and put it in the sink to defrost.
It takes some time to shake off all the ice, so just leave it in its
wrappings and let it sit in the sink. Pour yourself an adult beverage
and walk away, righteous in the knowledge that you're getting ready for
Thursday, even if you're going to go and have a bourbon while you watch
The West Wing.
You will be leaving it in the sink all night long to defrost. You could
put it in a roasting pan and put it in the fridge to defrost, but I'm
sure your fridge is already loaded with beer and wine for the upcoming
dinner and you don't have room for a bird in a pan in there. Honestly,
this is easier and contrary to the conventional wisdom of today, you
won't die of salmonella poisoning if you opt for the sink method of
defrosting.
Yet, if you're really paranoid and would prefer the fridge method, know
that you'll want to put your turkey in the fridge on Wednesday morning.
It simply takes longer. I suppose this would be a good time to talk
about stuffing. You assumed you were supposed to buy stuffing, right?
Well, ok, good for you then. I'm glad you picked some up because I
forgot to tell you to do so. I'm liking the fact you're a problem
solver: that makes my job all the easier. Well done, my friend. Well
done, indeed!
I always buy Pepperidge Farm stuffing
because I believe it tastes the best. Plus it's what Mom uses, so it's
got that whole "taste of my youth" thing going for it. If you opt for
this, I would recommend buying the Pepperidge Farm stuffing with the
blue label. It's loose stuffing and I find it works a lot better than
the cubed stuff. More pliable and easily shoved into turkey cavities.
But, if you're diametrically opposed to the notion of loose stuffing,
get the cubed stuff. No big whoop. The Pepperidge Farm stuffing tastes
good; somewhat spicy, but not too much to turn anyone off. If you've
seen a recipe for oyster stuffing somewhere and want to try it out,
well, I'm not your girl. I grew up in Nebraska and have lived in
landlocked states ever since: what the hell would I know about oysters?
Go bug some east coast bloggers for that info. There were some other
things you needed to pick up at the store besides stuffing, like a ball
of string, vegetable oil, a granny-smith apple and a garlic bulb, but
I'm sure you got those as well, so you're really on top of it. Way to
go, my little turkey-newbie. Top marks! Coming up in our next
installment: How to not freak out when you shove your hand inside the
turkey!