Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble.

I learned today, while "teaching" Tyler about the first Thanksgiving, that they didn't actually have turkey or mashed potatoes! They probably had venison and duck. I can't believe there weren't any mashed potatoes! http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/feast/

Enjoy your day! We are going to Nee-Nee and Papa's house to enjoy the Turkey, prepared by Papa, inspired by Emeril Lagasse. Papa is has the turkey soaking in a brine now. :) And hopefully we will have some sort of potato dish, and as always, I will provide the deviled eggs. No venison, no duck, no thank you! From Emeril's site:
How to brine
Remove the neck, giblets and liver, and reserve for the gravy.Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.Dissolve 1 cup salt and 1 cup brown sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container, such as a clean bucket or large stock pot. (You can even pour it into a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag, or a small ice chest that will hold the turkey snugly).To the brine solution I also like to add 2 quartered oranges, 2 quartered lemons, 6 sprigs of sage, and 4 sprigs of roughly chopped rosemary.Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use one-half cup salt and one-half cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water.Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out.Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan, loosely tie drumsticks together with kitchen string, and cook as desired.