How to Cook a Turkey

Steve insisted we do Thanksgiving dinner anyway. We'll cook a whole bunch of food and eat it over the course of the following week. Yes! Thursday morning, we're gonna volunteer at the county soup kitchen and cook a gigantic meal for tons of people.

Our larger than life meal at home won't be that much different than many of sides we prepare regularly, we're just adding a big ol' bird. I happen to be a big fan of turkey meat, especially the dark variety: yes I'm a BIG fan of protein. Oh, and Steve says he wants to make a whole slew of pies. Most of which he'll consume within a few days. Stew & Melissa may even stop by on their Thanksgiving hop around to 5 different meals at friends homes that day.

On the Thanksgiving menu:

roasted turkey with great-grandma's stuffing recipe & cranberry-orange sauce
baked butternut squash with cinnamon & butter
green bean casserole
*pierogies with potato, cheddar, & chives served with sour cream
apple pie & pumpkin pie with whipped cream
sparkling cranberry punch
sparkling apple cider

*Everything is homemade except for Mrs. T's pierogies.

Regarding the upcoming holiday, in which the last Thursday of November was declared a national day of Thanksgiving by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, it wasn't an official holiday until it was sanctioned by Congress in 1941 as the 4th Thursday of November. Anyway, due to holiday feast traditions of roasted turkey, here are a few ideas on how to cook a turkey courtesy of Mrs. Taussig's Kindergarten class at Hurst Elementary School in Holly Hill, Florida (2004):

"You put the bones in the turkey and then you took it fast for 100 and 100 minutes. Then you slide it all over the table and smash it and smash it til it's done. Then you put frosting on it and candles, then you put the rings on. Then you spell B-R-I-T-N-N-A-P-O-F. Then you eat it."
-- By Chef Brittany

"You put the turkey in the oven and you cook it for 10 minutes. The oven is 10 degrees. You open up the oven and then you take it out and start eating it and that is how you know it's done. Then you feel with the spoon to see if it's frozen, and if it's not, you feed it to the kids. The End!"
-- By Chef Kevin

"You put his face on first and then his feet. You put him in the oven and you cut him up. You cook the turkey for 5 minutes at a little bit hot. You know the turkey is done by opening up the oven, and it looks like chicken."
--By Chef Taylor

"First you get a gun and you shoot the turkey. Then, you bring it inside, and you put it in the oven. 15000 minutes at too hot you can't even lift it up. You know when it is done when your mom come in to say, 'the turkey's done, the turkey's done, the turkey's done.' Then, when it's done you have to get a big giant plate because it is so big you need a bigger plate. If it is too hot, you leave it for 15 minutes, and then you eat it with a bigger knife and bigger fork, and then you throw it away. And then, you eat the corn."
--By Chef Kerrick