Turkey and Stuffing

My favorite dish every Thanksgiving is the stuffing. When I was a kid my plate would basically have stuffing and mashed potatoes on it. I have branched out since then... but stuffing it still, to me, the cream of the crop.


Stuffing Ingredients:

-chopped Celery and Onions cooked in a stick of melted butter.
-Then add salt, pepper, and some bell's seasoning.
-Add cubed white bread and mix all together.
-add chicken stock to moisten.

The amount will depend on how many you are cooking for. Stuff what you can into the neck and cavity of the turkey and the rest can be cooked in the oven. There is a huge difference between the stuffing from the turkey and the stuffing baked in the oven. The turkey stuffing is so much moister. You can tell even by the pictures.

Ma cooks up the giblets with onion, celery, salt and pepper covered in water to make the stock for the gravy. Grandma Horton then takes over and makes the gravy.


The Turkey

In Rehoboth there is a place called Bellwig Turkey Farm where people line up all down Route 44. I always feel a little bad driving by because you know their death is imminent. A vegetarian friend of mine worked there one season... before becoming horribly traumatized. He is still a vegetarian. Kids from town would sometimes steal the turkeys too, spray-painting them green and gold and bringing to the Thanksgiving Day Game against Seekonk. They'd walk their rescued turkeys on a leash. One year we gave into the frenzy of Bellwig Turkey Farm and got our turkey there. It wasn't great. My mom thinks the Butterball Turkeys at Hannaford's or Shaw's are way better. Anyway, this is how we cook our turkey.

My mom has her Grandmother's roaster passed down through the matriarchs. We cook the turkey down in the basement and the smell wafts up all morning.

Preparing the Turkey:
First my mom stuffs it and then rubs it in vegetable oil.
Tuck the wings under and then put a few teaspoons of water on the bottom of the roasting pan. This makes for a better gravy and easier cleanup.
Cook for 18 minutes per pound (ours was 16.65, you do the math)

Take out the stuffing and serve it in a bowl and then use the drippings for gravy. To the drippings you add salt, pepper, stock (described above), Wondra, and thyme.

Happy Thanksgiving!!