Turkey Trots

Another Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, and with it came many thoughts of years gone by.
 So many of those memories seemed to focus on The Turkey.  One of my earliest memories of doing the actual cooking of the bird is such a cliche; I left the little baggies of slimy turkey body parts inside the cavities. There was actually no harm done, just a little blow to my self esteem when I pulled the steaming mess out, providing a good laugh to my waiting diners.

Then there was the fatal hour early one Thanksgiving morning when after carefully preparing the turkey by removing the baggies (whew) and stuffing "Tom" with fragrant and hot dressing,  I realized the oven had not come on. I frustrated myself for awhile trying to trick it in to firing up, but ended up brainstorming with my daughter about what to do. We finally came up with a plan to call a friend. The call went something like this; "Hi Marie... Are you cooking a turkey today?... No? May we cook ours in your oven?" She promised to leave the front door unlocked, and we drove two miles, lugged the roasting pan up the walk, and found a locked door. Thankfully the back slider was open and we got the turkey going, saving that Thanksgiving day. Thanks dear friend!

While those memories bring a smile, the last one I'll write about still makes me cringe in disbelief even though I think I've forgiven myself for the debacle. We were joyfully planning a weekend in a Big Bear condo with Don's brother, my beloved sister-in-law, and their kids.  Our own three children were thrilled to get to spend two days with their cousins, and did their own packing.
My only dinner related task was to bring the turkey, while Valerie, a great cook, was preparing all the sides. I will blame my lapse of thinking on the fact that as a teacher, I had to work 'til 3:30 on Wednesday, leaving little time for planning. Long story short, I took a frozen twenty pound turkey up to Big Bear on Thanksgiving morning. It took hours, and hours to defrost, as everyone waited with empty stomachs and hopeful peeks into the kitchen. Finally, at least eight hours later than anyone expected, we got dinner on the table.
They always say turkey helps a person to sleep better, and that night it was true as we went from the dinner table to bed.