I will be sure to pass on those excellent suggestions to the rest of my family as I sit like a lump on the couch, being served and watching whatever football game is on. There is some benefit to being the elder male in the family; I have become my father and it ain't bad. Happy Thanksgiving; say a prayer for our troops serving in combat.....Bill

Being mostly vegetarian I am turkey challenged as well. But I am a firm believer in natural turkeys, meaning ones coming fresh from a farm that you know how they were raised and organic in a pinch. These turkeys are WAY smaller than those huge, Butterball type ones you get in the store, and are really quite easy to prepare. No more difficult than roasting a chicken for Sunday dinner. I'm not sure about doing 3 at a time though. I'm not really sure about doing two at a time. I just did one 12lb. one for my small family and that was plenty. Honestly, I would do one the day before and put it in a roasting pan with some dressing and freshen it with broth the next day and cover with foil and have it ready to go. You're supposed to be giving thanks on Thanksgiving and enjoying time with friends and family, not running a restaurant. And if you could do one on the grill, that might be fun. My aunt was famous for her barbecued turkey, which she did at summer picnics instead of chicken. They had one of those electric rotisserie grills. But honestly, you can't go wrong with the smaller turkeys. I was so worried my first time, but now I think roasting birds is the easiest thing. It's really up to you how you want to do them, all methods are good. I just roast because that's the easiest for me. The times when I've had bad birds was due to the breeding and bird itself, the quality of the meat, not the preparation. That's really the key, get a good bird to start with and you really can't go wrong. The only other thing that is death to a roasted bird is having it sit in the oven or over the heat however you are preparing it, long after it is done. So invest in a good, reliable meat thermometer. Both times I've had dry turkey it was due to the turkey being held and "warmed" for WAY too long.

I used the attached recipe once. The turkey part of it was great. The gravy, not so much, although The Bitten Word Boys thought it was fabulous. Oh, I couldn't find turkey leg quarters, so I dismantled the turkey myself. I can cut up a chicken, how hard can it be to cut up a turkey? The answer is: harder than a chicken! Make-Ahead Turkey Cook's Country (October/November 2011) Serves 10 to 12 Check the label when you're shopping for turkey. If there's an ingredient list, the bird has been enhanced and will work in this recipe. If you prefer natural, unenhanced parts, we recommend brining. (Dissolve 1 cup of salt in 2 gallons of cold water. Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Proceed with step 1 of Day 1, omitting the salt for seasoning.) Notes from Zach and Clay of TheBittenWord.com: Several readers have written to ask about the two turkey legs are used in the making of the gravy for this recipe. Are they served or discarded? The answer is that the legs are discarded along with the other solids after you make the stock, as the flavor of them has mostly been extracted in order to make a flavorful base for the gravy. INGREDIENTS 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 4 (1½- to 1¾-pound) turkey leg quarters, trimmed 1 (6- to 7-pound) whole bone-in turkey breast, trimmed 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Salt and pepper 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 cups water 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup all-purpose flour DIRECTIONS DAY 1 Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme in large roasting pan. Set V-rack inside pan. Pat turkey legs and breast dry with paper towels. Arrange 2 legs and breast, skin side up, in V-rack. Brush turkey with butter and season with salt and pepper. Place remaining 2 legs in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Place roasting pan on middle rack and baking dish on lower rack. Roast until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 2 to 2½ hours. Transfer 2 legs and breast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Transfer vegetables in roasting pan and remaining 2 legs to large pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth, water, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Simmer over medium-low heat until reduced to 5 cups, 1¼ to 1½ hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container, discarding solids. Let cool for 1 hour, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 2 days. Wrap cooled legs and breast tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. DAY 2 Scrape fat from top of chilled stock and reserve 5 tablespoons. Bring stock to simmer in medium saucepan. Set aside ¼ cup stock. Heat reserved fat in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in remaining 4¾ cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to 4 cups, 12 to 14 -minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer legs and breast to carving board. Separate legs into thighs and drumsticks and arrange on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Cut breast meat from bone into 2 single breasts. Working one at a time, remove skin from breast in 1 piece; reserve. Slice breast crosswise into ¼-inch slices and place on 18 by 12-inch sheet of aluminum foil, keeping slices together. Pour 2 tablespoons reserved stock over each breast and top with reserved skin. Wrap tightly and place on rack with legs. Roast until turkey is heated through and thighs and drumsticks are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard breast skin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with gravy. Here is a link that might be useful: The Bitten Word Make Ahead Turkey

Can't tell ya how many times I've made this. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter. KT'er shared this and ***are my recommentations Posted by Elle 53 In SI NY on Wed, Nov 24, 99 at 10:10 Ritz Cracker Stuffing 1 pound of Ritz crackers **3 sleeves 2 onions 12 oz fresh mushrooms 3 eggs 1 can Swansons chicken broth salt and pepper to taste ***add poultry seasoning to taste How to make: 1-saute onions and mushrooms in 1/3 cup of vegetable oil- let cool 2- crushed crackers in bowl add chicken broth and eggs mix well add cooled mushroom and onions mix well add salt and pepper add mixture to well oiled baking pan bake at 350 oven covered for 1 hour **I don't cover ---------------------------------------------------------- Made this two years ago for Thanksgiving Individual Pumpkin custard 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 large eggs 1 can (15 ounces) 100% Pure Pumpkin 1 can (12 fluid ounces) Evaporated Milk Directions PREHEAT oven to 300 F. MIX sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. If desired, cover and freeze filling for up to one month. When ready to bake, simply defrost, mix well and proceed with recipe. POUR into eight 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins on baking sheet. I put it in the refrigerator, overnight, before baking the next day, just let it sit on the counter before baking ----------------------------------------------------- DELICIOUS!!!! Baked Sweet Potatoes with maple-jalapeno sour cream Rub oil and salt on 4 scrubbed, sweet potatoes and dried Place on rack and take 450 for 40-45 minuts or until soft (I wrap mine in foil) Topping Combine 1/2 c sour cream 1 Tbl maple syrup 2 tsp seeded and minced jalapeno ***I use canned minced green chiles, drained 1 tsp lime juice salt and tobasco to taste chill Serve potatoes with: maple-jalapeno sour cream bacon bits sliced scallions ---------------------------------------- BAKE for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in custard halfway between center and edge of ramekin comes out almost clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with dollop of light whipped cream, if desired.