The holidays are upon us and I’m getting busier as the days go by. My schedule is filling up pretty fast and I’m sure that I’m not alone in that statement! These next two months are going to just fly by before we know it, so I wanted to make sure that we got some time in with good friends before things get too hectic. So the weekend before last, I invited a few friends and family members for a sort of pre holiday meal; a “Friendsgiving” celebration if you will.
I ran to Pick ‘n Save, my favorite local grocer and grabbed all of the fixings for an actual Thanksgiving dinner. I pulled it all off from the turkey and stuffing to sides, bread and even dessert. If you knew how much I despise going to multiple stores, then you’d know how convenient and important it is for me to be able to grab everything in one place!
Now I’m going to share a little secret with you all. I’m not generally a fan of turkey. I know, shocking, isn’t it? Well it’s a fact. I’m just not into dry meat and most turkey that I’ve had is just dry and not very tasteful. So when my husband and I started hosting Thanksgiving years ago, we felt the need to learn how to create the perfect turkey. We were able to accomplish just that and I’ll share my secret with you!
The first tip to a turkey that is deliciously moist is a garlic butter rub. You’ll need the following:
- 1/3 cup softened butter (not melted)
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp sage
- a few dashes of salt and pepper
You’ll combine all of the ingredients into a small bowl and stir well. Then you’ll go up between the meat and the skin of the turkey, loosening the two from each other, all around the breastplate that sits face up as you cook the turkey. Once that’s all separated, it’s time to get your hands dirty. You’ll scoop up a big glob of your garlic butter rub and rub it all around inside that turkey. Continue until all of the moxture is inside the turkey.
Now when it comes to turkey, it’s all about the stuffing. You have got to stuff that bird! My father in law has a delicious recipe for stuffing and I look forward to it every year. It involved the bagged stuffing, celery, spices and a few other ingredients and it really is quite tasty. I’ll share that recipe with y’all another time!
So, you’ve got to stuff your bird next, with whatever stuffing recipe you like. Once it’s stuffed, sprinkle some salt and pepper on that baby and stick it in one of those oven bags. That’s another secret to a perfectly moist turkey everyone. It’s all in the bag! The bag traps the drippings, so the turkey stays moist.
Follow the directions on the package for the turkey bags, as that is how you will cook your turkey. It will depend on the size turkey you buy too, so make sure to keep that in mind.
Our “Friendsgiving” meal turned out just wonderful and I can’t wait to cook another bird next week for Thanksgiving. We paired our turkey with traditional sides like Loaded Cheddar Bacon Mashed Potatoes, corn and dinner rolls. We even had Apple and Pumpkin Pies for dessert and the best part about that is I didn’t have to bake them! Shh, don’t tell, but they came fresh from the Pick ‘n Save bakery!
What Thanksgiving tips can you share with us?