1. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national symbol instead of the bald eagle.
2. The Turkey Trot, a ballroom dance, was named for the jerky moves a turkey makes.
3. Wild turkeys can fly but domestic varieties can't.
4. Turkeys have very good hearing but don't have external ears.
5. Presidential pardoning of turkeys dates back to 1947.
Thanksgiving Countdown
by Brandie Valenzuela - BMValen@aol.com
Now is the time to make those preparations for your Thanksgiving dinner! Here you will find a countdown that will help you to have everything ready by the big day!
Two Weeks Prior To Thanksgiving Or Now!
1) Plan your menu. Think about which items that can be made ahead of time and frozen, and plan these items in on your "to-do" list (see #4 below). Have a few items listed which you don't mind if a guest brings -- delegate these items when inviting your guests.
2) Invite your guests and get a firm commitment from them ASAP.
3) Make your shopping list, but only after you know exactly what your guests might be bringing. Don't forget to include important items such as film, batteries, and beverages.
4) Make a "Thanksgiving To-Do" list. List every little thing that you feel must be done prior to Thanksgiving. For example, detail cleaning, washing of serving pieces, shopping, raking of leaves in yard, cooking, decorating, etc.
5) Take your "Thanksgiving To-Do" list, and schedule time for each item. You may wish to complete one or two items a day until Turkey Day. Be sure to get the help of your spouse and children - delegate! Work on your personal "Thanksgiving To-Do" list in addition to the items in this countdown.
6) Order your turkey, if you order yours.
Ten Days Prior To Thanksgiving
1) Take an inventory of your chairs, tables, dishes, flatware, glassware, and linens. If items need to be cleaned, do so now. If you need more chairs, arrange that at this time.
2) Make sure you will have enough room in your freezer or refrigerator for the turkey. If you don't have enough room, plan now to make room by eating meals made from some of the items taking up the space.
3) Clean your refrigerator inside and out.
4) Shop for nonperishable groceries on your shopping list, or items you know will keep until Thanksgiving.
One Week Prior To Thanksgiving
1) Will children be at your home for Thanksgiving? Search the web and craft books for easy activities and games that will keep the children busy.
2) Also, if you are having young children in your home, do a safety check of your home. Are medicines and cleaners out of reach? Do your outlets have covers? Do you have breakable items that might be better off on a higher shelf? Do a thorough check of each room the children will occupy.
3) Have the children help you with some simple decorations. Create turkey's from pinecones, placecards, draw pilgrims for the refrigerator door, and more.
4) Re-evalute your "Thanksgiving To-Do" list. Is there many items you listed, that may be impossible to get done now? Be realistic and cross off items that can be skipped.
Five Days Prior To Thanksgiving
1) Plan seating arrangements.
2) To save money on bagged ice, start making your own ice cubes now, by freezing in trays, and when frozen, dump them in a freezer bag.
3) Shop for perishable Thanksgiving items between now and two days prior to Thanksgiving.
Two Days Prior To Thanksgiving
1) Is there any other dishes or desserts that can still be prepared ahead of time? If so, do them today.
2) Fill your salt and pepper shakers and butter dishes.
3) Defrost in the refrigerator any frozen side dishes.
4) Be sure your home is clean. If any other details need to be taken care of, do them now. Is your bathroom clean? Do you need to clean your front walk?
Day Before Thanksgiving
1) Prepare any dishes you couldn't freeze.
2) Chill beverages in refrigerator.
3) Buy bouquet of flowers for table or countertop, if you wish.
4) Do spot clean of rooms that will be used during the festivities.
5) If you have a formal dining area, set the Thanksgiving table now.
Thanksgiving Day
1) Finish last minute details: turkey, mashed potatoes, but most of all, enjoy yourself!
Turkey Basics
Definition:What is Turkey
For most families, Thanksgiving dinner would be unthinkable without this large native-American bird on the table. Long before the arrival of European settlers, wild turkeys populated the United States, Mexico and Central America and the Aztecs were busily domesticating them. The conquistadores took some of these domesticated birds back to Spain, and before long Europeans were breeding them into a much plumper version. Interestingly enough, European settlers brought some of these domesticated birds back to the New World in the 1600s and eventually began crossing them with America's wild turkeys. Most U.S. turkeys raised today are from the White Holland variety, which has been bred to produce a maximum of white meat (a U.S. favorite). In fact, the breasts of today's turkeys are so massive that they must rely on artificial insemination because they can't get close enough to mate. Although male (tom) turkeys can reach 70 pounds, those over 20 pounds are becoming less and less available. The female (hen) turkey usually weighs from 8 to 16 pounds. Gaining in popularity is a smaller version of both sexes (sometimes called a fryer-roaster), which weighs in at between 5 and 8 pounds. The trend toward these compact turkeys is the result of both smaller families and the desire of turkey producers to make turkey everyday rather than exclusively holiday fare. Turkeys are available fresh and frozen year-round. They're sold both whole and as separate parts--such as breasts or drumsticks. Some whole turkeys have had a built-in plastic thermometer implanted that pops up when the turkey is done. Self-basting turkeys have been injected with butter or vegetable oil. Smoked turkey--whole or breast--is also available, as is canned boned turkey. Turkey is very similar to chicken in many regards, including USDA grading. The government grades chicken quality with USDA classifications A, B and C. The highest grade is A, and is generally what is in markets. Grade B chickens are less meaty; grade C is usually reserved for scrawny turkeys. The neck and giblets (liver, gizzard and heart) are either packaged and placed in a whole bird's body cavity, or sold individually. Choose a meaty, full-breasted chicken with plump, short legs. The skin--which ranges from cream-colored to yellow--should be smooth and soft. Avoid chickens with an off odor, or with skin that's bruised or torn. Store in the coldest part of the refrigerator. If packaged tightly, loosen packaging or remove and loosely wrap chicken in waxed paper. Remove giblets from the body cavity and store separately. Refrigerate raw chicken up to 2 days, cooked chicken up to 3 days. For maximum flavor, freeze raw chicken no longer than 2 months, cooked chicken up to a month. Salmonella bacteria are present on most poultry (though only about 4 percent of salmonella poisonings are chicken-related). To avoid contamination, handle raw chicken with care. Never eat raw chicken. After cutting or working with raw chicken, thoroughly wash utensils, cutting tools, cutting board and your hands. Cook boneless chicken until the internal temperature is 179 degrees F, bone-in chicken to 180 degrees F. Don't let raw juice touch cooked chicken. Ways to prepare chicken include baking, broiling, roasting, frying, braising, barbecuing and stewing. Boning chicken shortens cooking time but slightly diminishes flavor. Chicken is an excellent source of protein and a fair source of niacin and iron. White meat and chicken without skin have fewer calories.
To Stuff or Not to Stuff
with Lisa DeLange from the Food Network Kitchen
Q: What are you stuffing your turkey with this year?
A: I never put stuffing in the bird, partly because it's fraught with potential bacteria growth. It's very difficult for stuffing to reach 155 degrees inside the bird, because that's what the breast itself should be. Any longer in the oven and the breast will be totally dry. But mainly I bake mine in a casserole dish on the side because I like my stuffing crispy on top and moist inside.
I never seem to have stock in the house---I always make soup with it right away. So when I make stuffing, it's with dairy, not stock. Instead of actual stuffing, what I'm really doing is making a savory bread pudding. I do one with leftover cornbread and sauteed chopped onion, celery, sage, and mushroom, and I stir in whatever creamy cheese I have in the house--maybe a goat cheese, maybe feta or fontina. Or Pecorino Pepato, which is fabulous. It's a Sicilian pecorino with peppercorns in it. I like varying this stuffing with shallots or leeks instead of onion, and I moisten it with milk and egg.
I follow the proportions for bread pudding so it's pretty moist. It differs from stuffing in that it has egg and milk instead of stock, so it puffs. I dot butter on the top so the top will be crispy and the inside will be soft and moist.
Stuffings and savory bread puddings are also good made with leftover garlic bread. You can layer slices of buttery garlic bread in a casserole and pour a rich chicken stock over it until it's quite moist, maybe 3/4 of the way up the sides. Then sprinkle it with fresh parsley and oregano (or put that into the stock), and sprinkle the whole thing thickly with a dry grating cheese, like Parmesan or Pecorino, and bake until it turns golden.
One of my favorite side dishes, by the way, and something that goes very well with these savory bread puddings, is a recipe I got from the Little House on the Prairie books. In Farmer Boy, the book about the childhood of Laura's husband, Almanzo, they saute sliced tart apples, with the skins on, with sliced onions and butter. It tastes so good. You can put a little celery salt in there if you want to be fancy. Saute until it's hot and softened, but not mushy, and it's fabulous with poultry.
