Turkey Pwnage!

On the 20th, for the first time ever, I made a full Turkey dinner for my friends. I made a bunch of appetizers for us to snack on all afternoon, and of course the full course Turkey dinner with gravy, stuffing, carrots, butternut squash, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce ( cheated on that one, got it pre-made at the deli lol) . One of my friends made a nice Amaretto cheesecake for desert. I ate sooooo much! I feel like I'll be rolling around until the 24th haha.

I don't have the pictures with me *yet*. As soon as I get a hold of them from my friend's camera, I'll update this opening post for you guys.

So here is what I made.

Turkey - Preheat oven at 340 degrees

1x 10lbs Turkey (thawed, rinsed inside out, and no giblets)
1 box of chicken stock
1-2 tbsp butter
Fresh Thyme twigs ( about a dozen )
1 tsp crushed rosemary
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder

Place cleaned turkey in a roasting pan, lined with a grill to prevent the bird from touching the bottom of it. Pour out chicken stock in the bottom, and have some in the cavity (it'll help getting moisture in the meat). Take about 3/4 of the thyme sprigs, and stuff them inside the cavity in the liquids.

With your fingers, rub the butter all over the turkey, and without breaking the skin, go under the skin and rub some in there too. After washing your hands, sprinkle garlic powder, paprika, and remaining herbs evenly all over the surface of the turkey.

Place lid on the roaster, and bake in oven at 340 for 4 hours. For the last cooking hour, place lid sideways to let the steam out. To know if it's cooked, just slide a knife between the leg and breast towards the bone, and if the liquids that surface from the puncture hole come out clear (no redness), it's done.

Make sure to baste with the bottom juices every hour, and right when you take it out once done, before letting it rest in the covered roaster for 20-60 minutes before cutting.

Gravy


-With your baster or carefully with a spoon, take all the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan (including the ones still in the cavity), and put in a small saucepan.
-With a spoon, spoon out the floating fat on top of the liquid and discard. Place over medium heat.
-in a cup, whisk together about a cup of water with 4 tbsp cornstarch, until it's no longer clumpy. Whisk into the stock, and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, whisking continuously.
-Season with salt and pepper to taste once it's thickened enough. If the sauce isn't thick enough, add a little more dissolved cornstarch into it, until desired consistency.

My Stuffing with Bacon (yes, bacon! :D)

In a large bowl, mix thoroughly using hands:

2 loafs sliced whole wheat bread, a couple of days old (so it's not too squishy like fresh bread), ripped into little pieces
4 big white onions, diced
6 celery stalks, diced in small pieces
1 package of smoked bacon slices, sliced into 2cm/1inch pieces
4 green apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into same size pieces as the onions
1/3 cup dried summer savory
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
2 cups (500ml) butter at room temperature
1/3 cup chicken or turkey stock

In a greased (with butter) baking dish, pack all the mixture tightly and evenly. Cover with aluminum paper and bake in the center of oven at 420 for 30 minutes, then uncover for 15 minutes to let top crisp a little bit.