Musing today of the Thanksgiving Turkey I probably won't end up having, except maybe if I go to Juniors in Brooklyn for Thanksgiving Dinner…and I just might do that.   

Note: BTW, many of my fellow bloggers at Know More Media have expressed their Thanksgiving Thanks - Bill Bellow at Rising Sun of Nihon - Happy Thanksgiving from RisingSunOfNihon - Sunset at the North Pole :

"…Below it was written - The Chinese have a saying that goes something like  this: "When someone shares with you something of value,  you have an obligation to share it with others!" 

Also, there was an older post (last Thanksgiving) at Mid Market Maven - Thanksgiving, Christmas And New Year Poems, Toasts and Prayers At Poemsource.com … I'd thought that there'd be more Thanksgiving comments.  Anyway, back to the subject of my post - a Thanksgiving Turkey Cooking Treat - that I'd love to get some stuffing traffic on - as well as a nice dinner.

But how long it takes to cook a Turkey and the best way to cook a Turkey (overnight?) or to carve a Turkey by getting a Turkey from the store, putting in the microwave (for several minutes) or cooking the Turkey in the oven at 400 degrees for a hour.  But what If the turkey hasn't completely defrosted by Thanksgiving eve or morning? 

But How does one Cook a Turkey Dinner?

Will I have to plan ahead; does it take about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey to defrost in the refrigerator?  

I don't know, I never cooked a Turkey before, except in my imagination. 

There's butterball turkey cooking turkey time and if I wanted to use Organic Turkey and Cook It Your Way  (by grilling a turkey using indirect heat in an outdoor covered gas or charcoal grill).  But there are more ways to cook a Turkey according to OrganicAuthority.com:

"..Deep-fat frying, smoking, using an oven cooking bag, roasting in aluminum foil, microwaving, using a pressure cooker and cooking a frozen turkey without thawing it are other ways to get the big bird done".

The apple pie recipe especially if you make a Turkey with Pineapple stuffing using the apple crisp recipe or french apple pie recipe to make apple pie spice cake in a
bundt pan while adding additional spices like ciminom, cardamom and nutmeg will make Turkey dinner taste even better.

I suppose I could watch Macy's thanksgiving parade while preparing deviled eggs all while napkin folding or just folding napkins as best I can.

I can just taste the superb Turkey Brine as the pie crust is prepared along with the yams. I know there's several recipes for Turkey Brine including the food network's turkey brine; Emeril has a turkey brine recipe that's gotten some attention but I like, simple turkey brine while Martha Stewart's turkey brine is a little too self consciously correct for me.  Also, Alton Brown talked about how to make Turkey Brine in a recent episode of his show.  And yet, preparing a turkey isn't brine surgery according to John Kass of the Chicago Tribune:

"…If your turkey comes with a sticker that says "salt added" and/or "liquid added," well, it's already been brined, SO DON'T BRINE IT.

If the turkey has not been pre-brined, then take two quarts of cold apple juice, one cup of kosher salt, two tablespoons each of sage, thyme, rosemary and freshly ground black pepper. Stir it together, cold. By this time your turkey has been thoroughly thawed and rinsed and cleaned. Place it breast-side down in a heavy plastic brining bag. DO NOT USE A CHEMICALLY SCENTED GARBAGE BAG."

I have been thinking of the Butterball Turkey I won't have - do we use a slow cooking turkey or does the turkey need a dry rub? What turkey cooking temperature do you really need?  Also, how much cooking time do we need for butterball turkeys? That's some Odd questions about Turkey from Butterball according to Thatsfit.com:

Q: Do Turkeys have belly buttons? (No, they're hatched from eggs)

Q: Can you keep an uncooked turkey frozen by strapping it to the luggage rack while driving to Minnesota? (Yes, if it's below freezing out. But be careful not to lose it. )

Q: if you're out of cooking oil, can you baste your bird with suntan oil? (Um …. no …)

Q: My Chihuahua is stuck inside the turkey — how can I get it out without ruining the pet or the dinner? (Yes, this is real)

Honestly, a lot of people are making thanksgiving day comments, some of them cute thanksgiving comments while others are on myspace, including some very funny thanksgiving comments and even very sexy thanksgiving comments.

But honestly, this has been a tough year for many as US investors take Thanksgiving break as woes mount

"..Anxious investors have more than enough to chew on, including rocketing oil prices, as they sit down to a traditional plate of turkey and cranberry sauce on Thursday. Some analysts say the holiday will provide little relief.

"The price Americans pay for turk
ey as well as Thanksgiving dinner as a whole will be higher in large measure to significant increases in energy, transportation and processing costs," said John Urbanchuk, a director of LECG, a California consulting firm.

The world's biggest economy grew at a robust 3.9 percent clip in the third quarter despite the housing downturn and a related credit crunch, but the Federal Reserve said Tuesday that growth is likely to slow in 2008 to between 1.8 and 2.5 percent.

The Fed's outlook contributed to heavy falls on Wall Street Wednesday and stoked expectations that the Fed will be forced to cut interest rates again at a December 11 meeting."

I know sweet potato casserole will help me avoid a low carb thanksgiving, and even if I avoid canned sweet potato casserole or tasting a butternut squash souffle, I'll have problems eating a Thanksgiving Dinner that's low carb.  Besides,  guests are always gobbling up leftovers of what your seeing below:

"…The feasting begins Thursday, when 88 percent of us will sit down to a succulent Thanksgiving bird with all the trimmings."

According to azstarnet.com "..There's a whole lot of turkey going down. If past behavior is any guide, Americans of every age will consume an average of more than 4 1/2 pounds of gobbler over the next six weeks, according to the National Turkey Federation. The federation's growers collectively produce enough turkey for nearly every one of us to consume an entire plump bird per person per year."

And what about the Apple of my eye?

And who can forget about apple pie?  What apple pie spice recipe will I miss? I know there's many apple pie filling recipes and it should be a simple apple pie recipe but I don't care for apple crisp recipes and I'm just looking for an easy apple pie recipe that I can make without too much trouble.

I can't imagine Thanksgiving Turkey without cranberry sauce - in fact, I don't tend to like to eat Turkey unless I can have it with homemade cranberry sauce, and I bet this year there will be plenty of fresh cranberries recipes online.