My favorite turkey recipe EVER

I wanted to share the recipe for the turkey I cooked last Thanksgiving that was the best we have ever had. I was a bit scared since I am big on a lot of seasoning but I guarantee there was plenty of flavor and the first time ever that we did not throw anything away! I think the beer might of had something to do with it ;) *This is the photo I posted last year.


BEER AND ROSEMARY ROASTED TURKEY

Prep Time: 25 minutes Start to Finish: 4 Hours Makes 12-14 Servings

Ingredients:
• 1 whole turkey (12 to 14 lb), thawed if frozen
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 can or bottle (12 oz) dark beer (I recommend Guiness or AmberBock)
• ½ cup cold water
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove and discard neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Fasten neck skin to back of turkey with skewer. Fold wings across back of turkey so tips are touching. In shallow roasting pan, place turkey, breast side up.
2. In medium microwaveable bowl, stir together butter, mustard, rosemary, salt, pepper, and beer. Microwave uncovered on High 1 to 1½ minutes, stirring after 30 seconds, until well mixed. Brush about 1/3 of mixture evenly over surface of turkey. Fasten drumsticks together with cotton string. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh and does not touch bone.
3. Roast uncovered 2½ to 3 hours, brushing with addition beer mixture and pan juices every 30 minutes. Turkey is done when thermometer reads 165 degrees and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted. If necessary, cover turkey breast with heavy-duty foil during last 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours of baking to prevent excess browning.
4. Let turkey stand 15 to 20 minutes for easier carving. Remove skewers before slicing.
5. Meanwhile, measure drippings and enough water to make 2 cups. In 2-quart saucepan, heat drippings to boiling. In small cup, stir together cold water and flour until smooth. Stir flour mixture into boiling drippings. Continue stirring 2 to 3 minutes longer or until gravy is thickened and bubbly. You can add your favorite seasonings to taste.

Thanksgiving 2011 with the Mckoy family

Wow, I feel like it has been a while since I last posted on my blog! I had been so busy with Thanksgiving preparations and having the most fun family friends come visit us. Tanyetta and her family came to South Carolina for a few days and spent the holiday with us! We have been friends for about 4 years now (met through the blog) and we finally got to meet in person. We had such a wonderful time and it is amazing how much Dwayne and Tanyetta are alike as well as how much Darrin and I have in common. I told Tanyetta that she and Dwayne were separated at birth! They were working my nerves :)

Look at how all 3 of the younger kids were totally not feeling being photographed! We ate, we laughed, ate some more, laughed a whole lot more and repeated the process. To say we were meeting for the first time, you would have thought we had known each other for life. The children had so much fun running around and playing. I enjoyed holding sweet little Gracen. I got to have my baby-fix. There is nothing like having a sleeping little one in your arms. If Dwayne is reading this don't worry, I am NOT getting any ideas :)

Is this not the sweetest family photo? Awww!! By the way, Tanyetta is the most "picturetakenestfool" ever! Her hubby Darrin is such a good sport! She takes pictures of EVERYTHING! She insisted that they had to get a photo by the wall letters I have up in the front entrance of our home. I will say that it is a lovely photo :)

Look at these faces. They refused to cooperate all at the same time. They were ready to get back to having FUN!!

We were so happy to have the Mckoy family visit us and this was the BEST Thanksgiving EVER!! Thanks for driving from so far to spend it with us. Great memories were made!

Happy Thanksgiving

I wanted to wish all my favorite people in the blogworld a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for everyone who takes time to read and comment on my blog. If you are traveling please be safe and enjoy your time with loved ones. We are staying home and I am going to prepare a big feast with the girls. We are doing the same traditional meal like we do every year since I always get outvoted. Don't be surprised if I post photos!
I am also preparing for Black Friday with Dwayne. We have our list made out of what we need from each store. I plan to pack snacks and bottled water just in case. We are keeping things simple and are mostly buying necessities although I do have Keurig on my mind (hint hint)...I'll even take the cheaper model. We were lucky last year that it was not as crowded as we thought it would be so let's hope it works out that way this year. I can't wait!

Are you brave enough to hit the streets on Black Friday?

Thanksgiving photos

We had a really lovely Thanksgiving this year. As always we had tons of great food and I wanted to share a few photos.

Here is the pasta and cheese experience. Okay fine, it was mac & cheese but a lot went into it!

Here is all the good stuff on one plate (paper that is). We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied yams, black eyed peas, turnip greens, mac & cheese and cranberry sauce.

Here is the most amazing and perfect turkey I have ever cooked. I can't believe how juicy and delicious it was. It was a Beer and Rosemary roasted turkey and if you want the recipe just email me. I will be making this same one every year. I have been doing it wrong all along it seems.

Gobble Gobble!

To all of our friends in the blog world, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Traditional or Different?

Well it is that time of year, Thanksgiving. Time for family, friends and feasts. I am a big planner so I have been compiling menu ideas for a few weeks now. I was all set to do some different dishes this year (a little more gourmet). I decided to get some input from the husband and kids and everything they came up with is what we have year after year. They got all worked up because they felt I was going against tradition. They said I did not need to mess up a good thing that is always perfect each year. So there went my fancy gourmet ideas...

Something else I have done for many years is to use actual real dishes and eating utensils. Most of my friends and family would laugh at me and ask if I loved washing dishes. So this has lead me to become a fan of good quality paper plates and flatware. I never thought I would do it but hell, once you eat who really wants to wash a million dishes? I guess I have changed a lot with a growing family and I try to make things a little easier on myself when I can. Having a toddler running around this year really makes me want to go the easy route!

What about you... what are your plans for the holiday? Are you traditional or do you dare to be different? Do you use real dishes or paper plates? Sorry for being so nosey!