Thanksgiving Day: 1:21 PM

And the turkey is in the oven!

(and the camera batteries are in the charger!)

We’re really hoping we’re doing all of this right. I mean, there isn’t any complete tutorial that I’ve found (with photos!) of how to prepare a turkey for roasting… I’m reading stuff about tucking the wings somehow under somewhere and wha? Oh well. Tie them with a string and hope it all comes out for the best.

Liquid in the pan? No liquid? What temperature? Foil tent? How long? I sure hope our meat thermometer is accurate…

You never really appreciate the value of a quality roasted turkey until you try to do it yourself!

Thanksgiving Day: 12:06 PM

Now it’s late enough in the day that the smell of garlic is no longer repulsive.

Which means it’s time to start roasting our garlic for the Ultimate Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

To roast garlic, slice off the tops, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, wrap in aluminum foil and pop in the oven. When they’re finished, the cloves will literally pop out of the paper and melt in your mouth. *drool*

Kitty, would you get me some vanilla?

Thanksgiving Day: 11:15 AM

Thanksgiving morning…

We begin by baking a pie, because who doesn’t love the smell of pumpkin pie at 8 in the morning?

I tried out a new crust here, inspired by the Vodka Pie Crust over at Smitten Kitchen. Instead of vodka, amaretto. The crust was stickier than typical pie crusts (to account for the alcohol that will burn off in the oven), and so was much easier to work with and didn’t fall apart in my hands. When I blind baked it, however, it got messy… oozing melted butter or liquor or something juicy. Whoops. Oh well. I poured the filling in it anyway and popped it back in the oven.

So who knows how to flute the edges? I can’t do it, so I end up just smooshing the edge down and calling it done. But my philosophy is pretty is petty – as long as it tastes good who cares what it will look like!

All the pie needs now is it’s caramelized sugar topping… it is Pumpkin Pie Brulée afterall!