ThanksGiving - Stuffing and the turkey around it.

As strange as it may sound. I have not used a recipe for the stuffing. And it was the first time I ever made it. I remember watching my FIL all the previous years making the stuffing on the night before while we'd chit chat and I went from there.
It bought white bread which I cut in little cubes. Added celery, onions, scallions, and cooked sausage. Then combined with chicken broth and butter, salt, and pepper.
I kept it very simple, since I was not sure what I was doing, and it came out delicious and plenty for left overs!
I cooked some inside the turkey and the remain I cooked it inside aluminum foil for the last hour that the turkey was in, however, I think next time I'll put it in the oven earlier to make it a little darker in color.

The turkey was 19lbs and cooked covered in a butter herb paste, after a night in a brine. I brined it with salty water, flavored with lemons and oranges and a glass of "Agua Ardente" - the portuguese version of grapa. Although I was too excited to take a picture and too busy with all the dishes, the turkey came out looking beautiful and was very juicy and flavorful.

I cooked the neck and giblet and made a broth with onions, leek, carrots, and bay leaves. I let it cook for 3 hours and then used the liquid to make the gravy. My biggest mistakes was to add salt to the broth. Because I used the drippings from the turkey together with the broth to make the gravy, the end result was a hint of too much salt in it. It wasn't too strong that stopped us from enjoying it, but a it would have been even better with a little less.


I also made some home made bread, which always comes out perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. I'll share some recipes one of these days.