The big day is almost here. We have a Thanksgiving motto at my house…
Gobble ’til You Wobble!
A perfectly acceptable motto for one day of the year, don’t you think? Well, maybe you could stretch that out to two days, if you have enough leftovers. But three days? Don’t try it unless you are expecting a gym membership for Christmas.
The star of every Thanksgiving feast is certainly the turkey. And probably nothing strikes more fear into a cook than taking that heavy, slimy, pale blob of meat and bones, and turning it into the perfectly golden delicious main dish. I myself have only cooked one turkey over the years, as that Thanksgiving tradition has always been left to my mother and mother-in-law. I’m sure my day is coming.
I found an amazing website that will take all of the guess work out of preparing your Thanksgiving turkey…
SeriousEats.com
They have everything you could ever want to know about cooking a turkey.
Serious Eats’ Ten Turkey Tips You’ll Be Thankful For
- What Kind of Turkey to Buy
- What Size Turkey to Buy
- Thawing Time
- To Brine or Not to Brine?
- Calculating Cooking Time
- Roast Turkey Recipes
- Non-Roasted Turkey Recipes
- How to Carve a Turkey
- Still need help? Turkey Hotlines
- What to Do with Turkey Leftovers (Yay!)
So those of you attempting to tackle the big bird this year…be brave. With these tips, I’m sure your Turkey Day will be a grand success.
And here’s a little Turkey-day wishbone FYI for you from The World of Pop Culture,sure to make you look like Mr. or Ms. Smarty-pants at the Thanksgiving dinner table discussion.
Apparently the origins of the Thanksgiving tradition of breaking the wishbone date back to 2,400 years ago with the Etruscans who lived on the Italian peninsula.
The Etruscans believed fowl were fortune tellers because the hen announced she would be laying an egg with a squawk and the rooster told of the coming of a new day with his early morning crowing. A circle was drawn in the dirt and divided into twenty wedges that represented the twenty letters in the Etruscan alphabet. A piece of grain would be placed in each wedge. A hen would then be allowed to peck at the grain. As she ate, a scribe would list the letters in order and those letters would be interpreted by the high priests to answer questions.
When one of these chickens was killed, its collarbone was considered sacred and left under the hot sun to dry. Anyone was permitted to stroke an unbroken bone and make a wish, thus, the name wishbone. The Romans took many of the Etruscan customs as their own and since everyone wanted good fortune, they fought over the bones, breaking them.
It is said that the phrases “I need a lucky break” or “I never get a break” come from being the loser in this tug of chicken bone contest.
The English heard of this superstition from the Romans and called their wishbones merrythoughts after the merry or happy wishes that most people desired. When the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock in the New World, they brought along the custom of breaking the wishbone. When they discovered the northeastern woods of North America were filled with turkeys, they changed their custom from the chicken bone to the turkey bone.
And remember…
Gobble ’til You Wobble!
~Kate
Enjoy your Coffee Break!
