3 tricks to make your Thanksgiving Turkey especially extra this year.
OH, turkey dinner. You are so good to us that we haven’t fully replaced you since Thanksgiving festivities began in 1621 (that’s 399 years of turkey dinners!). You are as reliable as the sun, the moon, and the stars – and tax day. You rock us into a sweet, comfortable, football-in-the-background slumber as soon as we’re done. There’s just something about you, turkey dinner. We can’t get enough, and we keep coming back for more.
As one of the most anticipated meals of the year, Turkey always has big shoes to fill (it’s own!) – and rarely does it ever disappoint. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone say, “I really hated our Thanksgiving meal”. I don’t know about you, but in my family, we always talk about trying to make a Turkey Day feast half-way through the year – only falling flat because of the massive effort it always seems to take to pull it together.
Regardless of your dining preferences – whether you’re full on GAME-ON, or whether you’re in the no meat zone – we’re sharing all the ways you can partake in this comfort food festivity. Because let’s face it – 2020 needs no more surprises, no more things that take us out of our comfort zone. We’re going back to basics, baby – with the most basic of bird, on one of the most important holidays of the year.
Now, in my family, I am Queen of the Kitchen 95% of the time. But my husband has a few roles that I cannot – and do not want to – fill. He is our Head Griller, our Italian Sunday Dinner Executive Chef, and our Thanksgiving Turkey Game-Master.
So as the Thanksgiving Turkey Game-Master, he does have a trick that he swears by – which is to brine the turkey a full day before cooking it up. This process helps tenderize the meat and make it extra juicy – which is nice for a bird that tends to be on the dry side.
Here are some magical brining recipes from a few of my favorite cooking resources. You really can’t go wrong with any of these.
- Allrecipes
- Bon Appetite
- Food & Wine – this one is a little different, adding a light and fruity apple flavor into the mix.
Now, while my husband definitely shines in the preparation of this bird – I like to come in at the end to pretty it up, so to speak. (Maybe I shall move from fashion stylist to food stylist?) Here are two of my personal tricks to make your turkey look like a million bucks once it’s ready to be placed on the table:
- Present your turkey by placing your pre-sliced meat on a plate with some accompaniments like orange and blood-orange slices, pomegranate seeds, and cranberries. Not only are they seasonally appropriate, but they bring in the flavors of other Thanksgiving side dishes – and they just look downright pretty when all paired together.
- Finish off by placing fresh rosemary or sage twigs on the sides for some gorgeous greenery and a beautiful pop of color.
If you’re still in need of more turkey preparation and presentation ideas, I’ve curated a special Pinterest sub-board dedicated to your Turkey feast. Check it out and save away!