Rouxbe

Surprisingly to my family and in-laws, this was the first turkey this turkey ever cooked! But I did it, wrestling two 18-pounders: my free range Deistel turkey, and my free range baby. The brining of the turkey was great. I ended up with a tasty brine mix from a gourmet shop which recommended adding sugar then vinegar. I added the onions as per the Rouxbe recipe. The gravy made from the drippings was extra flavorful I think because the drippings were coming from a brined turkey. I bought some turkey-lifting forks that facilitated turning the turkey, which worked well. Despite the fact that my father-in-law (whom I love) kept opening the oven for long periods to study the turkey, it cooked well and everyone raved about how moist it was. He couldn't understand why I didn't put stuffing inside it, or why I was basting with butter instead of drippings. But in the end, the meal spoke for itself. Thanks for helping me make a great meal!

This was my first attempt at stuffing. Everyone loved it! And they really enjoyed having straight-forward traditional stuffing for a change, especially since there were so many different things to eat at the meal anyway. No chipotle peppers, no fancy sausage mixed in, etc., though all of that can be delicious. It was just nice to have a very tasty, tummy-warming traditional stuffing.