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Original: 11/5/2007 5:23 PM
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Monday, November 05, 2007

thankful for thanksgiving ... i think

 

there are not words to describe what i just endured.

i was making a "practice" turkey today ... sort of a test drive run since i've never made one before. that way thanksgiving day won't be ... well ... disappointing for all in an overcooked kind of way :)

anyway, i have never dealt with a raw turkey before. i did not know that they are like a little pandora's box of treasures inside. i just figured it was a raw bird that you pop in a pan and roast. voila.

oh no. there's preparation. MAJOR preparation. amy, you would outright barf. i had to pray through this little culinary exercise in domesticity just to not up-chuck while doing it. you see, there is a neck that must be fetched. step one: untangle the legs from the plastic scrunchie thingie. step two: go on a neck hunt. WHAT?

the neck is the most disgusting thing i have ever seen in my life. this particular neck was still partially frozen, so i pulled out what can only be described as a stiff fleshy crowbar dripping with innerds juice. i wanted to die.

then, more steps!!! retrieve the bag of parts. gizzards, hearts, and all those other squeamishly raw "delicacies". i searched and searched and searched for this said bag. no where to be found. is it possible that the packaging people forgot to endow this bird with a bag of parts? oh, wouldn't that be wonderful! i continued searching to no avail. I even began to poke through the fat and meat on the bird to see if perhaps it was embedded under it's skin. that's when i discovered the second hole.

with the accuracy of an ob delivering a placenta, i stuck my hand up and out comes an ... EW. i'm not even going to describe it for you. then, my hands are dripping wet and trying to hold these turkey remains while attempting to get the cupboard open to put them in the trash and not drip turkey guts anywhere. finally, i called for elaina, who was delighted to be able to open a cupboard for me that she is not normally allowed anywhere near. 

8 clorox wipes and half a bottle of antibacterial soap later, i had the turkey situation under control. until i realized that i overestimated the size of my pan. let's just say the turkey has some love handles that float over the edges of the pan. i hope this doesn't pose a problem (fire) while cooking. i also don't recall what the packaging said to do about the little plastic scruncie doo-dads, so i hope that those don't melt while cooking. i was too revolted by the whole experience to even bother stuffing it. and i'm looking into seeing if Boston Market delivers this far west on Thanksgiving because I just can't put myself through this again.

To all those Thanksgiving survivors, heroes have endured this trauma year after year just to give us some white meat worth eating, THANK YOU. better check on those love handles now ...

 Posted 11/5/2007 5:23 PM - 155 Views - 132 eProps - 71 comments

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Visit RoyalABCS's Xanga Site!
You threw the neck and gibblets away?!?  That's what makes the stuffing taste so good!!  I have to say, working with the raw turkey is not much fun - and I go through a lot of clorox myself... but every time I'm about ready to loose it, I think back to Friends and Monica with the turkey stuck on her head.. that gets me through! :)
Posted 11/5/2007 7:32 PM by RoyalABCS Xanga Premium Member - recommend - reply

Visit Ginny_H's Xanga Site!
If you want to journey down our way, we'd love to have you for Thanksgiving, though I know you may be wanting to do it on your own, too. Anyway, we're hosting this year, and my brother Robin and his wife Julia will be here along with Trevor's mom and sister and my parents. Open invitation... if you decide you just don't want to deal with the turkey mess (I can totally relate by the way; I actually left the neck inside one year when I was helping my mom with Thanksgiving during high school).
Posted 11/5/2007 7:41 PM by Ginny_H - recommend - reply

Hey Caroline! I happened to sneak in on your blog today and saw your turkey post. Too funny! I have totally been there... it is so disgusting. Just do it quickly and it will be over soon. One year I couldn't find the giblet bag thing either; it went through the oven and we found it under a wing! I have to say -- I swear by those Reynolds turkey bags. Always juicy and done quicker than left open in the oven. Plus you don't have to baste. Have a happy turkey day! Elaina is so cute! Hope all else is well..

-Tina (Kirsh) Dennelly

Posted 11/7/2007 7:58 AM by Tina (site) - recommend - reply

Visit stuperduper's Xanga Site!
aww man, what a situation =]

i know what you mean though.
i personally can't cook anything, don't even mention a turkey, so i applaud your incredible courageous act.
hopefully you don't burn those lovehandles
Posted 11/7/2007 8:20 AM by stuperduper - recommend - reply

Visit LollipopLadies's Xanga Site!

thank god i'm a vegatarian
and thank god we don't celebrate thanksgiving here in the netherlands.

Posted 11/7/2007 8:40 AM by LollipopLadies - recommend - reply

Visit retrowoman's Xanga Site!
just get a turkey breast. they don't come with any surprises, they are super easy to cook and you are still serving the required turkey on thanksgiving. no stuffing though but...no cavity searches necessary!!
Posted 11/7/2007 8:41 AM by retrowoman - recommend - reply

Visit backgammon_backgammon's Xanga Site!
Thank god i am a tiger!
Posted 11/7/2007 8:50 AM by backgammon_backgammon - recommend - reply

Visit xlovescene's Xanga Site!

ooh that doesn't sound very fun :[

i'm supposed to cook thanksgiving dinner for my poor friends who live in an apartment//basement...i think i'll buy a precooked turkey with everything removed.

i'm a vegetarian, so it's all good :]

Posted 11/7/2007 9:30 AM by xlovescene - recommend - reply

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Haha.  I've never cooked a turkey, either.  I'm a bit afraid after reading this...!
Posted 11/7/2007 10:22 AM by SunnyMitsu Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

Visit Drakonskyr's Xanga Site!
I'm just remembering Burrough's poem.
Posted 11/7/2007 11:08 AM by Drakonskyr Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

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OMG I didn't know it was that nasty. I have never cooked a turkey before!
Posted 11/7/2007 11:28 AM by kim Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

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We've been married/on our own five years and this is one domesticity I don't think I will be ever enticed to do.  We have pineapple ham every Thanksgiving. :)

Posted 11/7/2007 11:35 AM by lindsue Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

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I'm thinking turkey is overrated, or at least, not worth the trauma. My mom made goose for Thanksgiving once when I was small. and she described a very similar experience. Since then, we've had ham for Thanksgiving. It's a heck of a lot easier, and if we get the hankering for turkey our friends, relatives, and neighbors have plenty of turkey left-over that they're seeking to be rid of. ; )

Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted 11/7/2007 11:37 AM by unbelievable_miracle - recommend - reply

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The neck is great, you can make soup and gravy or put it in the stuffing... the meat on it is not bad, it's actually really good. I throw the livers and stuff away cuz I don't like the taste of those though. Or cook them and give them to your pooch, he'll be really happy about that!

The love handles can be taken care of by using a turkey "cooking bag" or you can just cover the turkey with tinfoil, making sure it covers the parts hanging out. The tinfoil helps keep the breast from becoming dry, as it cooks the quickest, quicker than the rest of the turkey. To make it even better, you can cut a section of cheesecloth and put butter under it, and set it on top of the breast with the tinfoil over it. That should make a perfect turkey. Good luck!

(Turkey is my favorate meal)

Posted 11/7/2007 12:03 PM by brianjpatterson - recommend - reply

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Ha, ha, ha.  As someone who loves cooking, and loves turkey, I can't see what the problem was.  You had the turkey in the sink while doing the "exam" right?  Don't your hands get just as messy when you mix stuff to cook?  (Ie. Meatloaf; Albondigas; Pizza Dough; etc.)

And I can't believe you threw that stuff away, either.  I like chewing on necks.  (Um, nibbling on.. Um.. oh forget it.)

Posted 11/7/2007 12:19 PM by Watcher_601 - recommend - reply

Visit californiagal's Xanga Site!
OMG.  I knew there was prep involved, but I never knew it was all that.  It's a good thing my dad likes to make the turkey, so I don't have to.  I think if/when he ever decides to quit making it, I am going to go buy one prepared already. 
Posted 11/7/2007 12:34 PM by californiagal Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit show_me_your_glory's Xanga Site!

This is hilarious, even though I'm sure it didn't feel too hilarious at the time.

I needed a good laugh, thanks for sharing!

Posted 11/7/2007 12:37 PM by show_me_your_glory Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

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It gets easier, I promise. I actually did gag, various times, during my first turkey cooking. But it starts seeming 'normal' around the third time. Gizzards? Awesome. Neck? Who cares!
Posted 11/7/2007 1:02 PM by AcrossBlueWater - recommend - reply

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graphically descriptive. I never realized so much stuff had to be pulled out of the turkey before actually cooking it...ew....
Posted 11/7/2007 1:09 PM by tenshii_rage Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

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this may be the most awesome description of turkey preparation i have ever read. hope those love handles came out well.
Posted 11/7/2007 1:54 PM by porcupinesol Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

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You don't cook much do you? lol...

Posted 11/7/2007 1:56 PM by MS_INSATIABLE - recommend - reply

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In making her first turkey, my friend found the neck inside and yelled at her husband for buying a boy turkey and not a hen as he was told.
Posted 11/7/2007 1:57 PM by nicumom - recommend - reply

Visit misstakable's Xanga Site!
OH MY GOSH! You made me laugh so hard! Brought back those wonderful memories of my first Cornish Hen, it made me a little sick that first time too. You might want to try one of those (Cornish Hen) if you ever decide to give whole poultry another go, they are very small and much easier to work with than a WHOLE TURKEY. :oD
Posted 11/7/2007 2:11 PM by misstakable Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

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OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I cannot BELIEVE you made it to a featured weblog. I'm so proud of you Caroline. See, all these people don't have a clue, either! (And neither do I. I made a whole chicken last year, and ended up in about the same situation. Couldn't find the insides, and Jason had to call my mom on the phone to help me while I spun around the kitchen in complete confusion and mess.) Anyway, be comforted, not embarrassed. Your amazing writing ability is now public. Maybe you'll get hired to do fun stuff. Love you!!!! (And good job Elaina for saving the day!)
Posted 11/7/2007 2:24 PM by jenboon - recommend - reply

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The neck is awesome. My mom cooks it up every year, and my whole family fights over the pieces...

And if you have dogs, they will cry big doggie tears if you throw the innards away. Those are doggie delicacies, and they will certainly give thanks for them...

And most importantly, throw away your clorox wipes and your antibacterial soap! Don't you know how bad that stuff is for you and the environment? Get over this germ-phobia that we've succumbed to and realize that to have a healthy immune system, you need to come into contact with germs now and again. Bleach dries out your skin and creates dioxins (watch Erin Brokovitch to learn more about nasty dioxins). Anti-bacterial overuse leads to superbugs that can't be killed with antibiotics. Use white vinegar and regular soap for most of your cleaning; throw in a little rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide if you really need to disinfect. Or just run things through the dishwasher, which disinfects through heat. You'll save your health, the environment, and your pocketbook...

Ok, public service announcement over.

Posted 11/7/2007 3:34 PM by mama_jess - recommend - reply

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