Thanksgiving Potluck

Because Seth and I are going to his parents on the 26th and 27th for Thanksgiving. I decided to host a Thanksgiving Potluck for all of our friends on the 25th. I'm going to take care of the turkey, and I'm having my friends bring the remaining dinner menu. I'm really excited about it. We already have 17 confirmed guests, and there is still a week to go.

This is the Turkey Recipe I'm going to use. It's Alton Brown's.. So you know its good. I'm going to have to double the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
• 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
• 1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Directions

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Thanksgiving Plans

This year is a first for me, I have been invited to Seth's Hometown for Thanksgiving. It is a delicate situation because his parents are divorced, and I would have to spend time partly at one and partly at the other. I was invited by his parents. I'm really proud of Seth for even mentioning the invitation. There were rumors of me going last Christmas, but here we are almost one year later.

I'm excited and uneasy at the same time.I've met his parents once before, individually and for small increments of time. They are very nice people. This is like 2 days full exposer. I'm so afraid I will say something weird or off color, and they will take offense, or I'll be too meek. When I'm nervous, I really can't account for all my actions. Oh goodness, I just remembered something I'm going to meet his brother. I've never met his brother. It's thanksgiving...There is going to be other family, like Aunts and Uncles, Cousins and friends. I think I'm hyperventilating. It's going to be okay. It's going to be great. Well at least I get two chances two get it right.

Solid as Barack!!

January twentieth, two-thousand and nine, Barack Obama will assume the position of presidency. Obama, the son of a Kenyan immigrant and Kansas Native, is truly the American Dream.

I feel like this is the beginning of a new era in human history. One in which the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. are coming to fruition. I'm happy to be alive in this coming of times. This Landmark event is something you can proudly tell your grandchildren about, exactly where you were, the dilemmas of the time out weighing the racial tensions held by our country for hundreds of years. Today is the first time, in a long time, I can say I am Proud to be an American.