First Thanksgiving

First (and only) time I ever made a turkey, I cut it in half and stuffed it in my big crockpot. Was wonderful!

Hello T., My first turkey was an embarrasing event. I didn't realize that there were packages of organs in one cavity, and the neck in another. I had only removed one, so when we went to carve the turkey, SURPRISE! So check both the rear and neck cavities. As for the recipes you can Google those on line, which will give you lots of choices. Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Hi T.,

Congratulations on taking on the task of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I always use the turkey size oven bags. Make sure you follow the directions and let the turkey "sit" for at least 15-20 minutes before carving.

Can't help you on the sweet potatoes. Sorry!

Good luck!

C.

I have never used a bag, but FYI, don't use the bags in the electric turkey roaster thing that you set on your counter because the bag can melt to the inside.

Therese M.,

I always bake my turkey inside one of those turkey bags and they always turn out great if you follow the directions on the box.

I have had sweet potato pie and I don't particularly like sweet potatoes but the pie is tasty even to me. You can find all kinds of recipes on the internet. One of the web sites I use often is www.cooks.com

Another recipe that I can actually eat with sweet potatoes is using canned sweet potatoes. You put them in a baking dish that has been buttered or sprayed with some spray for not allowing the food to stick to the baking dish. Then you sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and place several miniature marshmallows on top and bake until golden brown. You can add a little brown sugar or molasses in the sweet potatoes but you don't have to; they are natually sweet without any sweetening, but they taste even better to me with a little sweetener. Don't fill the baking dish all the way to the top (about 2/3 full) and then put the marshmallows on top to brown and melt. It covers up the taste of the sweet potatoes so I can actually stomach it, so somebody who likes them would enjoy them as well.

Even if your food does not all turn out as good as you would like it to, next year can be even better. We all had to start somewhere. If anything turns out hillarious, it will give your husband and you something funny to talk about for years. It will be the beginning of your memories together.

L. C.

You'll do fine, the first turkey I ever made, I thought was ruined, you could not pick up the turkey to get it on a plater to cut, it would fall apart. Turkey bags work well, just follow the guide on lbs cook time ectra. We make a potato reciep, frozen hashbrowns, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 pk cheddar cheese, 1 C sour cream, cook 30 to 45min. then cover with corn flakes cooked in butter, for 5 min. bake additional 5 min. simple dish, tasts great. Also, check out Paula Deen, I make the pie's in the family, this yr. I'm makeing Pumpkin Run Pie, with Vodka pie crust, and a non alcohol pie for the kids. ha ha, best of luck to you on your first holiday meal, Happy Thanksgiving

I do not like turkey, but a co-worker of mine just said she cooked one over the weekend in the oven in one of those bags and it was super tender and juicy. She said she didn't add any water..just a little flour to the bag and when it was done there was plenty of juice from the turkey and I assume thickened from the flour.

I am here for the best sweet potato recipe ever, it's my mom's and my in-laws actually requested I bring them this year. It's easy too. Also one tip for the yams, cut then in thirds or halves and boil in a big stock pot for 20 min or so, they peel much easier that way!

Ingrediants: 3 c. mashed yams 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs beaten 3/4 c. butter-melted/divided
1/4 evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. chopped nuts

Combine yams, sugar, eggs, 1/4 c. butter, milk and vanilla. Beat until almost smooth- spread into casserle dish. Combine 1/2 c. butter, flour, br. sugar and nuts. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Good luck and at least take the recipe down if you don't use it this year!

R. L.

I thought back to some of my first turkey cookings and thought I would share a laugh with you. The bags are great, they cut the time down and are really moist. A mistake I made is I did not get the parts out of both ends before cooking. Also I did not place the turkey face up when I was cooking it( I had it upside down). If your turkey does not have a pop up timer-buy one and put it in, this is a fool proof way to know the turkey is done in the bag. If you are stuffing the turkey it takes longer to cook. Let the turkey sit a bit before carving it.

Try Allrecipes.com for some ideas on sweet potatoes. This is a great site as you can get tips, see ingredients, and ratings of dishes.

Make sure your turkey is thawed well enough otherwise it takes a long time to cook if it is frozen inside. Wash it well and dry with paper towels on the inside if stuffing it. We had one year it was still very frozen and we had to do much to thaw it before the oven and it took a really long time to cook Now I check the night before on how frozen it still is.

Good Luck! It gets easier each year you do it!

Another vote for allrecipes for answers to all your recipe/cooking advice needs.

The oven bags are nice. I've used them before and won't go without them again. It's nice to not have all the turkey goo stuck to the pan in the end and they keep it nice & juicy.

I've cooked turkeys before liked to pour some white wine into the bag over the turkey. My grandma says bake it with an onion and a carrot inside. I think you shake some flour in the bag before you put anything else in it. But it should say on the box. You could also ck Martha's web site for more inspiration.
A. H

The answer to all cooking woes is www.allrecipes.com

Just find a recipe that is tried and true.. 4 or 5 stars with lots of ratings. The more ratings the better.

Brining the turkey makes it moist and is not hard to do. Here is a recipe I found that I would like to try whenever the day comes for me to cook a turkey

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Perfect-Turkey/Detail.aspx

Hi T., I am not a big sweet potato fan, but I found this recipe a few years ago, and I love it...everyone does, even the kids. It is for stuffed sweet potatoes, and it is by Paula Deen. I am going to tell you where to find it as opposed to typing out the whole thing. Go to www.foodnetwork.com and look under Paula Deen stuffed sweet potatoes, it even has a video right now. A few little tips though, buy off brand marshmallows, because they aren't so large. Therefore your serving sizes aren't huge. And I've found that using the smaller (but still large, don't use mini) marshmallows you will need extra of the coconut/ sugar coating. Make sure you line your pan...just in case they get away from you, and have everything out on the counter when you go to "stuff" the balls. This recipe is exceedingly simple and delicious, but messy to make. I hope you give it a try, and good luck with the whole dinner!

T.,

Leanne Ely, The Saving Dinner Diva, has an email that lists the timing and recipes for Thanksgiving dinner. She also has a book called Saving Dinner Holiday Recipes that you can borrow from the library or buy at the book store.

Her cook books taught me how to cook and how to be flexible and improvise when a recipe did not go my way. If you would like me to send you Leanne's email let me know!

Good luck with your turkey and Thanksgiving.

-C..

I love those cooking bags. They are the only way I do a turkey or roast. They are soooooo easy. You put a little flour in the bag, add your turkey and what ever seasonings you want, tie it shut cut a couple of slices in the bag with a knife and you are ready to cook. You put it in the oven for 2 to 4 hours depending on how big the bird is and you don't have to do anything more. It will leave you with all
kinds of time to get your other items cooked. Turkeys are
low effort. Those cooking bags come with directions inside on how long to cook the turkey depending on the pounds. It will also give you recipe ideas such as adding pineapple slices to the Turkey or sauces etc. I am not great in the kitchen so these bags are wonderful to me.
Good Luck and don't forget to take the giblets and such out of the turkey before cooking.
M.