As you can imagine, growing up in Massachusetts with a mother who was a professional cook, Thanksgiving was a big deal. It was a day to express gratitude and celebrate being together. It was also a day to feast on mom's cooking, and we were all thankful for the smell of turkey roasting as it wafted through the house.
Let me tell you a little bit about my mom, Jean, who passed away nearly 8 years ago. She was a phenomenal traditional American cook, who tended to repeat dishes again and again, like clam chowder, banana bread, whoopie pies, spaghetti and meatballs, black bean chili, snickerdoodles, three-bean salad, Parker House rolls, coleslaw, and Boston baked beans. Don't get me wrong, these dishes were amazing, we loved them, but every once in a while, it was refreshing when she changed things up a bit. At Thanksgiving, we all loved her juicy roast turkey with golden-brown, crackling skin, her mushroom stuffing, her sweet-and-tart cranberry sauce, and mashed turnip and butternut squash. Yet one time, she broke the mold.
It was some time back in the 70's, and I had read an article in our local Daily Hampshire Gazette. It described how to roast turkey in a brown paper bag, and the recipe was all the rage that year. It sounded scientific, and at the same time, promised a fun and easy way to deliver a perfectly cooked bird. I begged her to try it.
I remember she had a twinkle in her eye as she oiled the paper bag on all sides, shoved the turkey into it, sealed it, and set it in the roasting pan. We cranked up the oven and waited.
Before long, little puffs of smoke were seeping out of the oven. The wisps grew larger and larger, and the smoke detector went bonkers as the room filled with billowing smoke. Picture us gasping through the haze, opening the oven door to see the disaster. Fortunately, we caught it before any real damage was done to the turkey, and we didn't have to say "bye-bye Birdie."
Some still swear by this method, but I'll never try it again! Nope. I'll stick with the tried-and-true 4-day process. Or, as my dear friend and founder of Tante Marie's Cooking School in San Francisco used to say, "Just put the (bleeping) turkey in the oven!" Savor every moment of this holiday season, and if you have a fun Thanksgiving story, please share it. I always love hearing from you. In the meantime, here are a few well-tested recipes to try and share:
Thanksgiving love to all and thanks for being in my life!
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