Thanksgiving Extravaganza

Cherry Pie before baking.

Cherry Pie after baking! :3

Our amazing turkey!!!

A side of mash potato...

and gravy (made from the turkey dripping).

Thanksgiving has come and past. Man! Was it fun and tiring! At first we were going to go to Tony's family for the dinner. But what ended up happening was we got a free turkey from our neighbor, Robert the Red.

Free turkey!!!

It's not like we're gonna leave a whole turkey lying around in the fridge! So we decided to have our own little Thanksgiving dinner. Tony's first time. My first time. Good thing I just bought that big ol' cooking book, right?

Anyway, we invited four neighbors over to dinner. My work began at noon. I started off with making the cherry pie because it apparently needed hours to cool down so that the filling will thicken. And just so we're clear, everything I cooked that day was basically made from scratch. So no Ralph's pre-made pie crust or any of that BS.

I made the pie crust from scratch using flour, butter, and salt. Thickened the filling in a pot with cornstarch and everything. But goddam was it satisfying to see the complete product of my creation before going in the oven (first picture at the top). It's so beautiful! <3

Funny thing was the whole time I was making the pie it reminded me of Snow White when she was making her pie. Except I didn't have little minions to help me. Hahaha! But seriously, I haven't watched that movie in forever. Kinda makes me want to watch it again.

After the pie came out (second picture), I set it aside to cool down by the coffee table and started on my turkey stuffing. Again, everything from scratch. The recipe that I followed was kind of different in the fact that the stuffing basically consisted of rice, apples, raisins, and celery. I think the recipe called it "[Brown] Rice and Apple Stuffed Turkey."

I used white jasmine rice though. Meh.

After the stuffing was done, Tony helped me with stuffing the stuffing into the turkey. I know we have the option of cooking it separately. Where's the yumminess in that? You put the stuffing inside the turkey so it sucks all the juices from the meat!

Remember, this is the first I've ever cooked a whole turkey, let alone see one. So you can imagine how surprised and oddly grossed out by the fact that they give you the turkey neck by hiding it inside the body cavity.

It's like this thick, short cane of frozen bone and blood. Or a long and large penis gone wrong.

I don't know. It kind of freaked me out.

There was also this small paper package that looked like it was filled with a blood clot. I told Tony that it was probably the liver and gizzard and stuff. He dismissed me and said that it was just stuffing paper and threw it out. I was gonna make the dog some kind of treat if it was liver, which it was. But the package was already in the trash with the neck so I didn't bother.

So Tony helped with suturing up the turkey's openings. I brushed the breast with oil, and that baby started baking in the oven around 3:00pm. A little later than what I had planned.

I took a break then. Just by cooking three things I was dead tired! My whole body felt run down. I took a little nap before I started on the mash potato. Last time I made mash potato it didn't come out too well. So I was scared diving into making this one. But it was a different recipe.

Thankfully, the mash potato came out wayyyy better than I expected. Let's just say it came out exactly the way I would have wanted a mash potato to come out. :) Fourth picture, by the way. It was light and fluffy. Good in every way.

At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to make the gravy because Tony kept saying that he didn't see any drippings when he checked on the turkey (I was taking my nap). But he was WRONG! Tons of drippings when the turkey was finally done.

So, of course, my gravy came out super awesome. :)

Then Tony made green bean casserole. Which was actually very good. But it was the only thing that he made. ;)p One of our neighbors brought salad. Robert (the guy that gave us the turkey) helped us carve the bird because both me and Tony had no idea how to do it. He stripped that thing bare to bone, seriously!

Two more dogs joined us. One of which peed on my nice purple ottoman. :( I was kinda mad, but too tired to say something. What's done is done. Can't make the dog take the pee back. But man, at least look to see that your dog is not peeing on your host's furniture! Whatever.

We feasted at 7:30pm!

After everyone left Tony took care of the dishes. I think I was passed out. Or watching something on TV. I don't know. I don't even remember. I was that tired. But I took a great picture of Chewie, our dog, going ape-sh** for turkey. He apparently found his new drug. :)

"Mommy, can me have shum turkey pwease?"
:3
By the way, look at that poor turkey carcass! 

"The smell of turkey fuels my soullll!"

He has never propped himself up on the counter before. He must have loved Mama's turkey! :D