Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe

My Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe (25lb Turkey)

Ingredients:

Turkey
Olive Oil
Stick of margarine
1 Red Onion
4 celery Stalks
1 Green Pepper
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Ms. Dash
Salt Pepper
Sage
Cooking Bag

First things first, make sure that the turkey is properly thawed. There are guidelines. Search the Internet for that info. Remove the turkey from the packaging and rinse it off good, under cold water. DON'T FORGET TO REMOVE THE EXTRAS!! In every turkey there are a few pieces that are in plastic bags inside the bird. Get those out. (I throw mine out, but my mother says you can make stuff out of it. I don't know anything about that.)

After rinsing, melt the stick of butter in a bowl, after the butter is melted, add a 1/4 cup of olive oil to it. Use a brush or your hands to lather this oil mixture all over your turkey. Generously season the bird with Lawry's Seasoning Salt, Ms. Dash, Salt, Pepper & Sage. You be the judge of how much. I like a lot so i season a lot. Cover the entire bird with seasoning.

Roughly chop your veggies in big chunks and stuff the bird with them. This flavors the bird from the inside.

Place your bird in the appropriate sized cooking bag that is specifically made for the oven. Follow the instructions that come with the bags. These bags, no matter the brand, are a life saver. If you follow the time instructions, you will have a perfect, juicy, thoroughly cooked bird every time.

3 Helpful Party Planning Tips!

3 tips to ensure a perfect holiday meal or gathering every time!

*Make sure you know how many are coming! RSVP's don't have to be complicated. Figure out who you want to invite, and then confirm. It does not have to be formal. Call them, e-mail them, whatever, but get a confirmation. It may not seem important, but I have been to many a get-together where there wasn't enough food or drink for the invited guests.

*Plan your menu. In my family, people always offer to help. Don't be afraid to allow them to. Ask people what they want to bring and include it in the menu. My sister likes to bake. I don't. So I let her bring the desserts, and she is glad to do it. It makes for a wonderful variety of items and saves the host time and money. I went a step further and after confirming and compiling a list of things that people wanted to bring, I sent the entire menu out in an e-mail to everyone that confirmed. The menu included the list of all items and who would bringing/preparing each thing. Once everyone knows what to expect, they can start gathering their ingredients as well as add to the list or make suggestions, if there is something missing.

*Set a start/end time and stick to it! If its supposed to start at 4pm, start it at 4pm. This means that your guest need to be arriving at least a half hour beforehand. Don't be scared to insist on this. That whole "CP time" thing is a bunch of BS!! (If you don't know what "CP Time" is, Google it.) I expect people to be punctual. Habitual Lateness is, in my opinion, disrespectful and rude. Hosting is not easy. As much as you may adore your family and friends, even they need a cut off point. Don't wear yourself out. Set the guidelines for your own sanity.

Happy Holidays & Welcome to My Blog!!

It's Christmas Time! I can't think of a better time to start a blog! In order to be PC, I say, "Happy Holidays to you all!" Whatever it is that you celebrate, I hope you have a good one. I sure did and still am. I went completely festive this year. Perfectly trimmed artificial tree, full of all of the things that my children have crafted throughout the years. I'm sorry, but i despise a color coordinated Christmas tree. It seems so cold and impersonal to me. We go crazy on our tree and i let the kids put what they made on it, this way we can we can remember each year. lol, my husband called our tree a "Kwanzaa Tree". It is very colorful and i arranged a piece of beautiful fabric at the base of the tree. The fabric has a very distinct African textile motif to it and was very complimentary to the tree. OK please don't hate on the fact that my tree is artificial. It is. Real trees are just too much work as far as I am concerned. Consider it me, being green... By not killing a tree every year am I not helping the environment? I had lovely candles throughout the house with scents like apple Cinnamon and cranberry. We hung stockings over the fireplace, much to my daughters delight. I hosted 15 for dinner on Christmas Night. It was like a black version of a Norman Rockwell Painting over here! For real! I stayed up all night on Christmas Eve and prepared what I consider to be a traditional African American Christmas Dinner. It consisted of: Turkey, Ham, Greens, Macaroni & Cheese, CornBread Dressing, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Several Pies and Cakes, and Dinner Rolls. Leave your diets at the door! Our guests consisted of family and friends. Everyone that came, brought a dish or a bottle. I believe that is a cultural thing as well: To bring something for the host when invited to a party. I don't know. It's how I was raised, and how we all did things in my generation, so... Give me some feedback on that, as to whether its an etiquette thing or a cultural thing. 15 in all, we greeted, caught up with each other, introductions made where necessary, a prayer circle where everyone told of their blessings, a blessing over the food, and then the feast. Traditional for us is: All food is set up in the kitchen buffet style, every pan or dish holds a different treasure. People help themselves. Tables and chairs are set up in other rooms. Most are at the large table, kids at another table. We are working class folk and that's how we do it. As we eat, we laugh, talk loud, tell stories, sing songs. Christmas music plays in the background as we enjoy each other on this Christmas Holiday. I look around the room, panning, I see, My mother, my daughter, my husband, my son, my aunt, my sister, my stepdad, my good friend, a new friend, an old friend, etc. All smiling. All happy. I couldn't ask for a better Christmas.

For New Years Eve, I will be hosting another gathering.

Menu: Gumbo, Cornbread, Corn, Greens, Black Eyed Peas, & Rice

Guests: Family & Friends

Stay Tuned!!