A Really Wordy Wordless Wednesday: Thanksgiving-The Before Picture

It's Wednesday! Normally, just another day-but today also happens to be the day before Thanksgiving. I'm soooo ready:

We're having Rolls, Mashed potatoes, Deviled Eggs, Carrots, Cranberry Sauce, and a fun Spinach Salad (with apple, walnut, feta cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette) all with fudge and coconut cream pie for dessert. Oh yeah...and TURKEY! I had a moment of panic when I couldn't find my old turkey recipe, but luckily I'm not to bad on my feet. We're having an improvised orange-sage turkey. My new recipe looks like this:

MrsM's Orange-Sage Turkey Recipe
Whole Turkey (ours is 11lbs)
1/2 cup fresh sage
1/4 chopped
1/4 whole
3 whole sage leafs (plus some extra for garnish, 'cause I like my food pretty)
1 Orange
2 tsp grated orange rind
4 Orange quarters
1 1/8 tsp Salt
2 Small Onions
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup orange juice
1 1/4 tbsp sugar or 1 tbsp honey
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 475 degrees [Yes, 475! This is to "seal" the juices in the turkey-it's the same idea as searing a pot roast]. Remove turkey giblets. Rinse turkey, then pat dry with paper towels. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Grate 2tsp of orange rind off of orange, then cut it into quarters.

Chop up 1/4 cup of sage, mix with rind and 1 tsp salt. Rub under skin of turkey.

Peel and cut onion into quarters. Add orange and onion quarters with 1/4 cup whole sage and put into turkey cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey.

Rub turkey skin lightly with salt and pepper.

Put turkey into a lightly greased/sprayed roasting pan, cover turkey entirely. Cook turkey for 20 minutes at 475 degrees. Lower temperature to 250 and cook, covered, for 20 minutes per pound or until the meat thermometer says the internal temperature on the turkey thigh is 180 (or the red button pops out of the turkey, if you're me!).

Remove turkey and let it sit uncovered for at least 20 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Once 20 minutes have passed, move the turkey to a platter and cover it with foil to keep it warm.

Now we make the turkey's sauce! Take two table spoons of the fat from the roasting pan and put into a boiling pan, then strain the fat out and the drippings into the boiling pan with the two spoons of fat.

Add 1/8 tsp salt, sugar/honey, and 1/2 cup of orange juice to the drippings, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Combine 1/2 cup juice and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to drippings mixture. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve with the turkey!

This recipe is loosely based off of my old recipe (sorry I can't give credit, I first used it five years ago and have no idea where I got it!) and a recipe I saw in Good Housekeeping...I don't see any inherent flaws in it so wish me luck~I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!!