Turkey Time

I don't want to toot my own horn but beep beep! :) Thanksgiving in Sweden was a total success. I think the idea of cooking a Thanksgiving meal can be intimidating, and therefore scares a lot of people off from even attempting. As you could tell in my last post I was extremely nervous, but surprising it really wasn't that difficult!

During the process of making the turkey, which was named Frank, I referred often to the videos I had found and the notes I had made to make sure that I was doing things right. Rob and I would confer at almost every step; Are we doing this right? In the end, I realized that it wasn't that tough.

For those of you interested here is a simplified version of the steps I took in making the turkey:

1. Take everything out of turkey
2. Clean the turkey  inside and out!
3. Season inside 
4. Stuff the turkey (Cook the stuffing before. Extras? Add to the oven about 20 minutes before the turkey is done)
5. Spread a butter and seasoning combination under and over the skin
6. Season outside
7. Cook at 325 F (Foil on top the first half) while basting every 30 minutes.
8. Serve!

Less than 10 steps. Easy and delicious! In my opinion when making the side dishes, having more people in the kitchen chipping in on the meal makes things more fun. My friend Paulina and I listened to Christmas music while the turkey cooked to get us in the holiday mood. And when the turkey was about an hour away from finishing, she made some scrumptious mash potatoes, David cooked carrots and corn, I made the sweet potatoes, and Rob and David made the gravy. 

Everyone did such an amazing job and when everything was finished, the table was full of delicious food! I couldn't be more proud! We had a few more friends join us for the eating portion of the night and before we dug in we all went around the table and shared the things we were thankful for.

There are so many things that we all have been blessed with and great friends and love ones was at the top of everyone's list! And then finally, we all ate so much that we never were able to move on to dessert!

Sweden Thanksgiving will be a night I never forget. It was great to be able to share one of our favorite traditions with our new friends.

The night made me also appreciate all the times our families have prepared this meal for us. There can be a lot of pressure on making this meal and hoping that it turns out well for everyone to enjoy. I just encourage everyone to make sure that you compliment the cooks and are truly thankful for the love that goes into the meal!

Thank you parents for so many perfect Thanksgiving meals. 

I can't wait to be home with you for the next!