this is part 1 of a 3 part blog post on my thanksgiving meal – click here for part 2 and part 3.

Preparations actually started on Monday, although I just did a little vegetable chopping that day. Tuesday was the day that I started the brine on the Turkey. Most recipes call for a 12-hour brine, I’m going for the full 48-hour brine. Of course, the amount of salt has to be adjusted from the 12-hour brine. I adjusted it from 2 cups down to 3/4 cup to avoid too much saltiness in the meat and to avoid the mushiness that comes from a long brine with a high salt content – Everything else will remain the same. I used the Thanksgiving issue of Food Networks Magazine as a guide for my turkey making as this is the first time I will be cooking a whole turkey myself. I did once deep fry a turkey many years ago, but roasting is a lot different. The brine is an Orange-Tea-Bourbon Brine, that smells amazing.

14lb Turkey in an Orange-Tea-Bourbon Brining Bag

The bacon up front is for the Dark Chocolate and Bacon Ice Cream. The bacon in the back is unseasoned bacon for the Brioche Stuffing with Kale and Pears

Two dishes have kale – The Brioche stuffing with Pears, Kale and Bacon and the Butternut Squash and Kale Gratin