Turkey Intimidation

I have suffered from Turkey Intimidation for several years now. I've learned A LOT about cooking over the past 8 years. I can even make homemade gravy now, which according to my Paw Paw, is a requirement for "wifery" in our family. But Turkey...now that's a different story. I've entertained thoughts of cooking my own turkey over the years but it felt like so much pressure. Living in a country where we pre-ordered our Turkey a month in advance and paid a steep price for this rare bird, it felt like the stakes were too high.

And last year I was in no place to roast a Turkey. I am not sure I had cooked more than freezer pizza in my oven at this point last year.

But this year, I had the perfect opportunity to go for it! We had a group of international friends over for thanksgiving, and since it was my American holiday, the cooking was all up to me! It was the perfect chance to just go for it. I LOVE cooking for people from other cultures. Why? Because it's really hard to mess up. First of all, they are always so gracious when they are in our home. Hospitality is such a large part of most other cultures so it seems natural to them that we would have them over. And that our house would look "lived in." I love the overall feeling of no pressure when I entertain non-American friends. And they don't know what it's supposed to taste like anyway, so even if it's not "right" by our standards, they'll never know! And finally in most countries, MEAT is a love language. We've been loved with meat more than once. I remember Xiao Li's parents slaughtering and cooking a whole chicken for us when we visited their home. I remember Wang Shu Shu gifting us a giant hare and two bunnies to raise and slaughter and eat. (We delegated the raising and the slaughtering to loving neighbors who were better with this kind of thing...but we did eat them!) So I knew that cooking up a big turkey would speak lots of love to these friends.
And after I got going, I realized it's just like roasting a whole chicken which I've done more than once...only bigger! We used Alton Brown's "Good Eats Roast Turkey" recipe that called for the turkey to be brined for 16 hours. It was the best Turkey I've very tasted. Way to go Alton. You were right. So I'm over my Turkey Intimidation and we liked the recipe we used so much that I am planning to use it to roast a chicken soon.

Last year, we were thanking God for his abundant clear provision for us as we lived the whirlwind of relocating our entire life. Just making it through a day was something we thanked him for. And in many ways it feels like we are still in the process. It feels less chaotic for sure, but we still feel like tress with very few roots here. We are thankful for our house, for kind neighbors, and for a wonderful preschool for our children. We are thankful for the new friends he has provided for us here and our church, which week in and out points me to rest rest rest in who God is and all Jesus is for me. And I am thankful for the way I relate to him now. I've never experienced the grace of God like I have this past year. Emma Grace was thankful for heaven and cookies and a brother. Jack was thankful for Mommy and Daddy, dinosaur vitamins and cars to play with.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Huffmans!