Happy Thanksgiving

On the 4^th Thursday of November we celebrate a holiday called Thanksgiving.  We spend time with our families and have big dinner.  Some of the things we traditionally eat are turkey, mashed or sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, and pumpkin pie.  We are honoring the 3 days of prayer and feasting that was held by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians in 1621.  They built a town called Plymouth Plantation in what is now the state of Massachusetts. The pilgrims came to the new world from Holland.  They sailed on a ship called the Mayflower.  They were looking for a new place where they could practice their religion.   The Pilgrims and Indians were celebrating a good harvest and the peace between the 2 groups of people.

If you would like to learn more about the Pilgrims and the 1^st Thanksgiving you can visit this website:

http://www.plimoth.org/  

Here is a recipe for cooking a turkey.

How to Roast Your Turkey

To prepare the turkey for roasting, first remove the giblets (and save for gravy or stuffing). Next, rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.

·         If you are stuffing the bird, stuff it loosely, allowing about ½ to ¾ cup stuffing per pound of turkey.

·         Brush the skin with melted butter or oil. Tie drumsticks together with string (for stuffed birds only).

·         Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The thermometer should point towards the body, and should not touch the bone.

·         Place the bird on a rack in a roasting pan, and into a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven. Use the following chart to estimate the time required for baking.

·         Bake until the skin is a light golden color, and then cover loosely with a foil tent. During the last 45 minutes of baking, remove the foil tent to brown the skin. Basting is not necessary, but helps promote even browning.

Weight of Bird	Roasting Time (Unstuffed)	Roasting Time (Stuffed)
10-18 lbs	3-3.5 hours	3.75-4.5 hours
18-22 lbs	3.5-4 hours	4.5-5 hours
22-24 lbs	4-4.5 hours	5-5.5 hours
24-29 lbs	4.5-5 hours	5.5-6.25 hours

·         The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) at the thigh.