The turkey is in the oven.

[ambitious_wench]

Don't say Merry Christmas.
Do pour a second cup of coffee.
Make breakfast.
Offer tastes and ask for opinion.
Stand firm on what you will and will not do.
("Bell seasoning on everything!"
"No, Bell's Seasoning in the stuffing."
"Bell's on everything!"
"When you cook the turkey, you can put it on everything. I am only putting it in the stuffing. Deal."
*pout*
"Careful you don't trip on that lip!"
*laughter*)
Clean as you go.
Take a break occasionally.
Music on low. Make sure it's Canadian Brass, her favorite. Wait for her to ask "That's Canadian Brass, isn't it?" Ask if you should turn it up. Do so when she says "Yes, please."

Now, for the stuffing recipe:

1 bag of Cornbread stuffing mix--I prefer the unseasoned kind, and add my own.
Bell's Seasoning
celery
carrot
onion
walnuts
left-over wild rice
Olive oil

I normally add apples to this, sometimes giblets. But The Grinch doesn't like apples in stuffing, and I want to use the giblets in gravy today.

Dice the onion in small bits. begin sauteing them in olive oil on medium heat. I have a favorite cast iron skillet that is perfect for saute. While they saute, chop the celery. Slice the carrot, very thin, not more than 1/16th inch, thinner if you can. This releases more flavor, and more color. Add carrots and celery to the onion to soften.

Now, follow the directions on the bag of cornbread stuffing--mine said one half bag for a small turkey, such as mine is. (9#). One cup of water, one stick of butter. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the cornbread cubes, fluff. Add the onions/celery/carrot mixture. Add a handful of walnuts. Realize it's still too wet, and add the left-over wild rice from two nights ago, when you made the lentil and artichoke stew. Toss again, and then sprinkle liberally with Bell's seasoning.

Stuff the turkey lightly--don't pack it in. Put the rest in a covered casserole, and set it by for later. Put the turkey in the oven at 400º F breast down. This ensures that the breast meat will be juicy. Oh, BTW, trying something new this year; I've heard so many rave reviews for brining a turkey overnight before roasting it. So I got out the one clean 5 gallon white plastic bucket I have, scrubbed it just to be sure, and put in 2 gallons of cold water, 2 cups table salt, and 2 cups dark brown sugar. I added a bunch of freshly ground black pepper as well. Cleaned out the turkey, setting the giblets and neck by for broth. Put the turkey into the brine, and then barely fit the bucket in the fridge. If it had been colder, I would have set it outside, but it has to stay below 40ºF. This morning I rinsed the turkey thoroughly, and then cleaned the bucket again, and put the turkey in it, and then back into the fridge. Apparently if you refrigerate it without covering it, it makes for a very crispy skin. I like crispy.

So, I stuffed the turkey, put it breast-down on my broiler pan rack. 400º F, and left it for about 1.5 hours. Turned it over, and basted it with the broth from the giblets I made last night. House smells wonderful.

Baked pears:

Saw some beautiful little pears at Stop & Shop, and decided to put them to use for dessert. Now, I bought my turkey at "Whole Foods", formerly "Bread and Circus". Free range, no antibiotics, vegetarian diet. 9# for $16, not bad. While I was there, I found "Guaram Masala" spice. It is a mixture of some of the spices I love in Masala Chai. And they also speak to me of christmas.

So, pears are now baking, covered, beside the turkey. Split down the middle, lengthwise, and cored. Cut off a coin-sized bit on the back of each half so that each will sit stable in the pan. Sprinkled with Guaram Masala, and a bit of dark brown sugar in the divot. Poured in a bit of Marsala wine as well. So, I guess these will be Marsala-Masala pears. Wish I had some good vanilla ice cream to put on top...