Thanksgiving - My Favorite Holiday!

 

From the writing desk of Christine Mazurk

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's a day to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives: family, friends, a writing career, and it's a day to share traditions with our loved ones.

If you've read any of my books, you know my heroines are in some way athletic. A few are serious competitors, while others simply run to clear their minds or plan their days. Some like to swim to unwind after a stressful day at work. Being an athlete made it natural for me to add activity to my characters' lives, and each one has her particular passion.

But why do I mention this in relation to Thanksgiving?

My husband and I started our own tradition many years ago. Part of the tradition came to us through my husband's aunt, who worked at The Drake Hotel in Chicago, and it worked well with our lifestyle. You see, we usually trained for some distance event (a marathon, a half-ironman or an ironman race) around Thanksgiving, so we needed a way to prepare the traditional turkey dinner without having to watch, baste, fuss over the bird.

Aunt Elaine shared how The Drake Hotel made theirs, and we jumped right on it. It allowed us to put the turkey in the oven and head off for a three to four hour run!

How you ask? I'll share the secret in just a minute, but let me first describe the outcome; moist on the inside, crispy brown skin on the outside, and if cooked for the specified time per pound, always perfect!!

Preheat oven to specified temperature.

Take a brown paper bag, and coat the inside with a stick of butter - just rub the butter around until the entire inside of the bag is coated. Prepare your turkey as usual, remove neck, and season with your favorite spices. I sprinkle all over the skin and throw some extra inside the cavity.

Place turkey in buttered bag, roll opening to seal. Place bag on turkey roasting pan and place in preheated oven, then leave it alone until the timer goes off (cook for specified minutes per pound).

When the timer buzzes, take the pan out of the oven, finish preparing your favorite side dishes, then tear open the bag, and Viola, the most beautifully browned turkey you'll ever see, ready to carve and enjoy!

For us, the best is walking into the house after a long run to smell the delicious aroma of our almost ready to eat turkey. We shower, prepare our side dishes, wait for our guests to arrive, then we sit down to a feast!

So from The Drake Hotel to aunt Elaine to us ... and now from us to you. We're sharing a fabulous way to enjoy an old tradition in a new way! Happy Thanksgiving!