Cooking up a Thanksgiving Turkey

So we've covered appetizers, as well as soups, salads & sides. So it's time to move onto the main event.... the turkey. Although, I have a confession. Turkeys scare me. Not actual turkeys (like the bird), nor the thought of eating one (because they're yummy), but the thought of cooking one kind of freaks me out... you have to make sure it defrosted, you have to remember to remove the gizzards & whatever else may be hidden up inside the bird & they take forever to cook. It sounds like a lot of work.

Rather than conquering my fears & actually "cooking" a turkey, I learned to use a crock pot. Which was great, because as with most crock pot meals I just have to dump the ingredients in, let it cook all day & come dinner time we have a tasty turkey. No defrosting or gizzard grabbing required. So if you interested in taking the "easy" way out, here's one of my favorite turkey recipes.

Creamy Mushroom Turkey
Ingredients:
1 smaller (it's gotta fit in your crock pot) boneless turkey or turkey breast, frozen or defrosted
2 cans (10.5 oz) creams of mushroom soup, condensed
1 can (4 oz) mushroom pieces, drained
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Place turkey in a greased slow cooker. In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients, except sour cream, & spoon over turkey. cover & cook on low heat for 8-10 hours. An hour before serving, break turkey into large chunks with two forks (another bonus, no craving required). Stir in sour cream. Cover & cook for remaining hour.

If you are looking for a turkey that's a bit more "hands on", try one of these recipes:
Gabi's Brined Turkey & Sausage Stuffing
BBQed Turkey
Martha's Perfect Roast Turkey
Ojai Roast Turkey with Rosemary, Lemon & Garlic
Paula Deen's Roasted Turkey with Maple Cranberry Glaze
Homestyle Turkey
Butterball's Brined Brown Sugar Deep Fried Turkey

Bring on the turkeys, baby!

xoxo, K
image via norman rockwell.