Why is it that my family looks forward to Thanksgiving so much? That’s what I asked myself this afternoon and I was shocked to realize that I don’t really make these big meals with their favorites foods, like Butterball turkey often enough.

This year I made quite a few changes in my life. While on vacation in Europe, I realized that I LOVE good food, yet at home I seem to just toss the same old thing into the oven week after week. No WONDER they live for the third Thursday in November.  Not only have I been depriving them of great dinners, but I’ve actually made it more difficult on myself. Turkey is one of the EASIEST meals to prepare and even if I pick up a juicy Butterball turkey breast I’ll have meals like soup, turkey salad and more for the remainder of the week.

On those days that I don’t have a WHOLE lot of time, a Butterball Turkey Burgers on the grill with some Grilled Potato Salad. It’s great during the summer, or anytime – as more people use their grills year round. The turkey burgers come seasoned and ready to cook, so the preparation is already DONE for you.  Add some Butterball Turkey Bacon for a BLT Turkey Burger which is delicious and easy.  Add loaded mashed potatoes and a vegetable and you’ll have him watching whatever YOU want on TV that night. Of course nothing is better on a cold winter night than Turkey Tortellini Soup made with your Butterball turkey leftovers (add some crusty French bread and you’ve got a meal that will satisfy the ENTIRE family).

Thanksgiving got me thinking that I can expand my repertoire easily by bringing a little Thanksgiving to the table year round. Check out Butterball.com for great recipe ideas, a list of turkey products, and tips & techniques for making holidays and EVERY day special.

You may have noticed, I’m a huge fan of Thanksgiving, I love the food, the company, the warm feeling of gratitude, and did I mention the food? What I don’t love is eating myself silly and then having to face the pile of dishes from . . . well, you know where it’s from, right?

In some households the cook gets out of clean-up; sometimes I wonder what that is like. Over the years and after hosting many dinner and holiday parties I have learned the key to easy post-holiday clean-up is to:

Clean as you go.

I know, it doesn’t sound fun, but really the only other option is to face down the mountain of pots, pans, utensils, serving dishes, AND regular dishes at the end of the evening. Who wants to do that when there is turkey to digest? Not me.

Run and empty the dishwasher before starting your Thanksgiving Day cook-a-thon and don’t forget to wash any straggling dishes in the sink, too. If you are lucky enough to have a sink with two sides, fill one with hot, soapy water. If you don’t have that luxury, use a dishpan. Wash everything as you go.

Soak as you go.

The only thing worse than cleaning up dirty pots and pans is cleaning up pots and pans with dried up and crusty food. Fill your pans with hot, soapy water and allow the dish detergent to works its magic on the dishes, while you work yours on the meal.

Have a plan for leftovers.

Remember a few days ago when I mentioned to put storageware on your Thanksgiving shopping list? Having enough containers for leftovers is crucial for easy post-holiday clean-up. As soon as dishes are removed from the table or buffet, place the leftovers in Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil or other proper storage containers.

Accept help.  

There’s nothing to be gained by being the kitchen martyr and people like feeling useful. If someone offers to help with clean-up, take them up on the offer. If they are genuine friends, they will be glad to help and if not, well, they’ll learn not to offer. Either way, you win.

The end of dinner doesn’t mean the end of the conversation and memories aren’t only made at the dinner table. Invite your friends and family into the room during clean-up. It’s ok, I promise that they have seen dishes before.

Let it go.

The post-holiday clean-up doesn’t have to be done to completion right away. As long as all the food has been stored properly, trash has been thrown away, and the pots and pans are soaking, some of the clean up can wait. Enjoying time with the family is what it is all about.

There is something wonderfully gratifying about gathering together over food and giving thanks for the good things in this life. I believe we all have two families, the one we are given and the one we create through marriage and friendship. Each year as we celebrate Thanksgiving (multiple times in my household), we have the opportunity to reflect on all of the good things in our lives.

Today I am thankful for my family, especially my husband and children. I am thankful for my friends who have offered so much support.

I am thankful for many things great and small, health and comfort, warmth, laughter, good food, good wine, and good friends with whom we create memories.

This year I am incredibly thankful for the honor to work with Cooking With the Troops. CWtT is a non-profit that works with wounded warriors and their families. We teach cooking classes to the wounded and their caregivers, help veterans transition to careers in the culinary field, and put on food events for the wounded. Do you see how much food is a part of who I am? Butterball also works with military families to help teach how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey with their annual Raleigh Butterball University.

I am thankful for the realization of a very big personal goal in 2011, my book Home-Ec 101 was published in April.

It may sound a little silly, but bear with me. I am also very thankful for Butterball and their Turkey Talk-Line. I have a soft spot in my heart for new and aspiring cooks; teaching people to cook is how I got started with my blogging career.

I know how scary it is to take on a big project like Thanksgiving dinner if you just aren’t that sure of your skill level. The Turkey Talk-Line experts have been reassuring new cooks for years! There is no question, turkey related, that they haven’t heard at least once before.  If you weren’t brave enough to tackle the turkey this Thanksgiving, the Turkey Talk-Line experts will be available all of December to handle all of your holiday turkey questions.

Thank you so much for being a part of the Butterball 2011 blog. I have truly enjoyed being a part of this project.

So, how do we do it?

I could lie to you and tell you that we do it with ease, but in reality it takes patience.  Whether you have a 3 year old toddler, or like me a 59 year old who expects someone to clean up after him (and yes, he leaves a HUGE mess), getting your family to help can be a positive experience for everyone involved. By dividing up the projects and getting the ENTIRE family involved, it may actually help your Thanksgiving Day to run smoother.

For example:

Rather than the kids being bored and wanting your attention. Letting them make their FAMOUS cheese & crackers as an appetizer or get their hands messy stuffing the mushrooms is a great way of getting them comfortable in the kitchen. Tearing lettuce for the salad and adding the veggies that you’ve already cut is an easy way to have them help (you’ll be hearing them proudly say “I made that” during the dinner & I’m betting there’ll be NO problem getting them to eat their veggies).

If your kitchen is laid out for it, divide the workspace. Hubby can use a cutting board next to the stove, while your son uses his near the sink. You can work peacefully at the table rolling out the pie crust and staying out of their way.

Separate the chores. My husband makes incredible Beef Wellington. For Thanksgiving I give him plenty of time and space to make MINI versions as appetizers. I can easily run the vacuum through the house getting my cleaning done while he cooks (one less appetizer for me to make).

Setting the dinner table, making the decorations, creating place-cards, etc. are all things that even YOUNG children can do on their own to be a part of the preparations.

For adult children like mine, give them a full course to make in advance that can be popped into the oven and heated just before dinner.

MY ONLY REQUIREMENT when it comes to everyone helping on the big day? Allow me 45 minutes of “alone time” in the kitchen for my last minute efforts.  I do this by asking other family members to play bartender, greet guests, take coats and pass the trays of hors d’oeuvres.

The reality is that you’ll all cherish your Thanksgiving memories when the ENTIRE family is involved in the process.

For recipe ideas that the can be made by various ages in the family – check out Butterball.com.

There’s NO NEED TO BE A SUPERWOMAN.

When your guests ask what they should bring, go ahead and TELL THEM. You should already have your menu/list planned, so when Susie calls to ask, remember that she makes the world’s best Asiago Whipped Mashed Potatoes with Butterball Turkey Bacon and ask her to make some. It’s easy for her to make ONE side dish and it will take a LOT of the pressure off of you.

Guests – instead of offering to bring flowers, wine or nuts, offer your side dish, appetizer or dessert extraordinaire. It will be appreciated by EVERYONE in attendance and will make your hosts/hostesses day a whole lot easier.

Don’t have a “specialty”? Bring some of the Asiago Whipped Mashed Potatoes with Butterball Turkey Bacon that I mentioned and it will be a HUGE hit (just be forewarned that you’ll be asked to bring in year after year).

ASIAGO WHIPPED POTATOES WITH TURKEY BACON

This all-American side dish provides unexpected flavors that will make mouths water.

Prep Time:          15 minutes

Cook Time:         15 minutes

Serves:               6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs boiling potatoes, peeled, cut in half

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large leek, white part only, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin

5 oz asiago cheese, grated

2 tbsp butter, softened

3/4 cup Butterball® Turkey Bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and sautéed crisp

Salt and black pepper to taste

 Directions

*Place potatoes in a pot with cold water about 1-inch over top of potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat

and simmer potatoes 10 to 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.

*Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small skillet on medium heat. Cook and stir leeks two to three minutes or

until tender, but not brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

*Drain potatoes, reserving cooking liquid. Add grated asiago, butter and cooked leeks to potatoes.

*Mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth, adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.

While mashing, add salt & pepper to taste.  Fold in the crisp turkey bacon.

For more ideas and recipes go to Butterball.com, where you’ll find recipes for appetizers, side dishes, salads, desserts and more.

There’s a reason we often think of Thanksgiving as our favorite holiday. Actually, there are lots of reasons. It’s a holiday filled with food, family, and all kinds of traditions. Plus, there’s plenty of opportunities to try new things, from recipes to decorations.

Here are a few of our Favorite Things for Thanksgiving 2011:

Deep Fried Turkey:

We’re obsessed with John McLemore’s “DADGUM That’s Good” cookbook because it is loaded with great recipes – for the Thanksgiving holiday and beyond.

Make this the Thanksgiving you finally purchase a Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer. Once you taste a homemade fried turkey, you’ll want to make one again year after year (or you might even start making two turkeys each year; one fried and one roasted).

Many craft stores sell fun and seasonal products that can be used in many ways in decorating for the holidays. From paper leaves to garlands, most of these options can be incorporated into centerpieces, place cards, or even just simply scattering them around the table to create a full and fun scene, not to mention a great conversation starter, at the dinner table.

And we can’t forget the Talk-Line – the best part of Thanksgiving. Without their support we’d be lost, so we call (1-800-BUTTERBALL – 800-288-8372), we follow Facebook and Twitter and this year will be checking out the live chats on Butterball.com.

“Relax…it’s only a dinner.” That’s what my husband says as he walks out of the house to leave me with all of the preparations for Thanksgiving. It’s ONLY a DINNER? My family, his family, friends will all be descending on MY CASA in expectation of the meal that they’ve been looking forward to all year (both of our families consider Thanksgiving to be their favorite day of the year).

Who me, panic?

Never.

By scheduling everything out, it takes all of the pressure off of the big day. What USED to be a crazy week before Thanksgiving has become routine in our house. 

My secret is to keep Butterball’s Turkey 101 in mind and then take care of the house. If you’re not familiar with Turkey 101 here are the basics…

    * Decide whether you’ll be making a fresh or frozen turkey. Remember that fresh turkeys need no thawing and are ready to cook. Frozen turkeys can be purchased weeks in advance, but require several days of thawing before roasting. If you haven’t tried Butterball Fresh Turkeys, you’ll be pleased to know that they are all natural and contain no added ingredients. Butterball turkeys are pre-basted to be extra tender and juicy.

    * Decide what size turkey to buy? Allow 1 1/2 pounds per person. Remember, your guests (and family will want leftovers and this will make for some great meals the next day or two.

    * Home food safety tips are important when handling turkey and to avoid possible foodborne illnesses:

       Wash your hands often

       Separate raw turkey and ready-to-eat foods

       Cook your turkey to the proper temperature

Once your turkey is cooked, it should be refrigerated within 2 hours of carving to reduce the temperature to below 40 degrees Fahrenheit

    * Butterball always recommends refrigerator thawing. For each four pounds of turkey, you should allow at least one day of thawing in the refrigerator. Check out this how-to video on Butterball.com on how to correctly thaw a turkey.

    * Did you forget to thaw or buy your turkey at the last minute? No problem. Try thawing more quickly by submerging the turkey in cold water. Leave the turkey in the wrapper, place it in a tub or sink of cold tap water breast down and change water every  30 minutes per pound of turkey.

    * I use Butterball’s recommended cooking method – Open Pan Roasting. As a result I always get a consistently tender, juicy and golden-brown turkey. You’ll want to use a pan that’s only 2 – 2 ½ inches deep (otherwise you won’t get that nice golden brown color).

    * Prepare your stuffing just before placing in the turkey, using only cooked ingredients.  Remember to loosely stuff the neck and body cavities of a completely thawed turkey and don’t pack it too tightly, you want it to COOK.

    * I keep my laptop on the counter with Butterball.com up on the screen in case I need help. You’ll find live chats, videos (carving and roasting), roasting time charts, calculators, and more. Also, a quick call to 1-800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372) for help from the LIVE Butterball Turkey Talk-Line will get you through almost ANY problem that you may encounter.

    * Before roasting, turn the turkey’s wings back to hold the neck skin in place. This levels the turkey in the roasting pan to encourage even cooking . It also makes carving a whole lot easier.

    * Use Butterball’s roasting schedule as a guide for cook time for an open pan in a 325-degree conventional oven.  I always check 1/2-hour before the recommended end times for a picture-perfect turkey:

*10 to 18 lb turkey for 3 ¾  to 4 1/2 hours

*18 to 22 lb. turkey for 4 ½  to 5 hours

*22 to 24 lb. turkey for  5 to 5 ½ hours

*24 to 30 lb. turkey  for 5 1/2 to 6 ½ hours

Some of the other things that I make sure are done 7 days in advance are:

*Create my seating arrangement

*Pull out my Thanksgiving decorations, candles, etc. and get the table and house looking festive

*Make placecards for the table

*Clean – my least favorite part

*Call your guests who have agreed to bring food and find out if they need oven time

*Double check that you have enough Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil, plastic wrap and plastic containers to store and send home leftovers with

*Clean out the refrigerator to make room

By sticking with a schedule, your actual Thanksgiving Day will run smoothly and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy with your guests

You’ve seen this number before, right? 1-800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372). The number starts showing up every year as your go-to for Thanksgiving turkey preparation questions.

Did you know the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line was launched in 1981?

Do you realize that this means that 2011 will be the 31st year that cooks will have the benefit of having trained Butterball experts available with just the tap of a few buttons?

Way back in 1981, I didn’t give a whit about anything on Thanksgiving other than the fact that there was going to be turkey (I was three and I was not at all precocious in the kitchen, in fact I didn’t really learn to cook until I left home). However, six home economists cared and they responded to 11,000 phone calls that inaugural year.

What about this year?

In 2011, 50 professionally trained turkey experts will help over 1 million Thanksgiving cooks via web, phone, Facebook and Twitter this November and December. Butterball is smart and is changing with the times, not only will these trained experts be available by telephone, they will also be responding to questions via Twitter and Facebook.

There is no question too silly for the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts, trust me, they have heard it all.

Yes, people have asked what to do with a frozen turkey at 2pm on Thanksgiving Day.

What’s the answer? Dinner may have to be pushed back a bit, but all is not lost. Butterball.com has a cold-water hawing calculator tool that will tell you exactly how long your frozen turkey will take to thaw. The cold-water method is your go-to thawing technique for turkeys that are not fully thawed and need to be in a hurry.

What do people ask? Well here are a few examples from the Butterball Facebook Fanpage

Q: Are Butterball turkeys dairy free?
A: We do not use dairy in our basting solution. Any of our products that contain dairy state this on the packaging. Hope this helps!

Q: I bought a 20lb. Butterball Prem. turkey.  Is it self-basting? Does not state that on the packaging anywhere. Thanks.
A: Both our Butterball fresh and frozen turkeys are pre- basted. Enjoy! They are tender and juicy every time.

Q: To brine or not to brine? Most of the Butterball’s we get here are frozen and I always worry that brining will make them too salty. Any suggestions?
A: You’re in luck – it’s not necessary to brine a frozen Butterball turkey! Both fresh and frozen Butterball turkeys are pre-basted to make them extra tender and juicy! Hope that helps!

What would I like to ask the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts?

When I get a chance to talk to these trained turkey experts, I know exactly what I’m going to ask:

What is your favorite way to prepare a Butterball turkey?

As it’s only fair to answer the question I ask, I’m going to have to let you in on a secret that no one but my family knows. I love to experiment and not everything I cook comes out perfect the first time. I usually cook between 6 – 8 turkeys over the course of the season, I do this as I experiment with recipes and techniques for my own website. Last year, to change things up a bit, I decided to try my hand at brining a turkey and I decided to use my good friend Rachel’s turkey brine recipe as a starting point.

Some of you may know that my personal favorite Butterball turkey cooking technique is deep frying. I love this method not only because it yields an amazingly tender and juicy turkey, but also because it also frees up my oven for the rest of the Thanksgiving menu.

In all honesty, this experiment was the ugliest turkey I have ever seen. You see, the sugar in the brine caramelized to such a dark color that I thought for sure I had burned the turkey.  I was sorely disappointed, but only until it cooled enough for me to pinch off a taste. That hideous turkey was the best turkey I have ever tasted and I am salivating at the thought of making it again. I just didn’t have the heart to document that ugly turkey and even this year, the ugly turkey will be for personal consumption rather than as the star of a website photo shoot.

What do you want to ask the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts?

Forget the pie this Thanksgiving! Well, maybe you shouldn’t forget the pie. But this year could be the perfect time for you to add another dessert to your holiday repertoire. After all, your dinner guests are going to love all the festive options and they’ll be super impressed by this easy, but splendid dessert. And since you likely already have the pies covered, why not mix things up with cake and ice cream… In pop form! You can encourage your guests to get involved in making this dessert by bringing their favorite ice creams and toppings or by simply picking out what they want on their Cake and Ice Cream Pop. Since it’s relatively quick to prepare, you can get it going before dinner and then finish when they turkey has been cleared away. Both kids and adults will be excited to create their own Cake and Ice Cream Pops!

Ingredients:

1 purchased pound cake, 10 to 12 ounces

1 pint ice cream, flavor of choice (we recommend an assortment of flavors, including traditional and holiday flavors, like pumpkin and peppermint)

1-1/2 bottles (7-1/4 ounce each) hard coating chocolate topping

8 to 10 plastic mini forks or wooden picks

Multi-color sprinkles

Finely chopped nuts

Crushed chocolate sandwich cookies

Chopped peppermint stick

Toasted coconut

Colorful chocolate candies

Directions:

Take the pound cake and slice ¼-inch thick piece off of one end. Then cut the rest of the cake into ¾-inch thick slices. From there, cut the pieces into circles using a 1-3/4-inch diameter cookie or biscuit cutter. Of course, don’t throw the leftovers away… They could come in handy for a midnight snack or topped with fruit and whipped cream for after some late-night Thanksgiving dinner leftovers.

Put the cake circles onto a tray lined with plastic wraps and place a scoop of ice cream (about 1 ¾-inch in diameter) on top of each cake circle. Once each of your cake circles are topped with ice cream, place them in the freezer for about 45-60 minutes until the ice cream is firm. You can do all this ahead of time if you want your guests to be able to participate in the final product after Thanksgiving dinner.

When you’re just about ready for dessert, remove the cake from the freezer and pour the chocolate topping into a bowl. Now, working quickly (so your ice cream doesn’t melt!), insert a plastic fork into the top of the ice cream. Dip it into the chocolate topping and then immediately sprinkle on any of the dry toppings. You can let your guests choose the toppings they want. Place the chocolate-covered cake and ice cream on a serving tray and put back in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes so the chocolate can harden.

Let your guests dig into their own customized cake and ice cream pop! Of course, you could also make this dessert behind the scenes using your own choice in ice cream and cake and let your guests be super impressed by this seemingly complicated frozen treat!

This year’s digital offerings from Butterball are only going to enhance your Thanksgiving, possibly creating even more traditions in the process! In fact, we’re quite certain Butterball is going to eliminate much of your holiday stress, by helping you out every which way you turn; and in so many more ways than simply supplying your turkey and offering their Turkey Talk-Line.

As the years go by you likely find yourself talking on the phone less and less and heading to the computer more. That’s why Butterball is happy to assist you via the computer and not just the Turkey Talk-Line! Throughout the month of November, you can engage with Turkey Talk-Line experts on Butterball.com in a real time via live chat, getting suggestions, advice, and plenty of turkey talk. It will almost be like having a Turkey Talk-Line expert standing in your kitchen with you as you cook, helping you every step of the way. Plus, Butterball takes it one step further and allows you to access their website in a mobile version on your phone at m.Butterball.com

In addition to the live chat, the Butterball website will have plenty of other resources to make your holiday the best ever. How-to videos will show you how to cook the perfect turkey from thawing, stuffing, marinating, and carving to brining, roasting, and grilling. They also offer plenty of tools for you to turn to, like a thawing and stuffing calculator and various conversion charts. Plus, if you’re interested in adding some new recipes to your Thanksgiving repertoire, Butterball.com has recipes for everyone’s tastes. We also encourage you to follow Butterball on Twitter and Facebook for lots of  advice and other entertaining conversation.

So, let Butterball help make your Thanksgiving traditions better with their digital offerings. Even if you’re put in charge of all the cooking, you’ll never feel alone in the kitchen!