Thanksgiving Safety . . .

The tradition, when I was growing up, was to stuff the Thanksgiving turkey with whatever stuffing you were having. Bad idea . . . Although we never got sick, there is a good chance that you could get sick as several things could occur. The turkey might not be as defrosted as you though so the stuffing against the all-too cold inside is a perfect breeding ground for possible germs/bacteria. By the time the stuffing is adequately and safely heated through inside the turkey, your turkey will probably be overcooked and dry. Since I started cooking my own family dinners, I've made extra stuffing (as it usually goes first!) and packing it in a large, flat (one of those oblong baking dishes works well) baking dish and bake my stuffing. This way you get a crispy top, tender, flavorful inside, and no problems with any contamination. You can always enhance the stuffing flavor with some drippings from the roasting turkey.

Someone on the news, today, even suggested baking the stuffing in portion sizes in a muffin tin. I haven't tried that but it sounds great, especiall when you have a crowd for dinner.

Instead of putting your stuffing in the turkey, put an onion, an apple, whole garlic cloves, etc. in the cavity to provide moisture during cooking and a nice aroma. Besides, if you make lots of extra stuffing, you will have leftovers, and you can make turkey soup with stuffing dumplings!

Oh, and you can make the stuffing the day before and keep in the refrigerator until time to bake it. Same with cranberry sauce, if you make your own. Prepare it the day before and you will insure that it will be cold, set, and ready when the turkey comes out of the oven.

I even make my turkey gravy the day before. I usually buy some turkey wings or a leg and use that for my basic broth for the gravy. While I'm heating it up for dinner, I get a few spoonfuls of the turkey drippings to add more flavor to it.

Oh, and this is interesting . . . The little pop up deals that some turkeys have to tell you when the bird is done? They are set to FDA standards who always 'err' on the extra-safe side and if you by this, your turkey will be very overdone. A thermometer is the best way to go!