A turkey tale and all the trimmings

By Ardie Arvidson

Published: November 26, 2008

I cooked my first turkey last year. When I told my older sister that I’d never cooked a turkey, she nearly shrieked over the phone. How could I have been married nearly 30 years and not cooked a turkey? Simple. All my Thanksgivings had been spent with my parents. Mom cooked the turkey.
With my mother instructing me all the way, I prepared the big bird for “turkey day.”

It must have been okay because most of it was eaten the first day, and when my daughter announced Monday evening that Thanksgiving
was going to be at her house, she asked me to bring the turkey. She makes the dressing.

Everyone has a special Thanksgiving tradition or recipe. This may become ours.

Certain aromas from the kitchen instantly remind us of the holiday season like turkey baking in the oven or pumpkin pies cooling on the table. What would Thanksgiving be without the traditional turkey, dressing, corn and the all-time favorite, green bean casserole, which has been a staple on most Thanksgiving dinner tables for more than 50 years?

Everyone in the family has a favorite dish on our Thanksgiving table. Some like the macaroni pie, while others can’t wait to taste the turkey dressing or the pumpkin, pecan and mincemeat pies.

Understand that great food is second only to good company during the holidays.

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without turkey. Or would it?

Hannelore Wilson’s been getting along without cooking a turkey longer than I have. A native of Germany, Hannelore didn’t grow up with the Thanksgiving traditions that we all take for granted.

She shares her turkey tale.

“Thanksgiving is drawing near,” Hannelore said. “In cartoons, turkeys go into hiding. I have wished for 50 years that the first one I tried to cook had done the same.

“It was my first Thanksgiving since I came to live here. I had no idea what this was all about. So, I had no objection when my husband invited his parents, his sister, an aunt and uncle with their two children to dinner in our new home.

“We carefully planned the menu for this illustrious occasion. ‘We must have turkey,’ he said. Turkey? What’s turkey and why? Explanations were given, and turkey was in. There had to be stuffing and dressing. I know about stuffing; in Germany you do it to a goose, but why does a turkey need to be dressed. More explanations. Okay! But of course, it couldn’t be just any stuffing, it had to be special. We chose chestnut stuffing. On paper it looked so delicious.

“The day before I baked, I got out my good German china, silver and best tablecloth. Pots and pans for the other menu items were put out, vegetables washed, all was under control.

“On Thanksgiving morning about 6 a.m., we prepared the turkey, getting ready to stuff it as soon as we mixed it. Right. Somehow we missed the part about the chestnuts having to be roasted first, cooled enough to peel and chopped. By 11 o’clock the bird finally went into the oven, which had been turned on and off several times. Bob and I got about as close to a divorce as ever in our 52 years of marriage on that day.

“At 12 sharp, our guests arrived.

“‘When do we eat?’ was father-in-law’s first question. A check of the bird showed it still in its pristine paleness, with at least five more hours to go. Our guests toured our new home, played with our babies – one year and three months old and a four-month-old. We chatted on and on.

“‘When do we eat?’ father-in-law again inquired. By 2 p.m. a check on the bird revealed a bit of sweating, but no tan.

“I served nibbles, pretending that this was the plan all along. By 3:30 p.m., there was a decided edge in father-in-law’s voice. He repeated, ‘When do we eat?’ The bird was beginning to show a slight tan, but not ready. In desperation, I served afternoon coffee and cake. It settled everyone’s hunger pangs at least for a while
. “At 5 p.m., the bird was really showing a nice tan. Getting there, but not quite yet. Now it was dark outside and cold. The kids couldn’t play outside any longer.

“‘When do we do we eat? Today?’ came the question from father-in-law.

“Then I had a stroke of genius. I prepared a Dutch Tea Punch from my German cookbook, pretending that it was an old German custom before dinner. It was an unqualified success!

“You have never seen such a happy family? And – unwittingly – I may have condemned my parents-in-law and aunt and uncle to eternal purgatory with the brandy and wine in the punch. They were Southern Baptist! How was I to know?

“We had dinner at last. Everybody loved it. All was well. But, at the end of that day, I promised, swore is better, that I would never, never, ever cook a turkey again. My first was my last. And I’m not budging, even if my whole family will be here this year. At the risk of being ousted by my clan, I’m not cooking that turkey!”

Below is a fried turkey recipe for Hannelore and others to try that was submitted to us several years ago. Frying turkeys is a Southern tradition, and in recent years, it has become a hit with many families. Not only does it free up room in the kitchen for more important duties, i.e., cooking the desserts; it offers a moister, and quicker, alternative to the traditional oven-cooked bird as well.

Fried Turkey
1/2 box of salt
2 oz. cayenne pepper
2 oz. black pepper
2 oz. chili powder
2 oz. garlic powder
2 oz. Accent flavoring

Mix all of the above ingredients together (you may want to use a nose mask). Turkey should be well cleaned and most of the moisture removed with toweling. In a large container, completely coat the outside and generously coat the inside of the turkey. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Heat oil to 300 degrees in a large stainless steel pot (oil needs to be deep enough to completely submerge the turkey).

For a 12- to 14-pound turkey, use approximately 1 1/2 gallons of oil. Cook turkey at 4 minutes per pound.
We’d also like to know how you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa in your home and what special holiday memories you have coming from the kitchen. Give us a call at 332-6545 or send me an email to .