Looking for a delicious Turkey Recipe this Thanksgiving? I have been making this recipe for 6 years. I actually got the recipe from a Rachael Ray magazine back in 2007.
Wow, 2007 doesn’t seem that long ago, but that was the year I purchased my first home in Ohio. That was also the first year that I started hosting Thanksgiving dinners at my house.
It became a tradition. I did all the cooking. From the turkey, to all the side dishes, including dessert for at least 10 people and 2 dogs. (Yes, I even made a doggie friendly turkey dinner for my little Daisy (Yorkie) and my cousins dog Pinot (Yorkie-Poo). My cousin would be my sous-chef. He would help me prep all the items the day before, so it made the day of a breeze. My mom always was amazed how I completed everything the day of without being stressed.
I wanted all my family to come together and not have to stress about the holiday. Just sit back, have a cocktail, look at Black Friday ads, play Scrabble, and watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Just enjoy the day.
We did this tradition until 2010. That’s when I relocated to California for my job. Thankfully, my cousin and his (now) fiancée came to visit Bob and I for our my first Thanksgiving away from family. It definitely meant a lot to me since I was kinda stressed from the move and feeling homesick. The last 3 years, it’s been just my husband and I. It’s definitely hard to cook the same type of dinner for 2 people, but that’s okay – leftovers are always great.
I definitely miss those days of cooking and seeing family. I look forward to one day getting back to Cleveland to begin this tradition again.
To all my followers: Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends.
- ½ c. maple syrup
- 1½ sticks butter, 1 stick cut into chunks / softened, ½ stick softened
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh thyme, plus 6 sprigs
- One 14-lb turkey
- Salt/Pepper
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2½ c. apple cider
- One (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
- ¼ c. flour
- In a saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Pour into a bowl, then stir in 1 stick of butter and chopped thyme. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Position rack in lower ⅓ of the oven and preheat 400 degrees. Place turkey on large roasting pan. Season with salt / pepper. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the breast and spread half of the maple butter under the skin. Rub the remaining maple butter outside.
- In a large bowl, combine onions, celery, and thyme sprigs, season with salt/pepper. Fill turkey cavity with 2 handfuls of onion mixture. Tie the drumsticks together, tuck wings under body. Scatter the remaining onion mixture around the turkey and pour 1 cup of water into the pan.
- Place turkey in the oven and lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, basting with pan juices and 1 cup cider (covering foil to pre-vent overbrowning) until instant thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, about 2 hours and 40 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a platter; let rest. Strain the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup, discard the solids and skim the fat. Add enough chicken broth to make 3½ cups.
- Combine the flour and remaining ½ stick of butter. Place the roasting pan over 2 burners, add the remaining 1½ cups cider and cook over medium heat, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer for 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter-flour paste and the reserved pan juices for 10 minutes, until thickened. Season with salt / pepper. Serve the gravy with the turkey.
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That sounds like one yummy turkey! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, & I agree…leftovers are the wonderful thing about cooking the dinner yourself!
I love your posts, everything looks so divine! <3
Thank you