Did you know that this is the first year that Butterball, which started its Turkey Talk-Line back in 1981, will have a male Turkey Talk-Line spokesperson? I never realized that there weren't men manning the talk-line before now. My dad has always made the turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner, so it just didn't occur to me that all the turkey guidance was coming from women. I call my dad whenever I have meat-related cooking questions. (Maybe I'm in a unique situation because my dad went to CIA and worked as a chef for years…) On Thanksgiving, he makes the turkey and the best turkey gravy in the world to go with it. (Seriously, I can eat the gravy like it's soup.) No one makes mashed potatoes like my mom. And I try to take over the desserts and some of the sides with help from my siblings.
I haven't gone home for Thanksgiving in years now though (I'm going through gravy withdrawal). We usually go to Jeff's parents' house for the holiday. His family does turkey and brisket, challah, some sides, and dessert, and I make a dessert or two as well. This year, we'll be sticking with that plan and seeing Jeff's family on Thanksgiving day, but on the Saturday after, I'm hosting my family at our house. (I love that we get to spend the holiday with both of our families.)
I thought about doing the turkey myself this year (and even made a practice turkey and some stock and soup over the weekend), but I think I'm going to hand that task over to my dad. I've got a pretty extensive menu going and even with all the help I'll get from my family, there's a lot to tackle. I've already made a couple of kinds of rolls, an apple pie, and the layers for a pumpkin cake and have them at the ready in the freezer. I also have a big 22-pound frozen Butterball in the freezer already. We'll have stuffing, mashed potatoes, turnip, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, spinach gratin, corn, and salad in addition to the bird. And I've somehow narrowed the dessert list down to just four things. It's definitely going to be a feast and it will be fun to involve everyone in the cooking, baking, setup, and cleanup, not to mention just spend time together.
What is your Thanksgiving like?
I've got four Butterball turkey checks to give away this year ($20 value). In order to enter to win one, just leave me a comment telling me your Thanksgiving traditions. You have until Tuesday, November 19, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. EST to enter. I'll choose four winners shortly after and get the checks in the mail ASAP. (One comment per person. One check per winner.)
Butterball is providing the checks for this giveaway and sent me a turkey check as well.
Update: The giveaway is now closed. I used Random Integer Generator to select the winners. Congratulations to Noel, Angie, Beth, and Jill! Please send me your mailing addresses as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone for entering, commenting, and reading. Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!
Also, you may have heard about the shortage of fresh Butterball turkeys. I asked my contact at Butterball for information about the shortage so I can keep you informed. Here is the formal statement from Stephanie Llorente, Butterball's PR manager:
Butterball and its retail partners have ample supply of frozen whole turkeys of all sizes – small, medium or large. While there may be limited availability on some larger sizes of fresh turkeys, Butterball has shipped 100 percent of customer orders of frozen whole turkeys and products are in distribution across the country. We experienced a decline in weight gains on some of our farms causing a limited availability of large, fresh turkeys. While we are continuing to evaluate all potential causes, we are working to remedy the issue. We sincerely regret the inconvenience that some of our customers have experienced as a result of this issue.
If consumers cannot find a Butterball fresh whole turkey in their desired size, they can purchase a Butterball frozen whole turkey for their Thanksgiving meal. Depending on the size of their turkey, it typically takes between three to five days to thaw; we suggest thawing in a refrigerator for four hours per every pound of turkey. Consumers can call Butterball’s Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-BUTTERBALL for proper thawing techniques.
As we have for nearly 60 years, Butterball strives to provide safe, high-quality products that meet the needs of our consumers and customers. We appreciate the continued patience, understanding and support as we work through this issue. Butterball expects to completely fulfill all customer orders of fresh whole turkeys for Christmas.