Thankful for Martha

Right before Thanksgiving, I had rewatched an old Martha Stewart clip show special of some of her Thanksgiving tidbits. One that made me rush for a pen and paper was her turkey basting. Sure, this is a little late for Thanksgiving, but if you're like my family, this is just in time for your Christmas turkey.

1. In a small pot, bring 3 sticks of butter and 1 bottle of dry wine to a small boil.
2. After cleaning, stuffing, and prepping your turkey, cover it with 4 layers of 100% cotton cheesecloth.
   
3. With a baster, pour some of the butter/wine mix over the turkey. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.
   
4. Baste again, and change the temperature to 350 degrees. Baste every 30 minutes.
   
5. About 1 hour before the turkey reaches 180 degrees, remove the cheesecloth and baste one last time. (This was a bit annoying, but well worth it!)

This made for a very savory and beautifully browned bird.

Besides the turkey, we had a plethora of side dishes:

Green beans, covered with the basting mix and slivered almonds

Sweet potato casserole

Butternut squash and sweet potato soup

Harvest salad (mixed greens, chopped apples, dried cranberries, pecans, crumbled gorgonzola, and raspberry vinaigrette)

Mashed potatoes

Glazed carrots

Harvest stuffing (stuffing mix, chopped apples, walnuts)

Fresh bread rolls from the farmer's market

And, of course, a tofurkey for me!