Thanksgiving Day Turkey and Veggies

I made my very first turkey!  It was definitely a proud moment when I pulled that beautiful golden brown turkey out of the oven.  I asked around to get advice from others about how to make the best turkey.  Many people mentioned a roasting bag.  Normally I would be against using a plastic bag in cooking; I'm frankly worried about ingesting toxins from the plastic.  But, people told me it was the best turkey they ever made when they used the roasting bag, so I figured I would give it a try.  It was brilliant.  I put herbs and garlic inside the turkey and covered it with coconut oil (might use butter next time), then put it in the bag inside a roasting pan and away it went.  The end result was beautiful, flavorful and perfectly done.  I even have lots of wonderful leftovers, and extra pan drippings, to heat up all week.

I also made a few sides to go with my turkey.  I am doing a pretty strict version of paleo, so I couldn't get very fancy with anything.  I did do an extra twist on butternut squash that I found on theclothesmakethegirl.com.  Instead of just roasting the squash I also pureed it in the food processor with coconut oil, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and one egg.  Then, I put it into a casserole dish and baked it at 350 for 30 minutes.  I think I was suppose to have the oven hotter than that, but it turned out really well.  The recipe called for pecans, which I would've loved to have added, but I can't eat nuts.  I highly recommend adding them if you make this version.  It was very good, but the pecans would really add a lot to the dish.  The butternut squash was so sweet, rich and creamy.  I really felt like I was having a dessert instead of a vegetable. Yum!

My other veggie was carrots.  I got the most beautiful and delicious carrots at the Midtown Winter Farmer's Market a couple weekends ago.  They are literally the best carrots I have ever had.  I pretty much couldn't screw up cooking them.  I decided to do them two ways.  I roasted some of the carrots with a little coconut oil, salt, and pepper in the oven for an hour.  I selected the most delicate of the carrots to cook on the stovetop in a little water and butter.  The recipe calls for honey, which of course I can't have, but these carrots were so sweet and tender, the honey would've been too much sweetness I think.  They were spectacular.  What a way to celebrate the harvest.

I was so proud of my turkey and all of the food I was able to make today.  It was a small gathering, just me and my parents, but we had a nice time sharing a meal and spending time together.

I have loved exploring different foods and recipes this fall.  Thank you Megan for inviting me to this blog and for sharing all of your food adventures.  You continue to inspire me.  Everything you post I want to try.  Pressing apple cider sounds pretty exciting.  I've got that on my list for next fall.

Happy Thanksgiving!