Turkey Tales

Having some personal laughs this afternoon.  With no one around to share them with, I am doing the chuckling inwardly.  Last night we realized that we had still had a turkey that we needed to cook, so I called my mom and asked her what to do, since Betty Crocker only told the timing by pounds...no seasoning suggestions...that I saw...

She called my dad over as he has been the turkey baker lately.  As he was arriving to the phone, I said I needed the short version.  So, he started with garlic and onion.  We had the garlic, but not the onion.  Ok, what next.  Salt and pepper, then a list of seasonings that we mostly didn't have, so he suggested others.  We sprinkled them here and there and everywhere.  Oh, and don't forget to take out the ___  (can't remember what...something soft inside the turkey).  Kevin was the one touching the turkey.  He so he took some things out that we had put in and check around.  Couldn't find it.

Anyways, we did all that seasoning and Kevin placed the turkey in the roaster the "right" direction.  That is a joke because I have never (can't think of one time) put a poultry item in the crockpot or pan the right direction.  He said that was easy, this is the right direction.  Then we placed it in the roaster and put it in the fridge for the night.  On to this morning.

As we were running out the door to Bible study, I remembered that I needed to put it in the oven.  Turned the oven on, put it in, took it back out to dust the cover, put it back in, set the timer and headed out the door.

We arrived back home with an hour and a half to spare and I took the turkey out when the timer rang.  I had no way to test it because there was to my knowledge no little red popper thing and I do not have a meat thermometer.  (I used to, but I never figured out how to use it so, I got rid of it!  I also have not figured out my children's thermometer either, but I feel like I should actually keep that.)  Since, I was planning on using this turkey in soups and casseroles, I figured it wasn't a big deal what temperature it got to.

A while later, while carving the turkey (my girls were laughing at that because they were simultaneously carving soup), I found three things to laugh about:  I found that the turkey was upside down.  I found the little paper bag of stuff.  And I found the red little popper thing.  I also found that I like the meat around the neck...is there a reason (besides lots of bones) that it usually is not eaten?