Filed under: Real Kitchens

I know that most of us are going to be busy cooking and eating today, so I thought it would be interesting to share a little peek into what my family does for Thanksgiving. Fair warning: it's not necessarily anything different than what the average family does, but there's nothing wrong with sticking to tradition every once in a while. I'll update a couple of posts with photos of in-progress dishes, finished dishes and a couple of recipes. Granted, the recipes might not be all that useful to you today, but there is at least one more occasion this year that could call for a big turkey dinner.

To get started, here is my turkey. It's a 16-lb Butterball - which did well in the taste test - and is not extraordinary, but if you have ever tried to persuade a Depression-era relative why you would consider paying over $100 for any kind of heirloom or specialty turkey, you'll know why it might not be worth the fight to try. The bird is defrosted, but will spend some more time in the fridge before hitting the roasting pan, as some of the other dishes will be prepped first.