Believe in the Magic Traci Diary

I thought it would only be fitting to start the Countdown to Thanksgiving with a turkey recipe.

On Sundays, we have a family dinner with my mother-in-law.  Last week, I found turkey breast on sale for 99 cents a pound, so I picked up a 7-pound turkey breast.  I then cooked it up for our family dinner.  My family loved the turkey.  In fact, a week later, my mother-in-law was still raving about the juiciness and tenderness of the turkey.

Do you want to know a little secret?  I’m 40 years and have never roasted or baked a turkey before.  My grandma would bake the turkey when I lived at home.  Then when I got married, my father-in-law would bake the turkey.  He’s been gone almost two years, so my mother-in-law has taken over the turkey baking.  I decided to try to “roast” one now.

As I share the Countdown to Thanksgiving, I will share memories from Thanksgiving’s past.

20 years ago, I was participating in the Disney College Program.  I learned I was not scheduled to work during Thanksgiving weekend, so I opted to make dinner.  I made it on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Instead of turkey, I roasted/baked a chicken instead.

More on that Thanksgiving in later posts.

Somehow my pictures of the turkey breast were erased.  Argh!

Makes Its Own Gravy Turkey Breast

adapted from No. 2 Pencil

Stars of the Recipe:

• 5 lb turkey breast (I wouldn’t go any bigger.  I used a 6-quart crock pot and the 7 lb barely fit.)
• 2 (10.75 oz) cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 package of onion soup mix or 2 Tbsp. of  Homemade French onion mix

Steps:

1. Wash off the turkey breast.  I also removed the turkey gravy mix from the breast.
2. Place in the slow cooker.
3. Mix the cream of mushroom soup and onion soup in a small bowl.
4. Pour over the turkey breast.
5. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.  (It needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.)
6. Serve with mashed potatoes and other Thanksgiving goodies.

I didn’t like the gravy left over in the crock pot, so I removed some of the liquid and made my own gravy.

Easy Gravy

Stars of the recipe:

• 2 Tbsp. of butter
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. of turkey or chicken leftover cooking liquid

Steps:

1. In a small skillet, melt the butter on medium heat.
2. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Pour the liquid into the skillet.
4. Whisk together until combined.
5. Turn the heat to medium-high.
6. Allow the gravy to boil.
7. Turn the heat to low to allow to simmer until thickened.
8. Enjoy over turkey or mashed potatoes.

Happy Eating,

Traci