Every Christmas I volunteer to make the turkey for the extended family Christmas party. In the grand scheme of things,we all have large families if you count back enough, but this family is BIG. My grandfather was the oldest of 12 children. His name was Herman Oscar Napoleon Roslund, and his parents were Swedish immigrants who met and married here in the states When he was 12 (ish?) his family moved to Michigan. My great-grandfather sold everything he owned and, bought his first automobile for the trip. As the oldest and the best English speaker, grandpa's job was to travel by train with the cattle, while the rest of the family drove and they would meet him in Breckenridge. With a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese, he actually rode with the cattle! When he arrived in Michigan, his family wasn't there to meet him, because my great-grandfather had tried to stop his auto by saying "Whoa!" (or the Swedish equivalent, I guess) and he crashed the car. After he had spent a week alone in a new town, his family finally arrived.
My grandfather died when I was 9, and only three of his brothers remain. The family is spread from coast to cost and some foreign countries, but we gather here in Michigan twice a year. Summer and December. Those who can come do, and we share stories and eat, eat, eat. Babies are kissed, cards are played, and a local Santa makes a visit for $35 and homemade popcorn balls.
Anyway, back to Turkey.....I first got volunteered by my sister when our great-aunt Wanda said she felt she couldn't physically wrestle with a big bird anymore. So then B volunteered me the next year too, and then the next year, and etc. I did get stubborn about 4 years back, and refused to allow B to volunteer me again (I shall spare you the juvenile canter that was) and a cousin of mine made it that year. It was a perfectly nutritional main dish.....if not exactly moist or flavorful, and less memorable than infamous. I was aghast at how something so dull could be done to such a noble bird, my favorite of all the roast beasties..... So now I volunteer myself each year. Have you ever know someone to give gushing complements on turkey, I get them all the time.
It really isn't difficult, the stuffing is made the night before, you get up at 4:30, rinse and pat the bird dry, rub the inside with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Loosen the skin and insert butter. Stuff the body and neck cavities. Finally put it in the electric roaster, breast side down so it doesn't dry out, pour brandy over it and cook at 325 degrees for as many hours as the weight requires. When it is time to leave, we wrap the entire roaster, (drippings and all) in old, clean blankets, put it in the trunk and drive the hour to the hall. Once there, we hall it out, carve the bird and make the gravy.
Today is the day for the party, I was up at 4:30, I made the bird (a 24 pounder) and he is all done and very yummy looking. (As you can see above, I don't make pretty birds, I make tasty birds, with the meat falling off the bone.) My mother's cousin Loren just called, and the party is cancelled. We have received a lot of snow so far, it's still snowing, and we have a weather advisory until 7pm. Although the main roads are plowed, the township hall we are meeting at is on a little county road... Even if we did make it up there, chances are there would only be a few people who were able to make the journey and everybody might have trouble getting home
So...I have turkey and stuffing for a group of 50-60 people....and there are two of us here. We are calling some local friends to see if they want to come to dinner. If you are in the Lansing area, give me jingle. I have a feeling there will be leftovers.
