First Time Eva!

So you all know that we just moved, Right!? Well we moved just in time for the holiday seasons. Not a good thing to do considering that I have never spent a holiday away from all family! We did go back to Utah for Thanksgiving and spent it with my whole family and Big R's Grandma Z. But for Christmas we had to stay home and do it all by ourselves. That included dinner.

I was bound and determined that I was not going to cook Christmas dinner! There are too many things that can go wrong and then I would ruin dinner for the holiday and I just could not stand up to the stress and humiliation of that! So I suggested to Big R that we just go to dinner somewhere! Anywhere, I didn't care if we went to McDonald's if that made him happy, but I was not cooking Christmas Dinner!

Well, about a week before Christmas, I decided that I was going to do it! It can't be that hard to cook a dang Turkey, can it?! Just because I had never cooked a Turkey or a ham or any of the fixings in my entire life, didn't mean that I could not do it now. RIGHT!?

So I braved the grocery stores and bought all the items that I needed to make all the traditional fixings and of course the Turkey and the ham. I was nervous all week. I was anxious, and fidgety, and I felt like my chest was going to explode. Now you know why I usually try new things early in the morning and then throw them away if needs be, way before anyone gets home. That way no one knows that I attempted to cook and failed. But I couldn't do that with these things. Some of them had to be started the night before, and of course the Turkey had to be dealt with all week cuz it was frozen when I bought it!

Well, Really long story short?! Here is the outcome of the Turkey!

This is her before, I rubbed her with liquid smoke and sugar cured salt, stuffed her with an onion and celery, and sprinkled her with salt and pepper. How does she look?

And this is her after! I don't know what the deal was with the skin, it shrunk in the oven or something. But other than that, isn't she gorgeous! And just so you know...she was the best tasting bird I have ever eaten. The most tender and juicy and flavorful meat that I have ever had! I was so proud! I honestly thought that it would be awful! I think by the time it came to eat her, Big R was a little nervous about how it would taste as well. But he too was pleasantly surprised!

Come back Friday to see the Ham and the rest of the Fixings that I baked/cooked!

BTW...I am participating in Wordful Wednesday with Angie
Head on over to see more great stories attached to neat pictures!