Confessions of a Mad Italian Woman!

Today I had lunch with a good family friend- you could say Jeanne is more like a family member than a friend. We were strolling down memory lane- you see, Jeanne was my very first neighbor I had when I moved into the city. We could literally reach out our kitchen windows and chat! Jeanne had the prize flower garden......her vegetable garden was a culinary kitchens dream.....but most of all she and her husband were great neighbors to me. As we chatted today about our city dwelling lifestyle in the 80's, we talked about the holidays past and present. Then came confession time! My first turkey for Thanksgiving- for me it was a total mess- a 100% breakdown- not the typical daughter of an Italian cook who could whip up great dishes blind folded. Apparently, while my sister and brother were learning the great skills of my father {and mother, however she loved the fact daddy cooked!} somewhere in the house I must have been too busy reading "TIGER BEAT" magazine.....or watching "The Partridge Family". {Did I just admit that?}

I shopped for a "fresh young" turkey just as my parents would have. Brought the bird home....put the 19.5 pounder in my refrigerator and set my alarm clock for 5:30 AM to get up and stuff the bird and get it in the oven in time to cook so I can impress my family and friends.

I woke up excited- ran down to my kitchen- put on my fancy pink playtex rubber gloves {I was not going to touch that raw bird with bare hands!!}

But something was very wrong......while unwrapping this fresh young turkey- the legs seemed "frozen" and they were wired together with what looked like a wire hanger. The more I examined this "fresh young thing"- I couldn't help but think it was FROZEN! The market guy lied to me!! I was so frustrated that as I lifted the turkey out of my kitchen sink- it flew out of my hands onto the floor! Thank goodness my dog was still sleeping!

This is where the "Mad Italian Woman" comes in......I became so frustrated with this "turkey,thing, frozen lie" that I kicked it- and broke what I called it's rib cage- later finding out its true name is "breast bone". After a good cry, I cleaned up the once 19.5 pound turkey- and other foreign body parts- um, where in the heck did they come from- I phoned my parents feeling my inner child coming out - my mother knew exactly what to say as always. My father just happened to have a FRESH YOUNG PENNSYLVANIA RAISED turkey in his refrigerator! How did he know that his youngest daughter was going to kick an already dead turkey to death?!

Thanksgiving Day dinner was rescheduled for 6:00 PM instead of the early afternoon gathering of friends and family at my little city home that year- but it was one of the best!

I couldn't take any credit for the turkey......but I can now boast about my turkey dinners of today! I don't eat turkey, but my family and friends are pretty impressed with my special secret herbs and seasonings that go into cooking the FRESH YOUNG TURKEY! I still wear my fashionable playtex gloves- {just can't get myself to touch a naked turkey} but I handle the 20+ pound turkey with TLC. I set my alarm clock for 5:30 AM, run downstairs to begin the preparations. No kicking or screaming- no swearing in Italian- it's all good!

I do make sure that my dogs are still sleeping just incase the large fowl decides to take a flying leap out of the kitchen sink! ; )

Funny thing is.... I found out there is a Turkey Hotline: #1-800-323-4848 they talk turkey talk~ ~ Gobble Gobble