Originally Posted by quiltmaker101

Okay, here's what I do for Thanksgiving.

I roast my turkey without stuffing in it. It cooks better that way, and it is safer. Wet stuffing can make people sick.

I wash and dry the turkey inside and out, then I coat it with olive oil. I rub a mixture of sea salt, cracked black pepper and ground sage all over the inside and the outside. I don't measure. I eyeball or feel mostly when I cook.

I put quartered white onion, carrots and celery inside, with a long sprig of fresh Rosemary. (I grow the Rosemary just for this purpose.) I also put those in the bottom of the pan, under the roasting rack. The carrots add such a nice flavor and color to the juices for nice colored gravy!

I pour one can of chicken broth in the bottom of the pan, and a splash inside the turkey, cover it with heavy foil and roast it in the oven. Every hour or so, I pour more chicken broth over the turkey and stir the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks and burns.

A half hour before it is done, I remove the foil so the skin browns and throw sliced mushrooms in the drippings so I will have mushroom gravy.

When it is done, I strain out the veggies, setting the mushrooms aside. Make the gravy with flour paste/water and add the mushrooms back in, along with salt and pepper to taste.

That's it. I used to be so terrified of making Thanksgiving dinner, but it is really so easy, and turkey is so inexpensive this way, I will usually make two or three more turkeys before Easter.