Have I mentioned I cook?

One of my greatest joys in life is seeing a counter top covered with this... assorted bags, bottles, cans and boxes and don't forget the requisite pound of butter. Seeing this conglomeration means i have plans i'm up to something the wheels in my head are turning are plotting are working together to build the perfect strategy this is my mental mise en place... I carefully sort thru the pile pulling out when i need the dinner before me taking shape... Dessert first so it can bake and get the oven nice and hot for the main event and then while its baking i can dice and chop mince and grind everything i need to make my perfect birthday dinner...
This year I want turkey i want succulent moist flavorful juicy turkey... I want it dripping with gravy smeared with cranberry sauce and sprinkled with just enough salt that every bite zings around my mouth like a pin ball machine.... Turkey is a process some people would argue my grandmother for example who would open it up rinse it off toss it in the oven and cook it til it was done... Basque grandma's don't know much about American traditions but I sure loved my Basque grandma! My turkey is a 2 day process at least once its thawed it must spend at least 12 hours sitting in a briny bath of ice apple juice vegetable stock and above all SALT! This little soak seasons it inside and out makes every bite taste more like turkey and in some ways is like a marinade sometimes I can take a bite and just sense a little whisper of apple juice on my tongue... I fill my roasting pan with chunks of carrot quartered onions quartered apples and stalks of celery. I stuff the inside of that ugly turkeyling with a stick of cinnamon more onion more rosemary apples and and orange. Did i mention I give the whole pan a glass of wine to relax with while it makes its journey from briny deep to my dinner plate. I even give it a massage with butter finely minced shallot, garlic, parsley and thyme... ensuring there's a good layer of butter between the skin and the meat so all that flavorful goodness trickles down flavoring and moisturizing my perfect meal. My turkey is then drizzled with olive oil and salted to make a crisp tight crunchy skin everyone secretly covets.
Sometimes... I even surprise myself... I pulled this from the oven and it was like the turkey knew I was documenting its journey from raw dead bird and a pound of carrots to mouth watering treat that looks good enough for a food magazine... we also had some mashed potatoes (of which i'm pretty convinced I make the best) and Steve's favorite green bean casserole... there will be no cake for this birthday girl I want pie pumpkin warm spicy creamy hearty pumpkin pie... there's something so satisfying to me about pumpkin pie... but the turkey is my symphony of white and dark meat roasted to golden perfection. It is moist and tender every last bite so mouth watering it begs to be over eaten! haha This is my joy.... feeding people creating something memorable and delicious for people I love. My mom likes to take a picture of every turkey I roast... motherly pride i suppose she likes to see me happy she knows this makes me happy everyone I know everyone who knows me knows my heart is happiest when I am giving cooking and loving.... when i feed Steve a bite of food and he loves it so much he kisses me right after... This gives me joy this overwhelms me sharing my love sharing my heart sharing my hard work that doesn't even feel like work til i sit down at the end of the night and my feet hurt. I can't wait to share it with everyone...I will share it with everyone haha Did I mention I eat too??? :)