Arizona, Mesa - Thursday, November 27, 2014 - Happy Thanksgiving

Tried a new way of cooking the turkey today – in the crock pot.  Since we only have the microwave/convection oven I needed to save it for baking the rolls, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.  The turkey turned out pretty good, the top that was out of the broth was a little drier than I would have liked, probably left it on a little longer than I should have, but I assure you none of it is going to waste.  This recipe is a combination of several I read on Pinterest.  When you cook a turkey in the crock pot the skin doesn’t brown and crisp.  Liquid Bouquet and paprika help give it a browned look.  We discarded the skin when we carved the turkey and it looked great on the platter.

Slow Cooker Turkey

6-7 lb. turkey breast
2 medium or one large onion
¾ c. chicken broth
2 T. olive oil (I added a little Liquid Bouquet but I think you could omit it)
2 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1 T. parsley
1 T. seasoned salt
1 T. basil
1 T. paprika
1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Rinse and dry the turkey.  Spray the crock pot with non-stick spray.  Slice the onions and place in the crock pot, add the broth.  Place the turkey in the crock pot.  Rub the olive oil over the turkey.  Mix the herbs and spices together and sprinkle the mix over the turkey, it looks like a lot.  I put some up under the skin also.  Cook on high for about 3 hours until the temperature is 140 degrees.  Turn the heat down to low and cook an additional 2-3 hours until temperature reaches 170 degrees in the thickest part of the breast. 

I even got energetic and made rolls and pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes from scratch.  The stuffing was Stove Top and the cranberry sauce was out of a can, but that was because that’s what we like J.  Add a little bubbly and some candles and we had a very special Thanksgiving supper.

We have so many things to be thankful for and it would be a very long blog if I listed all of them.  We’ve been blessed with 5 fabulous children, 8 wonderful grandchildren and one very special great-grandson.  We have amazing brothers and sisters.  And, we can't forget Mom and Nana and Pap, who were the start of all of this.  We have many fantastic friends back in Indiana and we’ve made some really great new ones in our travels.  We love and miss all of you.  Before you know it we’ll be making our rounds again.

An hour later the leftovers were stored and the dishes were done (for the third time today).