Embarking on a new adventure

If you happen to be in the Como Park area of St. Paul next Thursday and see smoke billowing in an unusual fashion, don't be dismayed. It might mean a great experiment didn't work out so well.

After years of being the guest, I am taking my first crack at cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving. There will be only 3 or 4 of us present but that doesn't matter. It's the idea that counts, right?

Everything I have read says cooking a turkey is the easiest thing in the world. You simply clean out the crap inside it, wash it, pat it dry, place it in a pan (so the drippings will be there for gravy) and put it on the grill.

Four hours or so later, you take it off, carve it up into edible portions and gobble down to your heart's (and stomach's) content.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?

But I have had a few misadventures over the years with what was supposed to be easy food projects. My ex-wife can tell you about one with a grill (smaller than the one we will use next week) that nearly set part of Farrington Ave. on fire. There was an adventure with Easter Eggs one year that didn't work out so well for her sons. On another occasion, my 12-year old niece (now an ex-niece) politely had to instruct me how to make mashed potatoes.

Amazingly, I still get along wonderfully (at least, I think I do) with all of these people.

I admit to being excited about taking on this challenge. I ordered the bird from our favorite butcher the other day. We're making a list of the other important implements needed (meat thermometer that works, a little rack for the pan, etc.)

There should be plenty of leftovers, a critical part of the Thanksgiving feast. My wife and our friend Steph are consulting on the other parts of the menu (dressing, bread, etc.) There will be dressing, salad, bread, and pies.

Just in case the weather is too crappy to even walk to the grill -- a journey of roughly 20 steps -- (In Minnesota, this is very possible.), the oven will be on standby status. It should be a grand feast and a memorable day. (It would be even more memorable if the Detroit Lions beat up on the Green Bay Packers but that is out of my control.)

Just in case, I made one other stop after visiting the butcher the other day. I purchased a bottle of Chianti and added offerings of Paul Newman's Cabernet Sauvignon, Bella Sera's Pinot Noir and Archery Summit Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley area of Oregon.

One can never have enough backup plans.