Hi, Trudy here and I want to tell you that last year the turkey was a total disaster. I tried some trendy new recipe and it took forever (I forgot to thaw the frozen bird... Anyway...We didn't eat until 7 pm so, this year I even though I love the trends I am sticking with a Martha Stewart Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe! After all Martha reminds us that the turkey takes the center stage. and if you want to soak your bird in her suggested brine you have to start NOW!  A full 24 hours of brining results in wonderfully juicy and flavorful turkey. The turkey skin turns out crispy and deep golden-brown thanks to the butter-soaked cheesecloth that covers the breast during the first half of roasting time.

Martha believes in the brine so brine your turkey for 24 hours, so leave plenty of time for this recipe. If you don't brine yours, skip steps 1 and 2. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking the turkey until the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees. For a moister bird, we cooked ours to 165 degrees; it will continue to cook outside the oven as it rests.
Ingredients
• 3 cups coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
• 5 cups sugar
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, plus freshly ground pepper
• 1 fresh whole turkey (18 to 20 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, giblets and neck reserved for gravy

Directions
   1. Put salt, sugar, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 10 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.
   2. Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
   3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Stir together melted butter and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.
   4. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper.
   5. Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly. If making gravy, add giblets and neck to pan 1 1/2 hours after reducing temperature; roast 30 minutes, and reserve.
   6. Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees and stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter. Set pan with drippings aside for gravy. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.
Add giblets and neck to the pan with the turkey one and a half hours after the oven temperature is reduced to 350 degrees in step 5 of the Perfect Roast Turkey recipe.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Perfect Roast Turkey - Martha Stewart Recipes

Martha's Perfect Gravy

Makes about 4 cups
• Giblets and neck from Perfect Roast Turkey
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine or turkey stock
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Trim fat and membranes from giblets. Rinse giblets; pat dry. Add giblets and neck to pan with turkey. Roast until browned, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
2. Make a bouquet garni: Tie peppercorns, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and bay leaf in a square of cheesecloth. Set aside.
3. Make the stock: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add vegetables. Cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium; add giblets, neck, bouquet garni, and 1 quart water. Cover, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, until reduced to about 3 cups, 50 to 60 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a clean medium saucepan. Keep stock warm over medium-low heat. Roughly chop giblets; shred meat from neck with a fork. Set aside. Discard other solids.
5. Transfer turkey to a large platter. Reserve 3 tablespoons drippings from pan. Pour remaining drippings into a gravy separator; let stand until separated, about 10 minutes. Discard fat.
6. Deglaze roasting pan: Place roasting pan over 2 burners. Add wine; bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits on bottom of pan. Reserve deglazed liquid.
7. Make the gravy: Put the reserved 3 tablespoons pan drippings from turkey in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat until hot. Add the flour, whisking vigorously to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, until fragrant and deep golden brown, about 9 minutes. Whisking vigorously, slowly add hot stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
8. Stir in reserved deglazed liquid and separ

Happy Thanksgiving

Donna loves anything rich and buttery. Her favorite Thanksgiving Stuffing comes from Emeril Lagasse.
Sausage, Sage and Chestnut Dressing

    * 8 tablespoons unsalted butter

    * 4 stalks celery, small dice

    * 2 medium yellow onions, small dice

    * 1 1/2 pounds sweet  sausage, casing removed

    * 3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves

    *1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

    * 3/4 to 1 pound roasted chestnuts, peeled and roughly chopped- I use toasted walnuts!)

    * 6 cups bread cubes, lightly toasted (Tuscan bread with the crust removed)

    * 1 1/2 cups turkey stock or chicken stock, or as needed to soften the bread

    * 1/4 cup heavy cream

    * Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 11-inch baking dish; set aside.
In a large skillet, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the celery and onions, cook until almost translucent. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the sausage, stirring frequently and browning on all sides about 6 minutes. Stir in the sage, thyme, chestnuts and cubed bread. Combine the stock and the heavy cream and season lightly with the salt and pepper. Add the liquid, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring gently to combine. You may need to add a bit more stock, depending on the bread that you use, to achieve the desired consistency. Arrange the stuffing in the baking dish, cut the remaining butter into small pieces, put on top of the dressing. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. If the top gets too brown, cover with aluminum foil.

"Once you taste this, you won't ever go back to the old -schoolmarshmallow-topped variety! This is now my favorite comfort food!  Also you can cut back on the sugar substitute fat free half and half for heavy cream and it tastes just as good.  Everyone raves!" Hangiong Out Hanna Woman #4 in The Seven Women Project

Hanna’s  Pecan Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
•    5 sweet potatoes
•    1/4 teaspoon salt
•    1/4 cup butter
•    2 eggs
•    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•    1/2 cup white sugar
•    2 tablespoons heavy cream
•    1/4 cup butter, softened

•    3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•    3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
•    1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2.    Bake sweet potatoes 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they begin to soften. Cool slightly, peel, and mash.
3.    In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and heavy cream. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
4.    In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the consistency of course meal. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.
5.    Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until topping is crisp and lightly browned.

Kate is preparing to have the Thanksgiving meal at her place so she is collecting great recipes. Feel free to add your to the post so we can spread the good news on Thanksgiving Winers! She got this recipe fropm her favorite Food Network Chef Ina Garten, know to many as The Barefoot Contessa.

"This stuffing has all the flavors of Thanksgiving! I used toasted walnuts instead of almonds! Delicious!!!. I prefer to cook the stuffing in a caserole not in the bird. I added more chicken stock so it wouldn't dry in the baking dish and  it works and its moist. When Thanksgiving was over, I added grated parmeseano reggiano and stuffed mushrooms with it. Scrumptious! Enjoy" Kate

Serves 8

Ingredients

    * 16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or whole wheat (2 baguettes)
    * 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
    * 2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 large)
    * 2 cups medium-diced celery (3 large stalks)
    * 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large diced
    * 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
    * 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
    * 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 1 cup chicken stock
    * 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Put the bread cubes on a 13 by 18 by 1-inch baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 7 minutes.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, apples, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes, until the mixture is soft.

Combine the bread cubes and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and add the chicken stock, and almonds, if desired.

Place the stuffing into the main cavity of the turkey and into the neck of the bird... I cook a 12-pound turkey for 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F in a preheated oven. Make sure the stuffing in the cavity of the bird is secured by wrapping the legs tightly with string.

It's now day 13 of The final Diet  and I am down 8 pounds and I am happy!  Yesterday I was dressing to go to my TPG Breakfast Club meeting and I put on a pair of pants that I remembred were too tight and ... they kinds of fit!

I mean they wern't falling off of me but I zipped them up buttoned them easily! Yes...I felt good all day and was excited thinking about all the great clothes in my closet that I will be wearing very soon.  For me, one of the saddest things about gaining weight, besides looking fat, are the piles of clothes that don't fit.  Today with this tough economy we are all thinking about ways to save and "The Final Diet" for me is not only about losing weight it's also about saving $$$$$.

For example

• Great clothes sitting inmy closet waiting to be worn
• Healthier me- no meds
• Less weight on my knees- no knee surgery
• Saving $20K on Breast reduction- I was planning on having that done so I could swing a golf club
• Not to mention the wine bill... Club Soda is so much cheaper!

I'm thinking about all the money I am saving by losing the weight and it's making me love this diet!

It's day 6 of my Seven Women Project, "Final Diet" (-3lbs) and my neighbor Laura just dropped off a note with a huge bag of Halloween candies. The note says that she is having a big party on Friday night and could I please excuse the noise...and the candy I guess is a bribe!  Little does she know that just the smell of the milk chocolate baby-size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (Hanna's alltime favorite!) is enough to drive me crazy.  Laura ruined my plan.  Every year I buy my Halloween candies like a week before Halloween and proceed to eat all of them and then the afternoon of Halloween run out to the store and buy more.

This year, the Year of the Final Diet,  I had a plan. There was no candy in my house until today! I am committted not to eat it but just in case I have to get it out of here...

Ok, Im back and it's gone.  We have to be strong for the next few day... fellow dieters unite and Don't Eat the Candy! Let's stick with the fruit...Remember Thanksgiving is just 27 days away. Let's save up for Pecan Pie!

Oh and BTW, I would never complain about a neighbor's noisey party! Party on, Garth! 

I have been talking about losing weight all of my life. My good friends, my sisters and Meredith all know that to be true.   It’s funny because when I see pictures of myself 10 years ago I look pretty good… not skinny but by no means a fatty… yet I have always seen myself as overweight.

And…well now I am. 

But things are going to change. I made the decision this weekend that it’s now or never and  I am on a mission to shed some serious pounds. 
So, you may be asking yourself what makes me think that this time my weight loss “project” will be successful? The answer is pretty easy if you’ve read, The Seven Women Project. This time I am having Kate (super organized) be in charge of my “Weight Loss Program” and not Hanna!

Yes, sad to say but our loving Hanna, the woman who loves comfort foods, has been running the food show in my house for many years now.

The Final Diet begins now- Kate has taken the weight loss reins and she is getting me totally prepared to succeed. As you SWP fans know, Kate loves a plan and a process. 

1. We cleaned out the pantry and got rid of all the salty-crunchies that I can eat unconsciously while watching The Biggest Looser. She filled the fridge with veggies, chicken and fish, and reminded me that green tea is a better option than Diet Coke.

2. She encouraged me to make a personalized notebook/journal. We filled it with 100 of the exact same pages that included a photo of me (when I size 8) a place to write date, a daily food journal, my current weight and measurements. Measuring is really important. Numbers don't lie...

3. I took a photo of me- for the future "before and after" sort of thing (It scared me)

4. I put a slim, happy Karen photo up on the fridge

I am ready to win this time! I need your help. Share all your diet tips and insights. Let's do this together!