Turkeys, Birds, and Labor

It may be as long as next Saturday (when she is scheduled to be induced) - or it may be any moment - but soon enough Mrs. Spacetropic will be ready to deliver the holiday bird. The nursery is in order, a seemingly infinite number of "cute outfits" have been gifted our way from friends, the family golden retriever has been put on notice, and Daddy is looking to the future with a vague sense of anxiety and hope.

This is all very normal, right?

So we're staying close to home for the holiday, and I've decided to make a turkey. Longtime readers know that I like to cook, and try to do my share around the house. And one of the original intentions of this blog was to write, on occasion, about my culinary misadventures. But ... it turns out that there's a gazillion other food blogs, and I'd have trouble adding anything original. Any how interesting can it be - a post about a flan that went awry?

Nevertheless, I'm looking to Alton Brown, the geeky 'Bill Nye' of the TV food personality pantheon, for advice on how to hack the perfect bird. The key seems to be brine, a salty osmosis that infuses the meat with moisture in a way that surpasses the basting technique (which Mr. Brown dismisses as a complete waste of time). The brine approach involves getting things ready several days in advance and feats of logistics that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would find daunting. But by golly we're going to do this right. The mashed potatoes and stuffing might end up being a little slapdash - but as long as the turkey tastes right, a spud's a spud.

More updates as things develop. I'm burned out on politics, and the most interesting things in the popular culture consist of a comedian who flipped his nut and the KFed sleaze tape. So around here we're worried about very normal things like babies, Thanksgiving, and making sure the dog doesn't leap on the counter and devour the dinner rolls when nobody is looking.

Tags: Thanksgiving