Garlic-Rosemary Turkey & My Thanksgiving Story

This Thanksgiving was the first time we hosted. It was also the first time I've ever made a turkey! For some reason, I was unusually anxious/nervous about hosting Thanksgiving. I knew that everyone said turkey is so easy to make, however, never having made it, there was a lot of pressure! In the end, I made the turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. And pretty much everything came out really good! The gravy was probably the one downfall, that I'll share in a later post.

The secret of the easiness of my turkey, was using these Reynolds Oven Bags.  My mom swears by them, and I know that my grandma always made her pot roast with them too. I had never used these before either, but, let me tell you, it will change your life. I know I never made a turkey before, but I've seen what a mess they can make. Using these bags keeps everything in one place and helps to ensure that it stays moist instead of drying out.

Overall, this turkey stayed moist, the flavor of the rosemary and lemon kept it tasty! I also loved putting the garlic under the skin. This was incredibly easy and I'd definitely make it again.

The lemon and garlic all prepped

Before shot!

And after. I totally forgot to take a picture before Scott started carving!

Garlic-Rosemary Turkey-adapted from Simple & Delicious

Total Time 2 1/2 hours

Serves 10

• 1 whole turkey (10-12 pounds)
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 large lemons, halved
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut eight small slits in turkey skin. stuff garlic cloves in each slit. Squeeze two lemon halves inside the turkey; stuff in turkey. Squeeze remaining lemon over outside of turkey and discard lemon halves. Brush turkey with canola oil and season with rosemary and sage.

Place turkey in roasting pan, or follow directions for Oven Bags. Roast 2-2 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted reaches 180 degrees. If only roasting, baste occasionally with drippings.

Remove turkey from oven. Let stand 20 minutes before carving.