Tick-Tock. I didn't sleep much last night - ALREADY - because I'm stressing over the turkey cooking. But now that I have more information from you guys and from other internet sources like http://www.honeysucklewhite.com/ , I'm feeling more relaxed.

But I don't have one of those plastic pop-up timers or a meat thermometer!!!

Here's my plan - feel free to critique:

We'll have 7 persons
I'm ordering a fresh, 6-Kilo turkey (=13lbs)
I'll be preheating the oven to 160ºC/320ºF
rinse the bird inside and out, pat dry
INSIDE: 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon pepper
OUTSIDE: brush with olive oil, salt & pepper
FILLING: adding onions, garlic clove, lemons, parsley, rosemary(?) (this filling, they say, is to be discarded after cooking. REALLY??)
COOK: breast up, at 325ºF/163ºC for 3.5-4.0 hours

The Reynolds brand turkey cooking oven bags say to preheat the oven to 350ºF (?? AND COOK THE 13 POUND TURKEY FOR ONLY 2-2.5 HOURS?? ), add 1 tablespoon of flour to the inside of the bag to keep the bag from bursting ( ). After putting the turkey in the bag and sealing it, it says to cut six 1/2 inch slits in the top of the bag to allow steam to escape. But won't this dry out the turkey?? Maybe not too much. It also says the bag should expand and to be careful they can't touch the heating elements. Hmmm... That would be bad if the bag melted around the turkey. Inside the Reynolds Oven Bags there are yet more instructions and guidelines about how to cook the turkey. I feel safer now.

But the boxes of turkey stuffing mix I bought say the following:
SO WHY, in the far above description given by http://www.honeysucklewhite.com/ , should I discard the stuffing after the bird is cooked??

Could/Should I put bacon over the top to add flavor?? (actually it was) My cousin did it last year and it was fine - although I don't recall it tasting different. But she had the turkey in a turkey pan and it was covered (with space) with aluminum foil.


And yes, I DID have to buy a measuring cup. There's not one in this house! I suppose the Spanish just "know" how much they need to add without measuring it exactly. And, by the way, AFTER bringing home the measuring cup I did find a kind of tall, tubular container which had not only liters but ounces as well - unbeknownst to me! hehehe.. (I NEVER COOK!) There definitely are no measuring spoons either, as far as I've noticed (but have never looked, either. ).

I'll also buy today, corn-on-the-cob (in vacuum-sealed plastic), dried potato flakes (I know, that's cheating), and some snacks for before dinner munching. Wednesday evening I'll bakes the pies and have them ready.

Speaking of pumpkin pie, the pumpkin-pie-mix says to add evaporated milk and eggs. WHERE THE HECK AM I GOING TO FIND EVAPORATED MILK????!?!?! AND JUST NOW I SEE THAT THIS 30 OZ. CAN SAYS IT ONLY MAKES ONE PUMPKIN PIE!!! ARGH! I ASSUMED IT WOULD MAKE TWO - because they had 15-oz. cans there too, and I assumed THAT would make one pie. ARGH! %$"&*! That means I have to go back to The American Store!! What a royal pain in the ARSE that is, taking about 2 hours total round trip on the metro, walking, waiting. I guess if I was desperate I could spend 20+ Euros on a round trip taxi ride to get another 4.75 Euros can of Pumpkin Pie Filling! ARGH!!!

So the biggest discrepancy is HOW LONG to cook the 13 Pound turkey!?!?! One source says to cook it for 3.5 to 4 hours and another source says to cook it for 2.5 to 3 hours! Ah, man! Maybe I need to find a meat thermometer to be safe?!

HERE'S HOPING NO ONE GETS SENT TO URGENCIAS AFTER THE SAN PAVO DINNER!(thanks, CascadaDuSel! hehehe... )