I just gave them little bits of meat from the neck, an they want more more more! LOL

I live alone too, but you'd never guess from some of the meals I make. I'm a big leftover fan, and love doing big things in the kitchen with my ill-behaved cats. No food on the counter or stove may be safely left unattended for more than a second, which makes things interesting.

For the Thanksgivings I've spent alone I get a 14-16 pound turkey, and have learned to keep my mouth shut about it to avoid having to explain leftovers and stock. I've had too many Thanksgivings where there were leftover nibbles, but not enough turkey to actually take advantage of even one of the great variety of things you can make with a roasted bird.

Hope your dinner was as good as it sounded!

Because the stores practically give them away. We cook it about a week later. We call it Thanks a lot. We do it primarily for the leftovers that include turning the carcass into stock we use for soups. At this point, people know us well enough that they send us home with carcasses to turn into stock. Let's face it. Real stock is a whole lot better than powder out of a can.

Did you brine it first? Tell us about your technique.

I use a very basic technique. I have a friend who always tries all the latest methods... she's used oven bags, brining, injecting, stuffing butter and herbs under the skin, deep frying, flipping it over at the halfway point, etc. I still make mine the way my mom did, and I'll take mine over my friend's every year!

I simply brush it with softened butter, season with poultry seasoning, some extra thyme, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper, and put onions and celery inside the cavity. I cook it under foil at 325 for a 3-4 hours, and then take the foil off to let it brown, brushing it once again with butter. When the legs wiggle, it's done.

Then I move it to a platter to rest and make giblet gravy with the pan drippings.

The only shortcut I take is with the dressing. Instead of tearing up bread, I use Pepperidge Farms cubed dressing, but then I add the butter, onion, celery, and spices just like mom's.

My feelings on the other techniques - oven bags interfere with how I make gravy. I could be wrong, but my mom always said the skin helps keep the moisture in, so that is why I am skeptical of shoving stuff under the skin. Flipping over a hot bird? Really?? LOL! That seems like it would be hard enough with a little chicken, much less a 16-20 pound turkey! The deep fried turkey my friend made tasted good, but again, the gravy was my issue. That giblet gravy is as important as the meat to me. As far as brining goes, my understanding is that it leads to better white meat. I prefer the dark meat, and generally save the white meat for soup and enchiladas, which will be fine without the brining. The dark meat has always come out perfectly with the basic method, so it works for me

I vowed to make a turkey periodically throughout the year. I soaked mine into a salt and cider-garlic brine, used a free range bird...16 pounds. It was delicious! Even the little ones went back for seconds! That is unprecedented in our home.

I enjoyed reading about your experience....The left overs are a festive challenge. I love to stretch out a meal. I do make and freeze stock from the carcass...a great cost savings.

Being able to make turkey, dressing, and gravy like my mom's is all I want. I make soup like hers too. The enchiladas are my own recipe, however