By the way- don’t hate me, but I am probably on a plane to Mexico by the time you are reading this. I know I am lucky, lucky, lucky, but goodness let me tell you I need this like all get out.

I packed very little and am looking forward to swimming, sleeping and vegetating. And not doing my hair. Oh and drinking margaritas and eating tacos, because well, obviously. I am going to snapchat all weekend (@HeatherChristo) because I find it highly amusing- so come on over and take a peek at what I am up to!

I am also spending a little time on the beach figuring out exactly what I am making for my Thanksgiving menu. The Turkey is done- so next comes the gravy. If you want to see what turkey I am serving THIS IS IT!!! I made it for The Pioneer Woman’s site (I have to admit it is quite pretty, huh!?) So the base for the gravy is over in that recipe. This is how I truss and roast a turkey.   

This is how I carve a turkey.

Oh, also this isn’t a recipe- it is just a guide to how to do this. It is really hard to a full recipe with the gravy- because you just can’t know how many cups of stock you are going to wind up with! We like TONS of gravy to go with our turkey and our mashed potatoes. So when I roast my turkey, I do not just rely on the turkey’s liquid. I add wine and broth to the bottom of the pan first, as well as the turkey neck and an onion. I also roast my turkey on a roasting rack.

So when the turkey is done resting I remove the turkey neck and then throw everything (including the cooked onions) into a really fine meshed strainer and strain into a bowl. Reserve 1 cup of stock into a mason jar or a Tupperware.

Add the rest of the stock back to the roasting pan you cooked the turkey in and set it over two burners on medium heat. Add a small sprig of fresh thyme and bring the stock to a simmer.

In the jar full of stock, add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and shake the container until you have a smooth slurry.

Add the slurry to the stock and whisk constantly until the slurry is completely absorbed into the stock. Continue to cook and whisk, the gravy should start to thicken up after a few minutes.

Remove the thyme and season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Serve hot over turkey and potatoes!