Thanksgiving Dinner served early!!

Since I'm flying away to go to my brother's wedding for the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to cook my 12 lb turkey that I received from work. For this year's turkey, I decided to coat the bird with a sweet & spicy dijon grained mustard. I took some fresh sage and italian parsley and tucked it underneath the skin. Brushed Olive oil all over to give a nice dark golden color. For the stuffing, I made it simply by sauteeing celery, onions, golden delicious apples (Skinned), cranberries, and the following mushrooms: Morels, Oyster Mushrooms, Truffle, Chanterelles, & white mushrooms. My Gravy consisted of Turkey Stock which I made by boiling the neck bones, giblets, heart, and liver in some chicken broth and water. Seasoned with poultry seasoning. With the turkey stock kept aside, I would periodically baste my simple turkey with this stock, thus creating more pan juices. Once the bird was cooked (180 degrees doneness) I took the bird out and created my gravy by skimming extra fat and stirring in a 1/2 c. of tawny Port, more stock and remaining mushrooms. While this was simmering over the stove, I added roux (Butter and Flour mixture- the French use this method a lot as a thickening agent) to thicken the gravy and cook down the alcohol. (You can also use Corn Starch instead of Roux) Finish with either a little heavy whipping cream, or in my case, pure unsalted creamy butter. Voila! Turkey is served. Side acoutrements: Creamy mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, stuffing, & sweet potatoes if you prefer! Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and best of luck on your turkey.