I'm listening to this delightful conversation on line -- I'm reminded that a dear friend (now gone for many years) bought for me (mid-1980s) a Barefoot Contessa t-shirt. I loved wearing it and wore it a lot -- People always noticed it and commented. It's the only t-shirt I've ever had that ended in tatters. I'd love to have another. I'm off to google.com.

"Turducken" actually offends me. I think: For crying out loud, have some respect for the bodies of the animals! They died for your dinner, after all.

Unlike baking, where following recipes are critical, due to science. To become a truly good cook, mastering actual methods - sautéing/braising for example, is more important than just following recipes.

This is why dry brining a turkey works better than wet brining:

http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/diffusion.html

basically, over two to three days the salt ends up penetrating the meat and bones, and helps hold onto the moisture. It avoids the mess and contamination of liquid brine.

I have made a Thanksgiving tradition in my family of making a beef rib roast as something to really be thankful for.