Yes I know it’s hard to believe that it seems like last week was Halloween and next week is Thanksgiving. Nonetheless this time of year is my favorite for one reason…FOOD!

I am a certified foodie and I love to eat and with Thanksgiving around the corner what better time then to focus on the staple at most tables in America on that day…TURKEY!

I wanted to share a few of my favorite tips to help you have a picture perfect Thanksgiving this year for you and your soldier or milspouse friends.

Hosting a Picture Perfect Thanksgiving Meal

1. If this is your first year cooking a turkey seriously consider keeping the Butterball Turkey line number handy 1-800-Butterball  which is open from 8AM-8PM CST. I interviewed one of their Hotline Specialist and when I say I had no clue about all the tips and tricks to cook a turkey I really had no idea. She also told their hotline has had many military spouses call in who were away from family and had to cook their first turkey alone. You can read some of her wonderful tips from out interview here .

2. Plan out your menu ahead of time and start picking up items that sell out fast like pecans , sweetened condensed milk  , butter.

3. Make some dishes a day or so ahead and freeze, so that on the day of they can just be warmed up.

4. Do semi homemade on some items. For instance instead of peeling sweet potatoes to make a sweet potato casserole, save yourself time by buying the canned yams or sweet potatoes and then making them your own by adding to them.

5. Lastly let others help. It’s great to invite everyone over and it may sound good until you have to do all the shopping and start cooking and then comes the feeling of being overwhelmed. Ask guests to bring desserts and easy sides to limit what you will have to make.

As an avid Butterball turkey buyer I am always happy to work with them yearly and showcase any new resources that may be helpful to us military wives who may be making our first turkey this year.

 

                                                                                                     Source: digitallife.today.com via Butterball on Pinterest

One of the newest resources they have is the Butterball Iphone/Ipad app which Butterball Cookbook Plus app. This app continuously sends you free recipes at no charge, lets you cook without having to touch the screen by using voice commands. The app also includes timers , a notes section to personalize recipes, and the chance to network with friends and family via sharing plus much more. The app retails for $4.99 is super useful with a ton of recipes great not only for Thanksgiving but everyday life. You can get it in the app store on your phone or Ipad. I really did like fooling around with the voice command and because I worship my precious Ipad screen I hate touching it while I am cooking so this comes in handy.

Giveaway:

Butterball is allowing Army Wife 101 to give (2) lucky readers a $20 gift check to purchase a Butter ball Turkey for this Thanksgiving.

To Enter Simply leave a comment below telling me your best turkey preparation tip or one tip on how to host the best Thanksgiving dinner below.

This is a short giveaway and will end Thursday November 15th at 9AM. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and gift checks will be mailed out immediately.

18+ years of age to enter.

Disclosure: I received a Butterball gift check and Itunes Gift card. All opinions are my own and genuine.

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Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.
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67 Comments on *Expired*ButterBall Turkey Giveaway Plus New ButterBall Iphone/Ipad App Makes Cooking Easier

  1. Turn your turkey upside down to make sure the best parts of the turkey stay moist and delicious! Half hour before the turkey is done turn it right side up to brown the skin.

  2. My secret, which I actually learned from my hubby Markus, is to coat the turkey in Mayonnaisse. Really get in there and be generous. It does better than oil, making it extremely tender and moist. AND it adds to the taste significantly. Also, remember to put any seasonings on the inside of the turkey as well as the outside!!! Cooking slower, longer makes for a more moist Turkey as well. And other than making sure its completely done, tender is what it is ALL about:)
    Happy Thanksgiving:)

  3. The best tip to keeping your turkey moist is constantly basting it every 15 to 20 mins with a baster and your turkey juice.Also you need to pat it with about 2 to 3 caps of vegetable oil before seasoning it initially.The oil keeps moisture in and pushes out more natural juices while it bakes.

    The seasonings that I use are thyme a few light shakes, seasoning salt heavy shakes all over but not to much, pepper kind of heavy, sage and poultry seasoning heavy. Creo and paprika seasoning for the darker brown as your final seasonings in light and a few shakes before putting it in the oven. These two can be put on at least twice more in lighter shakes after cooking for the first and second hour. You can use a bowl to mix all of the seasonings together then sprinkle on top if you think you will be too heavy with it, but I am an eyeball method person personally.

    Make sure to pre heat the oven at 325 at the beginning so it will not be too hot and do not let it heat up longer than 10 minutes. Turkeys do not require alot of heat and too much will dry it out and cook way too fast. Also when you wash it from the beginning, use cold water for more than a few minutes to make sure all of the bacteria and blood is rinsed out.

    This is how I have made my turkeys since my first cooking days at 8 years old and it has been a hit since with many friends and family! Plus we always buy butterball because it the turkey looks plump and it has been cared for well when you open it.

    I hope to win the certificate!!

  4. Most important is to start thawing the turkey atleast a few days in advance! It didn’t go very well when I forgot to thaw it until the day before. Then, rub it down with lots of butter!! Butter makes everything better!

  6. My favorite tip is mixing dried herbs with softened butter and slightly lifting up the skin and placing the butter in between the skin and meat before it cooks.

  7. I really don’t have a turkey tips
    but I have learned over the years to plan ahead and keep it simple

  8. This will be my second year making Thanksgiving dinner on my own. I am still learning the ins and outs, but I do know a little about baking. Don’t be afraid to microwave your butter just a little to soften it. It makes mixing things much easier especially if you pull it out of the freezer.

  9. OK here’s my tip. Be sure to defrost your turkey in plenty of time…LOL. Lots of people don’t think about this one. My first year hosting Thanksgiving I didn’t know this. I took out the turkey the day of and didn’t realize it would take that long to thaw out to be cooked…LOL. Thanks goodness we also had a smoked turkey (heat and serve and that’s why I like it)

  10. I truly believe that if you make all your side dishes the day before it frees up so much time. The meats and desserts can be done the day of. I have been doing that for years!

  11. I like to prep my turkey a day or 2 before. But believe it or not my husband actually likes cooking the turkey and since I’m 9 months pregnant he may be cooking it all this year :)

  12. I have only done the turkey a couple of times, but it has turned out well each time. I like to cover it in a layer of honey.

  13. I thaw the turkey in the fridge a couple of days before and prep the turkey ahead of time. I also prep most of the side dishes ahead of time and store in fridge.

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