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My first time to cook a turnkey was 45 years ago.  I got a fresh Turkey (22lbs) from the corner grocer.  I had only been married for 3 mos.  I called my mom, who suggested I not cook the Turkey, but I insisted.  I must admit it was the first time I slept in front of out small basement apartment's oven for ten hours.  Later, when I thought the
Turkey was done, we tried to eat it. It was burnt on the bottom, and raw on the inside.  I did not know how to fix dressing.  My husband ate what he could of it, and thank goodness he did not get ill.  The side dishes were a nightmare.  Potatoes and string beans were not fully cooked either.  The only item I could eat was the Cranberry sauce, and it came in a can.  We will soon celebrate our 46th Wedding Anniversary, and my husband remisses about that particular meal, from time to time.  Did I memtion, I did have candles on the table? melon585.

The first time I cooked a turkey my family and I lived in a house in Simi Valley,Cal. And I invited my in-laws. And the turkey came out ok. It was a little dry,and I made hommade stuffing. My father in-law made pies. He was a very good cook. And my parents came over, they just lived down the street. And we all had a nice Thanksgiving day. This year I cooked my turkey in cooking bag,I like to cook the turkey in the bag. The turkey comes out juicy. This year we just had our sons and there wives and the grandkids here. We had a nice day.

hi everyone, Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  I really don't remember the first time I fixed a turkey, but I sure can tell you about the last time!. It was the day after Thanksgiving ( Friday) and I hadn't brought any left overs home from my sisters because I always have to fix a turkey anyhow. From the first bite my D.H. loudly proclaimed it was "spoiled"!!!. My mom & step-dad was here . I thought it tasted O.K., My step-dad said the spice was different, I had used more spice then usuall. Well, my D.H. didn't eat any, my mom ate a very small piece of dark meat and my step-dad ate 2 or 3 helpings, I ate one small helping, needless to say the mood was somewhat quiet!. When My parents left, my D.H. still insisted it was spoiled, so "out" it went!!!!  I was so enbaresed.  It did taste different, I even tried a piece of the skin on the wing and the fatty part of the thigh, which usuall spoils first. Since no one got sick, thank God, I guess I'll never know for sure?!? hahahah.  Granna2

The first time I cooked a turkey was many years ago and we didn't have a covered roaster pan. We wrapped the turkey up like a mummy in aluminum foil and set it in a disposable aluminum pan. The turkey came out real moist and tasted good, but it was real pale. It didn't brown in all that foil. Now it's just the opposite. When I cook and smoke the turkey in a Weber kettle BBQ, the turkey is real dark brown, almost black, from the heat and smoke, but boy is a smoked turkey good. It's also juicy because I brine it beforehand.

I had watched my boyfriend cook a turkey using Achiote spice with vinegar & butter.  Later, when I baked a turkey, I followed his steps.  He was nice enough to tell me what ratio to mix the spice to the vinegar & butter (by this time we were no longer seeing each other).  I did what he instructed, placed my turkey in a brown and serve bag to cook it up. I had used too much of the spice but my turkey turned out so yummy!!!  My son & daughter-in-law, and new boyfriend were very happy with the flavor of the turkey and how juicy it was.  My daughter said they had come from her parents house where the turkey was bland, and this turkey was so flavorful!!!  So that is how I make my turkey every year, IF I cook a turkey.  Since I use that kind of spice, I serve it with Spanish rice made with brown rice, a salad made of thinly sliced cabbage tossed with a light dressing.  I don't care for stuffing, so I don't make it.  But my husband likes it so he makes Stove Top, and adds his touch to it.  I like to cook a turkey about 2-3 times a year.  We love turkey, and would cook it more often but our freezer doesn't have room all the time.

The first time I cooked a turkey, my mother-in-law was visiting us.  Alas, I forgot to thaw the turkey.  She didn't like me much to begin with and this made her forever sure that i was a scatterbrain.  She took us out to dinner.

It wasn't too long after my husband and I got married.  I had to call my Dad every other minute to make sure  I was doing it right.  Now its old hat!

The first time I cooked a turkey was back in 77. I'd only been married a few months and all of my in-laws were coming. Well, I thought I did a good job til my mother-in-law asked me what I did with the turkey neck and the giblets. I looked at her and said, well, I guess there weren't any ...little did I know that I had left them inside the turkey and cooked it all together. Needless to say, I've never did it again...

The first time I ever cooked a turkey I was 17, having graduated from high school the previous June, and now being out on my own. Another girl my age helped me, and we fed everybody living in our college student slum rental house. Thank the Lord we both had culinary inclinations and experience cooking! It all turned out really well.

The second time I ever cooked a turkey was for Thanksgiving for my in-laws at about 19 years old. My mother-in-law actually admitted that I made better dressing than she did!