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lrogers{at}ajroffice.org
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. As plans now stand, my entire family is to gather at our home for what I am sure will be an enjoyable feast, the traditional meal with turkey and all the trimmings. Some souls, young and not that young, have been added since our last gathering, so there will be new faces to meet and greet. And there will be a lot to talk about because much has happened since the family was last together.
Another reason for my enjoyment of Thanksgiving is that I am assigned to prepare and cook the turkey. It wasn't always so, but it has been for many years. One Thanksgiving long ago, when my wife Donna asked me how I liked the food, I replied, "Fine, except that the onions and the celery in the stuffing were not fully cooked."
Donna was not pleased, replying tersely, "Well, next time you can do the turkey yourself."
On reflection, the following year I rose to the challenge and have been responsible for cooking the turkey ever since. One of the surprising consequences has been a heightened satisfaction and enjoyment of the holiday.
I get up early on Thanksgiving to prepare the stuffing. Admittedly, it is now easier to cook the turkey, what with all the available high-tech cookery: meat thermometers that announce when the turkey is fully cooked, plastic cooking bags that shorten the roasting time and ensure proper browning of the turkey while containing the juices and making it easier to prepare the gravy. And, of equal importance, making it easier for me or, if I am lucky, someone else to clean the roasting pan.
As a true scientist, after a review of the "literature" and some experimentation, I settled on the following recipe: First, I chop onions and celery and slice mushrooms. I then chop some fresh parsley and set it aside. The onions, celery, and mushrooms are mixed and sautéed in butter (or margarine, if someone is present who is concerned about such things). Sautéing gives the kitchen a lovely aroma.
Add and mix the sautéed vegetables and chopped parsley to commercially prepared stuffing, such as Pepperidge Farm. The stuffing is then moistened with equal parts canned mushroom soup and dry white wine. (The wine doesn't have to be fancy. In a pinch, just about any label wine will do.)
Then rub the cavities of the turkey with salt and a shot or two of cognac. (The cook might enjoy a shot of the cognac as well.) Stuff the cavities and close them with skewers and string. Place the turkey in the plastic cooking bag. Cut a few slits in the top of the bag. Put the bagged turkey into an uncovered roasting pan and place into the oven. Set the temperature of the oven at 325–350°F.
You should be aware that oven temperatures might vary by as much as 15% or more from the number given on the dial. It is best that you verify the temperature of the oven. Low oven temperatures prolong the time required for cooking beyond that which is expected, and the worried cook and gathered, hungry crowd may then get restless and cranky—if not outright unruly. Save yourself the trouble. Be certain of the proper oven temperature. Verify the temperature. Small oven thermometers are available in food markets or hardware stores for this purpose and are well worth the inexpensive purchase price to be certain of the oven temperature.
Now you wait for the emergence of those lovely cooking aromas that this recipe provides. The gravy will be good too! You can peek in the oven once in a while, but don't take the turkey out of the oven until the "pop-up" thermometer pops or until the oldfashioned meat thermometer that you have inserted into the turkey reads 180°F.
Now if you are lucky, someone else will volunteer to clean up your mess. You have done your duty and can sit back, take in the wonderful aromas, and enjoy the rest of the day.
In the parlance of the day, participation adds value. It is just as true for medical journals. Those who have written or reviewed articles published in a particular issue of a journal are likely to get more satisfaction from the receipt of that issue than the average reader, and researchers and reviewers are certain to get more out of that issue than those who leave their copies of the journal unopened, still wrapped in plastic, piled on the tops of their desks.
The same can be said for participation in a radiology organization, radiology department, hospital, church, school, civic affairs, and anything else for that matter. If you leave them "unopened, unwrapped, and piled on the top of your desk," they won't do as much for you as they might. The more you put in, the more you get out. Meaningful participation is a broadening experience. You become informed, gain insights into the world about you, make new and often lasting friendships, and may have the opportunity to make significant contributions to things that are of interest and importance to you.
Yes, participation in organizations and events outside the family and daily work takes time and effort, but in the end you and those around you can be better for it.
Get involved! Get to the kitchen and start cookin'!
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