Turkey

Club sandwiches, like burgers or fried chicken, come in a myriad of styles and spinoffs. Some prefer turkey to chicken, rye bread to white, or aioli to mayonnaise. This recipe isn't a true classic club, as it has avocado, cheese, and mustard, but I consider it to be the best.

Here, smoky turkey and bacon complement the buttery flavors of the ripe avocado and cheddar cheese. This sandwich — fully loaded with my favorite sandwich fixings — is so good that it converted me back to eating meat after years of vegetarianism. Keep reading to make the sandwich yourself.

Turkey pot pie is a necessary indulgence in the world of dieting and salads we all seem to be living in. Yoo Eatz gives us a straightforward, weeknight-friendly recipe for a comforting pot pie.

This holiday season came and went like the whirlwind it always is, and I sit here in the aftermath realizing that I have plenty of recipes to catch up on. So let's take a mini jaunt down memory lane to Thanksgiving, shall we?

Being the lucky recipient of my family's turkey carcass, I ended up with about 6 quarts of homemade stock, most of which sits in the freezer waiting for a chilly night when turkey noodle soup is a quick solution to the question "What's for dinner?" Unfortunately for the stock but quite happily for the rest of us San Franciscans, warm weather has taken up temporary residence in these parts, so soup has been on the back burner, so to speak. But back in late November when temps were still brisk in the low 50s (here, my East Coast friends may shout whatever expletives come to mind), comfort foods were definitely on the brain.

Purists will say that a pot pie must be just that: a pie complete with buttery, flaky crust on the top and the bottom. I get it (admission: I love Marie Calendar's frozen chicken pot pies dumped on a pile of hot white rice), but (1) who has time to whip up pie dough on a weeknight?, and (2) it's hardly a light meal. So I substituted store-bought puff pastry for the crust and focused on a rich, hearty filling for my turkey pot pie. For the recipe, read on.

Sitting on a mound of leftover turkey? No worries! Bake up a tasty turkey pot pie that's bound to satisfy the whole family. When it comes to pot-pie filling, once you have your roux, you can use the leftover turkey or even experiment with using the leftover side dishes too. I kept my pot pie really simple with onions, celery, and leftover roasted sweet potatoes but I can only imagine that if your family's stocked up on cream of mushroom soup, green beans, or brussels sprouts, they'd be great addition to a pot pie, too.

To keep things really stress-free, pull out the food processor for this incredibly simple flaky pastry crust — or, easier yet, pick up some premade pie dough. Don't let those leftovers go to waste; instead, read more to get the recipe for this comforting leftover turkey pot pie.

There's a first time for everything, and for a few brave souls out there, 2011 will be the first Thanksgiving in which you claim responsibility for the turkey. If it's your turn to cook the big bird this year, and you're worried about how it's going to turn out, fear not: we've got answers to every question you may have, whether it's about thawing, pan size, cooking temperature, or brining.

Now that you're fully equipped with turkey cooking knowledge, it's time to ensure you're completely equipped with the right cooking utensils. When we spoke with the experts at Butterball, they emphasized that, if you're going to be presenting the star of the show and you want to do it right, there are six essential kitchen tools you'll need.

1. A shallow open pan as a roasting vehicle for the turkey.
2. A roasting rack to place the turkey on, inside the pan. This will lift your turkey away from the direct heat of the pan, and also hold the bird away from the drippings.
3. Aluminum foil for tenting the turkey. If you're cooking the turkey uncovered, you'll want to place a piece of foil over the top of the breast and drumsticks when the turkey is two-thirds done to prevent the meat from overcooking and drying out.

Find out what the three other must-have tools are when you keep reading.

You may find this hard to believe, but my real Thanksgiving dinner — not the dry test runs that I prepare beforehand in my kitchen as a food editor, but the one I sit down to on Nov. 24 with my family — is incredibly humble. It's usually just the four of us, sitting around a table, eating a turkey and a few understated (but no less satisfying) sides. That's the Thanksgiving I grew up with, and it continues to be my family's holiday cooking style today: no fuss, no muss, and absolutely no pretensions.

I'm not deviating from the family tradition, so this year I'll be preparing an easy turkey roulade. Butterflied turkey breast is spread with a quick and dirty vegetable filling of shiitake mushrooms, artichokes, and onions, then it's rolled up, wrapped in prosciutto, baked until succulent and sliced into individual turkey pinwheels. It's hard to believe that all those elements take 15 minutes to prepare and just 90 minutes to cook, but it's true! Read ahead for an simple, speedy turkey breast recipe that's also elegant.

Generally, I stick to basting or butter rubs to ensure a moist bird, but many Thanksgiving cooks swear by brining.

The Culinary Institute of America certainly does: they recommend brining as the very best method to ensure bold flavor and moistness. Essentially a brine is a seasoned aromatic liquid in which the turkey bathes before roasting. This technique is often used in preparing all kinds of poultry to maximize juiciness in the finished product. The salt in the brine breaks down the turkey's proteins, making it more tender and keeping in moisture that would normally be squeezed out. Here are a few important brining tips:

• Plan ahead: turkeys generally should brine anywhere from 12-15 hours.
• Choose a container large enough to hold the brining liquid and the turkey. You don't want any spillage situations!

For more tips, keep reading.

Turkey Day is right around the corner (we're pretty excited for that Tryptophan-induced nap that we all enjoy after stuffing our faces), and heritage turkeys are quickly becoming the talk of the town. You may be wondering what the deal is with these birds. Why is everybody talking about them? Why should we leave our old supermarket turkeys behind? Do they taste better? How should they be cooked?

Don't fret, turkey lovers. We've got some answers for you.

Although it may not be considered typical comfort food, there is something nostalgic about the turkey sandwich, in particular the turkey melt. My grandmother used to make them for me as a child and today I use her technique to create the ultimate turkey melt. Instead of cooking the sandwich like a grilled cheese, the bread is broiled so the outside is still soft, but the inside is toasted crisp. The turkey is wrapped around a pile of grated cheese and cooked until hot in a skillet. The resulting sandwich is pure gastronomic bliss! Get the recipe now.