Thanksgiving at Bostonist's House: Bring in the Bird

Bostonist knows that any "serious" Thanksgiving reveler will be leaving work at noon today and not using those extra free hours to get in a little pre-holiday afternoon cocktail or some early Christmas shopping, no, but heading straight home and starting Thanksgiving food preparations.

For all those A-typers out there, Bostonist presents our top Turkey Tips:

Baste often, and plentifully. Or, if all that attentiveness sounds like, frankly, a bore, try this tip from Bostonist Josh: "Rather than constant basting, douse a clean dishtowel in olive or cooking oil and cover the bird with it. This will keep the bird moist. (It will also pretty much ruin the dishtowel for any purpose other than bird-covering, so don't do it with your mom's beloved family heirloom dishtowel that came over on the Mayflower.)"

Be creative with preparation: Brine the turkey tonight, or create an entirely unique flavor with a "theme turkey." Two years ago, Bostonist quite enjoyed our Cajun bird, after divine inspiration caused us to insert frozen butter wedges into the raw turkey and wrapping the whole thing in bacon before cooking.

Two words: Fry Daddy. Everything tastes great cooked in grease, so go and grab a classic turkey fryer and trailer park that bird. Bostonist is even planning to open a few short ones, tailgate around our "Daddy", and talk football.

As a last resort, remember to have an emergency number on hand, be it Mom Bostonist, Grammy Bostonist, or that one gourmet friend who knows important details like to remove the turkey's "entrails bag" before cooking. Or bring the laptop into the kitchen and check out the Food Network's turkey tutorial section; they have videos on all phases of bird prep, even carving.

In extreme cases of "turkey disfigurement", the savvy Bostonist reader might just want to check his/her pride and either find a friend who was smart enough to order in, or just outright lie.