Without Butterball my Thanksgiving would be….

My convection oven turkey - 2011 Butterball U.

…in trouble.  Over the past 31 years I’ve served up a LOT of Butterball turkeys on the third Thursday in November. I’ll admit to having tried the route of going to a turkey farm and choosing my bird once (ok, twice), only to have the day be a disaster when the main focus of our meal did not turn out the way that I planned. I learned my lesson, and I’ve kept to the same formula since.

Oh, I’m not saying that EVERYTHING is exactly the same, I do try new side dishes, appetizers and of course desserts. BUT, the centerpiece of the day…the TURKEY has been Butterball, and for a GOOD REASON. I can singlehandedly ruin a meal.  Forgetting to baste, not knowing how long to cook, when to defrost, are ALL things that I’ve done with roasts, chickens, etc. BUT NOT WITH MY THANKSGIVING TURKEY.

I’ll tell you why.

Butterball has this great pamphlet that comes with each and every turkey giving step-by-step directions that make your turkey day a perfect day.  Between the instructions with the turkey, the great helpers on Butterball.com and the nice people at the Turkey Talk Hotline…you can be the STAR of the holiday.

Here are some of the GREAT helpers that they offer.

• Want to know how much turkey to buy for your crowd? – The Butterball Calculator will do all of the math for you
• Need step-by-step guidance for a perfect holiday dinner? – The Holiday planning guide takes you from supermarket to what to do with the leftovers.
• Looking to save money on your turkey AND side dishes? – Butterball offers PROMOTIONS  linking to some of the BEST coupons & more.
• Need to talk to someone to get you out of a turkey JAM? – Call 1-800-BUTTERBALL from now through Christmas Day

• Nov. 1 – Nov. 23	8 a.m.-8 p.m. (CT)	Weekdays
  Nov. 19 – Nov. 20	8 a.m.-6 p.m. (CT)	Weekend prior to Thanksgiving
  Nov. 24	6 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (CT)	Thanksgiving Day
  Nov. 26 – Nov. 27	8 a.m.-6 p.m. (CT)	Weekend after Thanksgiving
  Nov. 25 – Dec. 23	8 a.m.-6 p.m. (CT)	Weekdays
  Dec. 17 – Dec. 18	8 a.m.-6 p.m. (CT)	Weekend prior to Christmas
  Dec. 24 – Dec. 25	7 a.m.-4 p.m. (CT)	Christmas Eve/Christmas Day

• Read about MY experiences with the holidays. – Beginning tomorrow, November 3rd on the Butterball Blog

I’m looking forward to sharing some of my best practices and experiences with Butterball a little closer to Thanksgiving!

This post was sponsored by Butterball turkeys…my FAVORITE turkeys, and while they asked me to write on their blog again this year as a sponsored blogger, I’d be serving their delicious birds this Thanksgiving even if they hadn’t.