TIPS: How to carve a turkey and a great dressing recipe

HOUSTON -- One of the most intimidating cooking tasks on Thanksgiving Day is carving that beautiful bird! Chef Jonathan Levine of Jonathan's The Rub restaurant in Houston offers a few quick tips for making sure your Thanksgiving turkey looks as good as it tastes.

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First, use a very sharp carving knife and a fork, to ensure that you make clean cuts. Also, once you have removed the turkey from the oven, allow it to rest for several minutes, so that the juices can cool and redistribute throughout the meat. This will make sure the meat stays moist and tender.

Using the knife, cut between the thigh and the breast, then make a lateral cut along the breast. Then make clean cuts the opposite way along the breast. Lay the slices neatly on your serving platter. Using your knife, completely separate the thighs and wings from the bird, and arrange around the white meat on the plate.

After you're done, serve the turkey up with some gravy and your favorite dressing. I recommend Levin's Sweet Sourdough Bread Dressing. The recipe is below.

Ingredients:

• Half a stick of unsalted butter
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tsps. poultry seasoning
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 8 cups chopped sweet sourdough bread (We use Sheila Partin burger buns and cut them into large dices)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt butter in saut pan on medium-high heat
3. Add celery and onion; saut until onions are translucent and celery is still firm
4. Add chicken stock and poultry seasoning. Stir until mixture is evenly distributed
5. Add bread, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until mixture is evenly distributed
6. Pan spray casserole dish and evenly pour contents of saut pan into dish
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

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