Household projects and school have been keeping me busy.....the turkey review is long overdue!  First, we are sad to announce that we will not likely purchase these turkeys again, the bird was so stiff I couldn't tuck the wings or tie the legs, and that did not improve even after 5 hours of slow cooking.  The meat was rather tough (which is to be expected since the bird actually roamed), and so we figure why pay more money for a tougher bird?  My husband found the dark meat to be inedible and this is his favorite part.  I used the carcass to make stock for soup, and after an additional half a day in the stock pot the meat was FINALLY falling off the bones.  On to the flavor...fabulous!  We have found that we prefer the meat the next day, the smoke flavor seems to change a bit after some refrigeration and it makes a delicious sandwich.  The kids wolfed it down- and my son normally won't eat turkey.  They kept saying it smelled like bacon, I think that was the wow factor for them.  Even my dog who could care less about food stalked me whenever I had some turkey.  It was quite entertaining!  (I limited the birds time in the smoker, starting and finishing it in the oven so that the flavor would not be overwhelming.)

I have yet to pull my dahlia tubers out of the garden, it has been so wet.  The temperatures are really going to drop in the coming days and weeks so it is now or never......things certainly are not getting any dryer, my wetlands are looking more like swamplands these days!

We still need to put up a Christmas tree. Again, the kitchen project and wet weather has foiled every attempt we have made.  Do you all have your trees up?  If so I would like to make a request.....would you post a picture of the tree on your blogs?  I would love to see some Christmas cheer (if you have already done this forgive me, i have not 'done the rounds' lately)..... wish somebody delivered the darn things around here.  :)  I have my fingers crossed for a white Christmas here in coastal Massachusetts, that is my wish for Santa.  Happy Holidays!

(EDIT:  The smoker is actually quite simple Thomas.  There are two doors.  The bottom section houses the flame, the wood pan, and the water pan.  The top has racks to place the food on.  This is not a true pit type smoker, it has been adapted for the average Joe via the use of wood chips which are soaked in water prior to being set over the heat.  I took it a step further and went with a propane version which makes controlling the temperature a breeze, I am able to control just as you would on any gas grill.)