Sweet Basil Rub

What a crazy couple of weeks this has been!  I guess life starts getting crazy for most of us around mid-November and doesn't stop until January 1st.  Every year I swear it's going to be different and I won't get caught up in doing too much for the holidays, but every year new things come along and my plans are gone with the wind.  Despite the craziness, I love this time of year- don't you?  It's so festive and colorful and musical and joyful.  And it all starts with Thanksgiving.

Because I was traveling last week and had Thanksgiving this week, I haven't had that much time to blog.  However, I did have time to snap a few photos while doing my Thanksgiving cooking so that I could share a few ideas with you.

As late as the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving I still hadn't decided exactly how I was going to cook my first turkey the next day.  I had gotten great advice from many people, the most common of which was to use an oven bag.  Since I don't even own a turkey baster, I figured that would be a good idea.  But basting and oven bags aside, how was I going to season the silly bird?  Out of all the ideas I heard, the one that was the most appealing to me came about 8:00 Wednesday night from my lovely sister-in-law, Julie.  She had a recipe for a rub that she had gotten from a friend named Marci who thinks it may be a very (and I do mean very) old Butterball recipe.  Once I saw the recipe, I was sold.


Sweet Basil Rub
(I was cooking a 20 lb turkey so I decided to make a double-recipe so I could be generous and rub it inside and out.  I also made it the night before so the flavors could "marry" better - also a great idea!)

1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic pwder
1/4 tsp onion powder (or dehydrated onion flakes)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Add lemon juice and olive oil and combine. If possible, let sit for several hours before using.

Apply liberally to raw meat or poultry before cooking.  Smell your hands before washing the basil rub off and try not to drool.  Yes, it smells that good.