Every year my husband and I spend Thanksgiving with one of our families.  The only time I remember being away from family was the 8 months we spent living overseas.  That winter I was pregnant and homesick and cold!  The thought of spending a holiday away from family and friends almost warranted the $900+ roundtrip ticket home.  Almost.  Of course we didn’t make the trip.  My husband promised that we’d have a wonderful American Thanksgiving dinner…just the two of us.

So we set out to find that perfect turkey and all the adorning side dishes.  We were in Scotland, might I remind you.  A country that (apart from the Americans living there) doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving.  We were about to embark on a cooking adventure like no other without the necessary ingredients for success.  I wanted turkey and stuffing and rice pilaf and cranberries and pumpkin pie…just like we have with our families. What I got…a definite let-down.  Thanksgiving is more than just the food.  It’s about tradition and memories and family.  They didn’t have whole turkeys so we had to buy cut-up, pre-packaged turkey to cook.  Everything else was improvised.  My husband and I sat together while I cried (pregnancy tears of course!) and tried to stomach the makeshift Thanksgiving dinner he had cooked.  It was a memory I’d rather forget.

We all have Thanksgiving turkey tales, not the least of which most likely includes burned, dried-out, or otherwise inedible.  Electrolux and Kelly Ripa want to hear your stories about finding and preparing the perfect turkey.  If you click on Kelly Confidential and log on, you can submit a photo, story and/or video detailing your “turkey tale.”  The best part is that you could win a brand new Electrolux wall oven or range with the Perfect Turkey button.  The contest is running now through November 14 so get your stories in!