What's Up Wesley Chapel
Posts
Turkey Time is Around the Corner

Turkey Time is Around the Corner

Thanksgiving Tips and Your Local Shopping

November 23, 2025

Partner with What’s Up Wesley Chapel

Let’s Talk!

What’s Up

Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Lutz, Land O Lakes, Zephyrhills, Odessa

Featured Story

What’s Up With That Turkey?

Alright, friends, the big day is almost here. It’s almost time for too much food, family stories you’ve heard a hundred times, and that one relative who insists they “know the right way” to cook the turkey.

To help you pull off a safe, delicious, drama-light Thanksgiving, here are your official What’s Up Wesley Chapel turkey tips.

1. Start With the Thaw

If your turkey is still frozen solid the day before Thanksgiving, you’re already in the danger zone.

Plan on about 24 hours of fridge thaw time for every 4–5 pounds of turkey.
Don’t thaw it on the counter. That’s how you turn Thanksgiving into “who gave everyone food poisoning?”
In a rush? Use a cold water bath, changing the water every 30 minutes until it’s fully thawed. It’s annoying, but it’s safer.

2. Season Like You Mean It

Thanksgiving is not the time for bland.

Salt the bird early so it has time to soak up the flavor.
Be generous with butter, herbs, garlic, and citrus.
If last year’s turkey was a little dry, just pretend it never happened and quietly overcorrect this year with extra moisture and flavor.

3. Deep-Fried Turkey: Delicious… If You Don’t Burn Down the Neighborhood

Deep-frying a turkey can make you a legend or a cautionary tale. Let’s aim for legend.

Choose the right spot:

Fry outside, on a flat, level surface, far away from your house, garage, cars, or anything that can catch fire.
Not in the garage, not on the wooden deck, not under the screen enclosure.

Prep the turkey:

The turkey must be fully thawed and completely dry. Any moisture or ice hitting that oil can cause it to boil over fast.
Remove all packaging, bags, and anything that doesn’t belong in hot oil.

Handle the oil safely:

Do a test with water first. Put the turkey in the pot, fill with water until it covers the bird, then remove the turkey and mark the water line. That’s your max oil level. Dump the water, dry the pot, then add oil to that line.
Turn the burner off when you lower the turkey in. Once it’s fully in the oil, turn the burner back on.
Keep kids, pets, and “I got this” relatives far back from the fryer.
Have a grease-rated fire extinguisher ready. Never, ever use water on a grease fire.

If at any point you’re thinking, “This doesn’t feel safe,” trust that feeling. Oven-roasted turkey never made the six o’clock news.

4. Control the Chaos in the Kitchen

Thanksgiving kitchens get crowded fast.

Pick one kitchen captain. Everyone else is support staff. If you’re not the captain, stay out of their way unless you’re asked to help.
Turn pot handles inward so nobody bumps into them.
Wipe up spills right away so nobody wipes out carrying mashed potatoes.

5. Food Safety: Protect the Leftover Lovers

We all love leftover turkey sandwiches. We do not love regretting them.

Get food put away within two hours of serving.
Use shallow containers to help things cool evenly in the fridge.
Reheat leftovers until they’re good and hot, not just “barely warm.”
If you’re not sure how long something’s been sitting out, go ahead and let it go.

6. Host & Guest Etiquette

For hosts:

Set up a spot for shoes, bags, and random stuff so it doesn’t all end up in the kitchen.
Put out labels or markers for drinks so you don’t go through 40 cups for 12 people.

For guests:

Try to bring dishes ready to serve. Oven space is like prime waterfront property on Thanksgiving.
Don’t show up an hour late with a key dish like the stuffing or mac and cheese.
Even if the host says, “Don’t bring anything,” show up with dessert or ice. Extra pie has never ruined a holiday.

7. The After-Dinner Truce

Once the food coma hits, it’s tempting to melt into the couch and stay there.

If you’re a guest, help clean up a little first. Even just gathering plates or packing leftovers helps a ton.
If you’re the host, say yes when people offer to help. You’ve done the hard part already.

Thanksgiving is about more than the perfect turkey. It’s about full tables, loud laughter, shared stories, and a house that feels just a little too crowded in the best possible way.

Cook smart, stay safe, keep the fryer under control, and enjoy the day.

The Real What’s Up

Voice of Our Veterans

Voice of Our Veterans, Inc. is a Florida-based nonprofit that amplifies the voices of veterans, active-duty service members, and their families, making sure they’re heard, respected, and supported. Through advocacy, media outreach, and partnerships, they work to shine a spotlight on those who’ve served and the issues that matter most to them.

Foodies Only

The Breakfast Nooks

The Breakfast Nook is one of those cozy, feel-good spots where comfort food and friendly service collide. From hearty omelets to fluffy pancakes and all the classic breakfast favorites, it’s the kind of place where you settle in, sip your coffee, and instantly feel like a regular.

We Know a Guy…or Girl

What’s Up Working

Need a painter? A plumber? Someone brave enough to tackle that lightbulb orbiting 30 feet above your living room? We’ve got you.

Interested in joining the list? Shoot us an email to: [email protected]

What’s Up With Shopping Local

That’s right, for the rest of the year, What’s Up Wesley Chapel is turning into your local gift guide for Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Zephyrhills, and Odessa. From too-chic-to-speak boutiques to clever tech, unique local makers, and “wait, that’s here?” hidden gems, we’ll be bringing you the best places to shop right in our own backyard. Starting next issue, we’ll spotlight the shops, deals, and must-grab gifts you’ll want on your list, and we’ll say it loud for the folks in the back: SHOP LOCAL this season.