Turkey

Istanbul is a beautiful city and the Blue Mosque is one of its most spectacular sites. I traveled to Turkey last October and took this photo from the terrace of a textile museum. As I focused on the dome, a huge flock of seagulls filled the lens. We saw the mosque from other vantage points several more times during our trip, but never again with a bird in sight. Penney Hubbard, Baltimore

After watching a few minutes of the nightly news, you might feel pretty ungrateful about the 2007 holiday season that kicks off with Thanksgiving. There's plenty of senseless death, destruction and wasted potential to validate that point of view. And if you have suffered a personal loss of any kind, the season can seem like a cruel, monthlong game of charades. Who wants to paste on a smile and parade through the open-house circuit, making festive chitchat with people who might not understand the depth of your pain?

WITH THREE TURKEYS in his arms, the meat guy cavalierly dumps one into my cart where it lands with a thud. I poke it with one finger. "Is this a fresh one?" I hesitantly ask, because it feels kind of icy and the luxury of a slow thaw is not mine. I've got three turkeys, a completely different recipe for each and two days to achieve Thanksgivingworthiness. I also have no idea what I'm doing. The meat man mumbles something about only the outside being frozen and all but guarantees that these turkeys are fresh, oven-ready, good to go. So with a toss of some official butcher's string into the cart -- I think I need that -- Operation Three Turkeys Two Days begins.

From: Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $32 Serve with: Roast turkey You can serve either white or red with the Thanksgiving feast. Among whites, I recommend pinot gris. Among reds, zinfandel excels - especially the style of zinfandel that comes from Napa Valley fruit. And Ravenswood Dickerson is at or near the top of that breed. This wine is incredibly intense, complex and full-bodied, but with excellent balance and acidity. The flavors of cassis, blackberry and black cherry are clear and pure.

Salman Rushdie once noted that societies that emerged from colonial rule in the '50s, '60s and '70s became hotbeds for literary invention. "The Empire Writes Back," he called the phenomenon, punning on George Lucas' Star Warsfilm. That phrase is gaining new currency in Turkey, where, according to 35-year-old writer Elif Shafak, a young generation of Turks is using the novel, a form that came to them from the West, to reimagine their society from within. "Novelists have played a very, very critical role as the engineers of social and cultural transformation in Turkey," Shafak says, sitting in an empty hotel ballroom in New York City.

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Parliament approved yesterday a constitutional amendment to elect Turkey's president by a popular vote, giving even greater weight to midsummer elections that are shaping up as a divisive referendum on the role of Islam in government. The 376-1 vote by lawmakers opens the door to holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously, on July 22. However, the package of electoral reforms could still be blocked by a veto from the country's resolutely secular president, with whom the ruling party is at odds.

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq have killed more than 150 rebels and hit more than 200 targets in recent days, the Turkish military said yesterday, countering Kurdish claims that only a handful of people were killed in the attacks. The air raids, on Dec. 16 and 22, were the first large-scale assaults on Iraqi territory since the Turkish parliament approved cross-border operations in mid-October against hideouts of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK. According to a statement by the Turkish army, Turkish fighter planes hit 22 targets in the Metina, Zap, Avashin and Hakurk regions in Iraq on Dec. 16, after intelligence confirmed a rebel presence at the sites.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY -- An outspoken journalist who repeatedly clashed with Turkish authorities here over recognition of the early 20th-century slaughter of Armenians was shot to death in broad daylight yesterday on a busy downtown street. Hrant Dink, who as editor of a Turkish-Armenian newspaper was the leading voice for his ethnic community, died a week after he wrote about threats from unknown forces who he said regarded him "an enemy of the Turks." Street demonstration Hundreds of people marched last night from Istanbul's central Taksim Square to the offices of Dink's Agos weekly newspaper, near the spot on a sidewalk where he was shot in the head.

When it comes to burgers, ground turkey offers the best of both worlds - that grilled taste with a more healthful profile. We like ours slightly charred and loaded with turkey flavor. We tried four turkey burgers from area bars and restaurants. When given the option, we asked for lettuce, tomato and onion. Here are the results. Della Rose's 8153 A Honeygo Blvd., White Marsh -- 410-933-8861 Hours --11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily Restaurant's estimate --10-15 minutes Ready in --18 minutes Served on a kaiser roll, this burger, $7.62, could have used more seasoning.

The real test of whether Islam and democracy are compatible is taking place not in Iraq or elsewhere in the Arab world but in Turkey. Right now. On Tuesday, a devout Muslim named Abdullah Gul, whose wife wears a head scarf, was elected president of Turkey by the country's parliament. Turkey is a country where the presidency has traditionally been held by a secular figure, and women in head scarves are banned from government buildings. Mr. Gul's election has unnerved many secular Turks.

Dan Taylor slathers Baconnaise on turkey sandwiches and has used it as a sauce to dunk steamed shrimp. The Lutherville foodie also makes a dip by crumbling bacon into warm cheese that he calls "life-altering." Phillip Kerrigan, a Baltimore furniture restorer, has recently tried bacon bread pudding, bacon peanut butter cups, bacon toffee and bacon rum. For a friend's birthday, he whipped up a batch of homemade bacon and egg ice cream. Here are just two proud soldiers of the burgeoning Bacon Nation, marching forward boldly and bravely, if somewhat greasily, striving to push the conventional limits of a once-ordinary breakfast meat.

How do you cook without an oven? Creatively at first, and then you start visiting the neighbors. That is what my wife and I surmised recently when our oven stopped working during the holidays. The trouble started on the evening of Dec. 25, during a meal that is now known in family lore as the Christmas dinner of the two-tone turkey. My wife, our older son, a friend and I had planned to dine on roast turkey and fixings around 6:30 p.m. But at 6 o'clock, when we plunged the instant-read thermometer into the turkey - a fresh 16-pounder I had secured the day before from my butcher - the reading showed the bird was still 50 degrees short of the 170 degrees it needed to be done.

Loyola linebacker-tight end Charley Jones has had a hectic senior year, and the highlight for his undefeated and No. 2 Dons comes this morning, when they play Calvert Hall in the annual Turkey Bowl at M&T Bank Stadium. Jones, 6 feet 1, 195 pounds, is second on the team in tackles with 82 and has 101 receiving yards. After his parents moved to Houston for his father's job last summer, Jones remained behind, living with teammate Shannon Klein's family. His parents and brother Danny, a freshman at the University of Tampa, will be in town today to watch the Turkey Bowl and join the Kleins for a turkey feast.

It's hard to dredge up a sports figure who deserves to be stuffed and roasted more than Al Davis. But at least Davis' managerial malfunctions can't retroactively vaporize his Super Bowl trophies. Can we say the same for Roger Clemens and his legacy? I know Clemens hasn't been charged or convicted in connection with allegations that his trainer, Brian McNamee, injected him with steroids. He might never be. But questions about steroid use are almost beside the point given the tawdry spectacles Clemens starred in earlier this year.

In the thick of a gray morning just days ago, fat snowflakes began to fall on the city, dusting the bricks like powdered sugar and swirling in the air like confetti. Office workers ran to their windows. People hurrying along on the sidewalk stopped in their tracks. And moments later, as suddenly as it appeared, the life-sized snow globe settled. Workers turned back to their desks and city streets were just streets. A holiday weekend is just like that. You've got to make sure to look for the magic.

Even before she puts her own turkey on the table today, Loretta Warfield will have served 50 Thanksgiving dinners. For more than two decades, through donations and fundraisers at the W.R. Grace & Co. chemical plant where she works as a janitor, Warfield has collected fresh turkeys, white potatoes, bread, pies and countless canned goods for Curtis Bay-area families who might not otherwise be able to celebrate the holiday. She has fed well over 1,000 families this way. "I've been doing this for so long, it's just a part of me," Warfield said.

Psssst! Here's a stock tip for you: Make your own. Hot turkey sandwiches aren't the only option for Thanksgiving leftovers. Break up that turkey carcass, add some aromatic vegetables and perhaps a couple of uncooked chicken wings, cover with cold water and simmer. In a couple of hours, you will have what cookbook author Lauren Groveman calls "liquid gold," a rich, deeply flavored poultry stock that can enhance the flavor of everything from rice and vegetables to homemade soups and rich sauces.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It not only prompts a gathering of my immediate family, which is a blessing in itself, but it also lets loose a stream of memories of my boyhood and Thanksgiving feasts enjoyed with other family members who gathered at our house on 109th Street in North Troy, N.Y. to celebrate the day and the knowing of each other. Nothing is more evocative of my earliest years than the smell of the turkey cooking in the oven, the potatoes, sauerkraut and other dishes simmering on the stove and the arrival of loved ones bringing us hugs and kisses and genuine delight in the occasion.

Whether you are a novice or accomplished cook, here are some helpful last-minute ideas for preparing your dinner on Thanksgiving Day, as well as tips for using leftovers. * Dry out: If your fresh bread cubes aren't yet dry enough to make your stuffing, spread them in a baking pan with sides and dry in a 300-degree oven 10 to 15 minutes, stirring twice. Let cool. They'll crisp as they come to room temperature. * Add flavor: Instead of filling the turkey cavities with stuffing, add flavor to the bird by filling them with apples, onions studded with whole cloves, cloves of garlic, oranges, lemons and/or fresh herbs.

Yes, there will be a turkey on almost every table a week from tomorrow. But, to us, the side dishes are what make it Thanksgiving. In many a family, there's a non-negotiable casserole, stuffing, puree or pudding that appears year after year, withstanding the march of time and trends. These dishes send the message that though the people sitting around the table may change, the meaning of the holiday meal they share endures. In our Thanksgiving issue today, three of us share the recipes for our traditional Thanksgiving sides and the stories behind them, hoping you'll enjoy them as much as we do. Carrot Souffle works as an alternative to sweet potatoes, PG 2 Pat's Sage Stuffing is great even in a sandwich of leftovers, PG 2 Hominy Casserole has a texture that goes wonderfully with turkey, PG 2