When my grandmother did it, she was constantly going in there and doing stuff. I peeked in once, and there was all kinds of stuff going on in there. She may have done everything you mentioned, but as a boy, males were banned from the kitchen, but there was all kind of business going on there that I NEVER saw with mom.

She threw that puppy in the oven and that was that. There was almost no seasoning, and it was like eating cardboard. Think "clubber, party girl" and you'll get why she wasn't about to do any of that! lol! However, mom's ham is tight! So I'm wondering if she just didn't know, or care to be bothered. Everyone I know tells me that cooking a turkey can be a pain and hit or miss, so I wonder if that's part of it.

Growing up, she was the TV dinner type of mom, the polar opposite of grandmom who put a lot of work into it. I was allowed to help with the pies grandmom made, and lemme tell ya, she had that operation DOWN., and the food was GOOD! :)