Only six adults will be here so a change in plan. Only will cook the 13 pound turkey and will do the other one a few days later.
Stuffing... I always saute chopped onion, celery and mushrooms, usually a day or so ahead. On Thursday morning I will assemble my dressing with prepackaged stuff (pun intended) cornbread, and the veggies. I moisten with chicken broth and butter, or I use the giblets to make a stock and use that. I also add some herbs, like poultry seasoning, sage, rosemary and whatever smells good at the moment.
Since moistening with warm broth makes the dressing warm I never stuff the bird until I am ready to cook. You absolutely can cook the stuffing in the bird without fear. I do it both ways depending on what I want to accomplish with the turkey drippings. They flavor the dressing beautifully (make sure your dressing is a little dry to start with, otherwise it gets soggy) or you can let them accumulate on the bottom of the pan and brown for gravy.
When you stuff the bird, don’t pack the dressing. It will expand. I also use the heel of a loaf of bread to keep it from spilling out. If you stuff the bird make sure you check the temperature of the stuffing, not the bird. It should register 165 way deep inside. If you don’t want the hassle of removing the stuffing try using one of those cheesecloth bags to hold it in the bird. Easy to remove then.
To cook the bird I will brine it first. You have seen those instructions elsewhere on the thread. Kosher birds are brined first so you won’t have to, but I don’t think that is what you got. After brining, rinse the bird and pat dry. Salt the inside and out. I slip my hand under the skin, without breaking it, and slip in rosemary sprigs and some butter on top of the breast and legs. The rosemary flavors it wonderfully and looks great through the browned skin. Rub a little butter on it and slap that baby in the oven. Baste with drippings randomly. If it starts to get too browned, loosely tent some foil over the top.
Bake it until your instant read thermometer reads 165 in both the thickest part of the thigh (avoid the bone) and/or the breast. The breast usually will be done before the legs are, so be sure to leave it in long enough. If it is stuffed, bake until the stuffing is 165... the bird will be more. You should have a guideline on the wrapper that tells you about how long to cook it, stuffed and unstuffed.
Let the bird sit at least half an hour while you make gravy. I put the Rosina pan on a burner, sprinkle in some flour to make a roux with the drippings and cook a minute, then add the broth from the giblets, or chicken stock, and some milk. The best trick is to add a splash of cold coffee left over from breakfast. It really deepens the flavor of the gravy.
Don’t let the stuffing sit in the bird for long. Many times that is what makes people sick, not salmonella. Also, cut up the bird before you store it. Large slabs of meat take much more time to cool than people think.
My usual plan is to put my large stock pot on the table as I cut up the bird after dinner. All bones, skin and dibs and dabs of leftovers (mashed potatoes, yams, celery and carrot sticks, etc) go in the pot and I start cooking broth. Simmer for several hours, strain out the solids and save for soup tomorrow or freeze for later. It makes the best soup in the world! Yum.
Hope you have fun. It really is a blast to play in the kitchen for a feast. Let us know how it turns out.