Since the holiday season is just around the corner, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield has hired me to talk turkey – literally. So last week, a Regence video producer and his cameraman descended on my kitchen and turned it into a real television set. Under the bright lights, I taught Regence members on myRegence.com tips and techniques for cooking the perfect holiday turkey. My first real professional video!

After a week of hamming out the video flow and discussion points, I purchased three large turkeys from New Seasons, Albertsons, and Safeway, letting them defrost gently in the refrigerator.

On the morning of the shoot, I woke at 5:30 AM to get the first bird that I already brined in the oven. After preparing all my mis en place for the day, I applied a thick coat of makeup so I wouldn’t look too washed out on camera.

Precisely at 8:00 AM, the video team knocked on my door. For the next two hours, they proceeded to turn my once organized, clean kitchen into a writing nest of cables, lights, microphones, and cameras. They even popped out window screens to power lights outside from the outside in.

Standing in the blaze of lights, I wondered if this is what it’s like to be famous. Suddenly I felt every little single imperfection on my body jumping up and begging for attention. But once the adrenalin kicked in, I took little notice of whether my double chin was showing or if I tied my apron too tight.

My good friend and myRegency.com member Darci arrived to help me on camera. The idea was that I would teach her how to prepare a turkey while viewers peaked in on our progress. Since Darci and I didn’t have time to rehearse beforehand, we winged each conversation. Although we felt a little staged and stiff, I’m sure to the casual viewer, we looked like two passionate cooks eager to please our holiday guests.

During filming, we covered important topics such as selecting the right turkey (commercial breed versus heritage); buying fresh versus frozen; differentiating between Kosher, self basting and natural; the benefits of brining; to stuff or not to stuff; herb roasting; carving; and leftovers. We talked about a whirlwind of information in three hours and the final video will probably be just under seven minutes.

Cooking on camera is a lot harder than I expected. First you film the wide shot where the viewer sees the whole kitchen. Then you shoot the close up for all the juicy details. Of course if you mess up, you start over and pretend like this is the first time you’ve ever talked about a particular point. Since I’d only prepared one turkey in advance, when it came time for carving, we had to get it right on the first take.

By the time the clock hit 3:00 PM, we were finally finished. And I was ready to crash. Who knew cooking under the lights could be so exhausting? Now I just can’t wait to see the finished version!

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