Cooking tips from Charles Dobbs,

professor of history and assistant to the president

Most people cook their turkey breast side up so the white meat may dry out and the dark meat could cook in its own fat. The best way is to put the turkey either atop chopped vegetables or on a rack and cook it breast side down — the fat from the dark meat then drips through the white meat keeping everything flavorable and no need for additives or for overworking the bird while it roasts.

Charles Dobbs

1) What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

The idea of gathering family together; since I am a history faculty member, I do have a tendency to bore my children with talk of the first Thanksgiving — reality and myth and all that.

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

The usual ones — a big Thanksgiving meal at supper on Thursday, and then I get up bright and early Friday to be one of the first in the stores for the sales.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

Another year of good health and happiness for my family and friends.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

The dark meat.

Bill Fennelly,

women’s basketball coach

1) What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

It is a great sports time — football and basketball are in full swing.

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

I will be in the Virgin Islands with our team.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

I am most thankful for the love and health of my family and the fact that I have the best job in the country coaching the Iowa State women’s basketball team.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

Leg.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy

1) What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

The big turkey dinner!

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

Spend the time in Ames with family.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

The terrific faculty, staff and students of Iowa State who make our university such a great place to work and study.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

The white meat.

Thomas Hill,

vice president for student affairs

1) What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Spending Thanksgiving with family.

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

I plan to travel to Dallas and spend Thanksgiving with my two sons.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

I am thankful for my health.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

The leg and thigh.

Capt. Gene Deisinger

ISU Police

1) What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

My favorite tradition is having our family all together for the holiday and each person helping to prepare the Thanksgiving meal. Each person’s contribution is a symbol of their thanks and appreciation for the blessings they have enjoyed over the past year. My personal tradition is making the pumpkin pies for dessert.

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

We are looking forward to hosting this year’s get-together, with all of the children, parents and grandparents from my wife’s side of the family, sharing the holiday in our home.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

I am most thankful to have two healthy and growing children and a beautiful wife.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

A slice of the breast please, with a little turkey gravy!

Martha Russell

adjunct associate professor of chemistry

1) What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Oyster dressing for the turkey. But that was several years ago. I will not have turkey [this year] as June (my daughter) now does not eat meat.

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

Have my two daughters visit. June with her husband and two children (Kylie, 6 years old and Tristan, 3 years old) from Naperville, Ill., and Susan, from Portland, Ore.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

I am thankful to be healthy and to have such a nice family.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

White meat. But we will have seafood, which my son-in-law will cook.

James Bloedel

vice provost for research

1) What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Making a wish — particularly in times of difficult budgets!

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

My oldest daughter and her family will visit us in Ames over the weekend.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

The health and good fortune of my family and friends.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

White meat!

Neil Harl

distinguished professor of economics and agriculture

1) What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

To have roast turkey with all of the trimmings for a family get-together at our home in Ames. Our two sons live almost on opposite ends of the country (Boston and Denver), so that is sometimes difficult, but this year both will be with us.

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

This year we are celebrating twice. The first event will be on Nov. 25, Tuesday evening, commemorating the 140th anniversary of the date my great-grandfather Harl first bought land in Iowa. We do that every five years with the dinner held at the 1900 farmhouse at Living History Farms in Clive. The regular Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday will be in Ames.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

We are most thankful for good health for our family; we are deeply concerned about the lack of peace in Iraq and elsewhere in the world.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

Favorite part of the turkey? I like it all, but especially the breast meat. Turkey is very special — when I was a young child, we only had turkey at Thanksgiving, and so it has been a favorite for a long time.

Owen Reynolds

computer science lecturer

1) What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Cook lasagna and watch “Survivor Series” (professional wrestling — they used to have a two-hour Pay-Per-View Thanksgiving night.)

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

See the new Harry Potter movie. I have friends who explain it to me. I also hope to catch up with work.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

Now that I think about it, this year has been pretty much a waste. I’ve got a student who was called up and has to drop out of my class, so the daily list of war dead is bothering me more than usual.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

I’ve never much cared for turkey.

Warren Phillips

psychology lecturer

1) What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Cooking the turkey for the main meal and sitting down with my family to eat together and give thanks for our love and time spent together.

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

My plans for this Thanksgiving are to be here in Iowa and have my family and my wife’s family over for Thanksgiving day dinner and to spend most of that day and night talking with and catching up with all the family members.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

I am thankful this year for the time I have spent with my wife and my son and for all the small, daily kindnesses that many people have provided to me and my family.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

The favorite part of the turkey for me is the drumstick and has been ever since I was about five.

Barbara Mack

associate professorof journalism and communication

1) What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

I’m excited to have my entire family around me this Thanksgiving for the first time in several years. To do it, we had to move Thanksgiving to Wednesday to accommodate work schedules. With two nephews who are police officers, a family has to be flexible!

2) What are your plans for this Thanksgiving?

I’m also cooking for a group of friends on Thanksgiving day. I usually spend every family holiday with my hands in a turkey’s innards, and this year, I’ll cook two turkeys, a ham, three gallons of dressing, 10 pounds of potatoes, six pounds of sweet potatoes, two pounds of cranberries, a gallon of gravy, assorted vegetables and 10 pies in three days. On Friday, I’m resting.

3) What are you most thankful for this year?

I’m grateful for a convection oven that cuts cooking time. Seriously … I’m most grateful my family can be together.

4) What is your favorite part of the turkey?

My favorite part of the turkey? What turkey? Heck with Dr. Atkins … bring on the dressing and gravy! Bring on the pie!